OFF-TOPIC What’s your favorite set of kitchen knives?

[TonyStark]

So I’ve been starting to cook a lot more: meats, vegetables, everything.

I need a good set of knives, so I figured why not ask the forum.

What’s your favorite set of knives?

 

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[SteveO]

I would like to know the answer to this as well. I'm still using a set of serrated knives that were lousy when I bought them 15 years ago. I love to cook and frequently think about shit knives that are in use.

The Kitchen Knife

Now you have me looking.

 

[PizzaOnTheRoof]

Honestly you’d get a better value if you bought the knives separately. All you really need for most tasks is a good 8” chefs/santoku knife and a paring knife.

Check out r/chefknives on reddit. They’ll be able to help you guys out.

Victorinox has a good value line of kitchen knives.

 

[Arun Siva]

the only ones I use standard is

wusthof

Wüsthof USA

 

[JAJT]

All you really need for most tasks is a good 8” chefs/santoku knife and a paring knife.

As someone who cooks an awful lot (and loves it) - this is the same advice I'd give.

Honestly, you don't even need the "best" knives in the world. I own a Henkles but I've heard nothing but good things about the Victorinox as well.

Learn to hold to the chef's knife properly and learn to cut with it properly. Honestly - anytime you go to cut something, just google "how to cut (whatever)....". Some people really struggle with simple things like onions, green peppers, garlic, carrots, etc... and really there are some really simple techniques to knock these out really easily if you just know how to prep/cut the fruit/veg/whatever properly.

I'd say I do 99% of all my cooking with just a chef's knife. It's just that versatile.

 

[Invictus]

@NateKruse Might be a great voice here.

 

[Stargazer]

Gordon Ramsay suggests three knives. The two already mentioned above plus a serrated knife for carving meat. He has tips on what to look for plus other items for your kitchen.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-av6cz9upO0


Dan

 

[jazb]

 

[Merging Left]

We just bought a set of Shun knives and they're amazing. I thought we had average cooking knives before, but now I know that I've never owned a truly sharp knife. It was one of those purchases that's worth every penny. No buyer's remorse whatsoever.

 

[NateKruse]

@NateKruse Might be a great voice here.

@Invictus Thanks for the tag! I am so busy trying to remodel my website that I probably would have missed this!

Honestly you’d get a better value if you bought the knives separately. All you really need for most tasks is a good 8” chefs/santoku knife and a paring knife.

Check out r/chefknives on reddit. They’ll be able to help you guys out.

Victorinox has a good value line of kitchen knives.

@jasoncuellar123 @SteveO,

Victorinox is the same company that makes the Swiss Army Knives. They have a reputation for high-quality steel at an affordable cost and tremendous customer satisfaction (Check out their Amazon reviews).

Their basic Fibrox Pro series of knives are stamped stainless steel with molded plastic handles. They are not fancy to look at, but they do a tremendous job. That's what I have been using at home, and that's what I have chosen to start with for my business. (Progress Thread in signature).

They also make higher-end knives that are forged instead of stamped and feature a bolster and riveted handles.

On a side note, if you always want to have sharp knives, my subscription sharpening service is now active. The website needs some changes before I start running ads, but it is functional.

Honed for Home

 

[NateKruse]

but now I know that I've never owned a truly sharp knife

This is one of the issues that I need to address with my business. Most people don't know how nice it is to actually use a sharp knife. They don't know what they are missing because they have grown so accustomed to using the same old knives and have nothing to compare it to.

Selling knives and a knife sharpening service over the internet will require some ingenuity to replace those live demonstrations that Cutco and other knife companies use.

 

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[PizzaOnTheRoof]

We just bought a set of Shun knives and they're amazing. I thought we had average cooking knives before, but now I know that I've never owned a truly sharp knife. It was one of those purchases that's worth every penny. No buyer's remorse whatsoever.

I knew my GFs parents had accepted me into the family when they bought me a $150 8" Shun for christmas lol

 

[PizzaOnTheRoof]

This is one of the issues that I need to address with my business. Most people don't know how nice it is to actually use a sharp knife. They don't know what they are missing because they have grown so accustomed to using the same old knives and have nothing to compare it to.

Selling knives and a knife sharpening service over the internet will require some ingenuity to replace those live demonstrations that Cutco and other knife companies use.

Your thread is insider only, but I like the sound of it.

How do you plan on competing with companies like Shun, that offer free lifetime sharpening?

 

[NateKruse]

Your thread is insider only, but I like the sound of it.

How do you plan on competing with companies like Shun, that offer free lifetime sharpening?

Thanks! There’s a tremendous amount of valuable information on the Inside. Much better than my little progress thread.

I just looked up Shun’s sharpening policy. They require customers to package and ship the knives themselves. They also require a fee of $5 for the first knife and $2 for each additional knife sent as a check or money order for return shipping. So it’s not technically free.

Cutco offers a similar service. Their fee is $9 for 1-9 items.

I have a Cutco knife. I never went through the hassle of sending it to the factory and I definitely didn’t want a salesman to come to my house, sharpen my knife, and try to sell me every product in the catalog. My gut feeling is most customers just continue to use their knives after they get dull.

My service provides the convenience of sharpened knives showing up automatically. Sending them back simply requires swapping the knives in the box, sticking a prepaid label on it, and dropping it in your mailbox.

 

[PizzaOnTheRoof]

Thanks! There’s a tremendous amount of valuable information on the Inside. Much better than my little progress thread.

I just looked up Shun’s sharpening policy. They require customers to package and ship the knives themselves. They also require a fee of $5 for the first knife and $2 for each additional knife sent as a check or money order for return shipping. So it’s not technically free.

Cutco offers a similar service. Their fee is $9 for 1-9 items.

I have a Cutco knife. I never went through the hassle of sending it to the factory and I definitely didn’t want a salesman to come to my house, sharpen my knife, and try to sell me every product in the catalog. My gut feeling is most customers just continue to use their knives after they get dull.

My service provides the convenience of sharpened knives showing up automatically. Sending them back simply requires swapping the knives in the box, sticking a prepaid label on it, and dropping it in your mailbox.

This sounds really cool! Do you support individuals or are you just commercial as this point?

I don’t know if it’s against the rules but I’d like to check it out if you have a link

 

[NateKruse]

This sounds really cool! Do you support individuals or are you just commercial as this point?

I don’t know if it’s against the rules but I’d like to check it out if you have a link

It is actually geared toward individuals at the moment. I am looking to work my way into commercial and industrial applications.

My company is called Honed for Home. The link has been shared on my Insider's thread for a while. It's Honed for Home (Mods, feel free to remove if desired)

I'm working on a major overhaul of the website this weekend. I currently have an Upwork designer making some professional infographics out of these:


I'll try not to highjack this thread anymore.

 

[PizzaOnTheRoof]

It is actually geared toward individuals at the moment. I am looking to work my way into commercial and industrial applications.

My company is called Honed for Home. The link has been shared on my Insider's thread for a while. It's Honed for Home (Mods, feel free to remove if desired)

I'm working on a major overhaul of the website this weekend. I currently have an Upwork designer making some professional infographics out of these:
View attachment 20845 View attachment 20846

I'll try not to highjack this thread anymore.

Awesome man! I’m sure it’s ok, your service might actually be an option for people looking for knives! So either way you’re helping the thread lol.

 

[Tommo]

My wife just bought a set of Baccarat Daisho 7s.
She says they are awesome and cut through everything so easy, it saves her a lot of effort as she lovers cooking for lucky old me. Don't know if you have a "House" store there or if they are only in Oz but they are on sale at the moment, so go get some. Otherwise they cost a lot.

 

[JAJT]

Most people don't know how nice it is to actually use a sharp knife.

I was floored when I first got my chef's knife. It was razor sharp out of the packaging to a level I've never seen before (trying to learn how to use a whetstone recently to get it there again.).

I remember moving around my kitchen with the knife and accidentally sliced a bread bag entirely open because I brushed against it by mistake. Took literally zero effort or force. Gave me pause for a second as I looked at the ripped open bag of bread and questioned whether or not I actually touched it with the knife because I didn't feel it happen at all.

Sharp knives are fun, but also no joke

 

[TonyStark]

I think I've decided guys....



Kanso 8-in. Chef's Knife |  Shun Cutlery

We need a freakin' 'cooking' subforum on here!

 

[JAJT]

This is where personal preference really comes into play and how it feels in your hand - At first glance I personally really don't like the lack of a pronounced "pinch grip" area on that knife. Looks like it tapers forward too drastically and far away from the handle.

Personally I prefer knives with a very sudden 90 degree drop, like this (picked a random knife out of their collection for the example):

The drop from handle to blade is very sudden and that's personally where I wrap my fingers around the knife in my pinch grip. I suspect I'd have to adjust to using something like the knife you linked to because while you could a similar grip, it would feel VERY different.

Then again, having never held that shun you linked to - maybe I'd like it better. Hard to tell without actually putting it in your hand.

 

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[TonyStark]

This is where personal preference really comes into play and how it feels in your hand - At first glance I personally really don't like the lack of a pronounced "pinch grip" area on that knife. Looks like it tapers forward too drastically and far away from the handle.

Personally I prefer knives with a very sudden 90 degree drop, like this (picked a random knife out of their collection for the example):

The drop from handle to blade is very sudden and that's personally where I wrap my fingers around the knife in my pinch grip. I suspect I'd have to adjust to using something like the knife you linked to because while you could a similar grip, it would feel VERY different.

Then again, having never held that shun you linked to - maybe I'd like it better. Hard to tell without actually putting it in your hand.

I just found out all of their knives are on sale at Cookware, Cooking Utensils, Kitchen Decor & Gourmet Foods | Williams Sonoma.

What gives?

 

[PizzaOnTheRoof]

I just found out all of their knives are on sale at Cookware, Cooking Utensils, Kitchen Decor & Gourmet Foods | Williams Sonoma.

What gives?

Just find the cheapest price and read the reviews. Stick to Shun and Würsthof and you really can’t go wrong.

Word of advice, Shun tends to use very hard steels, which hold the edge longer, but are more brittle and prone to chipping.

If you go with the Shun, make sure not to chop or impact the edge very hard. Always use a slicing motion.

 

[Paleo]

I have the Victorinox Grand Maitre 8" chef's knife with the rosewood handle and can't say enough good things about it. It is well balanced, comfortable to use, sharpens easily and stays sharp for a long time, and cuts well on anything. It minces fresh herbs better than any knife I have ever owned. Totally worth the money.

I don't believe in spending a lot of money on paring or bread knives. My knives in those categories are made by Cold Steel and they were less than $20 and work very well.

The only other knives you might really need are a utility/prep knife and a boning knife. Even though I cook a lot and do some pretty fancy dishes I don't own either but they are nice to have. I'm thinking about getting the Wusthof ones.

A cleaver and a filet knife can be added later if you do a lot of butchering of meat and fish.

I don't believe in buying sets of knives. Everyone has a different size and shape of hand and preference for type of knife in each category so they should be selected individually in each category.

Personally, I have a strong preference for the European knives. The steel used in the Japanese knives is too hard, making them very difficult to sharpen and brittle

 

[TonyStark]

I have the Victorinox Grand Maitre 8" chef's knife with the rosewood handle and can't say enough good things about it. It is well balanced, comfortable to use, sharpens easily and stays sharp for a long time, and cuts well on anything. It minces fresh herbs better than any knife I have ever owned. Totally worth the money.

I don't believe in spending a lot of money on paring or bread knives. My knives in those categories are made by Cold Steel and they were less than $20 and work very well.

The only other knives you might really need are a utility/prep knife and a boning knife. Even though I cook a lot and do some pretty fancy dishes I don't own either but they are nice to have. I'm thinking about getting the Wusthof ones.

A cleaver and a filet knife can be added later if you do a lot of butchering of meat and fish.

I don't believe in buying sets of knives. Everyone has a different size and shape of hand and preference for type of knife in each category so they should be selected individually in each category.

Personally, I have a strong preference for the European knives. The steel used in the Japanese knives is too hard, making them very difficult to sharpen and brittle

Good point. Ramsay uses Wüsthof so....

 

[DustinH]

the only ones I use standard is

wusthof

Wüsthof USA

I have a set of Wusthof and I have a couple CutCo knives. If started over my collection from scratch (which I will probably do in a few months) I would only get CutCo. I haven't seen a knife with superior quality to CutCo.

 

[Timmy C]

So I’ve been starting to cook a lot more: meats, vegetables, everything.

I need a good set of knives, so I figured why not ask the forum.

What’s your favorite set of knives?

Victorinox Chef's Knives ++ explore online ++

I have used these guys my entire career and it is all you need, as long as you keep the knife edge on with a steel sharpener it will last you for many many years.

 

[Primeperiwinkle]

The kind that cuts action faking away from my soul in sharp bloodless slices!

Lmao..

 

[AnnUK]

I worked for many years in customer service for a kitchen and home company. The biggest problem with knives was that most people think/act/assume that a sharp knife will stay sharp forever.

As I've so recently read the book, I'll say that that's because they're event not process driven. It's kind of boring to remember to sharpen the knife.

We actually had customers who would try to return knives in our shop because 'it's no longer sharp'. (This was the days before the internet).

Whatever knife you have, sharpen it little and often. My ultimate knife, would be a Bunmei Japanese knife.

 

[Siddhartha]

I've been using some basic b**** Sam's club knives for as long as I can remember. They need to be sharpened about every month or so, sooner if I'm processing a side of brisket or some round roasts for jerky; but I wouldn't mind upgrading to actual knives soon though and I'm glad to see others real-world experiences with actual brands here.