Best Kitchen Knives?

[J_Oei]

Had a set of Henckels that worked fine but kept having dinged edges. Couldn't figure it out until I found that *someone* had been putting them into the dishwasher. All that banging around would put little microdents in the edge that a steel would not bring out.
So, after having sharpened them a bunch of times, (it did take me a while to figure it out, my wife always said I was slow) I ended up getting a set of Shuns.
Solved the washing problem as I liked the knives so much, I would wash them after I used them, so now they never see the dishwasher. The Henckels I used to leave out for the wife to clean. (I cook, she cleans up, and obviously destroys knives...)

 

[Sable]

I have a 16-piece set of the Wustof knives. They are beyond excellent - I highly recommend them.

 

[john willis]

I looked for years before deciding on wustof.

 

[waynejitsu]

I did not see anyone recommend Remmington.
I guess because they are no longer made...
I had a set of Wustof that I gave to my mother when I picked up the Remmingtons.
The Wustof handles felt more comfortable, the Remmington Steel kept a better edge.

I also bought my mother a set of the higher end Tramontina which is a "best buy" for the quality and price.

 

[loveit]

We have had a set of Henkel four star knives for nine years now. They are still very sharp and are excellent knives. I would buy them again today, but I would also look at Wusthof-- both are wonderful!

 

[farscape105]

I just bought my first real quality kitchen knife, a Global Chef knife from William Sonoma and I LOVE it. Also have a Sabatier paring knife my parents had and it keep nice sharp edge.

Now, I have some sharpening questions for those that have japanese knives, since they have a sharper degree than European knives. What is best way to sharpen them? I thought of buying Mino sharpener which is at right angle for japanese knives, but have read varying opinions on them. I am thinking of getting whetstone with 1000 grit on one side and 4000 on other. But afraid of using stone since new to that and heard that can take some skill. I guess when you pull back on stone you have to pull in an arc vs. straight back since blade curves up at point. Also, I have a grooved steel, but read best to use a smooth ceramic steel, do you guys steel regularyly? Thanks

 

[CLHC]

Other cutlery sets can be had from Kyocera, Victorinox, and if still available—Saladmaster. The later we have had for well over 30+ years.

 

[DieselDave]

I have a set of Henkels and a couple of Wustof knives and they are far better than what I need. A buddy is coming by to show me a set of the Shun Ken Onion knives. I'm sure he wants more for them than what I can afford but they look cool in the photos I saw. He probably saw how much they cost and decided he would rather have the cash.

I saw a kyocera ceramic sashimi knive on line today that was on sale for $719 AND sold out. That blows me away.

 

[CANDLE]

One of the characteristics to look for is the steel. VG-10 is probably the best hardened to rc 60 to 62. Also, it takes a great edge. BG-42, ATS-34, 154-CM are similar, but perhaps a slight notch below. AUS-8 and 440C are easier to find and so close to the above you probably won't notice that you have to sharpen them a little more often. 440C is very often used in commercial knives and performs very well. ZDP189 is the hardest at rc 64 or higher and will hold an edge better, but is perhaps not as tough as some of the other steels. It is often laminated. Try AGRussell.com

 

[robinhood4x4]

Anybody see the new damascus "japanese" style knives Costco is selling? Anybody try it yet?

 

[Rudi]

Not all knives fit all hands!
Go to a store that carries several good brands, and handle them. And if a knife fits your hand well, don't assume that a larger or smaller knife of the same set will also fit you. My kitchen knives are all of different brands.

 

[radiopej]

A place nearby in Sydney lets you pick custom knives forged in Japan. You pick the handle, blade type and some other stylistic decisions.

I'm planning on getting a couple eventually.

I currently really like the Mcusta Zenmai series too.

The important thing is to get the right knife for your use. Don't buy a set - you'll get a bunch if knives you won't use. You basically need 3 knives - equivalent to a chef's knife, a utility knife and a paring knife. Perhaps a bread knife too, but that doesn't need to be expensive. Make sure it's comfortable to hold.

 

[mercurialpissings]

Try ceramic knives. Crazy sharp. I own and highly recommend the Kyocera Ceramic Santoku knives. I have a couple for a few months now and they're as sharp as the first day used. That's the awesome thing about ceramic. They're lighter than you're usual steel knives though so they're best for peeling and paring soft items like veggies and fruits.

 

[Alaric Darconville]

My partner was dubious about my selecting a Henckels chef knife and 8" santoku-- but they were at a store closing sale so I got both for under $100.

After she used them, she swore to NEVER buy a cheap knife again, and concedes that the full price for these knives would have been fair. They're a dream to use!

The knife that gets used more is the santoku, and I only sometimes have to try to touch up the edge. Sometimes, I use a steel on it, other times I give it a quick few strokes on the bottom of a coffee mug (with running water going), and it's back to slicing tomatoes to near tissue paper thickness. Hand wash only! The heating/cooling of the wash cycle, the chemicals, and the rattling around are bad for knives.

 

[P_A_S_1]

I started a thread in the Knife Forum in regards to kitchen knives and experiences with them. I use Henckles too and 'steel' them on a hard piece of leather to refresh the blade when needed, and it's needed often I find. However they are easy to keep sharp. I think for the price you paid they're worth it but when paying close to retail you have other options.

 

[EddyP]

Check out these. They are VG-10 core damascus blades with corian handles. Very nice for the price.

Agree with him. Beautiful knifes, especially for the price

 

[MrJino]

Don't buy sets or block sets! You will end up only using 1 or 2 anyways.

Get a quality chef and pairing knife, maybe a bread knife if you cut hard breads.

Wustof and Henkel are very good brands, I've used them at home before.

Personally I have the higher end japanese knives, for my job as a chef.
They outperform German made knives, but cost a pretty penny.
My chef knife (or gyuto) was $440, but is a dream to use.

Someone mentioned misono, a very good japanese brand that caters to American chef with western handles, where as my handles are traditional wood handles with octagon grip.
You could easily find a misono in your budget and still have fantastic steel and geometry.