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I love to cook and do so often. About 10 years ago my father gave me a set of Henckel (single gray guy, forged, riveted, spain), The following year I bought him the Wusthoff Grand Prix (molded handle,forged). Anyway I like them both with the Henckel being a little stiffer, thats also the one I use because its at my home. What do you guys (or gals) use in the kitchen and how do you like them?

I do want to get a sushi knife as a double edge knife doesnt work well for sushi. The Shun line seems to be top notch, pretty sure thats what Gordon Ramsay endorsed prior to Royal Doulton retaining his endorsement.

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When I cooked for a living I picked up a set of wood handled Lamson Sharp knives. Still have them and it's been close to 20 years since I stepped foot in a professional kitchen. I love them. I've had them professionally sharpened maybe 3 times. I just tune them on a steel. They do get used. Honestly my wife uses them and beats the crap out of them. They're just a great set of knives.

 

For a sushi knife, I'm out. Never had a need for one. I'd probably get a nice ceramic if I could find one as it wouldn't be something that I would use a lot. Good luck!

 

C

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Home knives are all Henckles, some going back 30 years with an array of inexpensive Chinese carbon steel Tong Ma's {Clevers} over the years.

My Knife roll that has traveled with me for the past 20 years holds a 10 inch Global chefs,8 inch Henckles chefs,8 inch Misino Nikiri and a Global paring knife.

 

Nothing is more disheartening than going on vacation or cooking at a friends house and being faced with dull knives or even worse... dull premium knives in that ubiquitous wooden block perched on the kitchen counter like some trophy to your "good taste".

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If you are looking for good quality knives at a decent price, the Chicago Cutlery Centurion line is well reviewed: http://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Cutlery-Centurion-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B000277Y96

 

These knives are also a great bang for the buck: http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Fibrox-8-Inch-47520-5-2063-20/dp/B000638D32

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I went to culinary school, a very prestigious one in RI. I personally use Henckel, hands down one of the best high carbon steel kitchen knives in the world. #1 choice of most professional chef's. I also have a set of F. Dick's, Henckel is the Mercedes Benz of knives & F. Dick is the BMW. It's personal preference between the two. Stainless steel knives are for amateurs, and cannot be re sharpened. If your looking for real knives those are the two German brands to look at.

http://www.fdick-cutlery.com/

 

http://www.j-a-henckels.com/en-US

 

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Home knives are all Henckles, some going back 30 years with an array of inexpensive Chinese carbon steel Tong Ma's {Clevers} over the years.

My Knife roll that has traveled with me for the past 20 years holds a 10 inch Global chefs,8 inch Henckles chefs,8 inch Misino Nikiri and a Global paring knife.

 

Nothing is more disheartening than going on vacation or cooking at a friends house and being faced with dull knives or even worse... dull premium knives in that ubiquitous wooden block perched on the kitchen counter like some trophy to your "good taste".

 

i keep mine in the wooden block next to stove, but they are rarely dull. Funny you said that because I cooked a meal at my buddies house one night. I was pleased to find a partial set of henkel next to the stove in a block. Very disappointed when I tried to slice the rare deer loin thin and found that his knives would struggle with warm cream cheese. Not to mention s few bent and one broken tip. I scolded him and his wife and ended up taking the knives to my shop the next day to sharpen.

 

I thought I should also mention I have a 8" Dexter stiff fillet knife, sharpens very well and holds a edge fair.

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Does anyone own or ever use Buck kitchen knives. I saw them one time several years ago. I dont think Buck makes them anymore, not sure if they ever did or just branded their name on them. Looked very nice but I never tried them.

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You win for the most ridiculous thing I've read on the intarwebs today!

Stainless steel knives are not designed to be re sharpened. They're sharpened once from the manufacturer by machine, and are supposed to stay sharp for the life of the knife then thrown away once they dull. Hi carbon steel is soft in comparison and can be re sharpened hundreds of times over with a stone. A "steel" can also be used between sharpenings to true the edge. Neither a normal tri stone or a steel will work on stainless knives to sharpen or maintain an edge. This is something I know a bit about. I spent 45 days my freshman year learning how to select, use, & maintain kitchen knives. I spent years being trained by some of the best in the business, none of them use a stainless steel knife.

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Stainless steel knives are not designed to be re sharpened. They're sharpened once from the manufacturer by machine, and are supposed to stay sharp for the life of the knife then thrown away once they dull. Hi carbon steel is soft in comparison and can be re sharpened hundreds of times over with a stone. A "steel" can also be used between sharpenings to true the edge. Neither a normal tri stone or a steel will work on stainless knives to sharpen or maintain an edge. This is something I know a bit about. I spent 45 days my freshman year learning how to select, use, & maintain kitchen knives. I spent years being trained by some of the best in the business, none of them use a stainless steel knife.

To qualify that particular statement one would have to actually determine the percentage of each component that makes up "Stainless Steel" as some SS blades are actually softer than your beloved Hi carbon steel blades and therefore by your own logic and " 45 days and years being trained by some of the best in the business" would actually hold up better to resharpening.

 

I like Global Knives and have used them for many years....their components make them some of not only the hardest but also the most brittle Stainless Steel stamped blades on the market and used by a cadre of kitchen whores in the industry... my chefs has been resharpened at least 7 times, the most recent by Rudy's in Point Pleasant to a razor sharp edge using a traditional wet stone.

You Sir....know not of what you speak.....

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Of course stainless can be sharpened, some stainless is harder to sharpen than others...I just picked up a Worksharp Ken Onion because I have an Elmax blade that is a real bitch to sharpen with stones

 

Both the F.Dick and Henckels use stainless extensively, possibly exclusively. Shun too.

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Stainless steel knives are not designed to be re sharpened. They're sharpened once from the manufacturer by machine, and are supposed to stay sharp for the life of the knife then thrown away once they dull. Hi carbon steel is soft in comparison and can be re sharpened hundreds of times over with a stone. A "steel" can also be used between sharpenings to true the edge. Neither a normal tri stone or a steel will work on stainless knives to sharpen or maintain an edge. This is something I know a bit about. I spent 45 days my freshman year learning how to select, use, & maintain kitchen knives. I spent years being trained by some of the best in the business, none of them use a stainless steel knife.

 

Then you spent a lot of time learning extremely incorrect things. Extremely. As in totally wrong. A good carbon steel is easier to sharpen than a good stainless steel, but do you think those machines that sharpen them do so with something other than an abrasive you could also use yourself?

 

Are finely serrated knives not meant to be sharpened? Pretty much, but can't be sharpened because stainless? Just.. wow. 

 

Ceramic now, yeah that uses lasers usually to sharpen them. They are disposable more or less. 

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I prefer my Shun chef's & santoku knives. Ergonomic handle, very light, and balanced. My Henckels doesn't get much use after switching to Shun.

Shun produces excellent blades IMHO but I choke my knives so a ergonomic handle actually  works against me.

The callous on my right index finger from the years of fine work will not accept the Shun's cut out....

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Then you spent a lot of time learning extremely incorrect things. Extremely. As in totally wrong. A good carbon steel is easier to sharpen than a good stainless steel, but do you think those machines that sharpen them do so with something other than an abrasive you could also use yourself?

 

Are finely serrated knives not meant to be sharpened? Pretty much, but can't be sharpened because stainless? Just.. wow.

 

Ceramic now, yeah that uses lasers usually to sharpen them. They are disposable more or less.

No one in a professional kitchen has that kind of time. Every pro kitchen has a tri stone to hone you knives quickly. Time is money. One place I worked had a knife service that would pick up all the knives weekly, and exchange them for sharpened knives. We didn't use them, the waitress used those knives to make salads. They took the abuse they put them through. Everyone cooking used a high carbon knife at every restaurant I ever worked in. For exactly the reason I listed above.

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No one in a professional kitchen has that kind of time. Every pro kitchen has a tri stone to hone you knives quickly. Time is money. One place I worked had a knife service that would pick up all the knives weekly, and exchange them for sharpened knives. We didn't use them, the waitress used those knives to make salads. They took the abuse they put them through. Everyone cooking used a high carbon knife at every restaurant I ever worked in. For exactly the reason I listed above.

That's a far, far cry from not being able to be sharpened, which was a stupid statement and untrue.

 

Choosing carbon steel because the choices are crap stainless or good stainless that takes a while to sharpen is semi rational and about a jillion miles from justifying the statement that stainless can't be sharpened.

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That's a far, far cry from not being able to be sharpened, which was a stupid statement and untrue.

 

Choosing carbon steel because the choices are crap stainless or good stainless that takes a while to sharpen is semi rational and about a jillion miles from justifying the statement that stainless can't be sharpened.

"Can't be sharpened easily, in 30 seconds without power tools" fixed it for ya.

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"Can't be sharpened easily, in 30 seconds without power tools" fixed it for ya.

 

 

Not trying to get into a spat, but I sharpen SS and carbon daily for a living and they go back with a sharper and more precise edge then they where new.

Both can be sharpened over, and over and thinned and sharpened and thinned and sharpened and shaped and fixed.

The Stainless edge is never the same, infact, it's better.

 

If anything, Carbon is harder to maintain overall, thus the popularity of SS knives.

 

The term Stainless Steel is very broad, and the hardness and quality vary according to the ingredients. Stainless is any knife with Chromium in it.

There are also many Carbon Stainless Steels. In fact, the majority now are high carbon Stainless Steel ... Henckels, Wustoffs etc.

 

BTW, you're never going to sharpen any knife quickly.

You can hone them quickly, but not sharpen them.

 

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I love to cook and do so often. About 10 years ago my father gave me a set of Henckel (single gray guy, forged, riveted, spain), The following year I bought him the Wusthoff Grand Prix (molded handle,forged). Anyway I like them both with the Henckel being a little stiffer, thats also the one I use because its at my home. What do you guys (or gals) use in the kitchen and how do you like them?

I do want to get a sushi knife as a double edge knife doesnt work well for sushi. The Shun line seems to be top notch, pretty sure thats what Gordon Ramsay endorsed prior to Royal Doulton retaining his endorsement.

sam,

I'm not a big fan of Shuns.

Only because they don't have their VG-10 down, it has air pockets, thus chips as it wears.

 

Other than that, they are great for a variety of uses, but, IMHO, overpriced for what they are,

You're paying for the look.

Just my 2 cents.

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Stainless steel knives are not designed to be re sharpened. They're sharpened once from the manufacturer by machine, and are supposed to stay sharp for the life of the knife then thrown away once they dull. Hi carbon steel is soft in comparison and can be re sharpened hundreds of times over with a stone. A "steel" can also be used between sharpenings to true the edge. Neither a normal tri stone or a steel will work on stainless knives to sharpen or maintain an edge. This is something I know a bit about. I spent 45 days my freshman year learning how to select, use, & maintain kitchen knives. I spent years being trained by some of the best in the business, none of them use a stainless steel knife.

Whomever told you that SS is harder than high carbon steel is very misinformed or you misunderstood. Im not a Chef but I am a schooled machinist. The cheep SS knives are generally 300 series (austenitic) thats very soft in comparison to tool (high carbon) steel. The reason they are challenging to get a good edge is because the edge folds over when rubbed with a stone. They are very soft due to nickel content. 400 series like that better blades are made from is difficult to sharpen because its resistant to abrasion due to chromium. The combination of carbon and iron along with chromium and nickel give both edge retention and chemical resistance. 

Commercial kitchens and butchers (that I have seen) use dextor or victorinox with carbon blades and molded handles. Best cost vs edge quality.Those of us that want a fine blade for home use are not concerned about cost because we dont replace them only a weekly basis. A good set of knives for most of us will literally last a lifetime. They are made from carbon steel with the addition of chromium, often proprietary alloys.

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I have a set of Shun Ken Onion...awesome knives and blows Wusthoff and Henckels away.

I would love to try Shun. Never had the chance. I cant see them being better for chopping. But, I think thay could improve on Henkles heavy blade for boning and other fine tasks.

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Whomever told you that SS is harder than high carbon steel is very misinformed or you misunderstood. Im not a Chef but I am a schooled machinist. The cheep SS knives are generally 300 series (austenitic) thats very soft in comparison to tool (high carbon) steel. The reason they are challenging to get a good edge is because the edge folds over when rubbed with a stone. They are very soft due to nickel content. 400 series like that better blades are made from is difficult to sharpen because its resistant to abrasion due to chromium. The combination of carbon and iron along with chromium and nickel give both edge retention and chemical resistance.

Commercial kitchens and butchers (that I have seen) use dextor or victorinox with carbon blades and molded handles. Best cost vs edge quality.Those of us that want a fine blade for home use are not concerned about cost because we dont replace them only a weekly basis. A good set of knives for most of us will literally last a lifetime. They are made from carbon steel with the addition of chromium, often proprietary alloys.

Good info.

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I always used my mom's Ontario Old Hickory knives growing up. I loved the wood handles and patina on the steel. My dad spent many a Saturday teaching me how to sharpen them. I was just looking at a set on Amazon to replace a set of Wusthofs with failing handles. My wife now agrees that they should only be hand washed and not run through the dishwasher. Any opinions on the Ontarios?

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