Kitchen knife set recommendation needed!!!

[minmin001]

I'm really sick of cutting stuff with our bad kitchen knifes so we are looking for a nice set of knife for V-day (I know, we are so romantic ). Since I have no knowledge of this kind of things at all I'm hoping to get some recommendation.
Thank you so much!

 

[kenny]

Japanese knives.
Say no more!!!!!!!!!!!

TristanC turned me on to them and I could not be more grateful.
They are VAAAAAAAAAAAASTLY superior to any other knives.

I bought a Konosuke 210mm White #2 Wa-Gyuto for $180, and a Konosuke 120mm White #2 Wa-Petty for $105.
The vendor was SUPERB in every way.
Call and talk to Jon.
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/

These high-carbon knives can not be left wet, even for a few minutes, since they will rust (they are not stainless steel) but they are tooooooooooootally worth the slight inconvenience.

The sensation of using them is totally new to me; I was very happy with my 4-Star Henkeles for 25 years.
Now those thick heavy German knives feel like cutting with the back side of a dull plastic fast-food knife compared to my Japanese laser beams.

Check out my thread from when I bought them: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ive-discovered-the-joy-of-japanese-knives.164716/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ive-discovered-the-joy-of-japanese-knives.164716/[/URL]

 

[marcy]

We have Wusthoff Classic and really like them.

 

[tammy77]

Ridiculously expensive, but last a lifetime suggestion would be Cutco. I LOVE ours.

 

[TristanC]

Hi Minmin

Since you asked... I think it is time you were shown the way...

Look at Kenny! All I did was suggest that he checks it out. Oh how gingerly he considered the purchase, till his curious engineer side took over and he gave it a go. No looking back! The enthusiasm of his reply on this thread would prove that to you.

You don't NEED to go carbon steel (the stuff that rusts), you can get a really great stainless blade from a good japanese smith too. They are excellent choices for the initial immersion into Japanese steel.

Kenny's post on the differences are night and day. In a more relevant example to you, its like shopping in one B&M store your whole life, then suddenly finding out about PS, WF, GOG et. al.

I would shop by price bucket. If you give us a budget we can help. I love shopping for knives! (I have around 20 I think)

But if you want to looksee around, here are some great options for websites to browse.

http://japanesechefsknife.com/ - very cheap shipping, $7 from Japan to USA for any order (last I checked). Knives and vendor is located in Japan, can do limited english email communication so that is a HUGE plus for buying from Japan.

http://www.cartercutlery.com/ the first, only and probably last american to be an official japanese bladesmith. He is back in america, and although a little pricey, his blades are exquisitely functional.

http://korin.com/Knives great selection, based on the US.

Ok, happy shopping! Before you buy, you can pop your finds here and I'll give what little feedback I can. If you have a budget and number of knives/types of knives in mind, I can recommend specifics

Welcome to the dark side!

 

[TristanC]

And in case you wanted some heads up on where I introduced Kenny to the concept of something other than Henckles, Cutco, Sabatier and Wustorf. All good brands, but they are not anywhere near the league of the Japanese blades. EGL J I1 vs GIA D IF. Yes, it is that big a spread.

https://www.pricescope.com/communit...ioned-a-kitchen-knife-pictures-inside.163780/

 

[JulieN]

Which knives do you need and what is your budget? What kind of cooking do you do?

$100, the 7.5" Sumo santoku at W-S is on sale, I'd get that. You can get good chef's and santokus in the 70 range, too.
Paring knife: anything decent will do, somewhere between $5-$100, but I think a sweet spot is around 30-40. I'd get this and put a fine edge on it: http://www.cutleryandmore.com/henckels-five-star/straight-paring-knife-p115077
Bread knife: again, anything will do. They go from $25-$125 but the Tojiro looks good for 55. http://www.cutleryandmore.com/tojiro/itk-bread-knife-p124765
Slicers: 100-300. I'm not really into them, but some people use them as their main knife very well.

Despite all this, you don't need to spend more than $100. The Tojiro DP starter set will do 95% of what you will ever need: http://www.chefknivestogo.com/to2pcstset.html

Don't overlook cleavers, they are great, too.

 

[dani13]

I'm also interested in purchasing some really good knives, as MH and I both enjoy cooking and Im SO SICK of using our old, cheap, dull knives that were purchased before we even got married. Thanks for the suggestions all, I'll be following this thread!!!

 

[TristanC]

If you could help by sharing some items that you need:

1) What knives are you looking for (if you know), like meat, fruits & veg, bread, all purpose, paring, small tasks
2) How many knives you are looking for right now
3) How much you can spend if you have a budget in mind

Typical recommendations have it such that most people can make do with no more than 4 knives.
A bread knife, a general purpose chef knife, a paring knife or small utility knife for fine work, and the last one depends on what you do most: a heavier knife if you do lots of crustaceans, sometimes a complementary chef knife of a different style to the main one, a boning knife for breaking down chickens and crowns or pork chops or racks, or a fish knife, or some combi of the earlier.

I'll be happy to make suggestions

 

[Diamond*Dana]

Ridiculously expensive, but last a lifetime suggestion would be Cutco. I LOVE ours.

I agree! They are super expensive, but we only have a set of 4 with shears and that is all we need. They are awesome!

 

[minmin001]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions. I will look into them all and have a chat with my FI!!!

 

[minmin001]

Re:

Japanese knives.
Say no more!!!!!!!!!!!

TristanC turned me on to them and I could not be more grateful.
They are VAAAAAAAAAAAASTLY superior to any other knives.

I bought a Konosuke 210mm White #2 Wa-Gyuto for $180, and a Konosuke 120mm White #2 Wa-Petty for $105.
The vendor was SUPERB in every way.
Call and talk to Jon.
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/

These high-carbon knives can not be left wet, even for a few minutes, since they will rust (they are not stainless steel) but they are tooooooooooootally worth the slight inconvenience.

The sensation of using them is totally new to me; I was very happy with my 4-Star Henkeles for 25 years.
Now those thick heavy German knives feel like cutting with the back side of a dull plastic fast-food knife compared to my Japanese laser beams.

Check out my thread from when I bought them: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ive-discovered-the-joy-of-japanese-knives.164716/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ive-discovered-the-joy-of-japanese-knives.164716/[/URL]

hmm.. this can be a problem for my FI since he is not the type of person who will care enough or even remember to do that...

 

[minmin001]

We have Wusthoff Classic and really like them.

Thank you, I will look into that

 

[minmin001]

Ridiculously expensive, but last a lifetime suggestion would be Cutco. I LOVE ours.

did a quick search, expensive indeed but I think somethings are worth invest in if it's a good quality item that will last me a longgggg time

 

[minmin001]

Hi Minmin

Since you asked... I think it is time you were shown the way...

Look at Kenny! All I did was suggest that he checks it out. Oh how gingerly he considered the purchase, till his curious engineer side took over and he gave it a go. No looking back! The enthusiasm of his reply on this thread would prove that to you.

You don't NEED to go carbon steel (the stuff that rusts), you can get a really great stainless blade from a good japanese smith too. They are excellent choices for the initial immersion into Japanese steel.

Kenny's post on the differences are night and day. In a more relevant example to you, its like shopping in one B&M store your whole life, then suddenly finding out about PS, WF, GOG et. al.

I would shop by price bucket. If you give us a budget we can help. I love shopping for knives! (I have around 20 I think)

But if you want to looksee around, here are some great options for websites to browse.

http://japanesechefsknife.com/ - very cheap shipping, $7 from Japan to USA for any order (last I checked). Knives and vendor is located in Japan, can do limited english email communication so that is a HUGE plus for buying from Japan.

http://www.cartercutlery.com/ the first, only and probably last american to be an official japanese bladesmith. He is back in america, and although a little pricey, his blades are exquisitely functional.

http://korin.com/Knives great selection, based on the US.

Ok, happy shopping! Before you buy, you can pop your finds here and I'll give what little feedback I can. If you have a budget and number of knives/types of knives in mind, I can recommend specifics

Welcome to the dark side!

Thank you this is really helpful, the knife kenny posted are wonderful but the rust part did get me a little worried since my FI is not the careful type of person. We haven't set a budget yet but indeed I will talk to him about it tonight and see where we are at. I'm so sick of cutting with our current knife that I can't wait to get some great ones that will make my cooking life easy!

 

[minmin001]

And in case you wanted some heads up on where I introduced Kenny to the concept of something other than Henckles, Cutco, Sabatier and Wustorf. All good brands, but they are not anywhere near the league of the Japanese blades. EGL J I1 vs GIA D IF. Yes, it is that big a spread.

https://www.pricescope.com/communit...ioned-a-kitchen-knife-pictures-inside.163780/

oh yes, I remember that post well. That knife is GORGEOUS!!

 

[kenny]

A good knife is only half the battle.
You must also hone your sharpening skills, pun intended.

And don't throw your the knives in a drawer where the edges will get damaged.
Get a nice block or better yet one of those magnetic holders you screw to the wall.
They free up precious counter space, keep knives out of reach of kids, and let them dry faster.
Also, when cooking you can immediately see the knife you want to grab, instead of having to pull out 2 or 3 from the block.
If you end up going with high end knives of high carbon (which rust) get a magnetic holder that has the magnets behind a thin layer of wood.

 

[minmin001]

Which knives do you need and what is your budget? What kind of cooking do you do?

$100, the 7.5" Sumo santoku at W-S is on sale, I'd get that. You can get good chef's and santokus in the 70 range, too.
Paring knife: anything decent will do, somewhere between $5-$100, but I think a sweet spot is around 30-40. I'd get this and put a fine edge on it: http://www.cutleryandmore.com/henckels-five-star/straight-paring-knife-p115077
Bread knife: again, anything will do. They go from $25-$125 but the Tojiro looks good for 55. http://www.cutleryandmore.com/tojiro/itk-bread-knife-p124765
Slicers: 100-300. I'm not really into them, but some people use them as their main knife very well.

Despite all this, you don't need to spend more than $100. The Tojiro DP starter set will do 95% of what you will ever need: http://www.chefknivestogo.com/to2pcstset.html

Don't overlook cleavers, they are great, too.

Yes, I realize that I need to set a budget. I'm Asian so I need a nice knife that cuts the big chunk of meat that I buy from Asian market (not the normally already cut from supermarket type )
I need one for veg. cutting and another just for everything else I think.. I need to think through first

 

[minmin001]

If you could help by sharing some items that you need:

1) What knives are you looking for (if you know), like meat, fruits & veg, bread, all purpose, paring, small tasks
2) How many knives you are looking for right now
3) How much you can spend if you have a budget in mind

Typical recommendations have it such that most people can make do with no more than 4 knives.
A bread knife, a general purpose chef knife, a paring knife or small utility knife for fine work, and the last one depends on what you do most: a heavier knife if you do lots of crustaceans, sometimes a complementary chef knife of a different style to the main one, a boning knife for breaking down chickens and crowns or pork chops or racks, or a fish knife, or some combi of the earlier.

I'll be happy to make suggestions

I was thinking about a knife set but now that saw the price of those good ones I think I will keep it to 2-3. One for meat (especially as Asian sometimes I buy the big piece from Asian market instead of the precut one from normal supermarket ), one for veg and a all purpose one.
I was thinking of keep the budget in $200 but with good knife that will last me a long time I think I need to expand that a bit

Thank you so much for your help

 

[JulieN]

when you say you want a knife for meat, what are you talking about?

you might be: butchering fish (something that can handle small bones, but with a tip.) taking apart chickens (you want a small knife so you can slip it right into the joints.) cutting big pieces into smaller pieces (cleaver). hacking through bones (heavy duty cleaver) or maybe you like to cut big pieces into very fine small pieces (a multi use knife).

there's a lot of overlap in the above knives uses. $200 for 3 knives is a fine budget, because you will have other costs, like sharpening tools (or sending it to a sharpener) for maintenance.

For a multi-use knife, it can be anything from a gyuto (flattened-geometry chef's knife), santoku (the Japanese geometry all-purpose knife, the name means "three virtues" for slicing, dicing, and mincing) or a cleaver (Chinese geometry that can be a very specialized knife or a good multi-use knife). I've found that I like cleavers very much, they kind of "fall" down onto what you are cutting. But the 90 degree tip means that it is hard to use it for some fine things when I do want a tip. I really want the Shun Sumo santoku right now (since it is kind of a cleaver with a tip.)

 

[minmin001]

when you say you want a knife for meat, what are you talking about?

you might be: butchering fish (something that can handle small bones, but with a tip.) taking apart chickens (you want a small knife so you can slip it right into the joints.) cutting big pieces into smaller pieces (cleaver). hacking through bones (heavy duty cleaver) or maybe you like to cut big pieces into very fine small pieces (a multi use knife).

there's a lot of overlap in the above knives uses. $200 for 3 knives is a fine budget, because you will have other costs, like sharpening tools (or sending it to a sharpener) for maintenance.

For a multi-use knife, it can be anything from a gyuto (flattened-geometry chef's knife), santoku (the Japanese geometry all-purpose knife, the name means "three virtues" for slicing, dicing, and mincing) or a cleaver (Chinese geometry that can be a very specialized knife or a good multi-use knife). I've found that I like cleavers very much, they kind of "fall" down onto what you are cutting. But the 90 degree tip means that it is hard to use it for some fine things when I do want a tip. I really want the Shun Sumo santoku right now (since it is kind of a cleaver with a tip.)

I mainly eat beef and pork (I don't eat fish much) so let's just say this past weekend I bought a slice of pork bacon which is pork with layer of fat in it, after boiling it, it is very hard to cut because the fat makes it slippery. so things like that to just make cut through meat easier..

 

[JulieN]

That falls under a multi-purpose knife:

I think Hiromoto stainless is good for beginners, either the 190 mm santoku, or the 210 or 240 mm gyuto: http://japanesechefsknife.com/Page4.html
Or the Shun I mentioned earlier: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/shun-classic-7-inch-double-hollow-ground-sumo-santoku-knife/?cm_src=hero

I don't think most people need a veggie knife... but this is a great veg knife: http://www.chefknivestogo.com/cckcleaver2.html Rusts easily, though, if you don't dry it.

This is pretty much top of the line in your budget: http://www.cutleryandmore.com/miyabi-7000-mc/microcarbide-starter-knife-set-p120731 VERY hard 66 Rockwell steel, send that stuff to a pro japanese sharpener, don't try to do it yourself.

 

[minmin001]

That falls under a multi-purpose knife:

I think Hiromoto stainless is good for beginners, either the 190 mm santoku, or the 210 or 240 mm gyuto: http://japanesechefsknife.com/Page4.html
Or the Shun I mentioned earlier: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/shun-classic-7-inch-double-hollow-ground-sumo-santoku-knife/?cm_src=hero

I don't think most people need a veggie knife... but this is a great veg knife: http://www.chefknivestogo.com/cckcleaver2.html Rusts easily, though, if you don't dry it.

This is pretty much top of the line in your budget: http://www.cutleryandmore.com/miyabi-7000-mc/microcarbide-starter-knife-set-p120731 VERY hard 66 Rockwell steel, send that stuff to a pro japanese sharpener, don't try to do it yourself.

I really like that Shun one, does it require dry right away or it will rust?
p.s. after reading the review of it, it seems to be chip really easy, which makes me worried

 

[chemgirl]

We have the Henkel Pro Select (I think that's what they're called) and they're great! Super sharp and we've had them for a few years without issue.

They're pricey, but not too bad when you compare them to other options.

 

[minmin001]

one more question. We use this big piece of round stone thing which my FI calls it the pizza stone (something you use to bake the pizza?) is it a good idea to cut on it or should I get a wooden cutting board? I mean people cut on granite counter top right?

 

[minmin001]

We have the Henkel Pro Select (I think that's what they're called) and they're great! Super sharp and we've had them for a few years without issue.

They're pricey, but not too bad when you compare them to other options.

thank you, I will look it up!

 

[kenny]

one more question. We use this big piece of round stone thing which my FI calls it the pizza stone (something you use to bake the pizza?) is it a good idea to cut on it or should I get a wooden cutting board? I mean people cut on granite counter top right?

Knives get dull as they bang against the board.
The surface that dulls a knife's edge the fastest is glass.
Then stone/marble/granite.
Then plastic.
Then bamboo.
Then standard wood cutting boards.
Then end-grain cutting blocks.



End grain wood cutting blocks are more labor-intensive to make so they are more expensive, but they will preserve your knife's sharp edge the longest of all cutting surfaces.
The also "self-heal' better and harbor bacteria less than regular cutting boards.

I bought mine from David Smith, who hand makes each one.
Great service and quality and nice selection of woods, but I'm sure you could find something cheaper from China - but it won't be the same and who know whether they use food-grade adhesives and oils.
http://www.theboardsmith.com/

Read the FAQ http://www.theboardsmith.com/purchase.htm

 

[minmin001]

one more question. We use this big piece of round stone thing which my FI calls it the pizza stone (something you use to bake the pizza?) is it a good idea to cut on it or should I get a wooden cutting board? I mean people cut on granite counter top right?

Knives get dull with use.
The surface that dulls a knife's edge fastest is glass.
Then stone/marble/granite
Then plastic.
Then bamboo.
Then standard wood cutting boards.
Then end-grain cutting blocks.



End grain wood cutting blocks are more labor-intensive to make so they are more expensive, but they will preserve your knife's sharp edge the longest of all cutting surfaces.
The also "self-heal' better and harbor bacteria less than regular cutting boards.

I bought mine from this guy who hand makes each one.
Great service, but I'm sure you could find cheaper from China.
http://www.theboardsmith.com/

wow, thank you. you sure know alot about everything I will look into it!

 

[kenny]

wow, thank you. you sure know alot about everything.

Not at all.
I only know anything about a small handful of subjects.
Here is where I learned about knives. http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/
TristanC told me about that place.

Warning: As with PS, learning about knives from the experts there can be hazardous to your bank account.
You start to understand what you get for the money and you will justify spending more.

Like, few of us really need a "set" of several knives.
One 10" and one 5" can do 90% of the tasks for us non-gourmet cooks, so I just bought two fine knives.

The only knife I still use from my old Henkels Four Star set is the serrated bread knife.
I keep the whole old German Henkels set sharp though since my SO and visitors are not allowed to touch my Japanese knives.

 

[kenny]

My knife sharpener also does scissors. http://www.edgeproinc.com/

Kenny must be from the Geek Isles.