Kitchen Knives

[Dogmama50]

A 8" Henkels and a 12" Wustoff that are probably 30 years old and still great, a cute little 5" Shun that's great for little stuff and a ceramic Kyocera paring knife that I love for cutting ripe tomatoes. There are a few other knives in there but they don't get as much use.

[weezycom]

I came across a fabulous sale on a set of Shun chef's knifes, 10", 6" and 3" that I wouldn't pass up, plus a bread knife in that set, so those are the mainstays.
a little Henkel's bird beak knife that is great for little coring jobs and turning little potatoes and such
a 12" Wusthof slicer for roasts and turkeys
a Henkel's cleaver that is rarely used but sometimes just seems necessary for the job at hand

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by jambo101

For food preparation it comes down to
A Sebatier 8" Chef knife $130
Serrated bread knife $20
Henckels paring knife $30
Henckels cleaver $130
Cant think of any other knife that would be needed for my cooking needs.

10" Moly steel chef's knife $2 thrift store.
8" Moly steel butcher knife $2 thrift store - can't read the manufacturer on these 2
10" Tramontina carving knife $2.50 thrift store
10" diamond impregnated steel - came with the carving knife
5" pizza cutter - no idea, garage sale someplace
Half a dozen paring knives from thrift stores
One high quality vegetable peeler. I buy these retail and replace them often, about $8 ea.
One cheese cutter - no idea where this came from
One hard boiled egg slicer - $3 supermarket item, very handy.
12" serrated bread knife with cheesy purple plastic handle - more thrift store stuff, but it works.
I also have my grandfather's 1 kilo Solingen steel cleaver and his 30" stainless steel meat saw.

People buy quality knives, or get them as gifts, then throw them out as soon as they get dull. An hour with a sharpener brings them back to razor sharpness. I would never pay $100 for a knife.

For production cooking we have an original Cuisinart that is a serious slicer/shredder/chopper. We also have a commercial grade Kitchen Aid mixer with just about every attachment they make, including the grater/slicer, flour mill, meat grinder, berry seeder, sausage stuffer, colander, etc.

The knives don't match. I don't care. They are very high quality, didn't cost much, and I only have to sharpen them about twice a year. We use cheap, dishwasher safe nylon cutting sheets to protect the edge when we use them.

[Ohiogirl81]

What are the most used knives in your kitchen?

The clean ones.

[gentlearts]

Cutco. I bought three knives, at different times, a serrated bread knife, a paring knife and a sandwich spreader, from kids selling Cutco knives. It has been over 10 years and they're all as sharp as ever and I put them in the dishwasher every day.
They are ridiculously expensive, but I guess all good knives are.

[randomparent]

I have three knives, all Wütshof: a chef knife, a paring knife, & a bread knife. They are twenty-five years old and still going strong.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I use Henckels knives. My oldest one is over 70 years old and still in excellent shape. They take and hold an edge well.

However, watch the packaging because Henckels has at least three levels of quality and some of their less expensive knives are made in China. Look for the more expensive ones, parts manufactured in Germany assembly in Spain. I don't think you can still buy the ones that are 100% German made, but if you find any, those are the ones to buy. Grit your teeth and pay the price.

I have some ceramic knives that I like, but their usefulness is limited to cutting softer foods. You have to draw them instead of pressing, but they aren't hard to get used to. I wouldn't use those as my only knives, though.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Also adding, Chicago Cutlery makes a lot of cheap knife sets, but they do a high quality line of knives, too, and those are quite good.

Look for a blade that goes all the way out to the end of the handle, through the entire length of the handle. The washable handles are better than the wood handles, although they aren't as pretty. Wood handles are good, but they are easier to damage and take some extra care if you want them to last for many decades (they will last if you make the extra effort, but it is extra effort).

The quality of the steel is what matters. Really good steel takes an edge well and will hold the edge longer. Cheap knives go dull quickly and are more difficult to get a good edge on.

I saw an ad for Damascus steel knives and the picture looked great. Price was too low, though, so I did some research and discovered that the knives were not Damascus steel at all. It was just a scam. So be careful with knives that aren't well known name brands. A little known brand might be fine, but I want to see it and hold it before buying. Not a purchase to make over the internet.

[jtur88]

I responded to this thread six years ago (almost to the day) and the answer is still 99% of my cutting is that same old 5-inch carbon steel filet knife. My house hasn't caught fire, so it has not needed to be the fist thing I rescue from the flames. "Olsen, H.C.MI" stamped in the handle (famous Olsen cutlery, Howard City, Michigan). I keep it sharp with an Arkansas stone.