At An Impasse: Looking At High-End Kitchen Knives

[chef jimmyj]

Trust me when I say, Hand wash your knives, carefully and store them. Too easy to get lost in a pile of dirty dishes and accidents happen...JJ

 

[JC in GB]

Not sure if you are still deciding but I agree with many posters here. Wusthof are the knives I use. I have an 8" Chef, 6" Chef, 4" paring, and 7" Santoku plus a sharpener and sharpening steel. I have had these knives for 15 years and like them as well as the day I purchased them. I also got plastic knife covers for them to protect the knives as well as to protect people from them.

The only knife I am likely to add to this collection is a 6" J. A. Henckels boning knife.

I never put my knives in the dishwasher. Never, ever! After use, I clean them and dry them and right back into the case they go.

If I had to choose one knife to do everything, I would take the 8" chef knife. I can break down a pork butt for sausage with one of these in less than 10 minutes.

The Japanese style knives are great as well, but I have found that the stronger you are, the more you want to go toward a European style knife.

As long as you go with a very hard, quality steel blade, you will get years of good use from any high end knives you end up purchasing.

My $0.02

Well, once again it looks like I arrived late to the party.

Anyway, looks like you got a nice set there. Hope they last you a good long time.

JC

 

[tx smoker]

Hey Robert, the one knife I see missing is a filet knife.

Well, One of the two additional knives came in and the other is on the way. When the first one showed up Tracy asked about the second one, then she noticed the 3 empty slots in the block and asked if I'd ordered one for that slot. Nope...I didn't. She asked my why and I told her about the exppense involved and I was gonna wait a bit. Her response was that we both knew I was gonna get it so just go ahead and place the order...so I did. One more coming tomorrow and the filet knife will be here Thursday. That will fill all the slots.

Thanks again everybody!!
Robert

 

[tx smoker]

Trust me when I say, Hand wash your knives, carefully and store them. Too easy to get lost in a pile of dirty dishes and accidents happen...JJ

Thanks for the input Jimmy but believe me, since I got my first set of Chicago Cutlery over 30 years ago, that's the way they have always been handled. Washed immediately, dried, and stored in a block. Never, ever have any of them seen a dishwasher.

Very appreciative of all the help!!
Robert

 

[Jabiru]

I always use Dexter Russell knives - Affordable and super strong steel. - I have the Carbon Steel mostly , they have Stainless available, built for the Meat Industry so they are damn good- They have all shapes and sizes perfect for the home or commercial.

I can get these soo sharp and they hold a great edge. I have a couple of Dexter Skinning Knives from the 80's which I use almost daily and probably still have another 20 years in them.

Dexter Russell

 

[tx smoker]

Well, the last of the three additional knives I ordered to fill up the block came in Thursday. Here they be.

Thanks again everybody for all the input. I love these things, but sure do have a lot of respect for them. They are unbelievably sharp!!

Robert

 

[pineywoods]

Been kind of busy around here but my knife set did come in and I took them out of the box to look at them and they are still sitting in the block waiting for me to wash them (by hand) and put them where they will reside for awhile. I haven't had the time to even look to see what I'm going to buy for the other three slots

 

[Chickenwings]

So you've been shopping and know how crazy expensive knives can be. Good. You also bought some GREAT knives and know how happy they make you (and how much better to use in the kitchen!)

For steak knives If I had unlimited budget I'd probably get Laguiole made in France but on a human budget we got these. They're SHARP, beautiful to look at and wonderful to hold. Straight edge that you can sharpen and cheap enough to replace when you need to. They're Messermeister Avantas. SO sharp you need to buy the blade guard for them if they're going in the drawer.

 

[noboundaries]

I really take my time buying knives. The French and German knives are great, and I own several, but I think I'm done spending $75+ per knife.

I received an Amazon gift card for Christmas and was about to spend $110 on a 6" German prep knife when it went out of stock. Ended up spending $22 on a 6" Chef's knife made of German steel from the land that shall not be named. With a 1.5" heel it would suffice for a prep knife. Its daily performance and edge retention has blown me away. The German knives needed honing on a stone upon receipt to clean up the edge. Not the new knife. It shaved paper without a hiccup right out of the box.

I'm now looking at two different 4-pc straight edge steak knives from the same land. One set is $45, the other $70, and I own a 7" cleaver made by the company of the $70 set (Cutluxe). German steel, American company, made in the land that won't be named.

 

[chesterinflorida]

I love good knives. I have a block with about 15 different knifes in it. Several different length chef knives. Mostly have 4 star Henkel but have a Wustof a Shun and a few others.

My recommendation to anyone looking at good knives is hold them in your hand, and see how they feel. Quality wise, not much difference from a Wustof to a Zwilling Henkel to a Shun for comparable knifes, but they all have a different feel to them. My wife and I don’t always agree on feel, so sometimes we compromise between a couple, and get the one that we both like(maybe not the favorite of either). I think that is why we mostly have the Henckels. We both like them quite well.

And yes, always hand wash them. When I am done using a knife, I wash it and put it back in the block.

 

[HalfSmoked]

Well, I can see I'm out classed here. But I have some great knives from Werther's in Dover Ohio that are very good if you lose the edge send them back and they well redo them.

Warren

 

[bauchjw]

Well thank you everybody for all the great input. Sadly though I'm no closer to making a decision than I was yesterday when I posted this I'd been looking at a couple of sets that got dinged here either due to quality issues or design flaws. The only brand that didn't get any negative feedback is the Victorinox. I'm just hitting a mental road block looking through Amazon. May just have to take a day or two for the cob webs to clear and start over.

On a different note, those of you with dishwasher issues, don't feel bad. I have a 30 year old set of Chicago Cutlery with Rosewood handles and a 2 year old set with plastic handles. Neither have ever seen the inside of a dishwasher. They have always been hand washed, dried, and put away immediately when I was finished. The Rosewood handles would get a coat of vegetable oil applied to them a couple times a year to keep them looking good and to date, they still look as good as the day I bought them. The handles on 2 year old set are all cracked on the knives I use, and again it isn't from the dishwasher. This is kind of a bummer in that I considered Chicago Cutlery to be good stuff, but apparently I was mistaken. Handles cracked, won't hold an edge, and the blades are noticeably worn already from constant need to be sharpened. Oh well...I'll figure something out soon or just stick with what I have until it's no longer usable. Nah....I'm sure I'll find something pretty soon.

Thanks again everybody!!
Robert

Have you thought about reaching out to a craftsman to commission a couple? That’s not in my immediate future, but something I’d like to do in the future.

 

[tropics]

Robert I did not read all the post so if you haven't made a purchase. Do a search on GYUTO V-10
Most Damascus are made that way.
Richie

 

[jcam222]

I love good knives. I have a block with about 15 different knifes in it. Several different length chef knives. Mostly have 4 star Henkel but have a Wustof a Shun and a few others.

My recommendation to anyone looking at good knives is hold them in your hand, and see how they feel. Quality wise, not much difference from a Wustof to a Zwilling Henkel to a Shun for comparable knifes, but they all have a different feel to them. My wife and I don’t always agree on feel, so sometimes we compromise between a couple, and get the one that we both like(maybe not the favorite of either). I think that is why we mostly have the Henckels. We both like them quite well.

And yes, always hand wash them. When I am done using a knife, I wash it and put it back in the block.

I have an assortment as well. I do have a couple Henkel Pro series knives I love. One thing to keep in mind with both Henkel and Wusthof is they have a wide range of lines from pretty low quality to high. Many assume those two names automatically equal a quality forged knife.

 

[noboundaries]

So, jdixon resurrected this 2 year old thread because he's looking for steak knives. I kinda am, too. Open to all suggestions with a plain, non-serrated edge.

I need a set of knives to hand out to guests when they need to cut their meat (my wife got rid of our old set, for some reason). I'm looking for two things here:

1 - a defense of the classic long and thin serrated steak knife form factor. I've never liked it. I generally prefer a plain edge and full flat grind.

2 - recommendations for high-value knives to use at the table (by "high value" I mean cheap but good). what are the best steak knives

 

[Chickenwings]

So, jdixon resurrected this 2 year old thread because he's looking for steak knives. I kinda am, too. Open to all suggestions with a plain, non-serrated edge.

See my recommendation for the Messermeister...I really can't say anything bad about them!

 

[BurntWeenie]

Custom made perhaps? Ala Forged in Fire

 

[paulgeorge]

Sad state of affairs. I still have my Christmas bonus from work, in cash, sitting in a cigar box on the shelf in my closet and can't decide what to do with it. I've been considering getting a high end set of kitchen knives for quite a while and made mention of this to Tracy. Well, her crafting stuff has taken off in a huge way in a totally different direction. She has dropped a considerable sum of $$ the past couple weeks getting herself set up. Last night over dinner (which was incredible and very creative but don't know if I should post it) she said it's only fair that I get something nice to balance out the money she has spent. She told me to order whatever set of knives I want. I've read stuff about the 4-star Zwilling (SP??) stuff being really good. They are German made but I've also seen some nice stuff that is Japanese made. At least the price tag indicates that it's nice stuff I currently have two sets of professional grade Chicago Cutlery that I've been somewhat happy with. One set Tracy bought me two years ago for Christmas. The other set I've had for about 30 years. My only issue is that they don't hold an edge for very long and I seem to sharpen them more often than I feel I should. Here is my biggest dilemma: I'm having a hard time justifying the expense, regardless of Tracy telling me to buy them, so I have a couple of Q's for y'all. If you had an unlimited budget to buy a set of knives, what would you buy in custom cutlery? Second, what is it about the recommendation that sets it apart from other knives? Lastly, and this is for folks who have already made the purchase: can you justify the expense in your mind? I'm not looking for block sets that have a bunch of steak knives to make the item count look impressive. We already have more steak knives than we will ever have people here eating steak. I'm looking for a 4 to 6 knife set (quantity not set in stone) that will do everything I need done...and y'all know I tend to do a lot of stuff This may seem like a silly thread but you all are the only ones I trust for accurate info as I'm in WAY over my head on this one. I'd just hate to drop$500 to $1000 on knives that are untested and find them lacking what I'm looking for. I've spent a LOT of time reading about these and can't really see a differentiation between one maker and the next so thought I'd toss this out there and ask the folks who are truly in the know. Many thanks to any and all that take the time to provide info.

At a total loss,
Robert

So I’m looking to delve back into my cooking hobby/profession in order to help myself survive this quarantine. I’ve had some meh kitchen knives for the past few years (50$ sale at bed bath and beyond) that I just touched back up to paper slicing sharp, but I want some higher quality blades! I used to work as a prepcook and employee dining room chef at a hotel in Yellowstone, and I got to use some awesome knives, from Victorinox Fibrox knives all the way up to shuns and even a $4k custom! I found that I like the Mercer Genesis knives best, and I could easily buy the whole set for 300$ with a knife roll, anyone have any long term experience with these?

 

[jcam222]

I have a Mercer Genesis set. While I was initially pleased I find they do not hold an edge as long as many of my other knives. I have a lot of different individual knives. Some of the better known include Miyabi, Dalstrong, Zwilling Henckel Pro, Wusthof , Victorinox etc. I can say without a doubt my go to knife anytime it's form factor makes sense for the task is the Henckel Pro. That thing holds an edge forever. It's the 8" rocking chef. When I splurge it will be a full set of the Henckel Pro series for sure. I have a cheap set of Enowo I have out for everyday quick use as well. For the price they are ridiculously sharp still at the 6 month mark.

 

[Steve H]

I have a Mercer Genesis set. While I was initially pleased I find they do not hold an edge as long as many of my other knives. I have a lot of different individual knives. Some of the better known include Miyabi, Dalstrong, Zwilling Henckel Pro, Wusthof , Victorinox etc. I can say without a doubt my go to knife anytime it's form factor makes sense for the task is the Henckel Pro. That thing holds an edge forever. It's the 8" rocking chef. When I splurge it will be a full set of the Henckel Pro series for sure. I have a cheap set of Enowo I have out for everyday quick use as well. For the price they are ridiculously sharp still at the 6 month mark.

The Brewin set I bought is impressive as well.

And at 25.00. It was a steal!