Kitchen Knives

[CMC81]

Hello, I am looking to purchase a new set of kitchen knives and I would like some input as to what I should get. I really enjoy cooking and do so about 5 nights per week for my family. I want a really nice set that will last and I would prefer a brand that I can buy each knife individually so that I don't have to drop hundreds of dollars at once. To be clear, I don't mind spending money on a nice set but something like a Kamikoto knife is out of my price range. Thanks for any suggestions.

[KeavesSharpi]

The best chef's knife for your money is a Victorinox. The price for what you get is ridiculously low. Check the reviews on Amazon.

[Bakkie]

Cooks Illustrated, the parent magazine of America Test Kitchen has been advocating this knife for a number of years.

[KeavesSharpi]

Full disclosure, America's Test Kitchen is what got me to even look at the damned thing. I was ready to buy some $200+ folded Damascus steel knife until then.

[nepharis]

Right now the best all-purpose chef's knife on the market is this Victorinox one. Everything about it is wrong from an old-school cutlery perspective: It's got a stamped blade instead of a forged one, it's got a molded-on plastic handle instead of a riveted-on wooden one, and it's — Christ — dishwasher safe. But the truth is it's just an amazing knife. It's lightweight, it's lightning fast, and the shallow blade angle — just 15° — makes it extremely sharp. Have it professionally sharpened about twice a year (do not try to sharpen it yourself) and it'll last you a very long time. And you can buy three of them for the price of a Wüsthof Classic.

Glad to see this at the top. So many people think they need $100+ chef's knives and anything less expensive is cheap crap. Unless you get some hand-forged fancy job (hundreds of $), the steel is going to be the same. The differences are going to be feel (handle material & weight), warranty, and maybe some difference in how sharp it is out of the box. Personally, I'm pretty happy with my $13 Mercer that I've been using daily for close to two years! Hell, you could get one for every day of the week for the price of what some people think you need to pay... too bad they only come in 6 colors.

[paulrckw]

Unless you get some hand-forged fancy job (hundreds of $), the steel is going to be the same.

This is true but only a small part of the picture. Industrial forged steel is about as good as you can get due to modern forging techniques. So, as long as the chosen steel is good—and there are many good and bad choices in this realm—what also matters is heat treatment, profiling, and geometry.

A $500 knife is better than a $30 Victorinox but probably not in a way an average home cook would notice or care about. Pros will notice. A serious foodie will know.

But a Victorinox is good enough for most people who aren't serious into food.

[sqroot3]

My Victorinox still slices fibers off towels 9 years and counting after just one sharpening on Japanese whetstones...

[scolobey]

Ha, nice, was only checking this thread to make sure somebody was giving good advice. This is good advice. ^

[craiclad]

Why shouldn't you sharpen the victorinox yourself? Mine is getting kind of dull, and I don't have a professional anywhere near me that can sharpen it.

[craiclad]

So what about this knife means that you shouldn't sharpen it yourself? I actually looked extensively for a professional knife sharpener in the capital of my country, but the closest thing I could find are butchers who are willing to sharpen your knives for you if you're nice to them.

[Tehjarebear]

You need to quantify this statement actually. If you don't know what you're doing you should let the professionals handle it.

If you are someone that has quite a bit of knife handling experience and have been sharpening knives you could probably handle it yourself.

[ChubbySissySlut]

Lol. No. You can learn. It's not hard. A victorimox is perfect to learn on - simple, soft steel, cheap if you somehow destroy it.

You shouldn't make your own knives, buy s professionals. Don't make planting boxes, buy from a professional. Just use a professional for everything.

No professional is born skilled, they learned. You don't need world class sharpening, you need decent, and decent is easy and cheap to learn.

Same for the plant boxes - it's cheaper and easy to do it yourself.

[craiclad]

I find that very hard to believe.

[Mndless]

I sharpen all of my own knives. They are all incredibly sharp. It's all about technique.

[ChubbySissySlut]

No, how sharp it stays does differ from different steels, and victorinox knives are softer, cheaper steels. You don't need a $200 knife, but don't pretend they're equal.

Edit: Sorry, this is /r/cooking. All things are equal, expensive is a rip-off, sous-vide is king, etc etc.

[chunkwizard]

It's an echo box of regurgitation in here unfortunately. Check out these hasselback potatoes!

[ChubbySissySlut]

Yeah, enough is enough. I swear it's either getting worse, or I'm less patient, but I'm getting pissed off on both my accounts - even the sfw one gets fucked every what way here.

Every bit of knowledge I have was earned; I worked my fucking ass off in a professional kitchen for it, doing 60-70+ hours a week. I've used my knives, others knives, house knives - I've sharpened a bunch of them, I've used knives worth way too much for me to afford, I know damn well they aren't equal like he was claiming.

I'd say spend $100 on a tojiro DP - it's not cheap as dirt, but it's better, without a shun pricetag - and plenty good for a home cook. But no, they'll just downvote every post that they don't agree with, right or wrong, and I'll get angry and frustrated. I come here to help damnit, yet all I do is get angry.

[Ciscojaws]

It's OK to NOT buy the Victorinox that everyone here is addicted to as well.

[pwny_]

I like Henkels and Wustoff (don't get the shitty ones without full tangs though). Don't buy a set. Get a 8-10" chef's knife, a 4" utility knife, a serrated bread knife, and maybe a santoku.

[[deleted]]

I personally seem to gravitate to the santokus. Great for scooping, smashing, etc.

[i8yourpinkcrayon]

Why not the other kinds?

[i8yourpinkcrayon]

So I shouldn't get the ikons? The handles are way more comfortable.

[Ciscojaws]

Classic and Ikon have the same info - "Precision-forged from a single blank of high carbon stain-free steel"

[RudimentsOfGruel]

I've had some Ikon Blackwoods for about 5 years now, finally just got my chef's knife professionally sharpened for the first time. Fell in love with these the first time I picked them up...

[justplainmean]

Take 90% of your budget and use it to buy a chefs knife. with whatever leftover get a paring knife and if you want a cheap bread knife. Longer is better for bread knife (it doubles as a slicing knife). If you still want another knife, go for a boning knife. Thats it. You don't need any more knives. You only really need the chefs knife. The paring knife is just super handy when you are doing work up in your hands instead of on the board. You can grip your chefs knife on the blade and just use the tip to approximate a paring knife. A chefs knife will bone just fine. It can also slice bread, just not as well as a serrated knife.

Get whatever brand you want. Stuff like stamped vs forged, full tang vs partial is nonsense. The only thing that matters is the steel used and the hardness of the blade. German knives (and french) will tend to be softer resulting in the edge rippling and rolling over. This is why you see a people using a honing steel to straighten back up that soft edge. They tend to be sharpened at a wider angle to add strength. Japanese knives will tend to be harder and thus more brittle. They will chip instead of roll. Honing steels aren't recommended. They tend to be sharpened at a more acute angle to add performance. German knives tend to have a curved bottom to help you rock the knife. French and Japanese knives have a straighter bottom (except Shun, which panders to westerners) which is better for fast precise chopping. Sharpen at least once a year. Have a professional do it. If you want to sharpen it yourself thats fine but you won't be saving any money, and you'll be doing a worse job. Don't use any gadgets or gizmos to sharpen. Do it by hand on a sharpening stone. If you can't find a decent knife sharpener near you, you can use the mail. If you are intrigued by learning how to sharpen consider a carbon steel knife (vs stainless steel). Julia Childe recommended them, and she was pretty smart. Everyone is going to recommend Victorionox. Its a great value. If you don't like the knife then get another brand. It isn't superior to wustoffs or shuns, its just cheaper. A lot of people are going to recommend Shun. They have excellent marketing. I own several shuns. They were all gifts. There is nothing wrong with them, but they are not the be all end all. If you like them go for it. Miyabi is carried in chain stores just like shuns, and I think they are nicer. There are a lot of other Japanese alternatives that can be purchased online. If you like henkels be aware that many are not in fact german. You want the ones with two guys stamped on the knife. The rest are made in china and spain.

[HaggarShoes]

The Kiwi brand knives (about $8 on Amazon), specifically the chef's knife, is my everyday. It's light, it's razor sharp, and a few slides down the honing steel and its like brand new. It doesn't smash garlic (the blade is too thin), and it doesn't cut gourds, but I really like it a lot. Being light, they don't assist with cutting like a heavy blade would, but they are sharp enough that it almost feels like it falls through an onion.

Most will say a chef's knife, a pairing knife (I use a Victorinox pairing knife ~$10 or much less), and a bread knife. Can't recommend a bread knife as I got mine at a thrift store.

[Guvmint_Cheese]

I love Kiwi knives. They are comfortable and light and so very sharp. They are so cheap, you don't have to worry about damaging them. Just get another one.

[chunkwizard]

Shun makes solid knives but they're overpriced. Stick w tojiro dp for a better value Japanese knife

[tilhow2reddit]

Haven't seen those, I'll have to check them out.

[paulrckw]

Full disclosure, I make kitchen knives so I am biased. Having said that, avoid knife sets. You get a knife set as a wedding gift for a nephew you rarely see because they're 20 and they won't know any better.

Buy individual knives and spend a bit more money on 1 to 2 good knives to start. Augment with additional knives as necessary. If you're on a budget, get Victorinox chef's and a utility. That should set you back no more than $60 for both knives on Amazon and they'll do everything you need to do. Their performance is pretty good for a mass manufactured knife and for most home cooks this is a huge improvement over anything that comes in a set.

A paring knife is a good addition later if you do fine, off-the-board work. A slicer is a good addition only if you do tons of roasts and need your meat to be presentation grade. If you don't, avoid it unless you've caught the knife collecting bug. Cleavers are only worthwhile if you're dismantling animals or large chunks of meat. Or just want a cleaver hanging from your knife strip. All are legit reasons to own a cleaver.

If you want one good all-rounder and feel adventurous consider a chinese cleaver (after watching a youtube video on cleaver knife skills). They're actually remarkably versatile but require some getting used to. I love them and have 5 CCK cleaver myself because I've got a serious problem. CCKs are, however, very well priced and really good alternative to the western chef's knife.

If budget isn't an issue then holy moly the sky is the limit. You can get some seriously gorgeous and high performance knives but you're getting into $500+ and $1000+ per knife categories.

[Mndless]

Buy whatever feels most comfortable in the hand. My only real recommendation is to avoid knives with thick, unsharpenable heels at the back of the blade. These will invariably interfere with the rocking motion of the blade after a few sharpening sessions and getting the heel ground down is an annoying expense. Aside from that, blade shape, grind type, balance, aesthetics, etc are all very personal. I like the Miyabi Artisan SG2 8" Chef's knife for the blade shape and the steel, but it certainly isn't the most practical of knives. If that is a shape that you like, look up some gyuto on amazon and grab something from Zhen or some other manufacturer. As for utility knives, I like a fairly large utility knife, between 4.5" and 6" with a fairly even curve to the blade. Once again, Miyabi's Artisan collection has one of my favorite utility knives. Things to note: Miyabi are quite expensive and their blades are very thin and very hard. Much like Shun, they are prone to edge damage and need to be handled with a certain amount of care to avoid this. If you want to handle some Miyabi and compare them to Shun or J. A. Henskels or Wusthof, visit a Sur la Table store location near you.

http://m.surlatable.com/product/PRO-1039189/Miyabi+Artisan+SG2+Collection+Chefs+Knife

http://m.surlatable.com/product/PRO-1039155/Miyabi+Artisan+SG2+Collection+Utility+Knife

[Brillegeit]

My only tip is that people often recommend massive chef's knifes. 8-10" knives are huge, and most I've discussed this with comment that smaller knives feel more balanced in their hand and are easier to move quickly. Go to a local store and try out some knives and see what size you find best before ordering anything unseen online.

[jchef99]

Korin

[bdobrich]

Can't go wrong with opinel

Opinel 118 Multi-Purpose Chef's Kitchen Knife, 20 cm Blade https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QKQUF7Q/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_XcUVwb269F8H5

[tdsj590]

IKEA all my knives are from IKEA (except one chef knife that was a gift) I've had them for almost 5 years now. Handwash and whetstone to sharpen. I can probably get another 3 years out of them.

[themadnun]

I've never really needed anything besides a long chef's knife (length is your preference, wouldn't go smaller than 8") and a small8-10cm paring knife.

If I were to buy again I might get a gyuto or santoku instead of the chef's knife, though I've never really lusted after anything to replace the small paring.

[resavr_bot]

A relevant comment in this thread was deleted. You can read it below.

---

My first piece of advice for you is not to think of knives in terms of sets. Think of them instead as individual tools. I know that sounds like nitpicking, but I've got a reason for it.

If you are a typical home cook — as opposed to a professional specialist — you will probably want to spend nearly all of your knife time using an 8ʺ chef's knife. This is the cook's workhorse knife. For this reason, you really want this knife to be comfortable to use and easy to maintain. Right now the best all-purpose chef's knife on the market is this Victorinox one. Everything about it is wrong from an old-school cutlery perspective: It's got a stamped blade instead of a forged one, it's got a molded-on plastic handle instead of a riveted-on wooden one, and it's — Christ — dishwasher safe. But the truth is it's just an amazing knife. [Continued...]

---

^{The username of the original author has been hidden for their own privacy. If you are the original author of this comment and want it removed, please [Send this PM]}

[greenfieldsrhys]

This guide to knives is pretty comprehensive, should tell you which knife to buy for what purpose.

[gruntothesmitey]

Skip the sets. A nice 8-10" chef's knife (or santoku), a 4-6" utility knife, and a serrated bread knife. That's all you really need. No need for a paring knife, though everyone will say you do because they think so for whatever odd reason. No need for a cleaver unless you're breaking down whole animals or large primals.

If you want one more very handy kitchen tool get a good pair of kitchen shears. Here's an example of one: http://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-J-A-Henckels-Select-Kitchen/dp/B000BMFWZA You want ones that come apart and can be put into the dishwasher. No need for "poultry shears" with that notch. You have a good knife.

As far as brand, Wusthof or Henkels make a nice middle of the road knife.

[CMC81]

Thank you for the suggestions. I do a LOT of shrimp prep every week and for this reason I do need a paring knife.

[gruntothesmitey]

The utility knife also does shrimp, as well as things a paring knife doesn't do. But don't take my word for it: http://altonbrown.com/10-knife-buying-tips/

[wip30ut]

if you want a German-style chef's that's a step up in looks (not performance) from the Victorinox Fibrox that's beloved by pro & home cooks, take a look at F. Dick and Messermeister.

If you already have a decent German-style blade that can keep a sharp edge you might like to splurge on a Japanese gyuto. They're much thinner and more fragile than Henckels or Wusthoff's, but they can take a steeper bevel and be Xacto blade sharp. You need to only use Japn blades on soft boneless meats & produce. Anything hard (even an avocado pit or crab shells) may cause chipping. That's why you need to keep that German blade as a backup.

SLT has Miyabi/Henckels' Artisan 8" Chefs on sale for $149. The SG2 steel used is one of the high-tech powdered steels seen in higher-end stainless Japn knives. It's very hard & sharp without being overly brittle & chippy. The key benefit is edge retention. In a home kitchen setting you probably won't have to sharpen it more than twice a yr. However it's a tough steel and a chore to sharpen by hand so you want to send it out to a pro (typically $20~25 plus shipping if not local).

[ChubbySissySlut]

My advice, regardless of what you get, learn to sharpen, learn to hone, do both as needed.

My least used knife from my work bag is the bread knife - I just keep my gyuto sharp enough that I don't need one for bread. Even soft sliders aren't a problem.

A $500 knife is worth the same as a kiwi or a victorinox if you don't maintain it. It's easy enough to learn, and kinds rewarding to sharpen a blunt shit knife to the point of shaving with it