I love to cook, and really appreciate a good set of chef knives. I'm about to register (wedding coming up) for my first set, and have done my research, but I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on this.

As of right now, I'm leaning towards the Wusthof IKON Classic set – these came out in 2007 and are an update of the very popular “Classic” line. It has nicer handles, and a tapered bolster which allows the entire blade to be sharpened. I'm also looking at the Wusthof Le Cordon Bleu line, which is Wusthof's attempt to copy some of the Japanese styles knives that are becoming popular.

I've also considered some other brands - Henckels, Shun (sharper, but a bit pricey, and I don't like how they are right or left handed), and Global (don't like the look).

Japanese vs German?

I realize that the most important factor is how the knife feels in your hand. But, if anyone else loves to cook as much as I do, and has some experience with any of these knives, I would love to hear about it.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dave Beers,

Mike,

I have a mixed set of knives - Henckels and Wusthofs mostly, which I've had for years. However, the best knives I have happen to be the ones that cost the least. Look for Victorinox Fibrox handled knives. They are wonderful to use and consistently score the highest in Cook's Illustrated magazine's tests. I bought a couple of these three years ago and they are wonderful. I have no plans to buy anything other than these great knives in the future.

I have both Henckels and Wusthof, both are very nice knives. What really matters is how they feel in your hand. I think the Wosthof may be a bit better, just my opinion though.

I do have a cleaver that was autographed by one of the Wosthof's.

I'm not allowed in the kitchen! My wife says when i cook I make too big a mess and put things where they don't belong.

Cheers, Neil

I try to avoid contact with all sharp implements.

Guys!....a sharp knife is a safe knife. A dull knife is a dangerous knife.

I have two food processors but I find that I like to use my knives to cut up veg and meat most often.

Ever since seeing Indiana Jones I prefer guns.

Cheers, Neil

I used to be a Henckels and Sabatier fan, but now my kitchen is dedicated solely to Boker ceramic blade knives. Expensive but oh so light and consistently sharp. They are delicate yet very strong.

right on, dave - sharp is safe

i went to the store this weekend and actually tried a few out...i've all but eliminated henckels (not comfortable to use, dont hold an edge)...right now, the wusthof IKON are winning...i also tried the shun ken onion line - amazingly comfortable, with great style, but are very expensive - if i had the $$, i would go for these

Mike, wedding gifts are given, if you want the $$$ ones, register for those, you might have some people go together to get some for you. Mine came from Wal-Mart, don't know the brand, I think they were made in China.

yeah, i considered that, but i still feel bad asking for extremely expensive knives - the ones i want will be expensive enough...plus, we need so many other things, i would prefer to get more gifts, than have a group chip in for one large gift

In one of my prior lives, I owned a restaurant (fool that I was). I too loved to cook, had just taken early retirement and decided "why not, how difficult can it be?". HAH!

Anyway, I had a knife "service". They came in once a week and replaced all of the knives in my kitchen. It was inexpensive and that assured me of always having perfectly honed edges on all of our knives because the most dangerous thing in the kitchen is a dull knife.

What I might suggest, is for you to go to a restaurant supply store and check out the knives there rather than the shopping mall speciality stores or the big-name department stores. You will find utility and useability at a reasonable price without investing in the brand name and all that goes with making you, the buyer lust for that brand.

Now, with all of that said, what do I have on my COUNTER for my visitors to see (and use if they insist on helping)? IKON. (I like their look and feel also.) What do I use on a daily basis? The no-name knives I picked up some years ago at the restaurant supply store in Charlotte, NC. I also have a pot rack with Calphalon and a few copper pots on display. What do I use on a daily basis? That's right, the beat-up, no-namers from the restaurant supply store plus a few I've picked up at Sam's.

I used to buy the high dollar pans too and eventually noticed they wore out about as quickly as the cheaper ones. Now I buy the cheaper food service variety from various sources. And of course the ultimate in cheap pans that last forever - my cast iron Lodge pans which are made a little east of here in South Pittburgh, TN. The perfect pan for steaks and hamburgers! Nice crust and flavor.

A knife service that replaced all your knives each week? I'm amazed that it wasn't extremely expensive.

Good advice about checking out a restaurant supply store. My neighbor is a caterer, and has access to this place that is only for people in the business.

Unfortunately, I think I've already been stricken by knife lust, and really want the brand name haha.

I guess this was a service that kept restaurants supplied with sharp knives, sort of like a lease with the knives serviced and then put back into active inventory?

Never thought I'd jump in to test the waters on the subject of knives but I have a great deal of experience. Personally, name does nothing for me except what you tell people in conversation. The important things? Yes Sharp!

How you use them is really what matters. Dish washers, drops in sinks with other instruments, dragging across a cutting board, "wiggling" through a cut are all abuses. Any sharp chef's knife is great for me. I don't like the Santoku that has become popular on TV shows, it doesn't rock.

That's it for me on knives. I don't know if that actually helped but I thought I needed to start somewhere!

Welcome to CruiseChat Hank!

What you say is true. The only reason I tend to like the high end knives is they seem to hold an edge better/longer than the cheap ones. How they feel in my hand is a important thing too.

Hope to see more posts from you! Just jump in, were all friendly.

Hank R., Welcome to Cruise-Chat!

We are a friendly bunch here as Larry said.

I read a good tip in last Sunday's paper about using the opposite side when scraping food from cutting boards to avoid dulling.

Welcome aboard,

Dwayne

Thanks for the welcome!

I wasn't going to bother posting this, but since this thread has been brought back to life, I thought I'd share what I had learned since I started this topic. Done quite a bit of research since then.

What I've learned is that the most important aspect of picking a knife is the type of steel used. German manufacturers (Wusthof, Henckel, etc.), all use a softer steel, intended for the "average consumer" who want decent performance and appearance, but might give their knives a bit of a beating (putting them in the dishwasher, for instance). They sharpen easy, but also dull easy. For better performance, Japanese knives are they way to go - much harder steel, which allows for a steeper edge angle, and longer edge retention. They tend to be lighter, thinner, and razor sharp. To prove the point, German knives rate around 54-58 on the Rockwell hardness scale, while most Japanese knives tend to be around 60+. Of course, there are a variety of steels, each with it’s own pros and cons (ex. Amazing edge and performance, but not stainless). There is tons more to learn (western vs. eastern Japanese knives, knife shapes and designs, handle design, etc.), but that’s enough for now.

With this in mind, I have (most likely) decided on the Shun Classic set of knives. These (along with Global) seem to be the most popular Japanese style knife in the US. They are also very attractive with a Damascus-style pattern on the blades (see William-Sonoma for pics). Of course, there are tons of other brands of Japanese knives (including many “task-specific” knives), and true knife connoisseurs tend to mock Shuns because of their popularity. But I like them 

Anyway, sorry if I bored anyone to sleep.