Good, inexpensive kitchen knives?

[mbs]

Bob,

Good choices, however consider the 10" chef's knife rather than the 8". The best way to use chef's knives is to rock the knife on it's belly. <--- that sounds very wierd...

an 8" knife does not give you as much cutting area as a 10". The best advice I can give is to try both sizes and get whatever is more comfortable.

I would also highly recommend adding a steel to your "arsenal". A sharp kitchen knife is much safer than a dull one. For technique, there is a how to page on the site Ginseng mentioned - How to Use a Honing Steel

Another thing to consider: Do you have a couple of good cutting boards?

Myron

 

[pedalinbob]

ok--good stuff.

i found a 3pc Chef's set: 10" chef, 8" slicer and 4" paring for $47.

http://www.cutleryandmore.com/

i can pick up a good honer, and we have a nice plastic?/nylon? cutting board from pampered chef, that is supposed to be bacteria resistant. if this isnt good, i can go to williams-sonoma or whatever to pick a nicer one up.

forgot to ask: how are their steak knives? are the pointed or rounded tips best?

sidenote: i forgot to mention the real genesis of this search: my wife is really trying to learn to cook--and is using the knives a lot.
she is also a bit...clumsy at times.
i was watching her cutting, and the blade was erratically slicing (due to non-symmetrical ginsu-type blade). the knives also require a lot of force, and the knife will often "rebound" from the cutting surface--which i believe makes cutting chores more dangerous.
i really fear that she will hurt herself--she has cut herself pretty badly in the past.

i am going "less-expensive" because we just got hit with nearly $2000 in unexpected expenses...and my wife also needs a new car...house needs a roof...ouch.

thanks for all the info, folks!

Bob

 

[Ginseng]

8" chef, 6" util will do mostly everything you need. I also have the 10" bread and 12" kullen meat slicer. Only thing they don't have that I need is a santoku for veggies.

Wilkey

 

[pedalinbob]

unfortunately, i dont have access to the knives--i have to order them online, so i cannot test the feel of them.

my wife is pretty small--4'11"....yet, some recommend the 10", and some the 8". any problem with the larger knife in a small hand, or could there be an advantage to the larger blade?

thanks again and again and again!

Bob

 

[springnr]

I have the R11 Glass Smooth Steel and would recommend it as a best buy for keeping your new kitchen knives slicing an dicing between honings.

 

[Wits' End]

[ QUOTE ]
Deanster said:
Forschner is a fine choice - 8' chef, 6' utility/slicing, 3' paring makes for a great start.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think you meant " but it made me think of

I'd Guess 6 foot utility/slicing would be right for him /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[KC2IXE]

I personally find a 6" utility too long!! I like a 10" Chef (but also have an 8"), a 4" utility, and a 2-3" paring

One think about chef's knifes - I don't know how good a "cheap" knife you can really find. I can find you "fair" utility knifes and pairing kinves cheap - in fact, that what we use as table knives - an inexpensive, NON serrated steak/utility knife - I always keep my eyes open, and but them when I find them as gifts - you should be able to get a set of these for around $10

Then spend the REST of your budget on a chef's knife and a sharpening method of "your choice" - YOU CAN NOT really sharpen on a steel, and please, please, please don't use one of those "back of the can opener" sharpener

Remember this - a SHARP knife is safer than a dull knife

 

[Overload]

Anyone try one of the new Ceramic knives? I've heard they're great until you need to resharpen them, because you can't.

Overload in Colorado

 

[Kercheval]

I have one of the Kyocera chefs knifes in ceramic. The ceramic knifes do not have the length of the metal blade and are very brittle. In our kitchen this results in far too many edge chips. Coupled with the fact that these are not knives you can sharpen yourself, it makes the utility of these knives less than ideal.

Although these are VERY nice slicers for vegatables, I won't get another.

jbk

 

[filedog]

Since the man said INEXPENSIVE, I second Ginseng's advice. Some others you may want to consider are The Henckels International line, they're forged, made of the same steel as their high-dollar stuff, just finished in spain. ICEL (if you can find 'em) are a good value.
Watch ebay for a while, you can find some great deals, get yourself a block there while you're at it.
My advice is just get a FEW, the best you can afford. I like an 8" chef, 6" utility, 3.5" parer, and 8" serrated bread knife. I also prefer the feel of forged knives .

 

[pedalinbob]

well...though i wanted the Forschners (i LOVE my SAKS), i went with the Farberware Pro, because we were able to return the Henckles ($100 set!), and and use the credit to get the Farberwares ($80 for an entire set). (of course, they did not carry Forschner)

we were able to get a few extra goodies with the left over $20. (i had all the original packaging and receipts for the Henckles.)

so far, i am impressed with what a sharp knife can do. slicing is SO much essier with the forged non-serrated knife. they are VERY sharp.

Bob

 

[ABTOMAT]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Tramontina. Brazilian, but good quality and low prices. I have a 3" Tram paring knife that's been quite good.

 

[lbonser]

I see this thread is a little old, but I'll still jump in with a thought.

I'm an amatuer chef that considering going to cooking school and becoming a pro. Various life choices made me decide not to, but still, I have a fair collection of knives.

Here's a secret: Knives are highly individual. What works for one person won't work for another. And you can't necessary decide how a knife will work for you until you actually hold it in your hands.

So... with that said, and nothing against getting a good deal on the Web, but your best bet is to go where the pros do. Find a local restaurant supply store or a store like Smart & Final and shop there. You'll be able to touch the knives and see how they fit your hand. And you'll get pretty good prices because they are typically in low-rent/overhead warehouses in the industrial part of town.

By all means, stay away from the yuppie stores like Williams Sonoma. WS sells good stuff, but they get a premium price for it.