Kitchen knives - thoughts on these?

[Indy_Guy_77]

Local kitchen store at the Greenwood mall sells these brands:

Shun

Miyabi

Wusthof

JA Henckels

Opinions?

Not looking to buy a whole set; looking to possibly upgrade to 2-3 very good knives over the Ginsu set we have.

Along the same lines: Worth it to invest in a ceramic knife? What brands of those?

And again, along those same lines: Bamboo cutting board, polymer one, or glass? (I think our glass board is wrecking our knives...)

Thanks!

-J-

 

[pjcalla]

We have Wusthof, and have been pretty happy. We got them for a wedding present 6 years ago, and they have held up pretty nicely. I'm sure there are better ones out there, but they have served us well. When they start to dull, a few strokes with the steel and they are good to go.

We have a couple ceramic knives. I think they are a cheaper brand. I find myself going for our Wusthof chef's knife instead of the ceramic knives. Actually, on one of the ceramic knives, the tip chipped off. I also heard that they are harder to sharpen. I don't know much more about them.

As for the cutting board, go with wood. Boos Block are great. Just don't put them in the dishwasher, and use very little water/soap when hand-washing. We only use ours for veggies, not for meat. If it starts smelling like garlic and onions, put some sea salt, kosher salt, etc. (large granuals) and a lemon to get rid of the smell. You can also sand them smooth again after a lot of use. We have has ours 6 years and we haven't sanded it down yet. Only maintenance that we have done is to put some oil on it to "moisten" it and preserve the surface.

Oh, and if you buy some good knives, do not put them in the dishwasher either. Hand washing is your friend.

 

[grunt soldier]

shun makes some killer kitchen blades. ceramic knives are good for soft fruits and veggies but will chip very easy on anything hard.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Appreciate the feedback so far!

I do know enough not to put the "good stuff" in the dishwasher! The Ginsu steak knives are in there now. LOL

-J-

 

[tradertator]

Of the given brands, I prefer Shun and Wusthoff. As far as the board, I really like bamboo laminate.

 

[danielocean03]

Of the given brands, I prefer Shun and Wusthoff. As far as the board, I really like bamboo laminate.

, agreed on all points.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Ooohh... me likee the Ken Onion designed Shun knives...

Now, who wants to help me pay for them?

 

[KEHO]

I love my Wusthof knives, but like anything else - get your hands on them and make sure they are comfortable for you. Also, make sure you have a good honing steel and that you use it.

I've never tried ceramic knives, so I can't input there.

I do, however, agree that your glass cutting board is wrecking your knives. Throw it away now - better yet, throw it away yesterday!!!

I use polymer boards for prep work (one for veggies/bread only, one for red meat and one for poultry). They aren't the fastest surface to cut on, but they're easy to clean and maintain. I use a beautiful wood board for resting / carving / presentation of roast beast dishes. That being said, I have heard good things about bamboo, but haven't tried them yet.

HTH

 

[451_Detonics]

the Calphalon Katana knives are very nice...

 

[Davegrave]

I've professionally used a ton of different kitchen cutlery.
I'll tell you my biggest pet peeve, the bolsters on high end European knives. I just hate them. They make sharpening way too difficult and add nothing to the blade. I'll never buy another bolstered knife.

Look into some quality Japanese knives. They're way ahead of the game on cutlery.
Shun is decent but you pay a lot for looks and trendy name.

Check out Chef Knives To Go: Kitchen Knives, Chef Knives, Shun Knives, Global Knives, Wusthof Knives, Henckels Knives
What a great company. Great knives you wont find many other places and great service.
You'll find some lower end stuff there at a good bargain, and you'll find some $1000-$2000 knives. Not sure what you're looking to spend, but if you're asking for advice...I"m guessing not 2K per knife.

If you give us a price range you'd be comfortable with I could toss out some suggestions.

Also what types to you like?

The Moritaka knives are good and not quite as high priced, but not exactly cheap. I really like the Konosuke knives.
One day I'm gonna drop the case for one of those Takeda's. So cool looking.

 

[Davegrave]

Skip the ceramic by the way. I always thought it was just a cute gimmick. One drop an it could be ruined.
It offers no advantages to 99.9% of cooks.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Lots of people like wusthof. I prefer henckles. At one point in time wusthof was reasonably priced while henckles were very expensive thus the wusthof popularity, now they are pretty equal in price and quality and has become more a matter of preferred ergonomics. The set I want now is a bit out of price range for me...but someday. Deglon Meeting Knife Block Set
As far as the board goes, wood. Wood does however absorb liquids and thus becomes a breeding ground for bacteria so it must be properly cared for and oiled regularly. Yes a glass cutting surface will destroy a knife in short order. I have always preferred a chef's knife and a cleaver but recently got into santoku style blades thinking they were the best of both worlds...no they aren't.

 

[oldbikelvr]

Wustof and Henckels both make good knives and home duty crap. Shun are good, but I don't care for the weird handle design, though a lot of my colleagues disagree. In German knives I prefer Messermeister, for the lack of aforementioned bolster. I also have quite a few Japanese knives as well. with Tojiro DP being my favorites at the moment. Ceramic blades chip and break easily. Good luck!

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

I've had a few more recommendations for Wusthof stuff...

Going to google up some of the other knives mentioned.

Price range: Nothing set in stone. My wife's on board with the "buy once, cry once" philosophy... At the same time, however, I don't want to spend 2x than needs spent. These won't be hard-use knives.

-J-

 

[mrjarrell]

The knives have been addressed very well, so far. All are good brands, but you have to take care of them. As for the board....go with what restaurants use. A nice polymer board. They have enough give to not attack your blades (unlike glass, which will dull your blades), can be sanitised in the dishwasher or sink. Wood is OK for a very few things, (some veggies, perhaps. Or garlic), but is hard to sanitise. Cross contamination is the number one cause of food borne illnesses in the world. If you've ever had food poisoning you know it's not worth it. Poly boards are cheap and clean up well. Shoot, I wish Saran still made their disposable cutting mats that they had a few years ago. Those were great.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

I already tossed our glass board!

All we have now are a tiny wood board and a slightly larger polymer one.

We'll pick up another board or two in the near future.

I was also given a steel this past weekend. I can attempt to maintain the few non-serrated knives we already have.

 

[Zoub]

I wish Saran still made their disposable cutting mats that they had a few years ago. Those were great.

Mine are better. Know anybody in the Printed circuit board business? If so tell them you want those chemically impervious white sheets that are used to separate copper laminate etc....I would give you some but I only have enough set aside for 3 or 4 generations. You might look at slip sheets also.

I use those and synthetic boards but I also love wood blocks like my Boos chopping block but I know how to deal with contamination and maintain my blocks. There is just something about a block that weighs 100-300 pounds that I find appealing. I also put mine on wheels.

One knife in the kitchen, gotta be a Santoku blade design. Mine happens to be Henckel.

Clorox cleaner or a 10% bleach solution in a spray bottle is a must for the synthetic boards. I prefer that, Dawn, hot water and a Scotch pad to the dishwasher, I am a hands on guy. The GF puts them in the dishwasher.

 

[girlfriday]

anyone know where in Bloomington I can get kitchen knives sharpened?

 

[pjcalla]

anyone know where in Bloomington I can get kitchen knives sharpened?

Tyler. He's on here. I heard he does great work. tyler34 is his screen name, and he is an advertising sponsor.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/black_owl_customs/

 

[OneBadV8]

I so want to try these and see them in person...

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Chroma-8-Piece-Knife-Block-Set/dp/B0000CNWKC/ref=sr_1_15?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1327714892&sr=1-15]Amazon.com: Chroma 8-Piece Knife Block Set: Home & Garden[/ame]

You should buy them so I can check them out