I have a kitchen question.

something like this?



set of six knives for $25 on amazon ...

the marketing of cutlery is like making up **** in the bible, They sell price points as if that has anything to do with anything. Most all knives have a range of hardness within 10 units apart and some knives are shiny and others more industrial looking. Look what Knives Jacques Pepin uses and you see that he switches between maybe two , both of which have severe pointed ends. (Good for slicing an cutting. then he has a longer version for carving big hunks.
HIS rule has alwys been something like ,Hes being payed to use certain ones and so he admonishes that you "JUUSS Kip ze blates viree shahp"

Sharpness is the key. No matter what Im doing I stop and sharpen a 55 hardness blade at lleast once before I get into surgery.
Dull knives are dangerous and if you want to cut stuff like Pepin, sharpen sharpen sharpen.

Ive alwys gone with Chicago Cutlery, its carbon steel and kinda dull metallic grey but its not as extreme bendy like a fileting knife (Thats a thrid kind of knife used only if you know how to filet a fish) (Im a fisherperson so Im alwys fileting and that knife needs EXTRA sharpening.

Ive spent more money on the sharpening wheel and the strop steel than I had on the knives and Ive had most of these knives since my first marriage ended maybe 35 years ago.

Have you tried these knives? That seems to be about 4 bucks per knife....I love a bargain but that makes me nervous.

nope, we're still using a set we received as a wedding gift in 1992 ...

if you surf amazon, read the reviews at the bottom of the page.

they are usually a good indicator of quality...

I have one knife that I constantly sharpen. It does almost anything. My other knives are for simple tasks, such as cutting an apple or poking a dog food can to make an air hole in the bottom.

I have used Rada knives exclusively for close to 20 years. You can buy them individually or in sets. They also have a sharpener that is quick and easy to use.

https://radakitchenstore.com/collections/all-knives

Available on Amazon as well.

I have a big carving knife I bought with a gift token from Timothy Whites back in the late 80s. It was £10, and I’m still using it. I have a good Steel too.

I carve all my meat with it, raw and cooked.

you need a decent sharpening stone or sharpening wheel.

Sorry, just realised my post was at best useless, at worst smug.

I didn’t mean it to sound like that.

Chefs have their own sets of knives. Is there a restaurant you like? perhaps you could ask the chefs there.

You're fine Izzy, you didn't sound smug .....My best bet is probably to just buy individual knives so I can get the ones I find most useful.

That’s exactly what I did when I bought my “real knives almost 10 years ago. I was tired of flimsy unsharp utensils that didn’t serve me well.

I really liked the quality and feel of the Henkel brand. They’re made to stay sharp and feel good in the hand and most improved LAST. Try to find them and see them in person to get the experience. There are different levels but the middle level was fine for me. I bought 6 not inlding steak knives. For those I bought Cuisinart.

The most important thing I did after that was have them sharpened regularly. I would do it myself but I found a pro who charges reasonably and doesn’t mess them up.

Oops, misspelled It should be JA Henckels cutlery. Also I’d include in that famous Wusthof cutlery. These are two really good cutlery companies who make knives that hold their edges and fairly easy to sharpen. They’re not inexpensive but in the long run you won’t need to replace them so they’re cheaper in the long run and quite effective over a longer time.

When it comes down to the nitty-gritty of main use, I’d recommend 2or e knicves. 2 longer knives 10 in and 12 in, and a smaller (say around) 3-in paring knife. I’d recommend if pushed the Classic style of Wusthof.

Ok, I just talked myself into a new knife. Shopping for it tomorrow. Knife shop up her in midHudson valley area. We’re done with our quarantine as we left So FL 2 weeks ago.

Last word: Forged is better than stamped steel.

I just bought two 2Wusthof ClassiC Ikon knives ... an hollow blade 8-in Chef knife and a small 3 in paring knife, identical to its big brother . I also bought a ceramic sharpener. I also bought a Cuisinart (green.) non-stick 12 in frying pan. We have a great specialty store that is multipurpose tools, tool sharpening, carpentry tools and cookware and cutlery. Woohoo, that was fun.

Now, if only I could cook! J/k.

I bought a bunch of All-Clad pots and pans about 20 years ago....they look terrific but they are getting so heavy. Well they've always been heavy but I think in another 10 years I won't be able to lift them. Especially the big roasting pan..woof..it's heavy when it's empty .... throw in a big fresh ham or a turkey and then I need mr. G'bag's muscled arms to lift the freeper out of the oven.

I think I still have a bunch of Farberware and Revere-ware (sic) in storage downstairs....some belonged to my mom and some to my mother-in-law.......and I'm sure some of my 'early-married' stuff is down there as well.

Dang....I just remembered all the sets of china............sighhhhhhhhhh

Next time on "Hoarders"...

That's helpful, thanks.

Update: I posted this almost a year ago, and I did get new knives. Mr. G'bag gave me a nifty set of JA Henckels cutlery for this past Christmas and they are working beautifully. They are so sharp I've managed to cut myself twice in the last several days. So OK, poking holes in my fingers wasn't the reason I wanted new knives, and apparently I'm not as skilled in the kitchen as I thought I was. I'm blaming COVID for this setback.......and will endeavor to proceed more cautiously in the future.