[trains are bad]

I just got married and I want to buy DW a set of decent knives for the kitchen. I don't want to spend an awful lot, but I'd like to get a set of 4-6 knives and a block to put them in. They don't have to be professional quality but I do know a good knife when I see (and try to sharpen) one. They need to be thin, well balanced and capable of taking and holding a razor's edge. Any suggestions for where to get good kitchen knives?

 

[Lazarus Short]

You must first decide if you want carbon steel [better edge] or stainless steel [better looks]. What you said about a razor edge may settle that. Get European steel if you can.

Laz

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trains are bad /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd like to get a set of 4-6 knives and a block to put them in.

Get a good Chef/Santoku knife... I have an 8" Wusthof Classic Cook's knife.

A serated bread knife.... $5 (don't spend too much here)

Throw in some steak knives and a small utility knife and you'll have everything the average home cook will ever need.

If you need suggestions on a specific blade (oyster shucker, 42" slicer capable of quartering a cow in one motion, etc etc etc) feel free to ask.

 

[kugino]

i agree about a good santoku, a good utility, and a bread knife. a small paring knife is also very useful.

i'm happy with our wüsthofs...there are many other very good brands out there as well. don't skimp on a good knife...it really is a lifetime investment.

 

[poo]

A couple of those cheap little Victorinox are really handy to have about. Sharpness lasts for ages and they cost about the same as a loaf of bread. Few of them, a quality cleaver, chefs knife, bread knife and a flexible blade of some sort and you're set!

Make sure they feel comfortable and have good balance.

 

[martook]

Well, I guess this might not be exactly what you asked for, but if you want the best looking and some of the absolutely sharpest knives out there, have a look at these sweet Hattori knives:

http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/HDSeries.html

I absolutely love mine

 

[Basil101]

Don't know about the blade quality but the block is interesting;
http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/gear/86dd/

On a more serious note have a look at this site;
http://www.cooks-knives.co.uk/Knife_Guide.htm
Gives recommendations in the table half way down.

 

[SiBurning]

It's a personal thing. The only way to know about balance and comfort is to try them. So the best place is somewhere she can hold them and have access to a cutting board to get the feel.

 

[noseallinit]

also very important is that you need to get a good steel and learn how to use it to maintain the edge of your knives. preferably one made by the same manufacturer. a good diamond steel is easy to use and ceramic ones are nice too. a good sharpening stone may come into play later on but stay away from these quick sharpeners. find a professional sharpener if ya have to. maintaining the edge of your knives is very important and there is no need in spending any money on a decent knife if you are not gonna do so.

as much as I like the Japanese knives I still prefer the Classic Wusthof Knives. a Santoku Knife is very nice to own in any kitchen and Wusthof makes one. you can start with a basic knife set and add knives as you need. I personally would find another means of storage than a block to store your knives in. do to sanitation a professional kitchen would never be allowed to use one. blade guards are made and easily sanitized.

these are what I own. a good 8" Chefs/ Cooks Knife(would be a good size for her and still big enough to cut through a large head of cabbage. this is probably the most general purpose knife in the kitchen). a 3 1/2" Paring Knife, 4 1/2" Utility Knife, 6" Sandwich/ Utility knife(another good general purpose knife that you could go larger on for use in carving. if ya plan on doing a lot of carving it would be best to buy a good carving set. I use my 6" for slicing Duck Breast, Pork Tenderloins, Chicken Breast, Grilled Portabellos, etc.. just before serving.) and Kitchen Shears.

other knives I own and you could get if needed in your kitchen is 8" Bread Knife. use it for it's intended purpose and not for slicing vegetables, etc.. just because it ends up being your sharpest knife in the kitchen do to your other knives edge not being maintained. you wanna keep it sharp for it's intended purpose. that serrated blade is also very sharp and not to me misused. a 5" Flexible Boning Knife, 6" Cleaver(for when you are in the dog house q:O)

please learn how to properly use these knives for her benefit as well as yours!

 

[Joeywhat]

Ceramic knives are great, if you can be careful with them.

 

[Joshatdot]

WÜSTHOF

 

[Ethelred]

Well, you have a couple options here. Professionally speaking, I believe that the home cook needs a couple knives of which being: 6" Prep Knife, Carving Knife, Bread Knife, Paring Knife and if you do a lot of cooking perhaps a chef knife (8" probably).

I wouldn't recommend a full chef knife because most of them are far to unwielding for the average home cook, most prep knives are around six inches in length and they work out well enough.

For a cheap good quality knife look towards Forschner (or Victorinox), great quality knife comes in both a plastic handle (bit better for professional use) or a nicer wood handle. Forschner makes a really great carving knife (I actually use this one in my knife bag, relatively cheap and you really don't use a carving knife as often as other knives).

For what you said specifically looks towards Henckles (sp?), they offer some really nice knives, rather thin blades. I would look to spend probably about 79 dollars on a prep/chef knife, 39-49 on a paring, maybe 79 on a carving knife. And probably about 240 for the 4 knives.

Ceramic knives are cool, I use a ceramic paring knife in my kit. They do stay sharp for a long time, however, you have to send them away to get sharpened.

As far as santokus some people like them, I can't stand them. I find a prep knife much better, particularly when you need to do fine cuts that require precision. But like like most things in life it really is up to the opinion of the user.

And as for where to get them, for a Sur La Table or Williams and Sonoma. (If you have loose morals say you are a culinary student or professional and you get 10 and 15 percent off respectively)

 

[Culverin]

i will echo the previous comments.
wusthof

i've got a 7" santoku, and a pairing knife.
next one to get is an 8ish inch chef knife

i absolutely love them. just don't forget that your parents are probably still using the knives from when they got married, i know mine are

 

[Davesrose]

I gotta echo most recommendations on a good chef's knife. They are far from unwieldy if you learn the proper way to use them (which only takes a minute to learn). I use a 8" chef's for 90% of my cooking.....the others I find I use are one paring knife, one boning knife for poultry, shears, and occasionally a santoku just for a few meats. The main block set I have on my counter that I use is a $10 Ikea knife set

!! I use the cheap knives for opening up food packages, and the sarrated blades are fine for breads. Save all of your money for a really good chefs or santoku knife. When I was at the cooking supply store near me, this is the chef's knife that I settled on for myself. All it takes is one cut and you realize how the higher grade knives cut most foods "like buttah". But they're all weighted and balanced differently....everyone is going to have different preferences.

I personally can't imagine using anything but a chef's knife on vegatables. Love the balance of a nice heavy one that lets the knife do the cutting via rocking motions vs me having to put forth more effort! I like how Wusthof's own website describes a chef's knife as a "manual food processor"

 

[Ethelred]

As I read over this there is one bit of advice I have for you: Make sure you can sharpen the knife you buy.

This is important as some have stated, the harder the metal (stainless) the more difficult it will be get an edge on it (however, the longer the edge will last). The softer (carbon) the metal the easier to sharpen (as well as easier to lose the edge).

So keep that in mind when purchasing. Most knives are a mix of carbon and stainless steel (some like Shun have a mix of a couple). No point in buying a knife that you hate sharpening or is a real pain in the butt to sharpen.