Reddit reviews Set of Two 6.5" Kiwi Brand Chef Knives # 172

Out of curiosity I checked, you can get 2 for a little more than 10 bucks now!

buy 60 kiwi knives.

https://www.amazon.com/Kiwi-Brand-Chef-Knives-172/dp/B008QPBPLO

It's a vegetable knife, it's actually super cheap from amazon. I got it a yard sale for a few euros, and as long as I keep it sharp it's really nice to chop vegetables, and I use it just like a Santoku.

Cook's Illustrated has a lot of reviews of kitchen items, including knives. I have the magazine somewhere, and they chose one of the Victorinox Chef's Knives as their best value - performed almost as well as the higher-end knives but only $30 (at the time). I believe it's this one that's currently $40 on Amazon. The link above goes directly to their summary of their chef's knife criteria/testing, though unfortunately you need to subscribe to get full access to the website etc. etc. They do have a very thorough description of what they look for in a knife, and might help you in your general "What should I look for in a knife" question.

I've heard from multiple places that the average user only really needs 3 knives: a chef's knife, a paring knife, and a bread knife. I think bread knives are pretty hard to mess up - I just bought a bagel knife from my local superstore and called it a day. My current set of knives is actually a set of Kiwi knives that are very nice and sharp, but were really cheap at my local Asian store. I have this for my chef's knife (bought for $4 + tax) and this for my paring knife (bought for $2 + tax). They've served me well so far, and like I said, they're nice and sharp (though my paring knife has dulled since my roommate ran it through the dishwasher :( ). The only thing I dislike about them is that they're on the thin side. While I wouldn't call them flimsy, I am a bit afraid to use my Kiwi knives on something more difficult, like cutting up a pineapple. They do great on my veggies, though. If you have an Asian supermarket near you, maybe check if they have them?

I picked up a $39 John booze maple cutting board at bed bath and beyond… It would’ve been cheaper if I remembered my coupon but I never remember my coupon...

My current knife collection is a hodgepodge of cheaper knives that I bought at thrift shops, junk stores, or hand me downs that I was given.( I cook for a living and didn’t have time to wait to get all of my stuff shipped back from California !) And let me make one thing clear - A cheap little Rada Knife sharpener (https://www.amazon.com/Rada-Cutlery-Quick-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B001692XPE)

This will give you more mileage on your old dull knives! I would spend more money on a good knife sharpener then I would on getting “good knives” if they are still comfortable in your hand. Remember a knife is only as good as your willingness to keep it sharp. This little device will do the job!

Want to get more mileage for your knife spending dollar? Look at Kiwi knives!

https://www.amazon.com/Kiwi-Brand-Chef-Knives-172/dp/B008QPBPLO
(SUPERSHARP & VERY cheap knives...)

I did just find a really good deal on a Japanese style rubber cutting board… Those are really worth looking at - very amazing!

So with all due respect to the other commenters who insist that you will need to spend a lot of money I say poppycock! You just need to either sharpen what you have or buy within your budget.

Depends on your background but "Learning to cook" is overstated.

There are produce, you heat them, you eat them. It's that simple.
Then comes the variations :

• cuttings ( slice, dice, julienne, etc..)
  
  
• cooking
  there are basically 2 big family of cooking:
  
  
• by concentration when you keep the nutrients inside your food by heating them quickly (roasting, sauté, steamed, fried)
  
  
• by expansion when you transfer the nutrients in the fluid you cook, starting cold.
  
  The whole cooking traditions in every culture in every continents can be translated in these principle.
  
  Even if you become efficient, you may want to start cooking in advance and freeze or can it /r/canning.
  
  On a practical note I would suggest you to buy:
  
  
• a proper large cutting board
  
  
• an 8$ kiwi brand knife cheap, easy to sharpen ( yet I didn't have to in 5 years ). cover 90% kitchen needs.
  
  then if you can afford it :
  
  
• a hand mixer (or a quarter or more capacity blender, thermomix even better)
  
  
• a pot with a steam basket
  
  
• cast iron, carbon steel or enamel pans. edit after zippy's comment: or ceramic coated pan best quality/price/harmlessness/asspain free ratio
  
  
• 2 or 3 various sized stainless saucepan.
  
  All these things will last a lifetime, on any source of heat, with no chemicals in it.
  
  You can buy all that from professional catering industry supplier ( like [METRO] in continental EU. ) for a fraction of what you find in retail store, or even amazon.

A good chefs knife.

I also highly recommend getting some Kiwi Brand knives. They are super cheap but I swear they are the best knives in my kitchen. You can get them at most Asian supermarkets.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008QPBPLO/ref=pd_aw_fbt_79_img_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=G3WBB2X3YAPTHJ06BBW9

Kiwi nakiris. They're super cheap and you can abuse these knives because a) they're pretty tough and b) if they break so what?

Still, they're made of very cheap materials so don't expect them to perform and miracles.

If I'm looking for a cheap knife that actually decent, Kiwi are my go to cheap knives

https://www.amazon.com/Kiwi-Brand-Chef-Knives-172/dp/B008QPBPLO

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00549RFIC/ref=s9_dcacsd_dcoop_bw_c_x_3_w

I've been using Kiwi knives for years. They are incredibly cheap and razor sharp. I buy them at Asian supermarkets for around $5, but they can be found on the internet too (for a little more money). I own the square santoku, the pairing knife, and the pointy slightly curved one. Coupled with a diamond steel I bought at home depot a decade ago I spent less than $50 total. The edge on these knives is very thin and easily damaged (like a razor), but this was only a problem when I lived with roommates who would jam my knives in with the silverware in the dish rack...not so much with proper handling. I made blade covers out of cereal box cardboard and scotch tape when we were traveling in our rv, and I keep them in a knife block when I'm at home.

I also own a few really expensive knives from my cheffing days. I originally bought the Kiwi knives so I wouldn't care about them getting ruined by improper handling, now the fancy stuff just stays in the block.

edit:also worth noting is that I have never sharpened these knives (6+years), but I do use the diamond steel on them about once a week.

I've been playing around with a Kiwi nakiri. It's very nimble and actually cuts quite well. You wouldn't have to worry about it since they are basically disposable at $5 each. Plus it is very lightweight and should be easy to stowaway in your luggage.

You want a kiwi knife. If you live near an Asian grocery store, you can find them for even less...

They're super sharp and handle very well. I almost always turn to it over my Victorinox that cost almost four times as much.