Knife Set

kmwrestle · Mar 11, 2011

Looking to buy a knife set, willing to invest a good amount but looking for it as this is my knife set I dont need to worry about replacing them anytime in the forseeable future

I would like a :
chefs knife
pairing knife
bread knife
slicing knife
utility knife
Santoku

What are your reccomendations?

SField · Mar 11, 2011

Originally Posted by kmwrestle

Looking to buy a knife set, willing to invest a good amount but looking for it as this is my knife set I dont need to worry about replacing them anytime in the forseeable future I would like a : chefs knife pairing knife bread knife slicing knife utility knife Santoku What are your reccomendations?
As has been written in countless threads about knives; Buy a chef's knife and a good pairing knife. Then go take some basic courses at a Williams and Sonoma or a cooking school. You do not need the others really. Bread knife, maybe, but as I recall you're trying to lose weight so I don't know if that's part of your plan. Slicing knife is legitimate, but utility knife and santoku are useless to you. All you need with even passable technique are 2 knives.

Hombre Secreto · Mar 11, 2011

Don't bother. I bought a nice Wusthof piece set a couple of years ago for $300 and totally regret it. Unless you're in the industry... you don't need much knives.

mordecai · Mar 11, 2011

hey, so long as this is up, what is the difference between a shun chef's nice and a shun cook's knife? do they function more or less the same?

kmwrestle · Mar 11, 2011

Obviously I don't need all those knifes, but lets face it this forum is all about excess. No one NEEDs 1/2 the stuff we talk about on here.

Listed is what I want. I want to get a set of the above knives and be done. I don't want to be at a point in a year or 2 I wish I had this knife.

I was thinking shun elites, but i'm reading that shun discontinued the line, and is getting rid of the free sharpening for april 1. This may be a deal breaker.

Is the shun elites the best out there, or is there a better alternative?

SField · Mar 11, 2011

Originally Posted by mordecai

hey, so long as this is up, what is the difference between a shun chef's nice and a shun cook's knife? do they function more or less the same?

Cook's knife is shorter and has a bigger belly. Your hand and technique determine how well they function.

Unless you're really good I'd say go with an 8" knife.

mordecai · Mar 11, 2011

Originally Posted by SField

Cook's knife is shorter and has a bigger belly. Your hand and technique determine how well they function. Unless you're really good I'd say go with an 8" knife.
I have a 7" Cooks and no technique really. Going to take a little class soon. It was a gift, but I love it. My carrots feel like polished glass after I cut them.

Originally Posted by kmwrestle

but lets face it this forum is all about excess.
no

mm84321 · Mar 11, 2011

Originally Posted by SField

Bread knife, maybe, but as I recall you're trying to lose weight so I don't know if that's part of your plan.

An 8 inch chef's knife and pairing knife will allow you to do most anything you need to in the kitchen. Invest in Shun.

SField · Mar 11, 2011

Originally Posted by kmwrestle

Obviously I don't need all those knifes, but lets face it this forum is all about excess. No one NEEDs 1/2 the stuff we talk about on here.

Listed is what I want. I want to get a set of the above knives and be done. I don't want to be at a point in a year or 2 I wish I had this knife.

I was thinking shun elites, but i'm reading that shun discontinued the line, and is getting rid of the free sharpening for april 1. This may be a deal breaker.

Is the shun elites the best out there, or is there a better alternative?

For mass market knives, I'd say Shun are quite good. I prefer their western style knives to the german makers. They're quite sharp. Some don't like the grips. If I were you, I'd get the Kaji line with the western grip.

But no, Shun are not anywhere close to being the best. To get the "best", or brands that could reasonably make that contention, you'd be spending like $500 just on a gyoto/chef's knife, and that's sort of a minimum. I have a Nenox that I got a little while back.

Honestly Shun Elite is even overkill for 95% of home cooks, but if you must have it, go for it. I'd recommend going with the Kaji, however.

SField · Mar 11, 2011

Originally Posted by mordecai

I have a 7" Cooks and no technique really. Going to take a little class soon. It was a gift, but I love it. My carrots feel like polished glass after I cut them.

This means that it works for you. Believe it or not one of the things I do when I test a knife is seeing the ease with which it glides through a tomato, and I feel the surface of the cut fruit.

A class on knife technique will really help you. Like matt said, most people use knives that are too big. I only have a 10" because I'm used to it, and at one time needed the size to handle the volume for mise.

kmwrestle · Mar 11, 2011

By best I meant in the price range. For the sake of this thread lets say im trying to stay under 1000

Hombre Secreto · Mar 11, 2011

Just buy a Global and a steel. With the rest of the money buy some cooking classes and cook books. Don't get why you have to have the "best" knives out there, but if you must go ahead.

SField · Mar 11, 2011

Originally Posted by kmwrestle

By best I meant in the price range. For the sake of this thread lets say im trying to stay under 1000
For that I'd recommend Shun Kaji. However if you were going to be style forum about it, I'd rather spend that money on a chef's knife and a slicer, and get heavily discounted pairing and bread knives. Many people just use Victorinox and some Wusthoff or whatever bread knife for like $50. I'd spend all the money on the chef knife, that is if you had the Style Forum mentality. Shun, in the "kitchen world", is considered to be like Louis Vuitton, so it doesn't have much cachet with people who know about or collect knives. It's sort of thought of as something that suburban housewives buy. It didn't stop me, but I did spend better money recently on better knives.

kwilkinson · Mar 11, 2011

Originally Posted by kmwrestle

Obviously I don't need all those knifes, but lets face it this forum is all about excess. No one NEEDs 1/2 the stuff we talk about on here.

Listed is what I want. I want to get a set of the above knives and be done. I don't want to be at a point in a year or 2 I wish I had this knife.

I was thinking shun elites, but i'm reading that shun discontinued the line, and is getting rid of the free sharpening for april 1. This may be a deal breaker.

Is the shun elites the best out there, or is there a better alternative?

Asking for recommendations for a set of knives is like asking if Rubinacci would be the best tailor for you to replace a button. It just isn't that practical, and isn't that useful. Sure, it'd be cool to say that you had a famous tailor replace a button for you, but beyond that, there's no point.

mm84321 · Mar 11, 2011

Originally Posted by SField

For that I'd recommend Shun Kaji.

However if you were going to be style forum about it, I'd rather spend that money on a chef's knife and a slicer, and get heavily discounted pairing and bread knives. Many people just use Victorinox and some Wusthoff or whatever bread knife for like $50. I'd spend all the money on the chef knife, that is if you had the Style Forum mentality.

Shun, in the "kitchen world", is considered to be like Louis Vuitton, so it doesn't have much cachet with people who know about or collect knives. It's sort of thought of as something that suburban housewives buy. It didn't stop me, but I did spend better money recently on better knives.

If I were to invest in "the one" chef's knife, looking to spend perhaps $400-$600, what would you suggest? Currently all my knives are Shun, and they work just fine, but my Chef's knife has gotten seriously abused from overuse that I'm thinking of upgrading.

Knife Set

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