Kitchen knife set recommendation needed!!!

[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.

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

No, the Shun is stainless, it won't rust. I noticed you said you wanted stainless above, though the cleaver will rust.

Shuns, and all hard VG-10 steel, will chip if you use it on bones or a strong, bare magnetic strip. Have I chipped mine? Yes, but it doesn't bother me. I take out the chips when I sharpen. Usually, hardness and chipping go hand in hand, but the Miyabis are microcarbide powdered steel, so they will be very hard, very sharp, and won't chip easily. But in the Miyabi set, the edge on the 8" gyuto is not as flat as I would like it.

No, people don't cut on granite countertops or pizza stones! Poly boards are the way to go if you need cheap boards and can go in the dishwasher, inexpensive John Boos blocks are 50+, but I prefer end-grain. Bamboo is no good.

 

[TristanC]

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..

Ok, 3 knives. You may get away with 2 first.

From what I read, you would like to spend $200 (not quite enough, but I'll try), your FI is using the knives too but is not a careful person, you will need to slice meat (raw and cooked?) and veg mostly, and haven't thought of what else.

I would recommend in sequence of usefulness and importance. 1 being the most useful to you, and most important.

1. You want one for slicing meat after cooking. You should keep your cooked food knife and raw food knife separate - just as good practice to avoid cross contamination.
Also, constantly slicing cooked hot food degrades steel over time, so we try to keep it to just one particular knife that cuts cooked (steaming hot) food. I recommend this knife - it takes a ridiculously sharp edge, and is very easy to sharpen.
The steel is carbon but very very ery very very rust resistant. It can take a fair amount of abuse and you can forget to wipe it for an hour it won't die. It is fairly resistant to chipping unlike the finer shuns, so it is sharp, but not as fragile.
Before your first use, you can boil water until it is at a fast boil, then pour it all over your knife and wipe it down. This is scientific in a way that I can't explain simply, but yes, it helps prevent future degradation for carbon steels.

This will be the best primary go to knife for slicing all your braised pork belly, char siew pork, pork loin rolls, whole roast pork, pork rack, beef roast, braised beef brisket, beef cube roll, braised beef rib etc (did I cover some of your dishes? )

http://japanesechefsknife.com/KAGAYAKICarboNextSeries.html
KC-8 Sujihiki 240mm Total Length:365mm Blade Thickness:2.2mm Total Weight: 170g Retail $167.00 Special Price$125.00 (Opt for the extra sharpness at $137)

2. Your second knife can be a general all purpose knife, and since both you and your FI are using it, a smaller blade will do. Your hands are probably smaller, and a slightly smaller knife prevents fatigue and allows more control of the tip for finer work. Men are all about blade length (you know... mine is longer than yours...), but for home use, 210mm should be more than enough length (about 8.5inches, more than enough length).
http://japanesechefsknife.com/KAGAYAKIVG-10.html
KV-5 Gyuto 210mm Total Length:335mm Blade Thickness:2mm Total Weight: 166g Retail $144.00 Special Price$108.00

VG-10, is a Stainless steel, which is good for raw foods and food preparation which is messier and longer. It is a gyuto, or chef's knife so it is very versatile. This particular one has more western elements to the shape and profile, but a good japanese steel for very cheap. So it is a great value buy. Pick the extra sharp at $118
This should be good for vegtables, dicing, rock cutting herbs, doing quick slices etc.

Total = $137 + $118 = $245 + $7 shipping = $252 (very slightly above budget)

Once you have these 2, I would recommend you picking your favorite from your current knife collection, sharpening it, then saving it for tasks like chopping bones, chopping pumpkins or squashes, opening cans (AAAAHHHH), cutting open boxes with tape etc etc. Abuse this one, and treat the above 2 better.

This is a great budget introduction to better knives. To go deeper would be to spend at least double your initial budget. If you want to, you can. Hope this mail helps!

 

[TristanC]

P.S.: Go to your china town and buy a wooden block for cutting. Should be a few dollars only. It is much better than using a pizza stone. Please don't do that to your knife. Its like using your diamond culet to cut paper!

Worst case, buy an ikea cutting board. Just don't buy bamboo. Buy anything else. End grain is an ideal, but any wood is better than not. Or a Sanituff if you prefer non wood for some odd reason.

 

[JulieN]

I'd rather just go for the 240 gyuto for half the price of a 210 gyuto and a 240 suji... I should try one of those CarboNext knives.

 

[JulieN]

One more suggestion for a veg knife, more rust resistant than the CCK cleaver: http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/HKVSeries.html
165 mm nakiri for $88 + shipping.

 

[MuffDog]

We have Shun knives. You can get them at Williams Sonoma and other knife places. We bought on Ebay to save some $$. My husband swears by them.

 

[TristanC]

I'd rather just go for the 240 gyuto for half the price of a 210 gyuto and a 240 suji... I should try one of those CarboNext knives.

Carbonext is very well regarded as the epitome of a value knife.

There is a reason why I didn't recommend a 240 gyuto, she specified that she cuts cooked food, as well as raw. I would rather she have a dedicated slicer, and a dedicated prep knife. The gyuto can be the all rounder, the suji can be the cooked food slicer.

A nakiri is a bonus, not a necessity. You could do all the tasks with a gyuto, and although a nakiri is a veg knife, the pros frequently drop it. Gyutos are far more flexible.

As for Shuns, they are over marketed. For the quality of blade that they are (correct me if I'm wrong, shuns are stamped not forged), and although of high quality steel, there are better choices for the same or comparable money. Don't get me wrong, Shuns are plenty good. But if you are going japanese steel, there are better options. If it were otherwise, shuns would be the brand recommended most. They almost never are, even to newbies.

 

[minmin001]

JulieN & TristanC... I will get a wood cutting board for sure. My school internet is blocking the links so I will have to look into the knifes after work. It's amazing how much to be learned about them! Thank you so much for yall's help!!!

 

[kenny]

Another reason to spring for a fine Japanese knife is resale value.
When properly maintained they actually hold much of their value.

This is a less-expensvie way of trying out a new knife and moving on if you want to upgrade.

 

[JulieN]

TristanC:

I never heard that hot food degrades steel over time. Are you cooking food hotter than the temperature the steel tempers? If your food is that hot when you cut it, you don't need to worry about cross contamination.

You really shouldn't be cutting any meat until it cools to 120 F, you will either lose juice from steaks or have not given braised meat a chance to properly reabsorb liquid.

 

[manderz]

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

Ditto. But, of course, I'm biased, as I live in the same town as the factory, and have several family members who work there

Seriously though, the warrenty is awesome. I have the kitchen shears. I brought them in to be sharpened, and they just gave me a brand new pair! They're really great. You can find them on eBay sometimes, as well.

http://www.cutco.com/home.jsp

 

[TristanC]

TristanC:

I never heard that hot food degrades steel over time. Are you cooking food hotter than the temperature the steel tempers? If your food is that hot when you cut it, you don't need to worry about cross contamination.

You really shouldn't be cutting any meat until it cools to 120 F, you will either lose juice from steaks or have not given braised meat a chance to properly reabsorb liquid.

seems you are right. I can't quite remember where I read that... that's the challenge with forums occasionally. No, you obviously don't slice immediately after cooking. Meat must rest and enjoy a few cold ones before being served.