School me on Knives

[hud 91gt]

A group of 8 friends are going in on a gift for a couple friends who eloped.


Decided to go with a knife set. I've read about Japanese steel in the past, and I think something low maintenance (aka no rust) is going to be key here.

Grinding stones, and a nice engraved cutting board is also going to be on the list.

Price range will be between $800-1600. Price is flexible, but this is our guideline.

Anyone know where we should start looking? Westopher i'm looking at you.


Edit: Looking at Knives online, we may have to up our budget.

[punkwax]

Start here: https://www.revscene.net/forums/6206...ur-knives.html

[hud 91gt]

My neighbour is a cook, he suggested a chef knife made by this brand.

Shun Fuji 7-Piece Knife Block Set | Williams Sonoma

[hud 91gt]

Originally Posted by punkwax

Start here: https://www.revscene.net/forums/6206...ur-knives.html

I knew there was a thread somewhere!

Thanks.

Mods can delete this.

[68style]

Anthony Bourdain had a segment on how fancy knives are useless to amateur chefs as they've require way too much maintenance and overdo the task... he also hates clutter on the kitchen top and doesn't believe in knife blocks, said that he himself only owns like 3 different knives.

Interesting perspective. Lots of people I know like Globals though.

[hud 91gt]

Definetely good input. Perhaps, a single "fancy" knife would be a better idea, with perhaps a "good" set for every day use. The man in the relationship is a little OCD and I can guarantee the knives would be cared for as needed. So for the other side, i'm not too sure. Perhaps this is a better idea.

[unit]

if you want a 'wow' gift then a full set with the block is probably good.
if you want to give a more custom and thought out gift, i agree you should just choose 2 or 3 really nice knives.

[Manic!]

You only really need 2 or 3 knives. Chef/Santoku knife. I prefer the shorter Santoku 7 inch. Bread knife great for cutting things like cheese and maybe a sandwich knife.

Canadian dollar is crap but I have ordered from here before: Cutlery and More | Wusthof Knives, All-Clad Cookware, Le Creuset, J.A. Henckels Kitchen Knives, Calphalon Cookware

[Dragon-88]

Chef, Pairing and bread knife if all you really need.

[unit]

i think a cookware set would be a better gift than a knife set.
buy a full set of all clad and that would be a much nicer gift imo.

[freakshow]

I agree that unless they're a chef, 'fancy' knives are probably overkill. Certain brands require sharpening more frequently, and will just be a hassle, since i doubt your friends are also going to use a stone and steel..

source: my wife is a chef, i don't know wtf is going on with her knives, i just use anything sharp

[hud 91gt]

Everyone needs a good knife. That is kind of the consensus along with the group as well.

After speaking to them it sounds like a couple good knives are going to be the plan. With a custom maple cutting board.

They have all the pots and pans they could ever need.

Should be good.

[iam_dan]

im on board with the general consensus. pick 3 really good knives.
1. chef/santoku is a solid choice
2. bread knife
3. pairing knife
if you want to hit a 800-1600 quota, then buy a nice board, honing steel and a sharpener to go with it.

i've been personally doing research and looking at investing in a nice blade as well. im pretty sure i'll go with the MTH-80

my friend has the chef's choice Trizor which he says is treating him very well:



(japanese blades require more maintenance actually...)

[heisenberg]

go down to the zwilling store at the richmond outlet, you might find all that you're looking for there.

and everyone else above me is correct. as an amateur cook, i would recommend easy to maintain knives. zwillings, wusthofs, but if you want to go up a bit, a kramer isnt too bad...

and instead of a knife block, a magnetic bar ?

mingwo downtown is the place to go too, very helpful staff.

[godwin]

You can also go to Kitchen Warehouse.. they have very helpful staff.. You can perhaps have the knives laser etched?

[Zedbra]

If they are at all superstitious, then giving knives as a wedding gift signifies a broken relationship. I like the idea - two nice ones should do the trick.

These guys are local (father and son): https://northarmknives.com/

Peter can make you anything you can think of - very high quality: http://www.marzknives.com/

[Traum]

Originally Posted by hud 91gt

Price range will be between $800-1600. Price is flexible, but this is our guideline.

Damn... am I the only one here with a $19.99 chef's knife + a $9.99 santoku knife and that's it?

[haulin oats]

I have three Kramer carbon steel knives I got at sur la table. Absolutely amazing, and hold an edge incredibly well. However, each knife was approx $300 usd.

[604778]

Mac knives are my go to. Japanese blade, German handle. I got a 8" chef knife, bread knife, pairing knife.

Good spot to check out is Ming Wo in Chinatown.

[donk.]

enters thread thinking going to read basic knife shit

opens link for 1.5k knives......

[Timpo]

are you guys talking about cooking knives?

[westopher]

If you want to nerd out, go to knifewear. Masakage Mizu is a good starting point. Cheap handle, great steel, cheap knife.
I'd avoid shun. They are overpriced, and more about flash than actual substance. I hate their handles as well.
Mac's are nice but pricey.
Globals are decent, relatively cheap and on sale for a chef/pairing knife combo @ ming wo right now.
Stay away from henckel. Pure trash.
Heres what my Mizu petty knife and a cheap cleaver did on tuesday. dry aged beef long loin turned into 6 40oz striploins, 11 tenderloins and 16 sirloins. Not pictured is the pichana I pulled off as well.
Untitled by Chris West, on Flickr
Untitled by Chris West, on Flickr
Untitled by Chris West, on Flickr

[impulseX]

late to the party here, but I agree with keeping it to a bare minimum.

went to school and worked in the industry, and still to this day, all I ever need is my chef's knife and paring knife. and if needed, i'll use my boning knife and in the very odd occasion, my bread knife.

[CCA-Dave]

While it's true you only need 2/3 good knives, if you have the knowledge on how to keep them well maintained, the truth is most homes end up with more. _Most_ people are going to end up with either a knife block or a magnetic knife board (depending on the kitchen) so may I suggest what I think is a fantastic knife block?


https://www.amazon.ca/Kapoosh-Knife-.../dp/B000Q4I9LM

It's beauty because you aren't limited to a particular number or variety of knives, so for a newly married couple who may get mismatched sets, or want to keep a pair of scissors in the kitchen, or, or, or. It's awesomely flexible. Friends of mine have had theirs for years, so I know they are long lasting.

I keep my good knives in mine, as well as a colourful set of knives that every visitor is drawn to use. Keeps my good knives for me only without having to hide them anywhere.

-Dave

[djstyles]

Originally Posted by impulseX

went to school and worked in the industry, and still to this day, all I ever need is my chef's knife and paring knife. and if needed, i'll use my boning knife and in the very odd occasion, my bread knife.

I was also a cook for many years and totally agree with you. I would say my preference is a 10in Chefs, 6in paring/utility knife, and 10 inch bread knife were just fine for 90% of kitchen work. That still couldn't stop me being impulsive and buying more throughout my career though.