Kitchen Knives (McDonald's, sausage, turkey, cheese)

[BellaMermaid]

I am in need of buying quality sharp knives. I am not a chef, just a regular person. I want high quality sharp knives that are affordable. I would be using them for cutting/slicing meat. I also require a set of knives for everyday use. Additionally, I need a heavy duty pair of kitchen scissors/shears for cutting through bones (chicken and rabbit) and organ meat (chicken, turkey, lamb, etc.). Any suggestions on which brands you have found to be successful and for what purposes you use them? Thanks a lot!

[lubby]

I have a J.A. Henckles santoku knife. Best knife I ever bought. Have not needed to sharpen it yet because I only have it 2 months. I plan to get a whole set of J.A. Henckle knives soon.

this is the knife I have best cutting and chopping knife IMO

[Bulldogdad]

Chefs choice sharper for the kitchen knives.

For my hunting knives I do those by hand on a series of three different grit of stones.

Amazingly I just slice off a small piece of my thumb last week. I rised it off stuck it back on the tip of my thumb with some neosporin and waterproof sports tape. Now that is a sharp knife to make such a clean cut.

A week later:

[Hunter Wold]

This is a copy of what I had sent to the original poster re Knives.
I have been in the meat cutting business, and also seafood processing. I always use the best that I can afford and along with that the ones I get have lasted over 40 years although when in the business some of them have to be replaced yearly or so.

The following are what I like:

Henckels Professional “S” 6″ Utility Knife

A good “value” set of knives is the Henckels 10-piece Forged Set from had at Costco for $188. I’m 90% certain this set is assembled from the TWIN Gourmet series of knives.

Features of the Henckels 10 piece set:
1.9 German forged blades plus a block for about $20 each. That’s a good value.
2.Hygenic construction.
3.Decent steel holds an OK edge. It’s easy to sharpen, and you’ll want to do it fairly often.
4.Costco’s excellent return policy.

Drawbacks of the Henckels 10 piece set:
1.No steak knives.
2.A little “cheap” feeling compared to the ones that follow (still way better than less expensive sets).
3.Don’t particularly care of the “balance”.
4.Handles a little too narrow for larger hands.
5.“Dishwasher safe” though not recommended.


Victorinox Forschner
I have a large slicing knife that I have had for over 40 years (for home use) and it is great.
Price today is 3x what I paid.

Get to a good kitchen store and try different ones.
Depending on your hands, your cutting needs etc. many to choose from.

Also a good 3 sided sharpening stone and a good "steel".

It is an investment, but will serve for a long time.

HW aka Capt. Seafood.

[purehuman]

I'll sharpen a knife if I'm cutting up meat....but most of my knives are pretty dull....I tend to cut my fingers when they're sharp.

[Wilson513]

The worst knives are cheapo knives that are only beveled on on side. Never buy one.

[hueyeats]

I like to sharpen my knives.

[Padgett2]

Learn how to sharpen your knives. Even cheap knives are better if they are sharp.

I have my grandmother's old hand-held whet stone. It put a fine edge on a knife, but it scares me to us it. It is at least 100years old and so worn, that holding it puts the knife very close to my skin.

[Bulldogdad]

Originally Posted by Wilson513

The worst knives are cheapo knives that are only beveled on on side. Never buy one.

These can turn any crappy blade into a cutting wonder.

I have a collection of cheap flea market knives for various uses that I revived and will cut the same as a $200 knife.

AccuSharp Knife Sharpeners - Sharpen Knives, Cutting Tools, Garden Tools, Scissors, Axes, Machetes, Cleavers - Edge Sharpener

[slackjaw]

I almost always do about five swipes on a steel before using. Also take a take 'em to a local JoAnnes about every two months to have them professionally sharpened, they have some guy who sets up there once per month who charges $3/knife.

Originally Posted by lubby

I plan to get a whole set of J.A. Henckle knives soon.

You really should rethink this since you already have a good knife that functions as your foundation. Many find that with a set of knives they end up using the chefs or santoku for 90% of the work anyway, and it can be used for most of the remaining tasks if needed with the exception of some jobs only a paring knife can handle.

Just get yourself a good paring knife and see if your santoku/paring combo covers your needs. A bread knife is useful too but that is something that a cheapo variety will do fine on, you'd be crazy to shell out a lot of money for a fancy bread knife it is more of a serving tool than a cooking/prep tool.

Originally Posted by Wilson513

The worst knives are cheapo knives that are only beveled on on side. Never buy one.

Yup, they rely on a sawing motion to be effective instead of the sharpness of the blade so lack any real control in your cutting. A good knife, like a cast-iron pot, can be a lifetime investment so is worth getting something of a little better quality.