Knife Recommendation

On Mon, 26 Jan 2004 21:08:58 -0600, "Josh" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Hi all, A real novice here. Old bear is gonna get married in summer and wondering about a nice
knife set for our home. Went to Bloomingdale's a few weeks ago and saw so many different kinds and
prices it just confused me. Was wondering what brand and what price range we should be looking for
for a simple kitchen. Not sure what even to look for. Any help appreciated.

I like both Henckels and Wusthoff. They consistently have just the right temper so the edge can be
maintained with a steel for a long time, and the shapes are convenient.

Rodney Myrvaagnes J36 Gjo/a

Entering your freshman dorm for the first time, and seeing an axe head come through the door on
your right.

Quoted message said:

A real novice here. Old bear is gonna get married in summer and wondering about a nice knife
set for our home. Went to Bloomingdale's a few weeks ago and saw so many different kinds and
prices it just confused me. Was wondering what brand and what price range we should be looking
for for a simple kitchen. Not sure what even to look for. Any help appreciated.

Skip the set, buy knives individually. I tend towards Henckels, the traditional non-serrated edge.
But heft a few different brands and see which fits your hand best, that's the important part.

One 3.5" paring knife, one 8" chef's, boning knife and a slicer.

Best,

Marc

"MrAoD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A real novice here. Old bear is gonna get married in summer and
wondering about a nice knife set for our home. Went to Bloomingdale's a

few

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

weeks ago and saw so many different kinds and prices it just confused me. Was wondering what
brand and what price range we should be looking for

for a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

simple kitchen. Not sure what even to look for. Any help appreciated.

Skip the set, buy knives individually. I tend towards Henckels, the traditional non-serrated edge.
But heft a few different brands and see

which

Quoted message said:

fits your hand best, that's the important part.

One 3.5" paring knife, one 8" chef's, boning knife and a slicer.

Best,

Marc

A boning knife is a good idea, except for a few people like me who have had a Wusthof boning kninfe
for 25 years and NEVER used it. Some people nowdays don't do this type of work, so "know" your
friends' cooking habits. Even consider a round-sharpening steel; this will last a lifetime and
they'll always remember you when they take out their knives to sharpen.

Not a wedding present, but I once gave a 4 set knife set to a relative as a gift as I stayed at her
home overnight (instead of a motel) and I know she was sincere when she said they were the best
knives she ever had. I saw what she was using and just upped the anti in quality -- but they were
not the best.

Dee

I know this is for a wedding but I wonder why folks seem set on buying the $150 knives when you can
go to a Resto Supply store and pick up a solid 8 inch chef's knife for $40.

I owned a 10'' Henkel and a Wusthoff clever but lost them in a fire. While waiting for my
insurance mullah I went to a restaurant supply store and picked up a rubber handled 8'' chef's
knife (Giesser - Profinox) and I have never bothered to replace my Henkel. It is a quality knife
that I personally prefer.

Having said that, I am also getting married this summer and I wonder if I really want to ask for a
$100+ blade? I could really use a Le Creuset casserole instead ...!

Just my 2 Canadian cents worth ($0.075 USD).

"Josh" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi all, A real novice here. Old bear is gonna get married in summer and wondering about a nice
knife set for our home. Went to Bloomingdale's a

few

Quoted message said:

weeks ago and saw so many different kinds and prices it just confused me. Was wondering what brand
and what price range we should be looking for for

a

Quoted message said:

simple kitchen. Not sure what even to look for. Any help appreciated.

--
God Bless America

Josh The Bad Bear

On 01/27/2004 12:35 AM, in article
[email hidden], "MrAoD" <[email hidden]> opined:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A real novice here. Old bear is gonna get married in summer and wondering about a nice knife
set for our home. Went to Bloomingdale's a few weeks ago and saw so many different kinds and
prices it just confused me. Was wondering what brand and what price range we should be looking
for for a simple kitchen. Not sure what even to look for. Any help appreciated.

Skip the set, buy knives individually. I tend towards Henckels, the traditional non-serrated edge.
But heft a few different brands and see which fits your hand best, that's the important part.

One 3.5" paring knife, one 8" chef's, boning knife and a slicer.

Go for the 10" chef.

Quoted message said:

Best,

Marc

--
==========================================================================
"When a broad table is to be made, and the edges of planks do not fit, the artist takes a little
from both, and makes a good joint. In like manner here, both sides must part with some of their
demands," Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
==========================================================================

[email hidden] (MrAoD) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Dee Randall said:

"MrAoD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

> A real novice here. Old bear is gonna get married in summer and
> wondering about a nice knife set for our home. Went to Bloomingdale's a

few

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>weeks ago and saw so many different kinds and prices it just confused me. Was wondering what
>brand and what price range we should be looking for

for a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>simple kitchen. Not sure what even to look for. Any help appreciated.

Skip the set, buy knives individually. I tend towards Henckels, the traditional non-serrated
edge. But heft a few different brands and see

which

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

fits your hand best, that's the important part.

One 3.5" paring knife, one 8" chef's, boning knife and a slicer.

Best,

Marc

A boning knife is a good idea, except for a few people like me who have had a Wusthof boning
kninfe for 25 years and NEVER used it. Some people nowdays don't do this type of work, so "know"
your friends' cooking habits.

Eh, I think the OP was referring to himself in the third person, he's the one getting fitted for a
ball and chain.

Still, good point. If you don't bone your own meats then a boning knife is beside the point. Basic
load would be a paring knife and a chef's knife then. Maybe a fish fileting knife if you buy a lot
of whole fish.

BTW if you make your own sushi lee valley sells a decent inexpensive sushi knife set.

YMMV

Marc

Don't wasste your time with a set. I have a set but almost exclusively us an 8 inch chefs knife, a
paring knife, boning knife and a chinese cleaver and I use the cleaver much more than any of the
others combined

MrAoD said:

Quoted message said:

A real novice here. Old bear is gonna get married in summer and wondering about a nice knife
set for our home. Went to Bloomingdale's a few weeks ago and saw so many different kinds and
prices it just confused me. Was wondering what brand and what price range we should be
looking for for a simple kitchen. Not sure what even to look for. Any help appreciated.

Skip the set, buy knives individually.

Agreed. Nice and set are opposites. I've gotten sets of knives/pans/etc and at some point it looks
dumb because there's that new one that I've never ever used except once just to prove I could and
there's the couple that are well worn and used all the time.

First glance, get pretty much any set. Price an object just anything better than the TV special. A
year later look at the set and see the *one* piece that is used the most. Go out and spend over a
hundred bucks on the best one like that available. Great first anniversary gift for the house. Over
course also get her some jewlery for her and some lingerie. Next year, same deal. After about 4-5
years you'll have a few random looking knives that are obviously going to last you the rest of your
lives. And you'll also run out of knives in the original set that you ever use. But you won;t run
out of need of either jewelry or lingerie.

Christmas is the same pattern using pans instead. Start with an okay set just to discover what you
do and don't use. Then replace them with something like All Clad or Lustercraft stainless. And in a
few years you'll have an assortment of top-notch stuff that is actually used.

On Tue, 27 Jan 2004 16:40:37 GMT, The Wolf <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

One 3.5" paring knife, one 8" chef's, boning knife and a slicer.

Go for the 10" chef.

Not unless you have big hands or clearly prefer the 10-inch. Bigger is not necessarily better,
especially when it's going to be the workhorse of all trades (to mix some metaphors).

-- Larry

On 27 Jan 2004 08:35:22 GMT, [email hidden] (MrAoD) arranged random
neurons, so they looked like this:

Quoted message said:

Skip the set, buy knives individually. I tend towards Henckels, the traditional non-serrated edge.
But heft a few different brands and see which fits your hand best, that's the important part.

One 3.5" paring knife, one 8" chef's, boning knife and a slicer.

Having read the rest of the thread, I second this, but also like Wustof - depends on the knife and
how it feels in my hand, as you said. Most of my knives are Henckels (the twins, mind), but my two
Wustofs are a cleaver and a Santoku knife, the weight and balance of which I prefer to the Henckels.

And a boning knife doesn't necessarily have to be used just to bone. I use mine any time I need a
longer blade and am cutting something that clings to steel - less steel, less cling (such as cheese,
hard salami and such).

As to the original poster, I'd also suggest a Santoku knife, a good bread knife and, although not a
knife, it serves a knifelike purpose: a good poultry shears. And maybe a good 5" or 6" serrated
utility knife for tomatoes and the like.

And a good steel!

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA

"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret had been as old as the bird, and if the
bird's breasts had been as full as the waitress', it would have been a very good dinner." Anonymous.

To reply, remove replace "shcox" with "cox"

Terry Pulliam Burd said:

As to the original poster, I'd also suggest a Santoku knife, a good bread knife and, although not
a knife, it serves a knifelike purpose: a good poultry shears. And maybe a good 5" or 6" serrated
utility knife for tomatoes and the like.

And a good steel!

Santoku's rule. Since I bought mine it has replaced both the chefs knives (both sizes) and the
Chinese cleaver. Since I got it I almost always reach for it or a pairing knife or the long bread
slicer. So I also suggest those types of blades.

A question based on my religious preferences. With pans I've decided that I live in the wrong
century to tolerate pans that can't be tossed in the dishwasher. Over a period of years I've
gradually switched from an assortment of hard anodized to stainless lined stuff. I have yet to start
the process with knives, but my religious preference in it is the same. I live in the wrong century
to tolerate knives that can't be tossed in the dishwasher. There's no hurry but around one per year
or so I'd like to replace my blades with dishwasher safe ones.

I know all the stories that good and dishwasher safe are opposites just like good and sets are
opposites. Whatever. If it takes a few blades that are good enough not the best to get ones that are
dishwasher safe, then that's my thing to do in this century.

So what dishwasher safe blades do the best? For wavey edge blades I already have a dishwasher safe
serrated cheese slice with the cutouts in the surface of the blade to prevent sticking and a few ginzu-
style ones for tomatoes and such. I'll get around to replacing the ginzu ones with a single Cutco at
some point. That leaves the straight edged blades to consider. I already get a new paring knive
annually and trash the oldest. Years ago I tried a ceramic paring knife but its blade was so brittle
it eventually got tattered from trips through the dishwasher so I've done back to stainless paring
knives. That leaves the larger ones.

What brands should I look for for dishwasher safe santoku/chef/cleaver and so on?

On 01/27/2004 3:56 PM, in article
[email hidden], "pltrgyst" <[email hidden]>
opined:

Quoted message said:

The Wolf said:

Quoted message said:

One 3.5" paring knife, one 8" chef's, boning knife and a slicer.

Go for the 10" chef.

Not unless you have big hands or clearly prefer the 10-inch. Bigger is not necessarily better,
especially when it's going to be the workhorse of all trades (to mix some metaphors).

-- Larry

I made the mistake of buying a set of Henckels it came with the 8".

Bought the 10" and the 8" is collecting dust, might but it on eBay.

Don't have big hands and neither does Sara Moulton, check out what she uses.

10" does more work faster and cleaner, it's not rocket science.

--
=========================================================
"If they do not now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air the like of which
has never been seen on this earth," President Harry S. Truman.
=========================================================

Doug Freyburger said:

That leaves the straight edged blades to consider. I already get a new paring knive annually and
trash the oldest. Years ago I tried a ceramic paring knife but its blade was so brittle it
eventually got tattered from trips through the dishwasher so I've done back to stainless paring
knives. That leaves the larger ones.

What brands should I look for for dishwasher safe santoku/chef/cleaver and so on?

R.H.Forschner with plastic handles, or Dexter Russell "Sani-Safe". The Forschners are better, but
the SaniSafe are contenders and they are relatively inexpensive. Available at restaurant supply
stores, or have your full-service butcher order some for you next time he places an order.

Bob

zxcvbob said:

Doug Freyburger said:

What brands should I look for for dishwasher safe santoku/chef/cleaver and so on?

R.H.Forschner with plastic handles, or Dexter Russell "Sani-Safe". The Forschners are better, but
the SaniSafe are contenders and they are relatively inexpensive. Available at restaurant
supply stores, or have your full-service butcher order some for you next time he places an
order.

Thanks. Filed for my next shopping trip that includes kitchen hardware. I recall seeing SaniSafe at
one of those warehouse places.

[email hidden] (Doug Freyburger) wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

zxcvbob said:

Doug Freyburger said:

What brands should I look for for dishwasher safe santoku/chef/cleaver and so on?

R.H.Forschner with plastic handles, or Dexter Russell "Sani-Safe". The Forschners are better, but
the SaniSafe are contenders and they are relatively inexpensive. Available at restaurant
supply stores, or have your full-service butcher order some for you next time he places an
order.

Thanks. Filed for my next shopping trip that includes kitchen hardware. I recall seeing SaniSafe
at one of those warehouse places.

There really isn't a dishwasher safe knife. The machine washing of the knives can cause the knives
to move about bashing into things (like other knives beside them or the wire rack it is near)
dulling their edge. And the detergent used in dishwashers has lye in it and will remove/etch minute
parts of the edge. Plus the danger of loading and unloading the machine with the knife exposed blade
to cut you. Sure the handle is dishwasher safe but you didn't pay big bucks for the plastic handle,
you paid big bucks for quality steel that will hold a reasonable edge. So why abuse the knife blade
by putting it in a dishwasher?

Use a knife and directly after use, wipe it and store it(properly). Doesn't take long ...isn't hard
to do and can add months between sharpenings.

--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.

hahabogus said:

There really isn't a dishwasher safe knife. The machine washing of the knives can cause the knives
to move about bashing into things (like other knives beside them or the wire rack it is near)
dulling their edge. And the detergent used in dishwashers has lye in it and will remove/etch
minute parts of the edge. Plus the danger of loading and unloading the machine with the knife
exposed blade to cut you.

All qualify dishwashers as not knife safe more than the other way around.

Quoted message said:

Sure the handle is dishwasher safe but you didn't pay big bucks for the plastic handle, you paid
big bucks for quality steel that will hold a reasonable edge. So why abuse the knife blade by
putting it in a dishwasher?

Because of a preference I readily acknowledge counts as a religious preference: I live in the wrong
century to tolerate anything that does not go int he dishwasher. In the case of dishes dishwasher
safe has no effect on quality in all but the most extreme cases. In the case of pans it potentially
improves the quality since stainless in and out with a more conductive lining are good. In the case
of knives if this leads me to buy other than the very best, that's the way it goes.