Knives - What are you using in the kitchen??

[Soulcatcher668]

In my experience you need to ask yourself if you are a knife person or not.

If you are into knives and like sharpening and taking care of them, a nice higher end set is well worth the money. Like @Gary , I have a set of the Wusthof Classic knives.

I have had this set for over 20 years. My only gripe is that the pins that hold the scales on are aluminum and deteriorate over time. I have replaced the scales on a few of them with G10 and titanium pins. (I am a knife guy and run a machine shop.... lol)

If you are not a knife guy and just want a sharp knife, I have come to the conclusion that you should buy Ikea knives and a carbide sharpener. As soon as it gets a touch dull, two swipes on the carbide and its good to go. Something like this.



So now all the knife guys are screaming at their screens...... "No... that destroys the knife and puts a crappy edge on" This is all true. What matters more is that you have a sharp(ish) knife. Sharp knives are safe knives.

You will have to replace your most used knives every year or two, but they are from Ikea and cost like 20 bucks.

The amount of households that I have been in where they have really expensive knives, but when you go to use them, you can't cut butter is beyond count.

My 2cents....

 

[GreyGhost]

On the sharpening front, treat the knives well and it goes a long way regardless of brand or initial price. Throw out glass cutting boards, no dishwasher, do not use a Santoku to chop nuts, etc.

 

[timtune]

My partner bought a full set of Cutco knives about 15 years ago ( I call them Crapco). She paid about $2000 for them, I think that they are WAY overpriced. I have to say that they have held their edge quite nicely and never needed sharpening in all these years . They also replaced a few of them under warranty that had the handles melt in the dishwasher.You would be way better off getting a nice set of German knives for a quarter of the price and learning how to properly use them and maintain them in my opinion. Having said that, a friend of mine had a set set of knives from Costco that were made in China that were as sharp as scalpels for less than $200, they were some of the nicest knives that I’ve ever used. The best advice I can give you is that knowing how to maintain your knives is just as important as which knives you buy. Don’t ever put your fine edged knives in a dishwasher, I cringe when people do that.

Years ago I "sold" cutco knives. I think they were a good product but way overpriced.

 

[GreyGhost]

Years ago I "sold" cutco knives. I think they were a good product but way overpriced.

A girl I went to school with was apparently the top cutco salesperson in the province. It wasn't her vast knowledge of knives nor product quality that got her the sales. Men are dumb.

 

[Bobo]

A girl I went to school with was apparently the top cutco salesperson in the province. It wasn't her vast knowledge of knives nor product quality that got her the sales. Men are dumb.

My partner’s son was also a Cutco salesperson, that’s who she bought her $2000 set from. I’m pretty sure they told him that he was their top salesperson, thanks to his mom.

 

[backmarkerducati]

I have a huge number as I cannot resist a good deal...

Grohmann https://grohmannknives.com/?gad_source=1
Made in Nova Scotia! Excellent knives that IMO are as good as anything out there. My favorite.

I also have a pile of "two man" Henckels as Winners had a bunch of B stock years ago for crazy cheap (mostly scratches and other minor defects). Some Wüsthof, Gehring (another Soligen made brand), Sabatier (France) and some botique forge welded Japanese ones.

So many I need to rotate the stock in the kitchen...

 

[crankcall]

Chefs Choice trizor 15 electric sharpener , its about $200 and worth every nickle because you can make almost any knife workable in a very quick process , andf the results are repeatable .
If you like to cook , a nice knife is like a nice screwdriver or ratchet to a mechanic. It just makes things better. We have 40yr old Henkles. They make about 3 or 4 levels of knife, I was replacing them with japanees style to see if I liked them , I do and I'm now buying knives from a store in Hamilton called "Sharp" . its boutiquey , and you can spend $200 to $600 on a single knife . I wait till they are onsale. At a point in life I trained with a couple professional chefs ( interest in eating, I'm a cook not a chef) , and if you using a knife for hours a day , your going to NEED a knife to hold an edge, because thats how you make a living, learn to sharpen and almost any knife will get you through . I love knives , admire the craftsmanship, but my $300 santoku , made by an ancient samuri sword company , will carve a turkey , just like my $30 Henkles from 40yrs ago.
I will say , I HATE dull knives , they are dangerous , and if I'm cooking at your house I will complain if you dont maintain your knives

 

[Jampy00]

A girl I went to school with was apparently the top cutco salesperson in the province. It wasn't her vast knowledge of knives nor product quality that got her the sales. Men are dumb.

bewbs & knives it like kryponite for most men..

 

[jc100]

Chefs Choice trizor 15 electric sharpener , its about $200 and worth every nickle because you can make almost any knife workable in a very quick process , andf the results are repeatable .
If you like to cook , a nice knife is like a nice screwdriver or ratchet to a mechanic. It just makes things better. We have 40yr old Henkles. They make about 3 or 4 levels of knife, I was replacing them with japanees style to see if I liked them , I do and I'm now buying knives from a store in Hamilton called "Sharp" . its boutiquey , and you can spend $200 to $600 on a single knife . I wait till they are onsale. At a point in life I trained with a couple professional chefs ( interest in eating, I'm a cook not a chef) , and if you using a knife for hours a day , your going to NEED a knife to hold an edge, because thats how you make a living, learn to sharpen and almost any knife will get you through . I love knives , admire the craftsmanship, but my $300 santoku , made by an ancient samuri sword company , will carve a turkey , just like my $30 Henkles from 40yrs ago.
I will say , I HATE dull knives , they are dangerous , and if I'm cooking at your house I will complain if you dont maintain your knives

That’s what I have. This thing Chef'sChoice Knife Sharpeners - Lee Valley Tools

Three slots, one for European knives, one for Japanese and a honing wheel too. Does a pretty good job. So much so that I have to remind the wife before she amputates a digit.

Edit: Look for them on sale, they are pretty frequent.

 

[Soulcatcher668]

I have a huge number as I cannot resist a good deal...

Grohmann https://grohmannknives.com/?gad_source=1
Made in Nova Scotia! Excellent knives that IMO are as good as anything out there. My favorite.

I also have a pile of "two man" Henckels as Winners had a bunch of B stock years ago for crazy cheap (mostly scratches and other minor defects). Some Wüsthof, Gehring (another Soligen made brand), Sabatier (France) and some botique forge welded Japanese ones.

So many I need to rotate the stock in the kitchen...

Never heard of them..... I think I will order one of their forged series to check them out.

I like the made in Canada part.

 

[nobbie48]

In my experience you need to ask yourself if you are a knife person or not.

If you are into knives and like sharpening and taking care of them, a nice higher end set is well worth the money. Like @Gary , I have a set of the Wusthof Classic knives.

I have had this set for over 20 years. My only gripe is that the pins that hold the scales on are aluminum and deteriorate over time. I have replaced the scales on a few of them with G10 and titanium pins. (I am a knife guy and run a machine shop.... lol)

If you are not a knife guy and just want a sharp knife, I have come to the conclusion that you should buy Ikea knives and a carbide sharpener. As soon as it gets a touch dull, two swipes on the carbide and its good to go. Something like this.

View attachment 66646

So now all the knife guys are screaming at their screens...... "No... that destroys the knife and puts a crappy edge on" This is all true. What matters more is that you have a sharp(ish) knife. Sharp knives are safe knives.

You will have to replace your most used knives every year or two, but they are from Ikea and cost like 20 bucks.

The amount of households that I have been in where they have really expensive knives, but when you go to use them, you can't cut butter is beyond count.

My 2cents....

Very valid points.

My in laws would sharpen their "Whatever" knives on a brick. Rub it on the corner of the house.

An uncle who worked for the ministry of agriculture sharpened his scythe with a cross peen hammer and block of steel. It thinned the blade out instead of grinding it away and the blade lasted longer.

At home we have a mismatch of knives including a couple of better quality German ones including a Wusthoff.

They're kept sharp with a steel. I use a Rapala for skinning salmon.

A lot depends on what you need to hack up. My brother had some decent German stuff and he caught his visiting Latino S-I-L about to use one to open a can, machete style. NOOOOOOOO.

Apparently where she came from there were no different cuts of beef. They may have just as well fed the carcass through a wood chipper. If you don't know how to handle a good knife the machete will do just as well.

I read that tuna cutters in Japan use knives worth ten thousand dollars. Truth or Sake talk??

One factor is blade length when butchering. If cutting up a massive tuna or a tenderloin into steaks you want a blade that is long enough to do the cut in one stroke so you get a clean even surface to grill.

I looked at a $1000 knife at the Premium Outlet Mall but passed on it. For me it would just be the snob effect as my $200 Wusty is fine.

I also have a French peasants (Lee Valley) knife that a friend gave me. His son kept leaving it in the sink and it wasn't stainless. I cleaned it up and then used it to chop jalapeno peppers, reversing the clean up procedure.

I tried a small ceramic knife but didn't like it. It was a cheapie and came not particularly sharp. A diamond is needed to hone them. Also the blade was white and at some time I noticed a little piece of the tip was missing. Where did it go? No deaths reported.

The handle is also important. Is it slippery and does it fit your hand, cutting at the right wrist angle?

 

[GreyGhost]

They're kept sharp with a steel. I use a Rapala for skinning salmon.

A lot depends on what you need to hack up. My brother had some decent German stuff and he caught his visiting Latino S-I-L about to use one to open a can, machete style. NOOOOOOOO.

On that front, while 90% of my cutting is done with three knives, the remaining 10% needs a lot of knives to accomplish enjoyably. I had to skin a fish and realized that I didn't have a fillet knife in the house. The kitchen knives I had were awful for the job. I have a 14" slicer from my grandma that used to be used to decrust a loaf of bread for church sandwiches. Do I need it? Of course not but for some tasks, it is a joy to use.

 

[Ash]

I'll also make a recommendation for Grohmann. We were gifted a couple and they can take and hold a ridiculously sharp edge for a long time if you want it. My wife tends to use the cheapo one-man Henckels more often because I've made the Grohmanns too sharp.

For sharpening, I now use a WorkSharp: Knife & Tool Sharpener Mk.2™

 

[Gary]

That’s what I have. This thing Chef'sChoice Knife Sharpeners - Lee Valley Tools

Three slots, one for European knives, one for Japanese and a honing wheel too. Does a pretty good job. So much so that I have to remind the wife before she amputates a digit.

Edit: Look for them on sale, they are pretty frequent.

Love the Wusthof sharpener.
A decent cutting block is also a good way to lighten up the wallet.

 

[nobbie48]

On that front, while 90% of my cutting is done with three knives, the remaining 10% needs a lot of knives to accomplish enjoyably. I had to skin a fish and realized that I didn't have a fillet knife in the house. The kitchen knives I had were awful for the job. I have a 14" slicer from my grandma that used to be used to decrust a loaf of bread for church sandwiches. Do I need it? Of course not but for some tasks, it is a joy to use.

I have an old poly cutting board that is so hacked up the surface is like sandpaper. I drop the fillet on it skin down and the rough surface holds the fish while the knife slides along leaving just the skin.

 

[Gary]

This thread got me digging through boxed up "stuff".
Anyone remember a tv show...."Yan can cook"?
Here's his cleaver I've had since the early 80s, stamped "distributed by Yan's Port Coquitlam BC" and an original Ginsu. Neither in use anymore, but the cleaver was great. I used the bottom of a certain coffee cup to get a razor sharp edge on it.

 

[jc100]

On that front, while 90% of my cutting is done with three knives, the remaining 10% needs a lot of knives to accomplish enjoyably. I had to skin a fish and realized that I didn't have a fillet knife in the house. The kitchen knives I had were awful for the job. I have a 14" slicer from my grandma that used to be used to decrust a loaf of bread for church sandwiches. Do I need it? Of course not but for some tasks, it is a joy to use.

I’m a sucker for kitchen gadgets etc. A grapefruit knife is surprisingly handy.

I have a Morakniv camping knife which is likely sharper than any of my kitchen knives. Another semi-budget recommended knife (not showy though so better suited to camping).

Not a kitchen knife but I also have a Spyderco pocket knife, this one Spyderco Ikuchi (C242CFP) Which is my favourite and it’s insanely sharp and holds its edge well. (I didn’t pay that, these things also go on sale frequently).

 

[crankcall]

That Wusthoff electric sharpener looks excatly like a Chefs Choice sharpener , probaly some private labeling going on , which is never bad.
Grohmann in Pictou NS , make excellent knives , I have one i use all the time as a sheath knife outdoors , at one point they had a contract with the CDN navy to supply knives , not sure about that now. ( Its probably two guys in a basement in Muskoka , subcontracting to lower Turkey , 9,012% markup)
The ceramic knives have no place in my kitchen , ( blade chips as @nobbie48 mentioned) , but I use one all the time to cut Dyneema rope and kevlar line, nothing else holds an edge . The kitchen stores need $30 , and the dollar store has them for $4 . Ive tried both , the $4 version is ok.

 

[Mad Mike]

I do remember buying some great knives before I was married. I bought 'retired' commercial knives for almost nothing from a knife exchange service that supplied commercial fishing boats in Florida.

They were ugly orange-handled Wenger Swibos, but they would cut thru the hull of a boat. Had them till I got married, not sure where my wife buried them.

 

[Renboy]

I bought my wife a set of Global knives when we were dating. She likes cooking, I'd rather starve than make a sandwich. I think they're still ok except for one that my daughter broke the tip off with a coconut. They get put in the dishwasher....often. We've had them for about 20 years now.