Recommend me a set of kitchen knives

[Wrench]

I built a set of german henckles that I have to strop about once every few years as the steel does the trick. In 10 years I have never stoned them....and I butcher at least 2 elk and deer per year.

I recently found a traveling butcher set of wustoff knives in a pawnshop in a large (nearly as big as a brief case) wrap and they are also no joke. That's the best $40.00 I've spent.

 

[Alpine4x4]

So our kitchen is a little different then most I'd imagine. I do 90% of the cooking so the knives are mostly for me however they gotta be "aesthetically pleasing" for the decorator wife. This knocks out things like MKC and their black blades and more "tactical" look. Also why the preference for a matching set, block and steak knives. We currently have a handmedown chinese henckels block set along with I use a victorinox vibrox fillet knife for a lot of things. The Victorinox is great, the henckels are just ok.

Get a magnet for the wall for your most used knives then do a drawer storage for the remainder. Keeps some out and in view to please the eye, but also gets rid of the big block on the counter holding knifes you use once a month.

WÜSTHOF Large In-Drawer Knife Tray

This in-drawer knife tray is an ideal way to safely store your cutlery without taking up valuable counter space. The WÜSTHOF Large In-Drawer Knife Tray is made of beech wood and can hold up to 14 knives.

www.wusthof.com

 

[Austink47]

Congratulations. I wish I had taken this question as seriously as you are. 11 years in and I am stuck with a mediocre knife set.

They may not be your style, but I love new west knife works. I like the ability to get different color handles for different blades, steel is easy for me to maintain, and the ergonomics are great.

 

[Duckman23]

Check out the shun Damascus or global knives. **I wouldnt get a set and instead ask for the knives individually that you will use.

 

[Luckyrxc]

I've had many Kitchen knives through the years. My favorite the last 10 years for an 8" cooks knife is a Shun. Incredibly sharp, wonderful balance, and thin for a cooks knife. I would buy Shun again and again. I have a 10" Wustof cooks knife that I bought 30 years ago in college. It was too big then but I use it a lot because I like it. It is an old friend that's been with me my entire adult life...but it's still larger than necessary for most jobs. I have a Joyce Chen cleaver that I absolutely love and use all the time.
I also have an 8" Wustof cooks and the 7-8" Santoku. I like the Shun a lot more than the Wustof cooks, but the Santoku is a nice tool.
I have a wustof straight 6" boning along with a Forschner 6" flexible curved boning. I like the Victorinox/Forschner far more and it's about half the price.
I keep several cheap Victorinox or Mercer pearing knives for a few dollars each.
I have the big Forschner butcher knife but if I had to do it over again I would consider the breaking knife or the cimeter for big slicing jobs. But really, I can do most everything I need to do with meat with a boning and chef's knife.
I use others but those are the workhorses. I agree on avoiding the purchase of a knife set. Buy what you need and add to the kit as you go. I would recommend you start with a 8" cooks, 5.5-6" boning, pearing, and maybe a good serrated.
I use a magnet on the wall for storage. I live in a dry climate and don't bother to dry or oil knives. The wall magnet keeps them safe and dry. Yes, the magnet can scratch and ding knives if I'm stupid.

My friend Stephen taught me something 30 years ago. He keeps a knife block on the counter full of Cutco knives. It is a decoy so his wife and other folks go for those, while he keeps the Shun and other good stuff hidden away in the drawer. He's a genius.

 

[Luckyrxc]

I've had many Kitchen knives through the years. My favorite the last 10 years for an 8" cooks knife is a Shun. Incredibly sharp, wonderful balance, and thin for a cooks knife. I would buy Shun again and again. I have a 10" Wustof cooks knife that I bought 30 years ago in college. It was too big then but I use it a lot because I like it. It is an old friend that's been with me my entire adult life...but it's still larger than necessary for most jobs. I have a Joyce Chen cleaver that I absolutely love and use all the time.
I also have an 8" Wustof cooks and the 7-8" Santoku. I like the Shun a lot more than the Wustof cooks, but the Santoku is a nice tool.
I have a wustof straight 6" boning along with a Forschner 6" flexible curved boning. I like the Victorinox/Forschner far more and it's about half the price.
I keep several cheap Victorinox or Mercer pearing knives for a few dollars each.
I have the big Forschner butcher knife but if I had to do it over again I would consider the breaking knife or the cimeter for big slicing jobs. But really, I can do most everything I need to do with meat with a boning and chef's knife.
I use others but those are the workhorses. I agree on avoiding the purchase of a knife set. Buy what you need and add to the kit as you go. I would recommend you start with a 8" cooks, 5.5-6" boning, pearing, and maybe a good serrated.
I use a magnet on the wall for storage. I live in a dry climate and don't bother to dry or oil knives. The wall magnet keeps them safe and dry. Yes, the magnet can scratch and ding knives if I'm stupid.

My friend Stephen taught me something 30 years ago. He keeps a knife block on the counter full of Cutco knives. It is a decoy so his wife and other folks go for those, while he keeps the Shun and other good stuff hidden away in the drawer. He's a genius.

Oh, and my favorite for the camp kitchen is a good ol 'Ol Hickory' butcher knife. I think it is 7 inches. It is cheap, comes dull from Amazon, and is awesome. You can get a sheath to fit it from Amazon too. I bring it in to assist with Elk butchery and I wear it around camp.

 

[NealS02]

Another vote for Wustof kitchen knives and I really like my Chicago Cutlery steak knife set with walnut handles. My parents bought the same (or similar) steak knife set when I was baby and they still have them 40ish years later.

 

[Boarmaster]

I have Henkel at home and Wustof at my cabin. Both sets are the classic type with rivets.
Henkels are 35 years old and Wustof are probably 20. I like both about the same.
But honestly other than dicing up stuff with my chef knives I use my Victorinox 6 inch curved boning knife the most of any knifes at both home and camp. Theres just something about the way it fits my hand. I could probably get by happily with that cheaper boning knife and a good slicing knife and nothing else.

 

[Mosby]

Shun or Global if you want expensive. I gave my daughter a large set of Wusthof knives that will last her lifetime. I don't need them anymore.

I cook, grill and bbq a lot. I like Victorinox and F. Dick knives. Relatively inexpensive and really sharp. A 12 inch slicing, a couple paring, a 6"curved deboning, a couple straight deboning, an 8" breaker knife, 6" trim knife, 8" chef's knife, 5" utility knife and a scalloped bread knife. Easy to sharpen and I can soak in the sink after using, until I get around to washing them.

 

[TSimons9]

https://caseknives.com/products/household-cutlery-solid-walnut-handles-9-piece-block-set


Wife and I bought these right after our wedding. We have been really pleased with them.

 

[doc holiday13]

I built a set of german henckles that I have to strop about once every few years as the steel does the trick. In 10 years I have never stoned them....and I butcher at least 2 elk and deer per year.

Everytime I see this sort of statement, I laugh. You're definitely due for a sharpening and you're knives are a lot more dull than you think.

 

[Wrench]

Everytime I see this sort of statement, I laugh. You're definitely due for a sharpening and you're knives are a lot more dull than you think.

I may not live up to your expectations, but I personally cut and wrap all of our meat and have since 1993. I am cognizant of my sbstrates and know exactly how my gear is treated.

I'm a little beyond the typical gear buyer with a tormek, paper wheels, surface grinder, belts, lansky.....and every stone known to man......and I certainly know how many times my knives have kissed the rock.

I also know that if I slide my knife into a piece of meat, it just became two.

I'd love to self promote about my sharpening skills.....but these knives just don't need it very often if you do your part correctly.

 

[desertdwellerdyl]

Came across a deal on this Set! 8” chef and 3.5” paring knife from Wustoff both forged for $135

 

[ARB]

Cutco

 

[nm.otter]

@Remington92 should be married and back from the honeymoon at this point. Congratulations!

Now back to the knife-nerdery. I started buying good knives my freshman year in college. 40+ years later, I still own about half of those, yet I keep buying and trying new things. About 15 stay in the kitchen for regular use -- the rest go to our guest house, the camping kit, or become gifts for relatives and friends.

My first real knife was a 10" carbon steel Dexter (on sale when NSF briefly mandated stainless in commercial kitchens). I still use it.

Filled out my collection with ten Henckels 4 Stars when I was in Germany. The exchange rate was crazy good -- paid $22 for a 10" chefs, which was $80 here at the time.

Bought a hand-forged Warikomi Santoku when I was in Japan -- still one of the best blades I've ever held or used. Aogami carbon steel wrapped in hammered stainless.

I also own Shun and Global knives, which are great for certain tasks.

What matters in a knife is
1. Shape
2. Grind
3. Steel
In that order

The best fanciest steel in an unfortunate shape or bad grind is worthless.

This is crazy important, and unfortunately not well understood (even by many working chefs).

You can also piece together a set of Japanese knives. This is my new thing. The issue is they aren't as durable or robust as the European steels so be warned.

Japanese shapes (or variations of them) using newer steels and mass-market construction can be quite durable. Over the past four years, I have bought half a dozen of these that have ended up displacing some of our old favorites (while costing 50-80% less).

If you don't already own one, you really, really need to try a decent Nakiri. Sold as a vegetable knife, but I also find it to be the best way to slice meat I've experienced.

I grew up around Cutco and every middle aged white lady in my area swears by them. I'm honestly not that impressed. They aren't necessarily bad but they aren't great either.

Ditto for me. Well-made and very durable, but I find the shapes to be somewhat dated and uninspiring.

Steak knives do not need to be expensive. Grabbed a couple of sets of these on sale awhile back and retired three other sets we had either bought or inherited over the years.

 

[dtrkyman]

I bought my wife a set of Wustof 25ish years ago, good as new!

 

[Remington92]

@Remington92 should be married and back from the honeymoon at this point. Congratulations!

Now back to the knife-nerdery. I started buying good knives my freshman year in college. 40+ years later, I still own about half of those, yet I keep buying and trying new things. About 15 stay in the kitchen for regular use -- the rest go to our guest house, the camping kit, or become gifts for relatives and friends.

My first real knife was a 10" carbon steel Dexter (on sale when NSF briefly mandated stainless in commercial kitchens). I still use it.

Filled out my collection with ten Henckels 4 Stars when I was in Germany. The exchange rate was crazy good -- paid $22 for a 10" chefs, which was $80 here at the time.

Bought a hand-forged Warikomi Santoku when I was in Japan -- still one of the best blades I've ever held or used. Aogami carbon steel wrapped in hammered stainless.

I also own Shun and Global knives, which are great for certain tasks.


This is crazy important, and unfortunately not well understood (even by many working chefs).


Japanese shapes (or variations of them) using newer steels and mass-market construction can be quite durable. Over the past four years, I have bought half a dozen of these that have ended up displacing some of our old favorites (while costing 50-80% less).

If you don't already own one, you really, really need to try a decent Nakiri. Sold as a vegetable knife, but I also find it to be the best way to slice meat I've experienced.


Ditto for me. Well-made and very durable, but I find the shapes to be somewhat dated and uninspiring.

Steak knives do not need to be expensive. Grabbed a couple of sets of these on sale awhile back and retired three other sets we had either bought or inherited over the years.

Thanks! We just got back a few days ago so finally circling around to everything that got backburnered for a couple months. We ended up being gifted a Cutco galley set with steak knives and their largest block to get started and so we can piece things together as we go. I also snagged myself a new Santoku in Florence, Italy while the wife was looking at leather since they're supposed to be famous for knives as well.