My first real knife

[Sherry]

My penny jar finally says I can now buy myself a real knife or two.
I'm not sure I understand some of the terminology such as hollow edged ???

Just being a home cook, I'm thinking I don't need indrustrial grade, Or do I ? Now that I have the proper bucks to invest in a knife (or two) I plan to own them for years. Do I really need to go over $100 for a good 6" or 8" chefs knife. I want both sizes. or at least a 5" and a 8"

I don't want to get carried away in a name...and spend bucks not needed to be spent.

Also I know I will need a steel....The one I have is almost smooth. Are we talking different grade levels? Is there a # to be looked for like you do in stainless steel pots?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

[chefBren]

Hi and welcome to the forums! No, you don't have to spend that much money for some nice knives. In fact JC Penny now sells Henckles. You can buy a Henckle chef knife, 8 incher I think for $20. If you take care of it, it'll last longer than you will.

[Mmm_Balut]

You shouldn't have to spend much to get a good knife. Watch out for the $20 Henkels though, they're nowhere near the same quality as the higher priced ones. $80 will get you an 8" chefs knife that will last you a long long time. Just browsing on Amazon, I found a 6" Wusthof classic chef's knife for $70. I get a Bed Bath and Beyond coupon once a month in the mail for 20% off any item, so keep an eye out for deals like that as well.

As for types of knives, instead of getting two chef's knives of similar lengths, you might also think about getting a chef's knife and a smaller utility knife. It'll probably be cheaper and will give you more options.

Steels, on the other hand, are pretty straightforward. I just picked up a diamond steel for $25 and I love it. I prefer the oval shaped ones instead of the standard circular shape, but it's really up to you.

[ChineseCook]

Hi Sherry,

If you mention you're for home cooking, just invest a moderate amount of money. Its not necessary to spend a big sum on knife. Some knife can be good quality, yet cheap, like what chefbren mention. I totally i agree. Just make sure when you purchase a knife. Hold and feel if the weight and grip is comfortable for u. Thats all. If you feel good with it. Buy it. Dont spend thousands on knives. For me, my only knife is a cleaver. It last for years

[Sherry]

A internet friend of mine said her daughters bought her a wusthof for $90 in dec..she is terrified to use a steel I'm not. she said she just now needs to find a place to sharpen it for her. She hasn't done any maintenance on it. If I put out the bucks I will do the maintenance.
I know not to use the guy down the street with a sign in the front yard

[Chefpolcyn]

How do you make a strawberry fan with a cleaver? Very slowly??

[Sherry]

LOL Chefpolcyn ... Ask Martin Yan how fast he can fan a strawberry with a clever...

[ChineseCook]

How do you make a strawberry fan with a cleaver? Very slowly??

Do not underestmiate the cleaver and art of chopping with a cleaver. Yes, I can make a strawberry fan in matter of seconds

[Rander]

These would be my suggestions for sub $100 dollar knives:

Mac Original 6.5" $35.00 Mac Knives
Tojiro Chef Knife 7" $55.60 Japanese-Knife
Kiyotsuna Josaka 7" $85 Japan Woodworker

Then you have your Globals and Shun which are pretty much everywhere.

The thing that all these knives have in common is hard steel, hold an edge pretty well and are fairly light compared to their German counterparts.

Hope this helps.

[bjcotton]

Welcome Sherry. I do not wish to dispute Mmm Balut's statement; however, I agree with chefBren. I purchased a 6" Henkels Santoku chef knife and have found it to be an excellent knife. I paid $39.99 at their (Penney's) website with free shipping. I have that knife and a Wusthof Santoku that I paid almost $90 for. The main difference I see is the weight, the Wusthoff is heavier. As chefBren said, the Henkel knives at Penney's will last a lifetime if cared for properly.

[Spatchcock]

Welcome to c2c and have fun reading everyone debate about their favorite knifes. I have to agree with some of them that if you are going to be using it at home for your daily meals and not chopping for 200 people a night don't spend so much on the knives, 30-40 dollars is fine. if you have extra money you can buy other kitchen gadgets. I reccomend getting a microplane. I love mine.

[charliesangel]

Welcome Sherry
I recently purchased some new knives for the kitchen. One is a Mac Santuko, another is a Henckels (i think!) Santuko. Both are 6" knives. The Mac is my absolute favorite......lightweight & real nice to handle. If I was buying only one for home use, it would be my Mac! I LUV MY MAC!!!!!

[chefa1a]

here's as site for some affordable Japanese knifes

the 6 pc set is awesome for the money

www.watanabeblade.com/english

[Niftynorm]

Sherry, for more info than you will ever want - do a search on this site
about knives. My own personal opinion is for home use a good stamped knife is fine. For the cost of one wustoff, you can buy several Foshner/Victorinox knives. Good sources are PCD and Knife Merchant. Ideally if you can go to a kitchen store and try the knives for feel and heft, do it. For home use pick a 8" chefs, a serrated utility and a sharp paring knife. For sharpening I like a chefs choice unit.

[bjcotton]

After all is said and done, it's what YOU want in a knife. I have over 30 kitchen knives of various brands, some are cheap, some are expensive, but each knife was picked for a certain use and for a certain reason. As recommended above, I would go to a kitchen store (or a couple of them) and look over, heft, feel and make your own choice. We're all different.