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| Author |
Message |
orinoco
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Knives
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Aug 25 16:05 UTC 2003 |
Right then, I've got a new apartment (with a shitty little kitchen with an
electric stove, mutter mutter) and I desperately need a couple decent knives.
I'd like to invest in proper ones that'll last a while and really work well,
but I also don't want to get too extravagant. Any advice?
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| 56 responses total. |
scott
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response 1 of 56:
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Aug 25 17:07 UTC 2003 |
What's your budget? I've got a couple Chicago Cutlery knives from my college
years, and they're still great. Not incredibly expensive, either.
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jaklumen
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response 2 of 56:
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Aug 26 04:07 UTC 2003 |
Define extravagant-- if you have the serious dough and can find the
salesman, I heartily recommend Cutco. (I used to sell them, so I know
a little bit about what makes a quality knife.) Otherwise, anyone
look at those Miracle Blade knives? They any good?
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scott
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response 3 of 56:
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Aug 26 12:32 UTC 2003 |
Hmm... http://www.chicagocutlery.com and check out the "Walnut tradition"
line, which is sold all over the place. I think that's what I've got. An
8" chef knife shouldn't be more than $25.
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slynne
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response 4 of 56:
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Aug 26 18:01 UTC 2003 |
My mom, who tends to abuse things like knives has had the same set of
Cutco knives for over 35 years. I have some too. I like them but I am
not a knife expert. I mostly bought them because my cousin was selling
them.
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glenda
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response 5 of 56:
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Aug 26 20:59 UTC 2003 |
Damon's girlfriend loaned us a set of Cutco knives. Since she has moved out
of our house I am going to have to give them back. We will cry.
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jmsaul
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response 6 of 56:
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Aug 26 22:45 UTC 2003 |
I like Cutco too.
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glenda
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response 7 of 56:
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Aug 27 01:29 UTC 2003 |
I was a bit incorrect. Staci won't cry, it was one of the Cutcos that did
in her hand.
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i
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response 8 of 56:
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Aug 27 02:27 UTC 2003 |
"Proper knives" generally require a modest level of care from someone
who knows how to treat them...do you want to be bothered with this (and
learn if you're unfamiliar), or get something cheap you can abuse,
ignore, and ditch? If you're spreading peanut butter, slicing meatloaf,
opening grapefruits, etc., then "proper knives" are probably a waste.
I've got a set of those "Chicago / Walnut" knives & like 'em pretty well.
Like most decent knives, they're vastly cheaper to buy on sale in sets
(vs. individually). However, sets on sale is a great way to wind up with
a load of extra knives that you have no use whatever for, and a fancy wood
block that is virtually impossible to keep clean & sanitary.
Unless you have a special need (carving up whole loaves of bread, fishes,
etc.), you probably only need two good knives - a paring knive (~3.5"
blade) and chef's knife (~8" blade). If you're getting good ones, a
sharpening steel's the next priority, then maybe a "utility" knife (5"-
6" blade). Well-stocked stores, of course, often carry *dozens* of shapes
& sizes in each of several lines of knives - the better to seperate the
"more dollars then sense" luxury shoppers from their money.
Consumer Reports rates good knives occasionally...i've probably got it
around here somewhere if you care.
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jep
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response 9 of 56:
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Aug 27 02:42 UTC 2003 |
You can go to cutco.com on the WWW to see their products, but they
don't have a price list. You can fill out an on-line form to have
someone contact you about a demonstration, though. You can request a
catalog as well.
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scott
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response 10 of 56:
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Aug 27 12:40 UTC 2003 |
Might need a bread knife, which is actually one of the first you'd want to
spend real money on.
I'd go to a hardware store with a good kitchen section (like Ace Barnes in
Ann Arbor) and see what they've got. Cheap paring knives are fine; that's
what I use. A decent bread knife and a good 8-10" chef knife (I like 10";
most people find the 8" less threatening) is basically what you should look
for.
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mary
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response 11 of 56:
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Aug 27 13:08 UTC 2003 |
My two best knives I bought from a butcher in Goderich, Ontario, over 15
years ago. I like 'em because I can abuse them by running them through
the dishwasher, storing them loose in the knife drawer, and generally
asking them to do pretty tough jobs, yet they sharpen beautifully, the
handles look like new, and there is not a spot of rust anywhere.
A starter set would have to include a large chef knife for chopping, a
boning knife, a paring knife, a tomato knife and a bread knife. Then a
set of steak knives.
But my advice would be to talk to your butcher and find out what he/she
uses. And buy those.
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gelinas
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response 12 of 56:
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Aug 27 15:14 UTC 2003 |
I like the bread knife I got at Great Harvest; they sell the ones they use.
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jmsaul
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response 13 of 56:
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Aug 27 22:29 UTC 2003 |
Re #11: Don't butchers rent knives, like most commercial kitchens do?
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cmcgee
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response 14 of 56:
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Aug 27 23:47 UTC 2003 |
The very second thing you should buy is the sharpening stone to keep them
useable. I use a two-sided Arkansaw oil stone. No matter how much you pay
for the knives, once they are dull it is your stone and your technique that
will keep them and you happy.
My stone is about 1.75 x 6.5. I've also had good luck with a Disston
vitrified aluminum oxide stone, bought at a hardware store.
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i
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response 15 of 56:
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Aug 28 02:17 UTC 2003 |
Paring knives: i have the "good" paring knife that i use most of the
time & take care of. And i've got a drug-store-cheapo paring knife or
two that i use for stuff like cutting up pans full of bar cookies and
scraping burned-of bits of food off of pans (abuses that don't much
need a quality knife).
Special knives: exist for bread, cheese, fish, tomatoes, carving (big
hunks of meat), etc. Like coffee grinders, egg steamers, and turnip
twaddlers, they're a waste of money unless actually *used* frequently.
Most sources i've seen suggest that getting "good" specialty knives is
*not* a good investment.
Stone vs. steel: my impression is that a stone can give better results,
but it takes more time & skill than the steel. The latter works quite
well enough for me - but i don't give my good knives abuse that would
take a stone to repair, either.
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scott
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response 16 of 56:
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Aug 28 10:23 UTC 2003 |
A steel is for touch-up. Once in a while you need to use a stone to actualy
resharpen, though.
But I wouldn't buy a stone, if I was Dan. He'll probably be working in big
kitchens with the occasional stone, if he continues in the direction of being
a chef.
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i
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response 17 of 56:
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Aug 28 11:34 UTC 2003 |
Local "good knife stores" charge $1 to sharpen a knife, $2 if it's a bread
knife (odd-shaped edge -> more hassle). For a home cook who takes care of
his small number of good knives, very occasional small sharpening payments
seem more reasonable than buying/learning/using a stone.
Either my Chicago/Walnut knives *really* hold an edge, or the steel does
have some sharpening ability, too.
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cmcgee
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response 18 of 56:
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Aug 28 15:28 UTC 2003 |
I learned to use a stone to keep my pocket knife sharp ;when I was 7 years
old. Not rocket science or motor skill challenging. My paring knife gets
sharpened about once every 6 -8 weeks if it is in daily use. The first time
I have to use the tip to pierce a tomato skin, rather than just sliding the
blade across it, out comes the stone.
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i
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response 19 of 56:
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Aug 29 01:01 UTC 2003 |
Odd. I can keep a knife up to tomato-skin-sharpness for *years* with
only the steel.
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cmcgee
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response 20 of 56:
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Aug 29 03:06 UTC 2003 |
Ah, I don't use the steel.
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scott
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response 21 of 56:
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Aug 29 23:48 UTC 2003 |
I think the role of the steel is to straighten out the edge. With a really
sharp knife the edge will actually be a little floppy, so a properly-wielded
steel* will straighten it.
*Not sure I can easily describe the correct steel technique, but it's less
like using a stone than most people seem to think. And it should really only
be done once or twice per side.
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i
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response 22 of 56:
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Aug 30 00:54 UTC 2003 |
I've read a long description of knife care by an author who *really* got
into such things. He advocated brief use of the steel in "straighten out
the bent cutting edge" mode virtually every time you pick up a knife, and
actual sharpening by a professional once or twice a year.
The dinky manual for my Chicago/Walnut knives suggests using the steel in
that "straighten edge" mode extremely frequently, sharpening with the steel
(same steel, different method) regularly, and honing (different tool *and*
method) occasionally/as needed. Using the proper (their brand) steel and
hone, of course.
I make regular use of the steel, but probably should invest $5 in getting
my knives actually sharpened in the next year or two.
On another aspect of knife care - the Chicago/Walnut knives have genuine
wood handles - either you slather 'em with mineral oil when the wood gets
looking rather gray, or they break and you're SOL.
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orinoco
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response 23 of 56:
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Sep 1 02:37 UTC 2003 |
Scott -- I haven't been headed "in the direction of being a chef" for a while
now, actually. I decided to go back and finish my BA after all; so I could
be working in a kitchen sometime in the future, but probably not in the near
future, and maybe not at all.
Mary -- What's the difference between a tomato knife and a paring knife?
Both of the co-ops I lived in subscribed to knife-sharpening services, and
got a few of their good knives regularly sharpened. If a buck or two will
get me the same treatment that those knives got, I'd consider it money well
spent. (Then again, there's a certain amount of kitchen-geek pride in knowing
how to sharpen your own...)
I'm sort of wary of wood handles. Do they have any advantage over plastic
handles?
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mary
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response 24 of 56:
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Sep 1 12:22 UTC 2003 |
A tomato knife is simply a smaller version of a bread knife.
It has a serrated edge. It wouldn't be the first knife I'd
buy but I sure would miss having one.
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