Kitchen knives

I have several Victorinox on my Amazon wish list. They seem to get good reviews for reasonable pricing.

 

We have a mixed bag of: Chicago Cutlery, Wusthof, Zhen, and others. My wife prefers the Zhen’s as they fit better. Think of Zhen as a poor man’s Shun. Wusthof is decent steel, and classic kitchen cutlery. If you go top shelf think Kramer, but a bit out of my league....

Shape, fit, and sharpness are much more important than the brand

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Zhen+japanese+damascus&i=garden&ref=nb_sb_noss

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=wusthof+...fix=Wust,garden,228&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_4

https://kramerknives.com/

 

I lived in Westchester Co, NY, just north of NYC, and two German knife manufacturers had their headquarters there at the time, Wusthof and Henckels.

Both had annual factory showroom sales, and there were often great buys. Henckels is still there.

One year I go to the Wusthof sale and there are outdoor tables filled with.... Henckels knives. OK, what's going on I ask? Turns out Wusthof wanted to get sales space in one of the big chains and the chain told them not until they sold off their supply of Henckels. So Wusthof bought all the store's Henckels stock and was blowing it out at this sale.

Long knives were $10, short knives were $5, knife blocks $5. I bought about 40 knives and blocks, sold what I didn't want at half street price. I made a nice bit of money and got what I kept free. Should have bought it all.

Long story, but bottom line, Henckels top knives, the German made Professional series which I bought, are excellent knives in all sizes, and I would recommend them.

 

I like Henckels and Wusthof, watch to get the EU made versions. Tramontina from Brazil are good for a lower end knife.

OP- are you close enough to ride t,o SMKWs or a large knife store to handle them? For me, the fit and feel is key so trying them first is a real gain.

 

I have a full set of Shun knives and they are fantastic. They were a gift from my parents when we bought our first house. 17 years and going strong. I've never had to take them in to be sharpened. I sharpen them myself before and after use on a sharpening rod and clean them immediately after use. Never in this dishwasher. Always by hand.

 

Ok, this is gonna sound like way out of left field -

https://www.grohmannknives.com/index.php

I spent a year in this little town in Nova Scotia over 20 years ago. I picked up quite a few Grohmann knives, many were factory 2nds. I still use them on a daily basis and have never had the need to look for anything better. You probably know knives better than I do but have a look anyway. Website prices may be quoted in Canadian dollars, not sure.

—Claus

 

My wife likes j.a. henckels knives and bought a whole set. Sharpen quickly on a whetstone and easy to maintain an edge while using them by running them through a ceramic or steel rod.

 

Those are very nice! What sold me on the Shun was how amazingly well they were balanced. But yeah, Tojiro are also extremely well made.

 

Old Hickory 1095 knives are still being produced. While not quite as heavy as the ones your grandparents used they're still GREAT blades for the kitchen. There's 4 or 5 in my knife drawer. They'll take a truly scary edge easily.

 

I've had the same Henckels set for about 20 years. Learning the proper way to use a sharpening steel makes a huge difference. No knife, no matter how good, used on a daily basis will retain a keen edge indefinitely.

 

Cutco Cutlery, proudly made in NY...They also manufacture K Bar. Primarily sold by college students working on commission only.....I made a bunch of $$$ in the 80’s as a college junior cold calling and setting up in home demos.

Still have my same set, good as new. Son #1 did well and Vector Marketing on his resume got him a Deloitte internship the following year.

 

For our kitchen we have a set of Henckels professionals and the block they came with... For my own fish cutting (I'm a full time sattwater guide that cuts fish for his customers when they're being kept for the table) purposes I'm still using Forschners (Victorinox) stainless butcher blades - and have for many years...

 

Here's another tip (I picked it up from some TV chef, but I forget who) to keep your knives sharp: Never scrape things across your cutting board using the sharp edge of your knife. Flip the knife over and use the spine instead.

 

It's amazing how many people trash their blades by scraping with the honed edge. I know my beloved wife can't seem to grasp the concept. But at least she did learn not to put knives in the dishwasher or leave them in the sink.

 

my son is into cooking and BBQ lately. We bought him a nice Victorinox set from Amazon, complete with carrying case. He says its great. He liked it so well that we bought a set for my inlaws who snowbird in Florida for a few months every winter. They rave about them too.

 

This chopper is a kitchen "must have".

Save your honed edges.

 

Absolutely. Gotta have one of those.

 

Mostly Chicago Cutlery here, A forged boning knife, two Chef's knives one medium black handle and one small cherry handle, three black handle paring and one straight paring with walnut handles. One of the features that all the Chicago knives share is full tang construction. One largish Forshner chef knife, a Sam's club boning knife, two Paula Deen santokus (rarely used) and a set of four AG Russell steak knives forged in Italy.

In order of frequency of use, it's boning knives - either a forged Chicago Cutlery one or the cheapo Sam's Club, Chicago Cutlery paring knife, and then the chef's knife. There are three of those - the large Forshner, a medium Chicago Cutlery and a small Chicago Cutlery.

I also use the steak knives on occasion - they are great slicers. And very well made too IMHO.

I keep them all very sharp with a Chef's Choice 1520. Only ever use the 20 degree slots and the "strop/polish" slots.