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Knives
I am rebuilding my kitchen equipment. I intend to purchase a new set
of knives. Opinions about the best brands? Thanks, als |
in article , A. L. Shaw at
wrote on 1/5/05 7:19 PM: > I am rebuilding my kitchen equipment. I intend to purchase a new set > of knives. Opinions about the best brands? > Thanks, > als Consumer Reports likes Wusthof. I took their recommendation and got some Classic ones. I am quite please with them. One thing I found out is that they are not very sharp out of the box. If you want sharp, sharpen them more. Bill |
On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 03:19:59 GMT, A. L. Shaw >
wrote: >I am rebuilding my kitchen equipment. I intend to purchase a new set >of knives. Opinions about the best brands? >Thanks, >als I'm not a big fan of knife sets. For most cooks, there are a few knives that are used very often. Though I have an absurdly large collection of kitchen cutlery, I get through most meals with just a paring knife and a chef's knife. A knife set will probably include knives that you use very seldom. Furthermore, my favorite knives are not all the same brand. I generally handle the knives in a store to gauge balance and determine whether I like the handles. I usually purchase one knife of a particular brand and use it a while to see how I like it in practice. That having been said, here are some of the brands that I own and particularly like. Wusthof - good German steel; take and hold an edge well; good weight and balance; like most German knives, chef's knife is a bit heftier than the French-style knives; come in a variety of handles, Grand Prix being my personal favorite. Henckels - I prefer Wusthof Messermeister - One of my favorite knives is a Chinese chef's knife made by Messermeister. The one I have is made in Germany, but I have seen some recently made in Korea. I'd pass on the Korean version, but some of Messermeister's German knives are good values. I do use a Chinese chef's knife for a lot of tasks more traditionally done with a regular chef's knife. Global - Japanese knives of mostly Western style with integral stainless steel handles. Thinner blades than the German knives (Wusthof, for example). This makes for a somewhat lighter knife; not as good for chopping to me, but great for slicing; beautifully made; some people don't like the stainless handles, I do. Shun Classic - a relative newcomer in terms of widespread distribution; quickly becoming available everywhere (just appeared in the Williams-Sonoma catalog). Japanese knives of Western styles with central core of stainless with additional layers of stainless applied to the outside; thinner than the German blades; more like the French-style knives is shape and heft; best edge I have found on any knife "out of the box." The "Damascus" finish is quite striking. I've had a couple of these knives about a month. At this point, I'm very impressed. If I were "forced" to buy a set of knives right now, I'd probably choose Shun, Wusthof, and Global in that order. It's a tough choice, as there are quite a few excellent choices available. Cheers, Leonard |
"A. L. Shaw" > wrote in message ... >I am rebuilding my kitchen equipment. I intend to purchase a new set > of knives. Opinions about the best brands? > Thanks, > als I have a set of Wustof knives that we bought 30+ years ago (in Paris on our honeymoon - sigh!) and have been using since, but I will send this "deal" on to you and the newsgroup. J. C. Penny's (Jacque Pen-nay) had a great sale on two knives a couple of weeks ago that I ordered on-line for a 3-1/2" parer and 7" santoku knife. Double forged, taper ground stainless steel blades with bakelite handles. Imported from China. Catalog Number: IC781-1033B. I received them a few days ago and really recommend them. I wouldn't have bought these sight unseen, but my husband decided I should try them because there was a discount number on them, so we got them even cheaper. Even at no discount, they are worth the money to me. http://www2.jcpenney.com/jcp/Product...alog_item.y=10 Dee COOKS STARTER ST $14.99 2-pc. cutlery set includes 3 ˝" parer and 7" santoku knife. Double forged, taper ground stainless steel blades with bakelite handles. Dishwasher safe. Imported from China. Catalog Number: IC781-1033B |
"A. L. Shaw" > wrote in message ... >I am rebuilding my kitchen equipment. I intend to purchase a new set > of knives. Opinions about the best brands? > Thanks, > als I have a set of Wustof knives that we bought 30+ years ago (in Paris on our honeymoon - sigh!) and have been using since, but I will send this "deal" on to you and the newsgroup. J. C. Penny's (Jacque Pen-nay) had a great sale on two knives a couple of weeks ago that I ordered on-line for a 3-1/2" parer and 7" santoku knife. Double forged, taper ground stainless steel blades with bakelite handles. Imported from China. Catalog Number: IC781-1033B. I received them a few days ago and really recommend them. I wouldn't have bought these sight unseen, but my husband decided I should try them because there was a discount number on them, so we got them even cheaper. Even at no discount, they are worth the money to me. http://www2.jcpenney.com/jcp/Product...alog_item.y=10 Dee COOKS STARTER ST $14.99 2-pc. cutlery set includes 3 ˝" parer and 7" santoku knife. Double forged, taper ground stainless steel blades with bakelite handles. Dishwasher safe. Imported from China. Catalog Number: IC781-1033B |
A. L. Shaw wrote:
> I am rebuilding my kitchen equipment. I intend to purchase a new set > of knives. Opinions about the best brands? > Thanks, > als Whatever feels good in your hand. Go to a store that will let you handle the different knives and see which ones you like the feel of better. Some prefer Wusthof, others brand "y", others brand "z". My preference is Henckles Professional S. Yours may not be. -- Steve Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence. |
A. L. Shaw wrote:
> I am rebuilding my kitchen equipment. I intend to purchase a new set > of knives. Opinions about the best brands? > Thanks, > als I have a mixed set of knives that I selected from a retired locksmith's collection. I was able to pick out the ones that felt best to me. IIRC, 9 knives cost me ~$30, though that was more than a few weeks ago. Call around to your local locksmiths. You might find some real bargains. Matthew -- Thermodynamics and/or Golf for dummies: There is a game You can't win You can't break even You can't get out of the game |
"A. L. Shaw" > wrote in message
... > I am rebuilding my kitchen equipment. I intend to purchase a new set > of knives. Opinions about the best brands? > Thanks, > als There are several high end lines that are essentially equivalent in terms of blade quality but differ in blade and handle shape. For example, Henckles, Wusthoff, Thiers-Issard, Global. Choose based on how the shape fits your hand and style of cutting. -- Peter Aitken Remove the crap from my email address before using. |
"A. L. Shaw" > wrote in message
... > I am rebuilding my kitchen equipment. I intend to purchase a new set > of knives. Opinions about the best brands? > Thanks, > als There are several high end lines that are essentially equivalent in terms of blade quality but differ in blade and handle shape. For example, Henckles, Wusthoff, Thiers-Issard, Global. Choose based on how the shape fits your hand and style of cutting. -- Peter Aitken Remove the crap from my email address before using. |
"Leonard Lehew" > wrote in message
... > On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 03:19:59 GMT, A. L. Shaw > > wrote: > > >I am rebuilding my kitchen equipment. I intend to purchase a new set > >of knives. Opinions about the best brands? > >Thanks, > >als > I'm not a big fan of knife sets. For most cooks, there are a few > knives that are used very often. Though I have an absurdly large > collection of kitchen cutlery, I get through most meals with just a > paring knife and a chef's knife. A knife set will probably include > knives that you use very seldom. > Excellent advice. I have enough knives to equip a small army but 95% of my cutting is done with a Henckle's 8" chef's knife and a paring knife. -- Peter Aitken Remove the crap from my email address before using. |
Peter Aitken wrote:
> "Leonard Lehew" > wrote in message > ... > >>On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 03:19:59 GMT, A. L. Shaw > >>wrote: >> >> >>>I am rebuilding my kitchen equipment. I intend to purchase a new set >>>of knives. Opinions about the best brands? >>>Thanks, >>>als >> >>I'm not a big fan of knife sets. For most cooks, there are a few >>knives that are used very often. Though I have an absurdly large >>collection of kitchen cutlery, I get through most meals with just a >>paring knife and a chef's knife. A knife set will probably include >>knives that you use very seldom. >> > > > Excellent advice. I have enough knives to equip a small army but 95% of my > cutting is done with a Henckle's 8" chef's knife and a paring knife. > > I agree. Those are the two that I use the most as well. It's very rare that I reach for the 10" but on occasion. The boner is nice if you cut your own chickens, turkeys, etc into parts but not absolutely necessary. -- Steve Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence. |
"A. L. Shaw" > wrote:
>I am rebuilding my kitchen equipment. I intend to purchase a new set > of knives. Opinions about the best brands? Another brand no one has mentioned yet is LamsonSharp (Lamson & Goodnow, www.lamsonsharp.com). Made in the USA. You probably won't find them in many stores though, so you'd have to buy them mail order, like I did. I bought one to try out and was impressed with it, so bought a couple more. Most of my knives are Sabatier or Thiers-Issard carbon steel, but I'm not going to recommend that route to everyone... see, they rust if you don't take care of them. Personally I like them because they are easy to sharpen and I prefer the "French" shape (blade and bolster). |
Another Made in the USA brand that you do not hear much about is
Chef'sChoice, of knife sharpener fame. It is the only brand I have bought that was shaving sharp when new. Steve Sharpening Made Easy: A Primer on Sharpening Knives and Other Edged Tools by Steve Bottorff Copyright January 2002 Knife World Publications www.sharpeningmadeeasy.com |
Another Made in the USA brand that you do not hear much about is
Chef'sChoice, of knife sharpener fame. It is the only brand I have bought that was shaving sharp when new. Steve Sharpening Made Easy: A Primer on Sharpening Knives and Other Edged Tools by Steve Bottorff Copyright January 2002 Knife World Publications www.sharpeningmadeeasy.com |
A. L. Shaw wrote:
> I am rebuilding my kitchen equipment. I intend to purchase a new set > of knives. Opinions about the best brands? > Thanks, > als Get thee to a cooking store where you can handle the knives. Find ones that you like in your hand. Start with: Chef's knife - often 8", so people like a 10" paring knife - 2-3" steel serrated bread knife After those, pick the more specialized knives for what you like to do, e.g., boning, fillet, cleaver, long slicer (maybe with a Granton edge), etc. -- ================================================== ============= Regards Louis Cohen "Yes, yes, I will desalinate you, you grande morue!" Émile Zola, Assommoir 1877 |
This question gets posted every so often, and is usually answered the
same way - Wusthof. I personally have a number of them and they are undoubtedly my favorite and most often used kitchen tools. However, I also have some French-pattern, narrower bladed Sabatiers, in carbon steel in fact. I still think the French pattern is a bit more agile in some uses, and, though they won't hold the edge that a stainless blade will, they can be VERY sharp. Another excellent choice would be Friedrich Dick knives. Dick has long produced the finest honing steels around, and supplied a good many professional cooks over the years. They are a bit harder than either the Wusthof or the Henckels (another good blade, though I prefer single piece construction), but will hold an edge longer with proper steeling. If you use your knives a lot, an occasional real sharpening with frequent steeling can save a lot of time in the long run. Highly touted as the Japanese Global knives are, I just can't get used to a single bevel, nor can get comfortable with the Santoku style of blade, though the knife companies have saturated the cooking shows with their "latest shape." Your best bet remains to be willing to spend the money, find knives that feel comfortable in your hand, and learn to keep them sharp. As for specifics, I use an 8" cook's knife, a three inch parer, and a six" utility knife for 90% of everything I do. Have fun!! Mike Acord A. L. Shaw wrote: > I am rebuilding my kitchen equipment. I intend to purchase a new set > of knives. Opinions about the best brands? > Thanks, > als |
"Peter Aitken" > wrote in message
m... > > Excellent advice. I have enough knives to equip a small army but 95% of my > cutting is done with a Henckle's 8" chef's knife and a paring knife. > A few extra knives come in very handy when I help my wife prepare food and we're both cutting at the same time. Also, there's less need for cleaning the knives in the middle of food prep. SteveO |
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