We are visiting my step daughter & she said she needs some good kitchen knives.. After using some of them she is right.. On a recent trip, I bought three Case knives, but haven't had the chance to use the.. Any quality knives that can be sharpened, not break the bank?

Ebay for Katsura VG-10 blades. They sharpen easily, stay sharp an ungodly long time, are very durable and slice like gangbusters. The price is no more than most decent quality kitchen knives and the quality b
ts any non VG-10 blades.

My experience is that one has to spend quite a bit more money than Victorinox offerings to get appreciably more performance. I've heard many praise Dexter knives, but I've not worked with them myself.

An 8" or 10" Chef's Knife or Santoku & a boning knife would be a good start for her. The paring knife is an absolute gem, & just too cheap not to have around.

FC

Henckels 4 Star set with butcher block. Bought a set for my little niece and her new hubby several years ago. Still going strong. She carved herself up pretty good right away. The learning curve on good knives is steep.

PS- if you get Henckels, don't waste your money on the steak knives. Their steak knives are great, but you don't need to spend the money there. She can steak knives anywhere. Spend the money on the good knives. Also, get the block that has the section on the bottom for a bunch of steak knives. She can put hers in there when she gets them.

This could be a good alternative to the 4 Stars. Doesn't say what model they are. If interested, I would email the guy. You (I) would want the bigger butcher block like this one, though.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-J-A-HENCKELS-13550-005-15-PIECE-KITCHEN-CUTLERY-KNIFE-SET-BLOCK-0513895-/222344054482?hash=item33c4bd06d2:g:H2oAAOSw-itXqpQa

PS- ebay, amazon, and the like are your friend.

Tag

Decent steel and not break the bank? I'll second the recommendation for Victorinox.

Wusthoff forged chef's knife https://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Classic-8-Inch-Cooks-Knife/dp/B00009ZK08 and a Victorinox boning knife https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Cutlery-6-Inch-Curved-Boning/dp/B0019WQDOU fill 99% of my kitchen needs

I don't care for what are generally called steak knives, being closer to steak saws with that serrated portion of the edge.

I have Henckel professionals. They are about 25 years old. Great knives. I have a wustof chef knife. Its ok Not as heavy as the
Henckel. I tried to buy a second Henckel chef knife recently but was dissappointed when I compared it to my old one. The new one was not as heavy or thick. I returned it.

Though it goes without saying, I'll go ahead & say it anyway: fit + feel are about as important as the steel. The actual user has to be comfortable with what they choose.

FC

Thanks !

You might consider also buying her a decent 16-18 ' steel for about $20. A few licks turn those crappy ones into decent cutting ones

never buy knives in sets. Pick the best for the task, and go with that. I have a mix of carbon steel, stainless, and different companies. Buying from these guys is a good idea

http://sabatieroutlet.com/

I just bought a new Wustoff Chefs knife with a 4.5" blade.

It's now my most used kitchen "chopper"

Good advice from Sam, as usual. Buy knives for use, and not as a set.

I have a mixed set of different shapes and sizes. All of high quality good steel that hold an edge well and re-sharpen easily.


Virgil B.

Japanese Kitchen Knife Set

Thanks!

If I could still find a "set" of Henckel 4 Stars like I bought my niece for her wedding gift a few years ago for $150, I'd get 5 of them.

Have an Imperial Mighty Oak set from the 1980's that was my grandmothers. USA made steel sharpens to a razors edge. Also holds it as good as any Cutco I've ever owned.

See them pop up on the bay every now and again.

What's the budget? $100, $300, $500?

I do a fair bit of cooking at home and find 90% of my cutting is done with an 8" chef's knife and a pair of victorinox paring knives. Add a fillet knife and bread knife and you're ~99% there. More important than the brand and if it's a wonder steel is if it fits the hand, the blade grind is proper for the task at hand and she know's what a sharp edge is and is willing to keep it sharp, and insists the blades are hand and not machine washed as the abrasive in dish washing detergent takes the edge right off a knife.

Stopped at Boscov's for a new lasagna pan a couple months ago....They had a knife display right next to the pans. Well, I was kinda tired of the mismatched, dull kitchen knives I was currently using.
I could sharpen them....and did, but couldn't get that junk steel anywhere near as sharp as my hunting knives.
So I added a $150 set of J.A. Henckels knives on top of the stinkin' 10 dollar lasagna pan. Couldn't be happier. These buggers are SHARP and hold an edge. I've only cut myself once...dicing up some American cheese and had a little stuck on the blade. It's a good thing that tongues heal quick.

The Buck kitchen knives look interesting and you get to buy US made
https://www.buckknives.com/knives/cutlery/

Years ago I started picking up old carbon steel Old Hickory's for next to nothing. I clean them up and put a good bevel on them. They are easy to keep sharp and a joy to use. My Henckels Professional S knives do not get used nearly as much as they used to.