knives for food prep?

[sanguine_speed]

I have some knives that I like, and are pretty decent, but hubby recently asked me what I'd like for Christmas, and I was thinking a good kitchen knife or two would fit the bill!

I am looking for a chef's knife probably...something that I can use to do the crude chopping of things like melons, pineapples, carrots. And perhaps something good for slicing meat fine, such as in the case of slicing steaks for stir-fry.

The ability to hold an edge is important.

What are your absolute favourite food prep (trying to keep this in N&GE :P ) knives?  

[plantnerd]

My favorites are JA Henckels and Wusthoff.  You only need one good knife, and a good sharpening stone.  Plan to pay about 50 dollars for one knife, and it will last you for YEARS.  A good length to start with is 6" or 8", they are easy to use and get used to.  After a while you may want a longer knife, but a shorter one is good to start.  Good luck, you'll be amazed!!!!!!!!!

[sanguine_speed]

Originally Posted by plantnerd 

My favorites are JA Henckels and Wusthoff.  You only need one good knife, and a good sharpening stone.  Plan to pay about 50 dollars for one knife, and it will last you for YEARS.  A good length to start with is 6" or 8", they are easy to use and get used to.  After a while you may want a longer knife, but a shorter one is good to start.  Good luck, you'll be amazed!!!!!!!!!

I should have clarified!  I have a couple of Henckels chef's knives, and I'm not thrilled with how well they (don't) hold their edge.  The handles are plastic-y and can become slippery.  I'm looking for something fantastic!  Is there a particular line that you like from Wusthoff or Henckels?  I bet Henckels has something with a better hand and grip than what I've got.

Also, I prefer to have a few chef's knives so that I don't have to have them sharpened as often.  I have tried doing it myself but I still prefer the professional job I get a couple times a year.  If I have a few chef's knives I can use them all and make the sharpening trip less often.

[plantnerd]

I'm not sure of the specific lines, but buy the best knife you can afford.  Play with it in the store if you can.  Henckels does have a lower end line of knives, and they are not very great.  As far as keeping an edge, seriously, practice practice sharpening your own.  You can throw a quick clean edge every week or two and it makes such a difference.  I don't know of any knife that will hold a good edge for moths without at least a touch up.

Maybe keep one knife for slicing meats and such, and one for tougher stuff?  That would keep one knife a lot sharper for fine work.  Also, I have learned not to cut bone with my knives, it spalls the heck out of the blades.  Best tool for bones???  A high quality pair of pruners (for the garden).  Yes, felco pruners will hack a chicken, a rib skirt, ect like nobody's business, and those blades are built to take a beating.

[sanguine_speed]

A steel is used for honing, which I do for maintenance.  I don't expect any knife to hold an edge without maintenance either.  This is different from the sharpening I am talking about.

I may revisit proper sharpening on my own.  With practice it will probably become with my time and money.  Just so so many things on my "to do" list all the time!

Oh, and I've never cut a bone in my life.  But if I ever need to, I'll heed this advice!

Quote:

Originally Posted by plantnerd 

I'm not sure of the specific lines, but buy the best knife you can afford.  Play with it in the store if you can.  Henckels does have a lower end line of knives, and they are not very great.  As far as keeping an edge, seriously, practice practice sharpening your own.  You can throw a quick clean edge every week or two and it makes such a difference.  I don't know of any knife that will hold a good edge for moths without at least a touch up.

[elus0814]

Most of my knives are wustoff classic - some wustoffs and henckles have plastic handles but steer clear of them. Expect to pay a minimum of $50 for a pairing knife and at least $100 for a larger one. The larger knife in this set is the one I use most often: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/wusthof-classic-2-piece-hollow-ground-asian-knife-set/?pkey=cknives-wusthof%7Ccutwuscls . Make sure to get a good honing steel at the same time and use it. Never put knives in the dishwasher, it will dull them and cause wood handles to crack. Keep good knives in a wood block or on a magnetic strip, never loose in a drawer. Use a wood or plastic cutting board; glass, ceramic, or bamboo are too hard and will dull the knife quickly - if the cutting board doesn't get marks from being cut on then it's too hard.

[cristeen]

I'm not a fan of German knives, myself. If you're going to spend the money, Mac or Global are amazing. I used them both in a cooking class a few years back and fell in love. I do recommend going to a high end kitchen store and trying them out though. I know i have 1 chefs knife that is too big for me. It's a lovely expensive knife, but i never use it because its too heavy for my hand. I love 6" santokus, they're usually the perfect size for me.

You also want both coarse and fine steels. Fine alone (which is what most people have) doesnt do as good of a job. I have a ceramic steel that is coarse on one side and fine on the other.

And look for a sharpener local to you that does handsharpening. It truly is s dying skill. But machine sharpening your blade repeatedly over the years will destroy ot much quicker. And if you want tolearn hand sharpening, go to Goodwill and get a throwaway knife to learn on. From everything i've heard you can expect it to take about a year to get good at it (practicing weekly or more), and you will ruin at least 1 knife.

[ollyoxenfree]

Henckel makes some pretty cheap and nasty knives, as well as some higher quality blades. I have a Henckel chef's knife with a wooden handle, full tang (blade extends into the handle), and carbon blade. Looking at their site, I think it's from the Classic series, but I'm not sure. 

My Henckel is fine. Not fantastic. It's about the right weight and balance for me. It seems to need sharpening fairly often, but that may be because I use it a lot and I'm not too kind with it (although I'm more careful than DH). I'd like to get something better, but haven't found the right one yet.  

I've tried a couple of Japanese blades, but I haven't found the right one. Sorry, no brand names. One was an old knife that was handed down to me and the others were purchased in Japan and given to me. 

[cristeen]

Oh, forgot to add... For slicing meat like roasts where you want thin slices, my favorite blade is actually a sushi knife. It has a thinner blade than most slicers, it just does a beautiful job.

[cristeen]

.

[sanguine_speed]

Check, check, check and check.  Though I am guilty of occasionally using my quartz counter as a cutting board Quote:

Originally Posted by elus0814 

Most of my knives are wustoff classic - some wustoffs and henckles have plastic handles but steer clear of them. Expect to pay a minimum of $50 for a pairing knife and at least $100 for a larger one. The larger knife in this set is the one I use most often: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/wusthof-classic-2-piece-hollow-ground-asian-knife-set/?pkey=cknives-wusthof%7Ccutwuscls . Make sure to get a good honing steel at the same time and use it. Never put knives in the dishwasher, it will dull them and cause wood handles to crack. Keep good knives in a wood block or on a magnetic strip, never loose in a drawer. Use a wood or plastic cutting board; glass, ceramic, or bamboo are too hard and will dull the knife quickly - if the cutting board doesn't get marks from being cut on then it's too hard.

[sanguine_speed]

Originally Posted by elus0814 

Most of my knives are wustoff classic - some wustoffs and henckles have plastic handles but steer clear of them. Expect to pay a minimum of $50 for a pairing knife and at least $100 for a larger one.

I expect to pay nothing.  They're a gift 

[Arduinna]

I use my Wüstoff culinar santuko for everyday chopping. But since you mentioned slicing meat very thin I have to say I love love my Victorinox 12 inch granton edge slicing knife. It works fabulous.

[dogmom327]

I love my Global Chef knife.  I think it's a n 8" and it's amazing.  I've had it for 3 years :)

[redvlagrl]

I love my Wusthof Trident Grand Prix 10" Chef's Knife for almost everything.

My mum loves her Global chef's knife but I don't find the handle heavy enough to be comfortable for me.

[odenata]

The knives I use are not expensive, but I like them.  It's the brand recommended by Chef's Illustrated, which is Victorinox (I also have some low end Henkels, which I don't recommend - go for the high end if you go with brands like Henkel or Wustoff).  For me, the more important thing is to maintain the knives properly, honing with each use and sharpening frequently, so I got a Chef's Choice 130 sharpener.  Love it.  

Personally, I prefer the combo of inexpensive knives and expensive sharpener because I don't worry about others (like DH) treating the knives improperly.  The Victorinox stay super sharp and are well balanced, with a handle that doesn't get slippery.

So I would recommend asking fro a great sharpener for Christmas!

[nononose]

I'm quite happy with my Henckle.  It's an 8", Professional S series.  I believe it was $160 or $180 3 years ago (to put things in Canadian dollars).  I have some cheaper Henckles that I am not at all happy with (and they have the blade extend into the handle as well).  I've used the Twin series and been pleased with them too.  Remember to exchange the coin if the knife is a gift ... (can't remember which way the coin goes, and no idea if you are superstitious, but I find these old ideas fun!).

[Shantimama]

 I have a knife from Pampered Chef and I LOVE it. I have other knives that I will eventually replace with more from Pampered Chef as they wear out.

[sanguine_speed]

Originally Posted by nononose 

I'm quite happy with my Henckle.  It's an 8", Professional S series.  I believe it was $160 or $180 3 years ago (to put things in Canadian dollars).  I have some cheaper Henckles that I am not at all happy with (and they have the blade extend into the handle as well).  I've used the Twin series and been pleased with them too.  Remember to exchange the coin if the knife is a gift ... (can't remember which way the coin goes, and no idea if you are superstitious, but I find these old ideas fun!).

Canadian dollars are about the same as American dollars right now.

What is this coin tradition?

[sanguine_speed]

Well I've officially asked for this one based on local availability and reviews.  thanks all for your feedback.  We'll see what Santa brings :

http://www.amazon.com/MAC-MTH-80-Chefs-Knife-Dimples/dp/B000KXBSRQ