# Good Kitchen Knives



## Gardenlover (Jan 9, 2020)

Thinking of buying a good set of kitchen knives. Some seem to hold their edge better than others.

Any recommendations?


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## Aunt Bea (Jan 9, 2020)

I buy inexpensive knives and put my effort into keeping them sharp.

I use a Chef's Choice sharpener that I found at the local Goodwill for very few dollars a couple of years ago.



If I was going to buy new knives I would buy the inexpensive knives that I see in the local butcher shops and delis.

The ones that I see most often are these Dexter Russell Sani-Safe knives.

https://www.dexter1818.com/shop/sani-safe.html
Save your money for the food!

Good luck!


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## win231 (Jan 9, 2020)

I was really surprised at the Chef's knife & Paring knives I got on Amazon.  The brand is "Mercer."  Very reasonable cost.   I like the rubbery grip versions.  I've been using them for 7 years.


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## fmdog44 (Jan 9, 2020)

When it comes to good knives you must be willing to pay. Now that is not to say a kitchen knife is the same as a hunter's knife. I just bought one that feels great balance wise made from German tempered steel. I would not want to be one the wrong end of it. Try going to an outdoors sporting goods store instead of Target or Bed Bath & Beyond. Once you buy one good knife you will not regret it. As far as a set, to me a lot of them are overpriced and what is the advantage? You can cut a good seak with a butter knife.


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## Catlady (Jan 9, 2020)

I have a block set of 4 kitchen knives with a sharpener from Chicago Cutlery, I've had them for at least 40 years or so.


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## Don M. (Jan 9, 2020)

If you want a set of knives of the highest quality, shop for Wusthof...made in Germany.  They can be a bit pricey, but they are the Best.  We bought a set, perhaps 20 years ago, and they are still flawless.


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## treeguy64 (Jan 9, 2020)

As a gourmet vegan chef, my knives are important to me, and I've done my due diligence. Ultimately, the only thing that matters is that you have a knife that's comfortable for you to use, and that you know how to keep it sharp. I've worked with $250 knives from top-end, specialty shops, and those from restaurant supply superstores that go for $10. All do a great job as long as they are sharp, and in experienced hands. Don't rush out and spend mega bucks for a knife with snob appeal, when a Walmart unit will do just as good a job for you. 

Oh yeah, and don't forget to have a cutting board to go with your knives. The bigger, the heavier, the better. Forget the plastic boards. They're mostly garbage, and your knives won't like them. 

Remember to keep food-grade mineral spirits on hand, to keep your board in great shape.


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## Grampa Don (Jan 9, 2020)

My advice is don't buy a set.  Buy just the knives that you need.  I have 3 Mercer Genesis knives, a 7" Santoku, a 5" utility and a 3.5" paring.  These plus an inexpensive bread knife do everything I need.  The Mercers aren't too expensive and they have good steel.  Any knife can be made sharp, but a a good knife will hold that edge longer.

I learned to sharpen them by watching these videos.  I use a fine diamond hone and Arkansas stone to finish.  It just takes a few minutes.  And I keep them razor sharp by steeling them lightly each time I use them.  They are a pleasure to use.

Don


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## Capt Lightning (Jan 10, 2020)

I use German Henckles knives which have a good balance and feel, and importantly, sharpen really well.  If you see any of the "Masterchef" programmes on TV in the UK, they use the same set of knives that I have.  However, I would recommend buying a set as they work out a lot cheaper than individual ones.


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## Gardenlover (Jan 10, 2020)

Thanks for all the great responses everyone.

Treeguy64 brought up a good point, how do you keep your knifes sharp? I'ved used two different methods to keep knifes sharp - stones for the shop and a ceramic rod for the kitchen. I haven't tried the electric sharpeners. What's your favorite?


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## treeguy64 (Jan 10, 2020)

Gardenlover said:


> Thanks for all the great responses everyone.
> 
> Treeguy64 brought up a good point, how do you keep your knifes sharp? I'ved used two different methods to keep knifes sharp - stones for the shop and a ceramic rod for the kitchen. I haven't tried the electric sharpeners. What's your favorite?


I have a steel honing rod, and angled, twin mini-rods set in a wood block.


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## win231 (Jan 10, 2020)

I got some of those "V" sharpeners from QVC.  I think they were 3 of them for $25.00.  They work very well.  No sharpening skill needed, because I don't have any.


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## Liberty (Jan 10, 2020)

Hampton Forge Continental.  Recommend these to keep their sharpness.  Chef's #10 a must.  They are inexpensive and can be purchased in a set like this.  The kitchen scissors are great, as well as the steak knives.  Was French trained, and don't think the very expensive knives are a bit better than these - these are weighted properly - handle heavyweight, which really does matter.

Of course, handling a knife helps you to determine the proper "weight" for your hand.  I'd do that before you buy it.  These are in lots of stores in your area.

As my mother used to say "most people don't cut themselves with a "sharp knife".

Speaking of "sharp" knives...here is a cute article (the top portion of it) regarding Julia Child and "sharp knives":

http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/seventy-cent-knife-brought-julia-child-cambridge-mass/


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## toffee (Jan 10, 2020)

I have a few but only use the one really' it cuts through frozen stuff bread and once I used it t open 
a tin lol --- it actually a big knife strong handle wide blade ' it reminds me of what my mother used 
years ago ...


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## NoUserNameHere (Jan 14, 2020)

Oh this is a conversation I need in my life! My mother seems to have a profession in solely dulling the crap out every single knife. I try to keep one sharp and nice and next thing I know it's basically garbage. 
My nephew was here for the holidays and we joked about it. But he was attempting to sharpen and use a cheaper knife I bought a few years ago. Comes with a nice sleeve so it's good for on the go. He suggested maybe the edge is only good for a certain time from manufacturing. Regardless I really need to figure out getting an edge back on the knives my mother has essentially ruined. One of them I really like using but when everything is dull... It's not fun to use. 

We have a wet stone, I've tried that but it doesn't seem to put a lasting edge back. I've got a ceramic honing rod which works okay if you have a sharp knife... She borrowed an electric sharpener from her friend. No idea how to use it. Watched some videos but I'm still unsure. Gave it a try anyway. Seems to have helped ONE knife sort of get an edge back. It's still nothing like it used to be. I've been tempted to look around town and find someone who sharpens knives and see what they say.

I also thought taking a knife handling class in regards to cooking would be beneficial for my mom and I. If I want anything to last... But I don't have the funds right now for it. 

I am definitely open to suggestions. Perhaps a bran new unused electric sharpener or one that's "dummy" proof.


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## Meanderer (Jan 14, 2020)

Liberty said:


> Hampton Forge Continental.  Recommend these to keep their sharpness.  Chef's #10 a must.  They are inexpensive and can be purchased in a set like this.  The kitchen scissors are great, as well as the steak knives.  Was French trained, and don't think the very expensive knives are a bit better than these - these are weighted properly - handle heavyweight, which really does matter.
> 
> Of course, handling a knife helps you to determine the proper "weight" for your hand.  I'd do that before you buy it.  These are in lots of stores in your area.
> 
> ...


@Liberty   I enjoyed reading the Julia Child article in your link.  Thank you!


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## gennie (Jan 14, 2020)

I was gifted a set of Henckles almost 40 years ago and have used almost daily since.  Someone talented with a honing steel can still raise a razor sharp edge.  I make do with a simple hand held sharpener until a honing guy comes along.


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## StarSong (Jan 15, 2020)

win231 said:


> I was really surprised at the Chef's knife & Paring knives I got on Amazon.  The brand is "Mercer."  Very reasonable cost.   I like the rubbery grip versions.  I've been using them for 7 years.





Grampa Don said:


> My advice is don't buy a set.  Buy just the knives that you need.  I have 3 Mercer Genesis knives, a 7" Santoku, a 5" utility and a 3.5" paring.  These plus an inexpensive bread knife do everything I need.  The Mercers aren't too expensive and they have good steel.  Any knife can be made sharp, but a a good knife will hold that edge longer.
> 
> I learned to sharpen them by watching these videos.  I use a fine diamond hone and Arkansas stone to finish.  It just takes a few minutes.  And I keep them razor sharp by steeling them lightly each time I use them.  They are a pleasure to use.
> 
> Don


My nephew, a professional chef, recommended we buy a Mercer chef knife.  He told us that for non-professionals it's the best bang for the buck.  We've had it about 5 years and use an old fashioned steel honing rod for sharpening.  Have the same setup in our RV, too.  We're very happy with Mercer.


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## Grampa Don (Jan 15, 2020)

NoUserNameHere said:


> We have a wet stone, I've tried that but it doesn't seem to put a lasting edge back. I've got a ceramic honing rod which works okay if you have a sharp knife... She borrowed an electric sharpener from her friend. No idea how to use it. Watched some videos but I'm still unsure. Gave it a try anyway. Seems to have helped ONE knife sort of get an edge back. It's still nothing like it used to be. I've been tempted to look around town and find someone who sharpens knives and see what they say.



If your knives are in really bad shape you might want to shop around for a sharpening service.  I did, and prices ran from $3.50 to $15.  Some charge per inch of blade length.  Some will come right to your house.  In the end, I decided to learn to do it myself.

I had one of those cheap sharpeners that you draw the blade through, but the results were pretty poor.  So, I got a couple stones and did some research on how to use them.  It works for me.

Get a honing steel if you don't have one and use it often to keep them sharp.  If your knives still go dull fast, you probably need better knives.  

Don


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## Pinky (Jan 15, 2020)

We've used Henckel's knives for decades. Also have a few CCI Superior Culinary Master knives from when our daughter took a Cordon Bleu Chef's course. They're good, but I prefer the Henckel's. You can get the CCI on Amazon, I see.

https://www.canadacutlery.com/


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## Lakeland living (Jan 15, 2020)

I have 4 stainless steel knives, they were a gift decades ago from an uncle. These
are very old and keep a razor's edge, once you get it there. Wilkinson is on one of the blades, 
handles are home made cut wood and hand and soap stained.


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## Lc jones (Jan 15, 2020)

I am looking for some very good steak knives, I want them to be serated, does anyone have any suggestions?


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## Camper6 (Jan 16, 2020)

treeguy64 said:


> As a gourmet vegan chef, my knives are important to me, and I've done my due diligence. Ultimately, the only thing that matters is that you have a knife that's comfortable for you to use, and that you know how to keep it sharp. I've worked with $250 knives from top-end, specialty shops, and those from restaurant supply superstores that go for $10. All do a great job as long as they are sharp, and in experienced hands. Don't rush out and spend mega bucks for a knife with snob appeal, when a Walmart unit will do just as good a job for you.
> 
> Oh yeah, and don't forget to have a cutting board to go with your knives. The bigger, the heavier, the better. Forget the plastic boards. They're mostly garbage, and your knives won't like them.
> 
> Remember to keep food-grade mineral spirits on hand, to keep your board in great shape.


I used to do wood carving.  Sharpening is a must for anything involving knives or cutting tools.

Now the ultimate criteria is what the blade is made out of.  For the ultimate sharp, you need what is called carbon steel.  That you can sharpen to razor blade quality.  The downside is that it dulls easily and needs constant sharpening.  That is why you see butchers stropping with steel.

The ones that need the least sharpening are the stainless steel blades from Dollarama or Walmart.

And they are really sharp to begin with but then they get dull and are hard to sharpen back to the original cutting ability.  That's the same with all knives.

Now what I have found to sharpen a blade with is a fine mill file. 

You should be able to cut a tomato so fine that you can practically see through it.

At one time there were travellers going from house to house getting knives to sharpen.

They were set up in the back of a panel truck.

Never cut on a glass cutting board.  That just ruins the edge.  Wood is best.


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