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Topic: Knives  (Read 3978 times)

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Re: Knives
« Reply #15 on: January 10, 2008, 06:39:33 AM »
I was just at my mom's house, and she has terrible knives. I couldn't believe how much more effort it took to prepare a meal.

I only have 1 good knife, but i take it with me when i cook at the IL's... her knives are beyond bad!  And blunt knives are dangerous, too!


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Re: Knives
« Reply #16 on: January 10, 2008, 09:01:06 AM »
I have an F. Dick chef's knife that I love. Those are used by most culinary schools in the US but, for some reason, not so much in people's homes. It's fantastic. The rest of my knives are a moderately-priced set in a block. They could be better, but there's nothing wrong with them.

I have been taught that you can't actually sharpen a knife. What you're doing when you "sharpen" is to just remove the miniscule metal particles that build up on the blade through use. So, yes, it'll seem sharper afterwards, but it won't actually be sharper - just cleaner.
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Re: Knives
« Reply #17 on: January 10, 2008, 10:59:52 AM »
My father-in-law was a butcher and he likes to cook.  He has great knives at their house and he always sharpens them so they work well.  There are several grades of sharpening stone you can use.  Alternatively you can use a steel.  You need to get the angle of the edge just right for sharpening.  But it definitely pays to sharpen!  Of course you need a reasonably good (non-serated) knife to begin with.  We have a Victorinox that we like.
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Re: Knives
« Reply #18 on: January 10, 2008, 01:15:35 PM »
I have a lovely set of Wusthof Trident Knives and they are brilliant, they are almost 10 years old and they look brand new, I sharpen the up once in a while and they make cooking a real pleasure, I also have a Santuku Knife, which is quite small and I really do love it. You will only have to buy one set of knives your whole life, so don't scrimp on them. I threw one of my paring knives away by accident and I got a replacement on Amazon.co.uk. Spend the money...you won't regret it. Costco has some good sets if you can get there, I think they carry Global. To be honest, good knives don't have to be a brand name...


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Re: Knives
« Reply #19 on: January 10, 2008, 10:36:59 PM »
I have an F. Dick chef's knife that I love. Those are used by most culinary schools in the US but, for some reason, not so much in people's homes. It's fantastic. The rest of my knives are a moderately-priced set in a block. They could be better, but there's nothing wrong with them.

I have been taught that you can't actually sharpen a knife. What you're doing when you "sharpen" is to just remove the miniscule metal particles that build up on the blade through use. So, yes, it'll seem sharper afterwards, but it won't actually be sharper - just cleaner.

I'm not too far from some culinary schools, would I be able to buy it from there do you think?

I was wondering about the sharpening, it does make sense what you say, otherwise the professional sharpening every year wouldn't be necessary, right?

I have a lovely set of Wusthof Trident Knives and they are brilliant, they are almost 10 years old and they look brand new, I sharpen the up once in a while and they make cooking a real pleasure, I also have a Santuku Knife, which is quite small and I really do love it. You will only have to buy one set of knives your whole life, so don't scrimp on them. I threw one of my paring knives away by accident and I got a replacement on Amazon.co.uk. Spend the money...you won't regret it. Costco has some good sets if you can get there, I think they carry Global. To be honest, good knives don't have to be a brand name...

I don't have Costco, but I have Sam's Club. I can check that out.

I took the suggestion of the trial membership to Cook's Illustrated and they were highly recommending a brand called Forschner. Looking at This site it seems like it's by Victorinox and they are very reasonably priced. It even beats many of the pricier brands on the Cook's Illustrated reviews. I think I'll check them out too.


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Re: Knives
« Reply #20 on: January 10, 2008, 11:10:16 PM »
I'm not too far from some culinary schools, would I be able to buy it from there do you think?

I was wondering about the sharpening, it does make sense what you say, otherwise the professional sharpening every year wouldn't be necessary, right?

I bought my cook's knife from the culinary school where I took my knife class, and they gave a very nice student discount. Might be a nice gift idea to get a knife, and a certificate for a knife skills class.

The professional sharpening is done with a whetstone so it is different from just using a steel at home. Not sure if that's the difference between sharpening and cleaning??
« Last Edit: January 10, 2008, 11:12:07 PM by kate_mate »


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Re: Knives
« Reply #21 on: January 10, 2008, 11:31:53 PM »
This exchange reminds of The Shining, with Jack Nicholson. :)


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Re: Knives
« Reply #22 on: January 11, 2008, 01:21:10 AM »
I bought my cook's knife from the culinary school where I took my knife class, and they gave a very nice student discount. Might be a nice gift idea to get a knife, and a certificate for a knife skills class.

The professional sharpening is done with a whetstone so it is different from just using a steel at home. Not sure if that's the difference between sharpening and cleaning??

I would like to know the proper techniques for this stuff, so maybe. But that would have to be a while, my birthday isn't until May.

ETA: Johnson and Wales is having a knife skills class next Saturday. I talked to DB and he said that it can be an early birthday present.  :)
« Last Edit: January 11, 2008, 02:11:08 AM by Belita »


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Re: Knives
« Reply #23 on: January 11, 2008, 02:38:32 AM »
I have a paring knife that I have had since 1967 that I would be lost without. I found it in a house that I moved into that had to be cleaned.
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Re: Knives
« Reply #24 on: January 11, 2008, 03:31:55 AM »
Henckels are great knives. If you feel you can't afford a whole set, you can but them one at a time. If you have good knives, keep them sharp, and take care of and clean them properly you should have them for a long time.

Good luck


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Re: Knives
« Reply #25 on: January 11, 2008, 09:42:02 AM »
I would like to know the proper techniques for this stuff, so maybe. But that would have to be a while, my birthday isn't until May.

That's the one I took! The J&W class! It was fab!!! They had us boning chickens so fast, it was incredible!  :)

You'll love it!

P.S.  They gave us each as F. Dick chef's knife for paying for/taking the class, but I'm not sure if they still do that - this was 5+ years ago.
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Re: Knives
« Reply #26 on: January 11, 2008, 12:51:23 PM »
ETA: Johnson and Wales is having a knife skills class next Saturday. I talked to DB and he said that it can be an early birthday present.  :)

Jealous!!  Have a great time!  I also will sing the praises of Wusthof and Henckel.  I have a Henckel set and a single Wusthof.  Love them both!
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Re: Knives
« Reply #27 on: January 11, 2008, 10:03:22 PM »
That's the one I took! The J&W class! It was fab!!! They had us boning chickens so fast, it was incredible!  :)

You'll love it!

P.S.  They gave us each as F. Dick chef's knife for paying for/taking the class, but I'm not sure if they still do that - this was 5+ years ago.

I saw that you took it at J&W and I was wondering which class it was that gave you that knife! I hope, hope, hope they still do that!!! I can't wait until next week, that would more than repay for the price of the class if they do!!!

I've talked to a few people at work and they all think it's a great idea and want me to give them tips after it. Unfortunately the ones who would want to go are either pregnant and saving for baby or don't have enough money to go.  :(

I must admit. I went to Bed Bath &Beyond today after work and didn't like the Henckels. They just didn't feel as nice in my hands as the Wustof and the Calphalon ones I tried. I think I liked the Calphalon Katana series knives I felt the best. I'm going to try to find a store that has Global and Forschner knives to see how I like them too. I prefered the handle on the Wustof chef's knife, but the Calphalon knives felt lighter and like they would be easier to work with.


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Re: Knives
« Reply #28 on: January 11, 2008, 10:06:07 PM »
I must admit. I went to Bed Bath &Beyond today after work and didn't like the Henckels. They just didn't feel as nice in my hands as the Wustof and the Calphalon ones I tried. I think I liked the Calphalon Katana series knives I felt the best. I'm going to try to find a store that has Global and Forschner knives to see how I like them too. I prefered the handle on the Wustof chef's knife, but the Calphalon knives felt lighter and like they would be easier to work with.

I remember from my J&W class that the instructor gave lots of good advice about what to look for in a knife. One of the things he said was that a lot of it is personal preference; i.e., what feels right in your hand, as you've just said. The best knife for one person might not be the best for another person. If you liked the Wustof and Calphalon, I'd wait for your class and ask the instructor what he/she thinks about those.

Have fun!
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Re: Knives
« Reply #29 on: January 11, 2008, 10:15:20 PM »
Thanks! I don't plan to buy anything until after the class. One of the things I didn't like about the Wustof paring knife was that the handle felt too small, but Alton Brown's show mentioned that you aren't supposed to hold knives the way I do, so if I'm holding it properly it might be just fine.

I can't wait!!  ;D


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