"good" Kitchen knives

afish

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Any recommendations for good Kitchen/cooking knives?  Not looking to spend 3-400 on one knife more like 100'ish per or maybee 3-4 for a whole set but I really only use a few now. Thinking something like 8"chef, bread, small utility/paring, and maybe a clever or nakiri. Im sure my kids will try to run them through the dishwasher at some point so while not normal an occasional dishwasher run shouldnt ruin it.  Not looking for super fancy just best bang for the buck so to speak. 
 
I like all three of the Tojiro knives I've purchased.

8.2" chef's:https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UAPQGS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bread knife:https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004LVIO3O/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

4" pairing:https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H0H4R5U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Normally, I wouldn't have purchased the damascus 4" and instead would have gone with a regular, but the damascus was on sale for less than the regular one.
 
Made-In as mention above or Schmidt Brothers. I have both, they work equally well. Get a tomato knife, they're life changers....

Avoid Japanese blades unless you use them for just fish or vegetables, bone can chipthe edge.
https://schmidtbrothers.com

Tom
 
Peter Kelly said:
8" Fibrox knife, $53:https://www.victorinox.com/us/en/Pr...ives/Swiss-Classic-Carving-Knife/p/6.8003.19B

Really, the entire line is excellent and very reasonably priced. Also great to have a second set of knives while the other is out being sharpened.

The Victorinox would be my suggestion, too. It's inexpensive enough that you won't care if you screw it up, but I think you'll be surprised by how nice it actually is. It feels good in the hand, though not quite as heavy as some of the more expensive knives.

In some online knife reviews, it gets lumped in with more expensive knives as the budget pick.
https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Fibrox-Chefs-Knife-8-Inch/dp/B008M5U1C2/ref=sr_1_2?th=1

 
I really enjoy Cutco knives. Well balanced, high quality but not too fancy for everyday use.

Some of my favorites

Trimmer - use it for everything from trimming a roast to skinning a pineapple.https://www.cutco.com/products/product.jsp?item=trimmer&view=product

Petite santoku- all purpose small chefs knifehttps://www.cutco.com/products/product.jsp?item=petite-santoku&view=product

9 3/4” slicer - game changer for slicing bread, brisket, anything that needs clean even slicing
https://www.cutco.com/products/product.jsp?item=slicer

And my one “weirdo” knife is the spatula spreader, awesome for making the kids PB&J, slicing and spreading on bagels, avocado slicer and scooper, etc
https://www.cutco.com/products/product.jsp?item=spatula-spreader&view=product

The “classic” handle option looks black in the photos but is actually a very beautiful deep, subtle tortoiseshell pattern

 
It depends on your budget and the intensity with which you plan to use them.

But there is a reason why the Four Star series of Zwilling is one of the most popular knife sets among chefs. And has been for ages. At least in the western world. I have them for all purpose use in the kitchen and like them quite a lot. I had a couple of Miyabi Birchwood SG2 knives, but gave them to a good friend of mine and haven't replaced them yet. Those knives are a dream to work with, but also a nightmare for your wallet...  [scared]
 
tjbnwi said:
Made-In as mention above or Schmidt Brothers. I have both, they work equally well. Get a tomato knife, they're life changers....

Avoid Japanese blades unless you use them for just fish or vegetables, bone can chipthe edge.
https://schmidtbrothers.com

Tom

Yes, I head read about the chipping issue and would like to avoid those issues.  Do you know where the Schmidt knives are made? I looked all over the site and cant find the info which is kind of annoying like they are trying to hide that info.  Since its not made public Im assuming China. 
 
Knives in general aren’t designed to cut bones. Japanese knives have a thinner edge profile which makes them more vulnerable to damage from abuse.

The Victorinox fibroid handled series is a great knife for the price. Restaurant supply houses usually have a good selection. I really like the small paring knife.

There are a many great choices out there. But knives that you are going to use perhaps daily are a very personal choice. You may absolutely hate someone else’s favorite. I would encourage you to find someplace where you can get them in your hand and try them.

Having said that, this is my favorite prep knife. I use every time I cut something.

Furi 5 inch Santoku. All stainless, takes and holds s good edge, has a good feel in my hand and is maneuverable.
https://www.amazon.com/Furi-Stainle...f=mp_s_a_1_7?crid=1GB4KKLBH6UK0&keywords=furi+knives&qid=1661607248&sprefix=furi+%2Caps%2C177&sr=8-7

Ron
 
afish said:
tjbnwi said:
Made-In as mention above or Schmidt Brothers. I have both, they work equally well. Get a tomato knife, they're life changers....

Avoid Japanese blades unless you use them for just fish or vegetables, bone can chipthe edge.
https://schmidtbrothers.com

Tom

Yes, I head read about the chipping issue and would like to avoid those issues.  Do you know where the Schmidt knives are made? I looked all over the site and cant find the info which is kind of annoying like they are trying to hide that info.  Since its not made public Im assuming China.

You assumed correctly.
https://schmidtbrothers.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4404829919767-Where-Our-Knives-Are-Made

Something I did not know until now.

Tom
 
tjbnwi said:
afish said:
tjbnwi said:
Made-In as mention above or Schmidt Brothers. I have both, they work equally well. Get a tomato knife, they're life changers....

Avoid Japanese blades unless you use them for just fish or vegetables, bone can chipthe edge.
https://schmidtbrothers.com

Tom

Yes, I head read about the chipping issue and would like to avoid those issues.  Do you know where the Schmidt knives are made? I looked all over the site and cant find the info which is kind of annoying like they are trying to hide that info.  Since its not made public Im assuming China.

You assumed correctly.
https://schmidtbrothers.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4404829919767-Where-Our-Knives-Are-Made

Something I did not know until now.

Tom

I pretty much assume its made in china unless I see some readily available info that says otherwise.  Typically if its not made in China people are pretty eager to let you know.  I was originally looking at some Dalstrong stuff on Amazon but its made in China also which I will buy but if I can find something not is my preference.  The Dalstrong stuff while made in China seems to have some really good customer service which helps offset the china fact but I think Im going to try and stick with some German steel made outside of China.  I like the Cutco as its made in USA and customer service seems good but it is more than I wanted to spend and those handles look really funky to me.  The made in and Victorinox are still in the running the heckels and zwilling stuff I need to look at closer. 
 
Totally forgot about the Fibrox knives. If I didn't already have the Tojiro knives, the Fibrox would be up there in the list.
 
THe thing that turns me off is the bolster area on the made in and Victorinox.  I like the smooth round edges on the Henckel's forged stuff better.  I found that you do have to watch with the Henckels stuff as some lines are made in china.  I didnt expect that. 
 
I've been a fan and a user of Wüsthof knives for the last 50 years. Just to prove the point here's a drawer full off them with both black & white handles, probably 25+of them at this time.

[attachimg=1]

And then something happened about 6-8 years ago, I tried cutting with a Shun Premier knife and I became a believer. The blade is thinner and holds an edge longer than a Wüsthof knife. I also no longer need to use a tomato knife I simply use the Shun Premier paring knife. Besides, the blades are beautiful as they are 64 layers of Damascus stainless steel. Also, the blade is sharpened to a 16º angle compared to the usual 20º. The switch over in knives allowed me to pare down my knife selection to only 6 knives, that's the reason you see all of those no longer used Wüsthof's in the drawer. These 6 knives have served all of my kitchen needs for the last 6 years and I cook every evening.

Shun Premier 9.5" slicer...think turkeys & hams
SP 7" Santoku
SP 4" paring
Wüsthof 8" bread
Wüsthof 7" fillet
Wüsthof 4" decorating...I use it exclusively for oven fries instead of a mandoline

[attachimg=2]
 

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Quick update, I just recieved my first upgraded knife in the form of a Henckels classic 6.5 Nakiri.  I couldnt find the pro version so had to settle on the classic.  I was a little underwhelmed with some of the fit/finish when it arrived.  The spine, bolster and handle area had some sharp edges. Took about 30 min. with a small file and some 320 cubitron to soften these edges.  The edge sharpness was only so so.  Even with my poor knife sharpening skills I was able to produce a much sharper edge.  I understand that this is a Spain made knife and have read that the German made Henckels series is better but I could not find a German made Nakiri.  Then this video popped up in my YT feed.  It kind of reiterated some of the comments here. I had not heard of the "Dexter" knives which seem to be a sister co. of the Victorinox but made in USA.  I think I will try out the Dexter 8" chef knife next. If I hate it Ill keep it and make it the kids knife but for $40 bucks Ill give it a shot.

 
By the way, that Youtube channel is interesting to watch, especially if you like pizza, bread, sandwiches.

Peter
 
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