HELP!!! with knife selection

[ilovepcot]

I spent what I considered "big money" a few years back for a Henckels chef knife. Thing never did a good job and never held a good sharp edge. I've decided to spend *whatever it takes* to get a good quality knife for use in slicing and dicing.

I read the "Santoku" is just the thing for this. The 2 brands that cost the most (that I came across) are "Henckels" and "Wusthof". I know the cost doesn't always mean quality (obviously with my Henckels chef knife ) so I don't know how to go about choosing *quality*.

I plan to use the new knife for slicing and dicing (mostly prep work for Asian cooking) and hope somebody here has a recommendation.

 

[Mouseteacher]

I invested in Cutco knives about 3 years ago. They are terrific! They are still sharp today. Cutco now offers a Santuko knife. They didn't when I purchased my knives. I am planning on purchasing one, too.

www.cutco.com

 

[mickman1962]

any good knife requires constant attention on your part to keep a good edge. If you don't take care of it, any knife you get will not keep an edge. I've had my Henckels for 25+ years and have only had them re-sharpened twice.

knife care

 

[escape]

any good knife requires constant attention on your part to keep a good edge. If you don't take care of it, any knife you get will not keep an edge. I've had my Henckels for 25+ years and have only had them re-sharpened twice.

knife care

I second this. I have a few knives of both brands (Henckels & Wusthof) and like them equally.

Something I noticed at the cooking school I attended a few years back was that the chefs always sharpened (steeling, as mentioned in the above link) the knives each day before we started our class for the day. They said it was a good habit to get into. Since that tip, I try to sharpen the knife I'm going to be using that day and I think it's made a great difference.

 

[HaleyB]

I invested in Cutco knives about 3 years ago. They are terrific! They are still sharp today. Cutco now offers a Santuko knife. They didn't when I purchased my knives. I am planning on purchasing one, too.

www.cutco.com

Ditto, love Cutco. They are well balanced, have high quality blades and handles, and they will sharpen them for you if you send them in.

 

[ilovepcot]

Great info here!

MICKMAN1962...can you recommend a sharpener? I've read up on them and the quality varies greatly. The one I have is poor!!! Would love to see my Henckels sharp!

And about the CUTCO knives...did all of you have in home demos to purchase them? I clicked the link and was surprised there was no price and order form.

 

[Poohnatic]

What may be perfect for me may not be for you. That said, I've got a couple of Henckel's 5 starts that are very good, but the grip is just a little off for my small hands.

I have Sabatiers (that were recommended by Alton-using an alias-on one of my old yahoo groups) and I love the knives! There's an outlet in SC that my DH and I made a point to stop at every time we came down I 95.

We'd purchased one 6" chefs, an 8" chefs and a paring knife- and we'd squabble over them! Next thing you know, we've got two of each.

The next one for us is probably a Shun ceramic knife. We've tried them a couple of times, and love the feel 'in hand'. YMMV, though!

Good luck finding the right knife for you. Once you do, it makes kitchen work so much easier.

Suzanne

 

[mickman1962]

Great info here!

MICKMAN1962...can you recommend a sharpener? I've read up on them and the quality varies greatly. The one I have is poor!!! Would love to see my Henckels sharp!

And about the CUTCO knives...did all of you have in home demos to purchase them? I clicked the link and was surprised there was no price and order form.

If they are real bad have them professionally sharpened first (ask a local restaurant who does theres). Then when it seems as though the edge is not quite right even after a daily steel I use this

 

[ilovepcot]

That very sharpener is on sale at my local Maceys and will be in my home tonight!

Will look into a local sharpening service on Monday. Thank you very much!

 

[bicker]

Home sharpeners do more harm than good. Stick with professional knife sharpening.

 

[chell]

Home sharpeners do more harm than good. Stick with professional knife sharpening.

Exactly! To keep a good edge on your knife use the steel before using the knife each time. I'm really shocked to see that your Henckles knife hasn't held up for you. I have had mine for about 13 years now and even with heavy use they are still extremely sharp.

 

[LadyyRedd]

I have a nice 8" chef's knife by Calphalon. It's worked out really nicely for me and was fairly inexpensive compared to some out there. I also have a Calphalon steel that I use to keep it sharpened. I love my Chef's knife more than any of the crappy ones I used while in school!

Kimya

 

[Cool-Beans]

Had the Ginsu knives as a joke, but they worked well. Got the Henckels ones which are OK, but not as good.

 

[Oh Kay!]

I read the "Santoku" is just the thing for this.

The New York Magazine did a review of Santoku knives. The reviewer is one of the top sushi chefs in NYC.

Review

 

[mickman1962]

Home sharpeners do more harm than good. Stick with professional knife sharpening.

I beg to differ on this one. The Henckels sharperner works great on Henckels knives.

 

[bicker]

I don't doubt you can get the device to work. The issue is whether or not you can reliably build a new, sharp edge, that leaves a firm foundation for the edge to be long-lasting and keep its point. Unfortunately, the equipment necessary for that still costs thousands of dollars, and require significant training to operate.

 

[goofydad621]

Henkel and Wustoff are both great knives
I was s chef for many years, grew up in a big commercial kitchen and LOVE Henkel's. That being said you don't have to spend that much if you choose not too. You need to get one that fits your hand and style first and foremost. I like the Henkel because the balance is right for me. Make sure that the knife is sharp to start with and then touch it up every time you use it. Once a knife gets dull it is hard for the average home owner to put a rel edge back on unless you have the right stones or grinder and the experience.

Just my to cents

 

[Crazoo]

Henckels knives are great if you maintain them.. All the reviews seem to be good too..

There's a sale going on at Amazon for 50% off right now
http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.h...f_rd_i=1&tag=deal0e-20&linkCode=ur2&page=sale

 

[disneygals]

Do a you tube search for Alton Brown Good Eats Knife Sharpeing. He explains the difference between honing and sharpening.

I bought one cutco knife and I really like it.

 

[khanjar]

Henckels knives are great if you maintain them..

All the reviews seem to be good too..

I got my second Henckels as a christmas present! The old ones still pretty good.. I use a fine whetstone to sharpen and a diamond honer. but i have friends who use a home manual sharpener and not had any problems.. have a look at the the warthog on this knife sharpener site. Any good knife needs to be hones constantly to keep it decent so id get a steel as well. If not you can get an electric sharpener that has a honing device built in. Knife should last you 20 odd years if you treat it right - like mine has!! lol