Anyone into knives?
 

I'm getting one of these for Christmas. :D Can't wait until it arrives!

http://www.macknife.com/images/knives/pmsk65.gif

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

ooo thats nice, i just picked up a set of these santokus :D I lke to cook

http://bjs-content.vcommerce.com/pro...4/main-205.jpg

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Oooo.. who makes those? Picture is so tiny. :)

I used to be a die hard Henckels Twins fan until I picked up a Mac knife at a friends house - she a sous chef at some fancy Toronto joint. Completely different design. Light, thin, razor sharp. Had to have one after that!

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

I have mad skills :r
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/57/21...babc49b008.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/92/21...96a6b9d695.jpg

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Took a Knife Skills course at one of the local culinary schools. It was great!

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

I dunno about culinary knives too much...I wanna get a couple of good ceramic ones...and I love my Spyderco knives...

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

It's the Santoku wolfgang puck 4 piece set, this pic is better
http://www.costsaving2u.com/images/santoku55.jpg

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

I'm still using the same set of Wusthof I bought back in '91

Seventeen years of daily use and they're still slicin' 'n' dicin'!!!!

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Personally, I love pro s by Henckel. I have 8-9 of them. For me, it is all about weighting. I like the weight of Wusthof/Henckel but found the central weighting of the Henckel best for me. For the same reason I do not have a Santoku, I prefer a standard (I guess) european style chef blade. Recently, I was looking for a 10 inch butchers knife and stumbled on to the brand linked below at my local restaurant supply store. I thought what the hell and bought it. It is a no frills knife (no fancy handles) made by victorinox. Anyway, WHAT A KNIFE! For the price, these things are great (I have since picked up a couple). Serioulsy, for the price you pay for these Forschener knives, I dont think you can get anything close to the sharpness for the price, hell, nothing close to this good for 2-3x the price. Just looking at amazon at all their knives, they are all 4.5/5 stars.

http://www.amazon.com/Forschner-Vict...481254&sr=1-71

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Need a good knife set, I've been looking into Henckels. I like the look of both the Twin Cuisine and the Twin Select.

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Looks like a nice set,:)
I was gifted a RRay set of Gusto grips last year. not to bad, and since they were free, they kick the dog doo out of anything else:r:r

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Still mostly use large chef knifes though I do love my Santoku. Good knifes make all the difference when cutting.

~Vitis

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

I own Wusthoff and use to work at a Crate & Barrell where they huck the German knives. My friend has some MAC knives I think they are much nicer. Super sharp and not as blunting to the food with the thinner blade.

MAC is the way to go for regular knives. Sure there is better with Damascus steel, etc... but they do not come cheap.

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Used that knife and you'll love it.

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Im actually lookin to get some steak knives and was thinkin of either Wusthof or Henckel. My uncles and dad are butchers and my uncle has a set of Henckel knives he loves. Does anyone have any suggestions or other brands to look into. Im willing to pay $50-75 on 1 knife

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Totally agree. The are some amazing knives out there but my gf would kill me if I spent $500+ on a knife. Especially since I give her such a hard time if she spends that kind of money on clothes. :)

I still love my Henckel's knives but after 8 years, my twins are starting to show some wear!

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

For steak knives, I don't think you can go wrong with either one. Both are great brands. Where you buying them from? How much?

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Wusthoff's are amazing. My mother is still using a set every day that has to be 30+ years old. If that's not great craftsmanship I dont know what is.

~Vitis

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Henkels have always served me well. My parents have some that are well 20 years old that are still going strong!

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

All the prices are from ~$40-70

Henckels

http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=10074

http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=180

Wusthof

http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=13592

http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=6378

http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=150



but I really like the wood handle kind u get at like steak houses

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

JA Henkles, nice set of knives 400.00 bucks.

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

I love my Wustof Culinar set. Many good knives out there to choose from these days. With knives (like many things) it pays to buy good stuff - stays sharp, lasts forever.

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

For me Wusthof is the only set of knives. My wife and I bought a 17 piece Classic set and these babies are AWESOME.

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

This is what most grocery meat cutters use. Need to resharpen often but hold an edge for long enough. extremely sharp when done right. Cheap enough to toss if you use it as an axe.

Ive got them all in my personal kitchen for less that $10 each.

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

i've been hearing good things about shun knives. i have a chef friend that says these are the best. thinking about getting anothher 8" chefs knife. anyone have feedback on Shun's?

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

what no one has shun? i had to stop useing my Henkles cus they were to think. cuting things such as carrots would cause them to crack about 80% in to the cut. lots of friends have had wusthof knives and i do like them but i have ran in to the same thing with them. i do think wusthof is a better knife, they seem to hold there edge longer. global are nice but real slick and hurt my hands, i dont have girl hands. i have been using my shuns for about 4 years in restaurnts and culinary school. no problem with them yet

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

My friend has a Shun chefs knife and it is amazing!

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

For the money Shun's are amazing knives. The Damascus steel is not only beautiful to look at but functional.

For my personal use I chose Tojiro knives. They are steel sandwiched in stainless steel. So it can hold a very sharp edge, but can be beat around a little more than plain steel.

If I had the money and the will to clean my knives as soon as I used them, I would choose watanabe knives:

http://www.watanabeblade.com/english/

They are possibly the sharpest kitchen knives you can buy.

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

I have been adding to my Henckles knives collection since 2000. Pro S is my line of choice. GREAT knives.

Like other people have said here; drop a couple hundred bucks on a knife & block set and you'll be good for 10+ years.

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

If I had the money and the will to clean my knives as soon as I used them, I would choose watanabe knives:

http://www.watanabeblade.com/english/

They are possibly the sharpest kitchen knives you can buy.[/quote]

yep they are nice i miss mine. i let some on use it and they droped it right on the floor. it stuck right in. that was the ends of that knife when the tip broke off

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Hey looking for a decent starter set of knives around 150-200 for a basic beginners set. any reccomendations?

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Bought individual Wusthof, 8" Chefs, Utility, and Paring. KitchenArts sells gently used knives at remarkable prices.

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

I'm into knives... spent twenty plus years collecting my cutlery.

The lions share of my cutlery is Gustav Emil Ern, followed by a number of blades by Sabatier with the four star and elephant trademark, and I have a 12” Dick... F. Dick salmon knife that is.

All of my knives are hand ground, forged carbon steel. Made before the second world war.

As far as modern cutlery made from recycled steel goes, I personally don't believe it's worth the price of the cardboard they pack it in, let alone the $000 price tag.

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

You guys gotta put down those heavy knives and get a global. Hollowed metal grip, super light, very thin blade, holds an edge like all good knives do.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/styl...pp=15&brand=51

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

I have the Shun classic 3pc set with the 10" chef's, paring and 6" utility. I love them. Their customer service is amazing. my roommate just tossed one of them in the metal sink and chipped the tip just barely. I called them up to get shipping info, they told me that I might as well send them all in since I had them for three years at the time,sent them all in to get sharpened, they said they found some tiny (i mean TINY like i never noticed) chips and they gave me all brand new knives :ss

the only thing that you have to be careful about with these knives is that the edge will chip easier than a German knife because it is a narrower (ie thinner) thus making it sharper however you cannot chop through bones like you could with a German knife. You also need to be careful not to put them in the sink as they can get damaged by plates and other silverware in the sink and for safety reasons as well because they are so sharp you don't want anyone to just reach in the sink and cut their hand.

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Wusthof's are also dangerous because they don't roll to a side. It is possible for the knife to stand blade up on the table; not good.

Anyone considering a set knives should look at Mac. They may not be as storied as the German brands, but you won't be disappointed. I am moving towards Mac as some of my Wusthof's are getting long in the tooth.

Never use a chef's knife as a cleaver :mad:

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

:tpd:
my mom has some knock off generic knives that are shaped just like Wusthofs and they are more often than not resting on the counter with the blade straight up (luckily her knives are very dull)

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

I'll have to subscribe to this thread. My wife and I are looking at getting a nice set, we've been considering Wusthoff and Henckel, but I think we'll have to consider Mac and Shun now as well, provided I can find them comparably priced.
Are any of you using ceramic? I've been reading a bit on them lately and I think I'd like to get one or two to try out...

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Ceramics are certainly sharp as all be, but I use a magnetic strip in the kitchen and I heard they more fragile. Go for the Mac's! Just buy them online. You know what an 8" Chef's knife looks like, no need to see it before you buy it. Some specialty knives, Wustoff may be your only choice.

I am not knocking the German knives, I own them, but the Mac's have made me re-think and I know what I want next (unless I go for the Damascus steel knives :dr).

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Yeah, I've read you have to be careful with the ceramics. They don't deal well with blows from the side (like dropping it flat on a counter).
The only specialty knife I really use is a santoku. Although, I would like to get a cleaver at some point.

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

I would not consider that a specialty knife, although it might've been 15 years ago; great general purpose knife.


All one really needs is a chef's knife, paring knife, cleaver, & bread knife.

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

agree 100%

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

In my opinion, the minimum knives needed;

Chef's
Bread
Paring
Utility
Carving
Slicing
Boning
Butcher
Fillet

A Utility knife is the best tool for task like slicing mushrooms, garlic, radishes or shallots for a salad when only a little is needed, and cutting tomato for a sandwich or a sandwich for that matter, when a paring knife is to small and a chef's knife to large.

If you roast large cuts of meat or turkeys, a carving knife will do a much better job than a chef's knife when it's time to get the meat to the platter.

For getting really thin cuts of roast meat for sandwiches a slicing knife is hard to beat.

The last 3 are task oriented knives that may not get allot of use (depending on how you prep/shop), if you buy whole poultry, fish, primal cuts of beef or pork, rabbits etc. they are hard to get by without.

Having a thinner blade than Chef's knives, Butcher knives are a good choice when breaking down meat that's headed for the grinder or the stew pot.

Specialty cutlery that gets a lot of use in my kitchen,

Cheese knife
Poultry shears
Kitchen shears
Salmon/Ham knife
Oyster knife

Lets not forget a carving fork and honing steel. While the steel will not sharpen your knives, it will straighten the edge and prolong the time between sharpening.

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Great thread guys! As a professional chef, it's great to see "regular" folk talk about gear with the same zeal as us sleep-deprived crazy souls. :D

However, you really don't need a zillion knives to work effectively in the kitchen. Let me dispel a few myths...

I've never actually seen anyone in a professional kitchen use a utility knife (i.e. a mid-sized knife in limbo between a large chef knife and a small pairing knife), and that's because you can do 99% of jobs with a chef's knife. Anything more intricate (e.g. cutting patterns into vegetables and other fancy stuff) needs a pairing knife, or if you're into barrelling veggies (very rare other than in super-fancy restaruants) you'll need a turning knife.

Also in an ideal world you would use a serrated tomato knife to cut tomatoes, but in practice a really, really sharp chef's knife does the job just as well.


All those beautifully-cut, paper thin slices of meat in your deli sandwich and at restaurants? Gravity slicer, baby!


True (especially with regards to the boning knife), but the vast majority of professional food suppliers and retail stores will supply major cuts of meat already de-boned, as there is huge competition between suppliers. The largest cuts of meat I have to prep are pork bellies (i.e. the whole underside of the pig plus ribs) and a chef's knife is perfect.

A fillet knife for fish is indispensable if you prep a lot of fish. You need that long, flexible blade to slide in between the bones and for neatly taking the skin off. I've tried to fillet bream with a rigid chef's knife, and failed miserably. :rolleyes:


So to sum up, the absolute minimum you'll need is:

A quality chef's knife... yup, that's it. And depending on your kitchen, you'll certainly need a bread knife (if you prep a lot of bread, I personally don't), a fillet knife (if you prep a lot of fish, I do), a cleaver (if you have to split a lot of bones, I do) and maybe a pairing knife if you're doing fancy garnishes (although you can just use the tip of your chef's knife in most cases). Easy!

Oh, and for the record I use Henckels 4-Star knives... I like the weight although I'm looking to change to a thinner blade... :confused:


I'm sure MPW would agree:

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/200...10_468x430.jpg

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

I find it very hard to believe that these two people are the same person.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...10/th_seth.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...DSC_0058-1.jpg

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Harpo,

I can imagine it's rare in a professional kitchen that one is splitting a sandwich for two or cutting a few mushrooms for a salad, a quality chef's knife may be the end all...

Cooking for the wife and I alone, the utility knife gets more use on a daily basis than just about any other.

The bread knife does double duty, bread and tomatoes. I make bread (don't own a bread maker), and buy fresh unsliced bread from a bakery.

A restaurant or deli may have the room and need of an electric gravity slicer, I don't. The 14” slicer get used a couple times a month, enough to justify having it.

For Frenching chops and ribroast, removing silverskin, opening chops that are to be stuffed etc. a 6” boning knife is much easer to use than a 14” chef's knife. Yes I use a chef's knife with a 14” blade, also the reason I use paring knives to peel fruit and veg.

I collected antique butcher tools and cutlery for years, had over 300 blades when I met my wife.

My heavy knives are carbon steel, made by the now defunked Gustav Emil Ern, and are 40 to 60 years old, all where unused when I acquired them (new old stock).

The paring, utility, fillet & slicing knives, are nogent style Sabatier. Recently ground from forgings that are more than 60 years old.

Check this http://www.thebestthings.com/knives/sabatier_nogent.htm

Re: Anyone into knives?
 

Shun are perfect. I always had Henckels or Wusthof until I got into the restaurant industry. Now I use a Shun. They're so great.
Globals are nice, but personally I don't like my knife to feel so light in my hand. That's why I like Shun. They're a great middle ground between the heavy German knives and the airy Globals. I like to feel a little bit of heft in my hand while I'm cutting.