cutlery


 
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Matt Faery

TVWBB Member
Following my last smoke, I realized I needed some new knives for the job. With my current set I may as well have broken the window and cut me meat with some glass instead. I was looking at Henckels and Wusthof. If any of you have experience with these (or something better) I'd be glad to hear about it. Thanks.
 
Those are both good brands. I prefer Globals because they are unbevelled allowing a very sharp edge. I use a MAC santoku professional as well.
 
This discussion has been had many times here before and many people beleive that knife selection is a very personal thing and that's fine. You should shop for knives seriously and choose those knives that fit your hand well and do the job you wish them to do. The knives mentioned so fdar are fine knives and will do an excellent job.

Personally, I chose Forschners, as did many here and as do many chefs from what I hear. I don't beleive that you will find a better brand of knife for the money.

But it is, in the end, your decision to make.
 
I have a cheaper set of Henckels that my wife gave one Christmas. I was not very happy with them...IMO they dont keep a good edge for very long and the handles on two of the knives are cracking.

I now use a very old no name butchers knife that I love.

I have heard that Forcheners are very good and reasonably priced. They are the same company that makes victorinox swiss army knives.
 
Cutlery is a very personal purchase.

My wife is small and has small hands,she doesn't like some of the knives that I love to use because of the handle size. I usually like using a larger bladed knife than she does. I am very comfortable with a large chefs knife, even for peeling.

That being said, I have Henkels "Four Star" knives. I have owned most of them for twenty years. If you put a good edge on them, it will last a long time. I would highly recommend them as well as the "Professonal S" and "Five Star". All have the same blades, different handles styles.

Go to a good store and find what you like. Then either go online or to a restaurant supply store and shop for prices. I've found better prices at the restaurant supplies than online. Unless some one is having a closeout sale.

As with all knives, you should to use a steel on them every time you use them to hone the edge.(okay, I don't do it everytime either) That does not mean sharpening them for every use.
 
Yep. Forschner'll do it for you, if you find them comfortable. Cooks Illustrated ranks them right up there with the big name German boys, even though Forschners are stamped instead of forged. You won't go wrong with a nice selection of Forschner black fibrox-handled knives. And you NEED the 12 or 14-inch granton-edge beef slicer for brisket. You really do.
icon_biggrin.gif


That being said, my favorite Forschner 8-inch chef's knife is joined by my other favorite, a Wusthof Gran Prix that I bought at a Tuesday morning store for less than half of the regular retail price last year. I thought I wanted the Henkels 4-Star, but they just didn't feel right in my hand no matter how I held them. The Gran Prix, on the other hand, as well as the Forschner, just fit me perfectly.

Keri C, smokin' on Tulsa Time
 
Bruce is right--it is a very personal thing. Though none of the chefs I know use Forschners, I am sure many do. They are good knives too. I used them, as well as Wusthoff and F.Dick, when I started in the restaurant business. When the Japanese started coming out with high-end knives on the American market I and most of the other chefs I knew at the time switched. This was because the alloys they used were very superior at that time. The edges held longer. I know the French and Germans have improved their alloys since but to me, their knives are heavier than I like.

Japanese-made knives are thinner than their European counterparts, as a rule. Globals, and some of the other Japanese companies, do not bevel their knives' edges, as the American and Europeans do. This allows for an even thinner blade which is ground down like a razorblade. The Americans and Europeans still bevel to 20-22 degrees; the Japanese 12-15 degrees.

Unbevelled knives must be steeled with a diamond steel and sharpened with a diamond stone. If you are used to steeling European knives you'll have to change your approach by cutting your steel angle in half (approximately) to get closer to the 12 degree angle. Pre-angled sharpening machines (like Chef's Choice et.al.) made for American and European knives will ruin an unbevelled knife. MAC, Global, and other Japanese companies make manual machines for use with their knives.
 
Henkels for me. I own a set I bought in Germany 20 some odd years ago! The plastic handles are starting to get a crinkle finish on them from always being put in the dishwasher. They hold and edge great. I've never had them sharpened but I do hone them every time I use them.
 
I have a couple of Commercial Sabatier (8" slicer & 8" chefs) and a couple of gray market? Sabatier (10" slicer & chefs.) They are forged SS and hold an edge very well.

Everyone is exactly correct, spend some time handling the knives that you are interested in and see how they fit your hand. You will be holding them for a long time.

I use the ceramic V sticks to keep them sharp. It took a long time to get the edge shaped exactly right, but now I (who could never sharpen anything well) can easily keep them very sharp with almost no effort.

I have knife-guards for all my knives and a chef's tool roll to keep them and all the BBQ implements in. It makes traveling easy. Will post a picture, tommorrow, maybe
 
Chicago Cutlery ? Ya they are cheaper but they have done a good job for me.

Dumb question-do steels ware out? Mine is fairly smooth and I wonder if I need a new one.
 
do a search on knives.....ive been personally involved with a few long threads...ect......ive decided on Forschner.........do a search plenty of info....but its kinda personall
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Steve Petrone:
Dumb question-do steels ware out? Mine is fairly smooth and I wonder if I need a new one. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Not a dumb question and, yes, they do. But that doesn't mean your smooth steel is worn out.If your smooth steel is still straight, that is no dips or dings in it, it is not worn out. Metal steels come grooved or smooth. They function to re-align the knife's edge not to sharpen i.e. they are not meant to remove any metal. Grooved steels are a bit harder on the edge but work a bit faster. Smooth steels are not hard on the edge but work a little more slowly. (I prefer a smooth metal steel for bevelled knifes; a fine diamond steel for unbevelled.) Good steeling can significantly lengthen the time between sharpening your knife which will significantly lengthen the life of your knife.
 
I agree with what many have already said, knives are a personal thing (kinda like cars). I have a set of Henkels and a set of Wustof and I will say that one of my favorite knives is my Wustof Santuko with the little concave niches on both sides of the knife. It really is nice for carving.
 
Kevin, thanks for the input. As long as I can keep an edge- thats all that matters.
 
Thanks for your input. The ones I mentioned to start off the thread were the ones I liked the feel of when I held them in the store. I'll have to make a return trip to do a grip test on the Forschners as well. I've done some "dry runs" and feel tests in the store but I wasn't sure of longevity of the blade since I never really owned more than a grocery store special. My electric knife does wonders on carving but for everything else that involves hand knives I feel better off just biting off a slab. Thanks for the input and can't wait for this weekends smoke.
 
Don't laugh, but I got those Ronco knifes you see on the infomercials. They set is good for just about anything and are really cheap at only $40.
 
I really like Kershaw Knives, hold a super edge. They are not well known but are made in Japan like Global. Just do a Google search and you'll find lots about them.
 
go to Alton Brown's website...I think it's just altonbrown.com.
I think his choice is Keshaw...haven't been to the site lately, but it stuck in my head as his line was reasonable...and if they're good enough for him....etc...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

 

Back
Top