(Part 3) Best cutlery & knife accessories according to redditors
We found 5,837 Reddit comments discussing the best cutlery & knife accessories. We ranked the 1,972 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 41-60. You can also go back to the previous section.
I have a limited edition Ken Onion Shun Rocker that I fucking love. At home I like to prep and cook slowly, and the glide of that thing on the cutting board is pretty relaxing.
My raw vegan sister tried to crack into a frozen durian with it and broke the tip off. She offered me "20 bucks or something" for it. I managed not to punch her in the nose and retipped it with a wet stone, but clearly it's never been the same.
Okay here's the score from someone who does a lot of knife work for a living and have used a lot of different knives over the years.
It's how you care for your knife. Not the knife itself, generally.
Not trying to shit on OP at all here, because he likes cool knives and ain't nothing wrong with that, but 99.9% of home cooks will never need a knife like the ones he's got there.
Get a well-reviewed, cheap, high carbon stainless steel chef's knife on Amazon, I'll drop some links here at the end. Carbon steel is strong and tensile and sharpens easily. The only issue, if you could call it that, is that it won't hold an edge as long as higher end knives. But the tradeoff is you get a knife that won't chip or break as easily.
What often happens with amateur cooks is, they buy a solid carbon steel blade, it loses it's edge after a few uses, and the buyer assumes it was another cheap dud.
Learn that honing a blade and sharpening a blade are different. A quick honing takes that "dull" knife back to razer sharp in moments when you know how to do it. Basically honing "resets" the edges, while sharpening grinds down a new edge entirely. Sharpening won't really need to happen more than once a year for home cooks. But I hone my knife before and after every job, if I can.
Here's Gordon Ramsay on how to hone your knife
https://youtu.be/SBn1i9YqN1k
Always dry your knives off and never put them in the dishwasher or sink to get dinged up. I see people just chuck their knives about or toss them in drawers or ugh knife blocks. Splurge on the blade guard for your particular knife, or make a makeshift one out of duct tape and cardboard (my favorite as it doesn't scratch the knife as some knife holders do).
Here are some links
my personal knife, a whopping $14
https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Millennia-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B000PS2XI4/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?keywords=mercer+knives&qid=1562486505&s=gateway&sprefix=mercer&sr=8-9
a little pricier at $45, but a lifetime piece if cared for well
https://www.amazon.com/J-HENCKELS-INTERNATIONAL-31161-201-Classic/dp/B00004RFMT/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=j.a.+henckels+chef+knife&qid=1562486690&s=gateway&sprefix=j.a.+henckles+chef&sr=8-3
honing steel
https://www.amazon.com/Utopia-Kitchen-Steel-Knife-Sharpening/dp/B071FC4GYN/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=honing+steel&qid=1562486000&s=gateway&sprefix=honing&sr=8-3
Yet another +1 for this knife, and definitely listen to /u/Butthole__Pleasures - these knives are ludicrously sharp. You will cut yourself straight to the bone if you aren't careful. I suggest getting a blade protector so you can keep it sharp.
Key things:
I've had this knife for about 4 years and it's still ridiculously sharp, the only thing I've used is the little ceramic rabbit ear things.
Hey I know it's not much, but, Bamboo Cutting Boards on Amazon.
I'll order them and send them to you, PM me your shipping info.
Yes, yes, it's horrible this idea. You can get some honing steel for less than $20 which is harder than your knife and won't destroy the blade.
This only hones (straightens) the blade which should be done every few weeks of usage, while sharpening, which removes some of the metal, should be done every year or so.
*wording
We are not vegetarian, but I do think that plant-based is are a good place for kids to start. we've had a lot of luck with Mollie Katzen's books. The youngest likes Pretend Soup and my daughter likes Honest Pretzels.
Also, while I do think kids should learn how to use a knife, if your kids are like my 4yo who would lose a finger or an eye within 30 seconds, these are great.
I copied my comment from another thread where I listed what he used that I could identify below. If you have any questions about technique I would be happy to try and answer them!
---
He's using a couple of things.
First, the white liquid is just some regular kitchen cleaner with a mild abrasive like soft scrub.
Next, the black whetstone looks like a welsh slate which is a type of natural whetstone. Could easily be something else, especially since welsh slates are usually rather high grit, but that was the first that came to mind. It could also be an oilstone, but they don't usually get muddy like the one he used did. Those are the only black whetstones I know of.
After the black stone he uses a rust eraser.
Next, the green block is honing compound. Green compound is usually around 1 micron.
Next, the progression of stones are all Shapton Pros.
Finally, he strops on this overprice Bob Kramer strop block.
---
What he's actually doing:
This is what I've used that either I've had for over a decade or else is obviously of good quality. Much of these have already been mentioned. You still have to know how to care for this stuff. Just because it can last your whole life, you can make it almost unusable if you don't know how to cook and abuse it.
The sharpeners you mention tend to do more damage than good. They are stripping metal from your knife. You do not want to do that often, only to give it an edge. A knife that seems blunt is not always missing an edge. More often it is just misaligned. That is what the honing steel is for. You can get a Wusthof one at Amazon for $24.
So get your knives professionally sharpened and maintain it with the honing steel. If you want to learn how to sharpen a knife, use a cheap one. Since you only need to sharpen once a year or so, you should not be practicing on your good knives.
Here is an Alton Brown video about knives maintenance.
Edit: Here is what will happen to your knife if you use those counter sharpeners too much: http://www.memagnus.com/wp/?p=71
Kiwi Flexible Thai Knife - $6.99 (Stainless)
A Kiwi will serve you well. You can find them at Asian markets, usually less than $10. They have a nice thin blade that's good for sushi, stays sharp and sharpens easily. I have a few $300+ knives in my bag and I still love my Kiwis.
> Are Wüsthof and J.A. Henckels much better than the Victorinox knives?
They mostly (if not always) use the same steel. Wüsthof and Henckels take it to a slightly higher hardness, but the main gains are, if you prefer them, a thicker forged blade, a full-length bolster all the way to the heel (at least for many models), and a full-tang handle with riveted grip slabs.
> Are there any obscure Japanese knifemakers I should know of that make exceptional Santoku knives?
There are many, but they tend to have exceptional price tags to match. One very nice santoku: https://www.amazon.com/Yoshihiro-Hayate-ZDP-189-Stainless-Santoku/dp/B00BCOXWDK/
Well-known Japanese makers make quite good santoku knives at a reasonable price. For example:
If you want a Western-style handle: https://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-DP-Santoku-6-7-17cm/dp/B000UAPQEA
If you want a Japanese-style handle: https://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-Finished-Shiro-ko-Kasumi-Santoku/dp/B000UAQORS/
A little bit more expensive, but better steel: https://www.amazon.com/Santoku-All-Purpose-Kitchen-Aogami-Kurouchi/dp/B014H28508/
A little bit bigger: https://www.amazon.com/Santoku-Kitchen-Aogami-Kurouchi-Double/dp/B019ESUG34/
If you don't want to sharpen that, just buy an inexpensive kitchen utility knife and bring it in.
Here are some options:
Kiwi knife.
Victorinox utility knife.
Ceramic utility knife.
Your boss is right. You work at a produce market, you should not be using a RAT 1 to cut corn.
I am getting this for my kids. Amazon has a ton of child-safe kitchen gadgets.
Curious Chef 3-Piece Nylon Knife Set
I have plugged this before but I can't recommend it enough, so here it is again.
The best $7 knife you will ever own
I've been cooking for a while. I own a lot of knives. I have a pretty full kit. I use this knife for almost everything I do professionally.
I personally prefer a utility knife for light weight cutting (I prefer to chop, rather than roll, so a light knife helps). The things that make a utility knife good are a thin, flexible blade, no longer than 6" that will take but not necessarily hold a good edge. All of these qualities also make a knife really fuckin cheap because you aren't paying big bux for a huge lump of high carbon steel.
So why does everyone fork out $80+ for a fancy pattern welded steel shun 6" utility?
Just doesn't make sense. These knives come wicked sharp right out of the package, and for $7 a piece once you've beat it up (and for $7 a piece, you can beat it the fuck up) you just throw it away and buy another.
It may feel like cheating, or that there's a catch, but I haven't found one. They are really solid, dependable, inexpensive knives that you can absolutely trust to do what you need them to do. For the price I think everyone should give these a shot.
Plus you can impress and terrify your family once you learn to cut vegetables Japanese style. Very flashy, very fast, very scary for someone who doesn't know how to drive a knife properly.
Edit:
To clarify a later comment, I took a video of what I'm (possibly erroneously? really not sure) describing as "japanese style" cutting. Really, I'm just calling it that based on how I see chefs using santoku knives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZFic0GabkM&feature=youtu.be
Tatercam quality, sloppy cut, and turn your speakers down because it is loud. Gives a more clear picture of what I'm describing though. This is what I prefer, contrary to the typical "roll" cut where you keep the tip on the board and move the knife like a piston. For a roll cut, a longer, heavier blade is preferable because you can leverage the weight easier. However, I think that this method will ultimately make you much faster with lightweight cutting (small carrots, soft veg like onions and zucchini, etc) and is worth picking up a cheap, light knife to learn.
tl;dr $7 knife works for cutting most stuff fast; buy it
Higo no Kami handmade folder
Only semi-related, but let me suggest these: https://www.amazon.com/Curious-Chef-3-Piece-Nylon-Knife/dp/B002Q5YH9C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1469107405&sr=8-2&keywords=kid+knives
They can actually cut food better than a butter knife (my almost-6 year old daughter sawed straight through a peach pit the other day), and you can't cut skin with them even if you try.
A Dutch oven, a large cast iron skillet, a good chef's knife and sharpening block, a large mortar and pestle, a spice grinder, maybe splurge on a cookbook or two you wouldn't buy otherwise...
I already have the first three, but I consider them absolutely essential. This is the chef's knife I have, and for the price it really can't be beat.
I love the Victorinox knives! And I'd suggest getting a cheap honing steel to go along with it (linked below). Hone every few times you use it, it will keep the knife cutting very well. I'd say you only need 1 paring knife and 1 chef's knife as long as you don't mind washing them once or twice during preparation.
I may get crucified for this, but I love the cutco's 8" chef's knife. Free sharpening for life from the factory (just pay shipping) and they are still sharp as hell after 10 years (with honing and maintenance). I've even had drunk friends in college throw it into the wall - I woke up to it sticking out of the drywall. Nice suckers.
http://www.amazon.com/J-A-Henckels-9-Inch-Sharpening-Steel/dp/B00004RFMA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374249149&sr=8-1&keywords=honing+steel
If you have any stores that sell high end knives (Wustof, Global, Shun, etc) go there and hold them in your hand. Not all handles are the same and you really want to have the knife fit comfortably in your hand.
I posted in another thread similar to this that a knife is like a gun, and you should not take someone's word for what they prefer as a brand. For example the Wustof may be preferable for one but you may get callouses using it.
My first knife was a Global 8 inch and it was awesome. It's under $100 and its very sharp and cool looking. However, using it for hours on end everyday at work I developed a horrible callous (chef's callous) on the inside of my index finger. It hurt like a bitch.
So after some comparison shopping and research I purchased the Ken Onion Series Shun. The way the handle is designed allows you to comfortably hold the knife while also wrapping your thumb and index finger on the blade for more control. I haven't had a callous since I got this knife and I love it.
Of course, if you buy a knife don't forget to buy a honing steel. Make sure to either store the knife in a knife block or wrap it in a towel when you store it. After a bit you'll want to buy a whet stone or if you don't want to sharpen it yourself you can get it done by a pro. How often you need to sharpen depends on how often you use the knife and how well you take care of it. The knife will be scary sharp when you first get it but make sure to learn how to properly use the honing steel otherwise you'll just end up with a very expensive letter opener.
Kai 8" Chef Knife - $24.94 - 6720C Stainless
Same company that makes Shun. Light weight helps for long hours of restaurant prep
A knife is only as good as its edge, without sharpening supplies, you are powerless to keep even the finest knife in working order. I recommend you buy this Victorinox, and use the leftover money for this double sided sharpening/honing stone.
here's a pretty good tutorial for using your new stone, and a little more info about sharpening. Disregard butcher's steel, acquire mirror polish.
This will be a good start, use the coarse side to take out major blemishes, hone with the fine side after each use (like when you're through cutting, not after every slice)
My son is 2 1/2, but he's been interested in cooking for a long time. I would let him help by rinsing the rice or beans. I just bought him these (Curious Chef 3-Piece Nylon Knife Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002Q5YH9C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_pev.ybE4KN2K6) to help chopping veggies and fruits. When he was younger it was just more mixing, pouring, and "washing" dishes.
do you mean the higo no kami?
I think that would be a great set. Just, I would trade out that sharpening steel with this.
Also, your bread knife, doesn't matter what brand really, it is just a bread knife. I would go with something that will fit the look of what you are already getting, but that is just my own opinion.
Also, add a few plastic blade sleeves. If you do not plan on having your blades out in the open, it will allow you to store it in a drawer without damaging the blade. It will also make it easier if you ever move, since you can just put the knife in the plastic sleeve, and not worry about it getting damaged, or flying loose. This is the one that I have, and it works really well.
I would also add a slicer knife, if you think you will use it, like this. It is amazing for slicing steak, chicken, brisket, ribs, and so on. I use my chef's knife to do it, but if you have a chance to get a knife that you can use JUST for that, go for it. Slicing cooked protein will dull a knife faster than cutting raw protein(in most cases.)
For $120 and two knives, there is the omnipresent starter option - the Tojiro DP line.
I'd start with the gyuto or the santoku. They overlap for the larger tasks and its really more preference on the shape. They both are too thin and the steel is too brittle to cut bones or hard vegetables (pumpkin/squash) with (which your Wusthof can take care of) but will go through veg and protein pretty easily.
Then you have budget left over for the petty, which is kind of like a long thin paring knife. Good for smaller tasks or things that need delicate tip work.
you might even have some budget left over to pick up a stone. This is a popular beginner option.
Edit: The other option is MAC knives. Same shapes apply
Shuns are alright, but they're japanese steel so they're brittle. They will chip guaranteed.
For that price range I'd recommend a wusthof, but if you're taking it to work and all that, I'd go with Mercer. It's a cheaper knife, but it's easily become my favorite.
A good chefs knife (+ perhaps a steel and whetstone if you're doing it properly)
A mandolin, especially if they think their fingers are too long (I don't want one because I think they're lethal).
Assuming you work through all the previous stones and make a nice uniform scratch pattern then you'll need their;
1000ish grit stone
2000ish grit stone
A couple of these
With some of this added to the first one
Sounds like a vnox fibrox is for you. You could get both the 8" and 10" and knife cases around your budget. That leaves you room to get a whetstone if you don't already have it.
case:
https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Forschner-BladeSafe-8-Inch-10-InchKnife/dp/B000MF47B6
At this point that Victorinox is ridiculously expensive. 45 dollars is getting into actual good quality knife territory. Everyone suggesting it has inflated the price over the years. I believe it used to be suggested as a $25 dollar knife. At that price it really was good. Now its just a very expensive stamped knife. I like the rest though.
Figured I should edit and give a suggestion at least. If you want something japanese you can pay 5 more dollars and get something MUCH higher in quality. [Santoku] (https://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-DP-Santoku-6-7-17cm/dp/B000UAPQEA/ref=pd_sim_79_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XYK8APTJRV3GXQJ8FF0R) or for 15 dollars more than the Victorinox you can get a [chef] (https://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-DP-Gyutou-8-2-21cm/dp/B000UAPQGS/ref=pd_bxgy_79_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=TA5DHYJ86S2HA6SQP8VX) Style Japanese Knife. For something European I would go with Ramsey's suggestion to look at Heckles or Wosthof and just prowl Ebay. They will probably be around 45 dollars for a Heckles 8in chef knife.
That's correct. Here's a consumer dual-sided stone you can look at as an example.
I have several knives.
My most used knife, and the one I like the most is a 8 inch Wüsthof classic. I really like the balance and the grip of this one.
I also have a Mac Chef's Knife, 7-1/4-Inch. This is stamped, not forged, but for just a few dollars more than the Victorinox you get a knife that actually sits and balances well in your hand and it's made of much better steel. I actually bought it in a brick and mortar store for about $20.
It's not as well balanced as the Wüsthof, but I like the fact that it doesn't have a full bolster. It's much easier to sharpen. If I would start anew I would get half-bolster designs for my expensive knives, but it's really no big deal at all.
I also have Tojiro DP Gyutou. The price varies, now it's a few dollars more expensive than the Victorinox, but I bought it cheaper. This is an excellent knife with better steel than the above knives. The grip is fantastic. The balance is good, but not quite as good as the Wüsthof, nothing really gets there for me, but it's good. Again the lack of a full bolster is a great feature of this knife.
Personally now I think that the Wüsthof Ikon lines are better than the classic series, because of the half-bolster design, but I didn't know this years back when I bought my classic.
Also, I keep saying that these knives feel so good in the hand compared to the Victorinox but this is a very subjective thing and people should try for themselves. I know some people love the Victorinox, if that's the case, go for it; personally, I can't stand it. PinchGrip4Lyfe.
I also have a J.A. HENCKELS INTERNATIONAL Forged Synergy 8-inch Chef's Knife. This is cheaper than the Victorinox. The balance is pretty good, but the grip is not as good as the knives posted above. It's still light-years better than the Victorinox grip though.
If I had to buy a cheap knife I would get Kai 6720C Wasabi Black Chef's Knife, 8-Inch. This is way cheaper than the Victorinox. That being said, I haven't tested it.
My goal here is not to convince anyone that the Victorinox is awful. I know some people really like the grip, but to make clear that at around the same price point there are many knives, and you should get which one feels best in your hand. Victorinox is not the only option for cheap knives, unlike what the reddit gospel says!
Those are some serious knives you're looking at. Don't go messing them up with some rinky-dink, as-seen-on-TV gadget. Get a good japanese waterstone. It's what the pros use. They are not all that expensive, nor should you be daunted by the prospect of learning how to use one.
The King k-80 has served me well. It gives you a coarser grit (250) on one side for serious sharpening jobs (e.g., sharpening out a nick in the blade, or putting a new edge on a very dull knife), and a finer grit (1000) for maintenance.
As for technique, this video shows a pretty foolproof basic technique. You may want to experiment with some other techniques, but once you find one that works for you you'll want to be consistent about it. Chances are you've got a friend who can show you how, or, failing that, offer to buy your preferred sushi chef a case of beer in return for a lesson.
Can't agree with you more. People buy really expensive knives thinking that they will stay sharp forever. Then after a couple months, the knife is as dull as every other knife in the drawer. The key is learning how to sharpen your own knives.
Get one of these to start
http://www.amazon.com/Kotobuki-King-1000-K-80-Combo/dp/B00200L90I/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1368758882&sr=1-2&keywords=king+sharpening+stone
Maybe a 3000k/6000k stone and a leather strop with green compound stone if you want scary sharp knives.
Then go to thrift stores until you find a knife with decent steel. Basically, anything that is not made in china, taiwan, or mexico will be OK. USA, Germany, or Japan are generally make excellent quality steel. The knives you buy will be as dull as your intro to physics professor. GOOD, watch some youtube (Virtuovice's early videos are good) and learn how to sharpen a knife using a water-stone. You know your good at sharpening once you can shave with your kitchen knives.
Years from now, the thrift store knives will be ready for the trash can. You'll be able to afford real BIFL knives and know how to care for them.
http://www.amazon.com/Curious-Chef-3-Piece-Nylon-Knife/dp/B002Q5YH9C
Plastic serrated knives!
If you feel adventurous a pariing knife with a rounded tip would also work (like stafty scissors)
If you're looking for a knife just as good as the Victorinox for the same price range, look at the Mercer Genesis same steel as Wusthof and Victorinox, much better fit and finish than the rubber handle of the Fibrox.
However, if you really want to step up a level in quality to a more mid-range knife, look at the Tojiro DP Gyuto
I carry one of these. It's a nice, inexpensive, borderline disposable knife. I used to carry a Gerber EAB, but it got lost somewhere, and now it's gone forever.
I suspect that the thumb push was the thing that sawed right through.
You should invest in a rust eraser for your knives. https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Eraser-Sabitoru-Medium-2-piece/dp/B00FS0BFJC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493281331&sr=8-1&keywords=rust+eraser
The discoloration on the edge appears (on my monitor) to be due to one of two causes. I think most likely is scratches from storage in the edge guards.. The Messermeister guards are hard plastic, any residue within the guard will lightly scratch the blade. If will also prematurely dull the blade. I would replace it with a felt guard such as Korin's http://korin.com/HA-SAYA-KG-180?sc=27&category=280115
Food residue as mentioned above is another likely culprit. You don't have to be able to feel it for it to be there. I use a couple stainless knives when rocking cilantro and parsley and they take on a green "patina" from doing so. No harm, no foul - if I don't want to see it anymore I clean it.
In either scenario the answer is the same. The rust eraser linked below is invaluable for removing scratches and/or cleaning a knife blade. Take care when working near the edge to only stroke it along or across the edge. It is a very light abrasive and will dull the blade. Very fine automotive sandpaper will accomplish this as well but the rust eraser is the easy button.
https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Eraser-Sabitoru-Medium-2-piece/dp/B00FS0BFJC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498481939&sr=8-1&keywords=rust+eraser
Yep. Get your straight knives sharpened. That's usually the test for my "everyday" knife -- if it doesn't cut through a tomato with nearly zero resistance, time for a sharpening. You shouldn't need to "saw" back and forth and the skin shouldn't need "piercing" -- the knife should just, well, cut right into it.
Depending on your skill level / type of blade (whether you'd want to use a steel sharpening edge or ceramic).
Option 1 - ceramic "wheels" -- I personally use this type with my Global stainless steel knife. It has zero learning curve and does a great job. Basically a "wet stone" method and the wheels have grooves in them to keep the blade in place, reducing the chance that the angle will be off and you'll end up dulling your knives instead of sharpening.
Option 2 - long 'sword' type sharpener -- this one (available in either steel or ceramic) requires a bit more technique as it is up to you to get the correct angle for each side of the blade and make sure it's sharpened on either side evenly. More "old school," if you will.
A dull knife is a dangerous knife.
Meat-Cutter Here
Buy a multi-stone example A whet stone is used to create the edge of a knife. However a multi-stone has 3 different textures going from very fine to coarse. This will allow you to properly sharpen any knife.
The second tool we use is a Steel Sharpener. Example You use this in between cuts in order to quickly re-shape the blade. Everytime you use your knife, properly or inproperly, you bend the sharp edge of your knife ever so slighty, and within minutes if your not careful, you may ruin your edge completely and have to resharpen. The edge of a knife is like a piece of foil, and what the steel does is to quickly bend it back to its shape.
Learning this trade takes practice, and lots of it. Edges are completely committed to muscle memory over time, but to start out sharpening you need to first look at the angle of you knife's edge. This angle is what you will be sharpening at. Same goes with steel.
Anyways I thought I would give you a run down on equipment. If your looking for technique go ahead and watch a few videos on youtube.
You don't need a set, you only need a few decent knives: a chef's knife, a paring knife, and a serrated knife for bread. Maybe a fillet knife but unlikely.
I use this chef's knife, which is high-quality and inexpensive. The Victorinox Fibrox 8-inch also has a very strong cult following. However, you can also easily spend $100-200 for a good German or Japanese knife like Wusthof, Henckels, Global, etc.. The two most important things however are:
Get this Victorinox, it comes with a sheath but its pretty flimsy. You could do what I did and make a more sturdy sheath out of tape and the cardboard box the knife arrives in, or if that's too ugly you could get this.
Do you have a method to keep the knife sharp? If not I would pick up this honing steel too.
It will be worth getting a whetstone too, but you can get that later down the line when the honing steel isn't bringing the knife up to the level of sharpness you want.
I'm searching for the same thing!! I just bought 3 Shun knives and need a honing steel to keep a nice edge. I've looked around stores and amazon and i think I'm going to buy the shun honing steel. its a little more expensive but it's the nicest I've seen by far. here are links.
The Shun:
http://www.amazon.com/Shun-DM0750-Sharpening-Steel/dp/B000139H7I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346822054&sr=8-1&keywords=shun+honing
a good one also:
http://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-4473-10-Inch-Sharpening-Steel/dp/B00009WDT8/ref=pd_sim_sbs_k_6
Okay, where to begin?
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Sharpening a knife is actually a very simple process. The overall goal is for you to maintain an angle throughout the sharpening process while sharpening from course to fine grits (Course = smaller #s and Fine = Higher #s). Often people use cheap knives and sharpeners and learn good habits (maintaining angles) before upgrading to higher tier stones. The issue you have is the you are dealing with a premium steel knife which is much harder, holds an edge longer( needs sharpen less often) and takes more time to sharpen with a majority of sharpening materials. If you are dealing with Elmax steel I would recommend that what ever sharpener you get it should have diamond and ceramic stones as these are harder than the knife material and can cut it efficiently unless you are using some belt or grinder system. Since you are a beginner I would recommend that you use a knife sharpening system as you could have more accidents sharpening the knife free hand. Believe me it sucks when you screw up a knife edge while sharpening and you have to spend way too much time fixing your mistakes so the knife can actually cut. In short I would use a test knife in any sharpener to see how it works properly and after you are more confident use the system you choose. Also some of these might be excessive especially if you only have a few knives. Some of the higher end sharpener are what professionals use in their shop (who knows if you get good enough you can make some money).
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Note that I only mentioned the higher end sharpening systems under the assumption that money is no objection and you wanted it to sharpen you knife efficiently but I wanted for you to see what types of systems are available are certain price ranges. If not mentioned above you might need a strop and fine compound to get a mirror edge.
Okay now here are some cheaper systems that are similar to some of those above but cheaper.
ALSO: get a ceramic honing rod ($20). Often times knives just need honing to get back that razor sharp edge and maintaining it with a rod will prolong your edge and mean you sharpen less.
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Hopefully this has helped you somewhat and sorry it took so long to respond, it just takes time to type all of this out(2hrs! where does the time go?) and cite the products. Personally for me, knives for me a fun hobby and it tends to have a meditative effect on me when I sharpen them. I also hope that you come to enjoy sharpening your knives just as much.
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And welcome to sharpening!
http://www.amazon.com/Lansky-Deluxe-5-Stone-Sharpening-System/dp/B000B8IEA4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335807629&sr=8-1
finish off with
http://www.amazon.com/Lansky-Super-Sapphire-Polishing-Hone/dp/B000B8IEB8/ref=pd_sim_sg_2
If you find yourself sharpening a lot of different knives you'll want
http://www.amazon.com/Lansky-Coarse-Diamond-Accessory-Silver/dp/B001KN3OTK/ref=acc_glance_sg_ai_ps_t_3
it moves the steel faster (for changing the edge the first time) and the stone holds up longer.
Long story short, it gives perfect consistency and has the super fine stones for giving that polished razors edge. It makes sharpening anything UNDER 6" a dream.
For knives LARGER than 6" I use
http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/sanders/1-inch-x-30-inch-belt-sander-2485.html
with various ceramic belts from
http://www.trugrit.com/belts1.htm
It's also GREAT for doing convex conversions. Doing a flat grind on a concave edge takes a steady hand or a jig.
Practice on wood and scrap steel. You'll RUIN a blade in a HURRY with those coarse belts.
If the blade gets hot it will burn the steel and you will lose it's hardness. Dip it in cool water, dry with a towel, often. The tip is the most delicate part. Only grind for a second or two, then dip again.
I determined a few weeks ago that my knives were too dull and I wanted to sharpen rather than buy new ones. After much research I got this Lansky Deluxe 5-Stone Sharpening System and the Super Sapphire Sharpening Stone to add even more of an edge. I have sharpened 2 really crappy knives (no-name cheap ones from WalMart) with pretty incredible results. They are much, much sharper than new.
The system is very easy to use and ensures that you keep the same angle at all times. the one knife was very very dull and it took about an hour to get it to a point where I felt it was sufficiently sharp. Both knives I have sharpened with this system can easily pass the magazine paper test and can very easily shave hair off my arm.
The steel in the victorinox is definitely softer. Here's my current suggestions for people thinking about buying cheaper knives.
(Copy and pasted from something I've posted before, but with some updates)
TL;DR: In the category of budget knives. For longer lasting edges, Tojiro DP Santoku or Gyuto for $43 and $52 (now $62) respectively, or the Augymer for $30. For easier maintenance, Kai 6720C or Henckels Forged Synergy for $32 and $35, respectively.
As a caveat, budget knives of all sorts are not going to have the fit and finish of higher priced knives. For Knives that are easy to obtain lump you into two categories that have pros and cons, German hardness and Japanese hardness. Which is mainly a trade off between sharpness/edge holding vs durability/ease of maintenance. Although you can sharpen really soft metals to be stupid sharp and a really acute angle, it will not last long at all. But when the edge gets rolled over from a cutting session, it can be easily honed back into place. Harder knives can still be honed back into place, but techniques and tools are slightly different--I would never touch my harder knives with a grooved steel.
German hardness is usually around 56-58 hrc. Hard enough to hold an edge for a bit, but soft enough to not chip and easily steel/hone back into place.
The Victorinox Fibrox at about 55 hrc used to be suggested all the time when it was $20 and even when it was about $35. But now that it is $40-45, that's just too much for what is a very cheap knife.
A couple knives still in this range, which are better quality than the fibrox anyway are:
Kai 6720C Wasabi Black Chef's Knife, 8-Inch at 57-58 hrc for $32
https://www.amazon.com/Kai-6720C-Wasabi-Black-8-Inch/dp/B000YL4NY4
So this one is actually made with Japanese steel by the same company that makes Shun. But, because it's hardened to only 57-58 hrc, I'm lumping it in with the german steel category.
and The Henckels International Forged Synergy 8-inch Chef's Knife at about 57-58 hrc for $32
http://www.amazon.com/HENCKELS-INTERNATIONAL-Forged-Synergy-8-inch/dp/B000FMVS4A
Henckels International (not regular Henckels) used to be really bad because they made their knives to 53-55 hrc, which is way too soft to hold an edge to get through a cooking session without nearly constant honing. I've heard their international classics are still being made w/ the crappy steel.
So your choice between these two are having that big bolster (which I'm not a fan of) and general aesthetic.
Japanese hardness is usually at least 59 hrc, with a good chunk in the 60-62 range. This means potentially better, longer lasting cutting performance between honing/sharpening. The tradeoff is that it becomes more difficult to get to this stage without specialty tools or sending it to a professional sharpener. At this point I personally don't even consider knives under 59 hrc, unless it's something that really takes a beating.
For the cheapest price point, while still having quality. I would really only recommend the Tojiro DP at 60-61 hrc. It used to be about double the prices, but the grinds also used to be more even. Either way, it's still a great buy.
The chef/gyuto is $52 (now $62 hopefully it'll come back down soon)
http://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-DP-Gyutou-8-2-21cm/dp/B000UAPQGS/
And the Santoku is $43
http://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-DP-Santoku-6-7-17cm/dp/B000UAPQEA/
So the main difference here is whatever knife shape you prefer (and the price). I've gotten some cheaper harder steel knives, but I've had to do way too much touching up to be recommended.
There's also the Augymer 8" "Damascus" for $30 allegedly hardened to 62 hrc:
https://www.amazon.com/Augymer-Japanese-Professional-Stainless-Sharp-Damascus/dp/B01H6KWUWC/
I'd be really afraid of fit and finish problems, and generally lower tolerances throughout the process of making this knife. You can even see the uneven grind on the Amazon page. I'd also assume that the hardness is a tad lower than specified (maybe 60 hrc), but it should still be a pretty good knife if you want to pinch your pennies. This could be a great knife with some TLC, especially if you send it to someone who knows what they're doing.
Rostende Messer: http://tosa-hocho.de/ die Zakuri sind echt Klasse, extrem scharf und leicht. Allerdings im Moment nicht lieferbar
oder auf Amazon: F503 Tojiro DP 3-Lagen HQ Santoku
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B000UAPQEA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
(Aufpassen ich musste meines beim Zoll abholen, da versand aus Japan)
There are literally hundreds of gimmicky knife sharpening tools out there. Some of them actually work, but none will yield a finer edge than a Japanese water stone, imho.
http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Professional-Knife-Sharpening-Sharpener/dp/B000UZET0M/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1322240668&sr=1-1
If I were you, I'd pick up one of these bad boys and learn how to use it. Practice makes perfect!
PS- there's tons of videos on the youtubes on how to properly use and care for these, so don't feel intimidated!
This is what I use for my kitchen knives. Works fantastic. I can get really sharp edge on my chef knives.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UZET0M/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I would also recommend a leather strop for getting a razor edge after using the 1000 grit side of the wet stone.
https://www.amazon.com/Straight-Razor-Leather-Sharpening-Barber/dp/B00S2WVWTQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1481214592&sr=8-2&keywords=leather+strop
I have to say that I avoided getting a wetstone for a while. I just bout this stone recently and found it was pretty easy to sharpen using it. To be fair, my knives were pretty beat up and dull before I sharpened them. So, I bought a pretty low grit stone. The only thing I'd recommend is getting something at least a little higher. Now that I've sharpened with both the 250 and 1000 sides once, it doesn't seem like the 250 side will be of much use anymore unless I want to change the edge angle entirely which is not likely.
It took about 10 minutes for my 8" chef knife and some other 5" knife that I found under my kitchen stove when I bought my house. :)
I've heard that the Lansky sharpening system is pretty easy to use, but the one common complaint is that it gets a bit tough for larger kitchen knives. There is a stone in it for serrated knives as well.
If you don't mind spending the extra 10 bucks, the Wustof Tri-stone (250-100-3000) is a great all-round kit and value for money. I recommend this over the cheaper Smith's Arkansas Tri-hone kit because the Wusthof kit uses water stones and I don't have to futz around with oil. But if you don't mind using an oil stone, nothing wrong with the Smith's.
I use a 250-1000 combo King Kotobuki waterstone for sharpening , and a 6000 King Kotobuki waterstone for honing/polishing. But this kit is a little pricey in the total.
PS: Here's a great video for technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFhMGJYhYpU
Id pick the first option
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B002M782UO/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8
they have more reviews with 4 stars compared to the others. Its cheaper as well. Canadian wood one just doesn't look pleasing to my eyes and that big as handle seems bothersome. The bamboo ones look exactly the same minus the 4th piece which has lighter wood on the edges to make it longer for 11 extra dollars. Id say fuck those two and get the first option. (its linked btw) \^\^\^
My daughter has been using these knives since she was around 3. Maybe consider getting some for your household as well and tell your son they're for him?
Got these and a few other kitchen items for my son when he began showing interest in working with me in the kitchen. Sorry, idk how to post a proper link on mobile.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002Q5YH9C/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1488242162&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=curious+chef+sets&dpPl=1&dpID=41iuHDwg7PL&ref=plSrch
This is the knife I learned on and have used every day of my professional culinary Career. I have a knife collection worth a few thousand dollars at this point but the one I use every day and trust to leave around. Let others use. Leave on kitchens knife bar. This one. It's sturdy. The steel is soft enough to be forgiving. Soft enough to learn to sharpen. But hard enough to keep an edge for a while. While you are learning take it to a professional once or twice a year to get a professional edge put back on. You can maintain that edge for months with a proper steel before and after each use. If you have questions you can always DM me I'm a professional chef for 10 years and currently still very much into knives knife skills and sharpening them.
Also I own this particular knife in 5 8 and 11 inches. The 5 is great for smaller projects that still need some heft. The 8 is what I use 90% of the time and the 11 I use pretty much only when like... I need to cut a huge watermelon or huge onions that when cut in half still need a big knife. Or like giant eggplants. You get the point.
Good? no... cheap and sharp? Fuck yes
This
Is the knife that you can find most often at asian stores, if you're paying more than $3-$4 it's too expensive. They come decently sharp, very easy to resharpen (seriously I practiced sharpening with these so I wouldn't ruin my good knives)
They bend really easily, the tips tend to warp over time, any heavy chopping will nick the blade. But I have 20 of them for that reason, once they get nicked or start to bend at the tip, they're trash ( I originally got them because I didn't have the money for the nice knives out there, now I keep them around to practice sharpening)
Victorinox makes a rosewood handled version. Mercer also makes some decent looking forged knives in your price range.
https://smile.amazon.com/Victorinox-Inch-Rosewood-Chefs-Knife/dp/B0019WZEUE/
https://smile.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Genesis-8-Inch-Bolster/dp/B00DT1XFSQ/
Nicer knife than the other 2, but you'd have to throw in $8 on top of your giftcard.
https://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-DP-Gyutou-8-2-21cm/dp/B000UAPQGS
This item from my kitchen WL would greatly improve my life because the knife sharpener I have (similar to this) does a pretty rotten job of it.
Yep this is the right answer. I have one of these knives and it's great. Also, make sure to get a honing steel to keep the edge nice. It's not sharpening, it's straightening the edge. This will keep your knife workable and sharp. Make sure to do this a few times right before you use the knife.
http://www.amazon.com/Henckels-9-Inch-Poly-Sharpening-Steel/dp/B00004RFMA/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1323750058&sr=1-1
BTW, I hardly use my bread knife so you can probably get away without getting one.
Mark Bittman agrees too, no need to spend a lot to get decent kitchen supplies: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/dining/09mini.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all
Also, look up Alton Brown's Good Eats episode where he talks about knife skills and how to get a good knife. The episode name is "American Slicer" and it's on youtube.
Knives: What kind of sharpener do you use or which is better? the stick or the groove thingy?
Also, are stainless steel pans always going to be expensive? Would you say it's worth it? I see stainless all the time in cooking shows and it seems like it's more versatile than cast iron or non-stick.
You don't like plastic but does that include the silicone cutting mats?
Do you have any other gadgets that you think every chef should have?
this is a honing steel, you can use it when your knife starts to feel dull, it will re align the edge.
this is the wusthof ikon. Personally I love the handle.
Not at all!
It's basically a long rod of steel - https://www.amazon.com/W%C3%BCsthof-Knife-Sharpening-Steel-Loop/dp/B00009WDT8 - as an example (ignore the part where it says it sharpens, steels can't sharpen a knife, just straighten the edge to keep it sharper for longer). Basically, you press your edge against the steel and apply a little pressure and run it down the length of the steel, and then do the same to the other side of the edge. Try to angle it so that it aligns with the angle of the edge, and it'll straighten that sucker right out after a good few passes (I'll usually do ten or so on each side).
I'm just curious as to why you'd prefer a set over a couple of good, individual knives? Not judging, just curious.
I'm actually thinking about buying my mom knives for Christmas, as I went over her house on Saturday and cooked for her and didn't think to bring my own (and nearly cut myself on a dull knife, sigh), but I'll likely buy her a nice chef's knife and a nice paring knife, as well as a honing steel. It will likely cost me about $100-200, and I'll likely go Wusthof.
http://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Gourmet-8-Inch-Cooks-Knife/dp/B0001FATMI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1382997791&sr=8-2&keywords=wusthof+cook%27s+knife
and then this steel:
http://www.amazon.com/W%C3%BCsthof-4473-Wusthof-10-Inch-Sharpening/dp/B00009WDT8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382997825&sr=8-1&keywords=wusthof+honing+steel
and probably two knife guards.
I have an 8" Shun Ken Onion right now and I love it. It's my first real quality knife so I don't have a ton of other cutlery with which to judge it by, but the balance is awesome on it and it holds an edge really well. I usually hone it with the shun steel ever 2 or 3 times I use it and it's back to it's razor sharp self right after. I would agree with one of the reviews on Amazon that said "I didn't know what sharp was until I got this knife". I think they're set at a 16 degree angle, which is a bit steeper than most knives I believe. Though I think Wusthof does 14 on some of theirs.
I've had a couple of stamped kitchen aid style santoku knives and I've used my sister's Wustof set, but I think my Shun outshines those quite a bit.
If I had a choice I would've gotten a 10" blade. The 8" is great for most every day home cooking, but it would be nice if it was a bit longer for things like breaking down melons and larger items.
I was able to get a crazy good deal on it last year right after new years it was around $90 for the 8" with the bamboo rack. So I would shop around a bit, and if you can wait for holiday sales you can probably get a good deal on whatever knife you decide on.
Shun Ken Onion
I have fairly expensive knives. I had one years back that I think I owned and used for about 15 years. it was a "Good Cook" brand.
but hubby bought me a really nice Wusthof and I was hooked. (consequently he ruined that one by continuing to put it in the dishwasher) Expensive lesson.
so he bought me another one a few years later.
https://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Classic-Ikon-Chefs-Knife/dp/B07C4NPNJ8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1549990540&sr=8-3&keywords=wusthof+8+Classic+Ikon+chef+knife
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Unbeknownst to me cause I was using my birthday money to buy one that I wanted. I ordered an 8" Ken Onion Shun Chef Knife. it was on sale for $150 because the regular price was, somewhere around $250. They don't make them anymore.
https://www.amazon.com/Onion-Shun-DM0500-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B0007IR2MO
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I would recommend either knife. I love the Shun, and use both all the time. They NEVER go into the dishwasher now! LOL
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Those knives in some way spoke to me. I wanted them badly. so make sure that the knife you do spend the money on is one that you want badly because it is going to be yours for YEARS to come!
I use Shun. Big fan of Kershaw and their knives, AS WELL as their honing and lifetime warranties.
My Knife
It’s just the name. It’s probably just a finer ceramic. It feels like it does nothing but it turns gray so it’s removing metal and makes the difference between razor sharp and hair splitting sharp
Lansky S2000 Super Sapphire Polishing Hone https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000B8IEB8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_lSjaCb240NSWP
Are you still excluded/special (mil/fire/police/ems)? Gerber has an authentication, I think through idme, and you prefill the auto acknowledgment.
I have a Lansky 5 Stone and purchased a couple extra stones off the recommendation of some people on this sub and it’s pretty damn groovy. It works well and has made everything I’ve put on it shaving sharp. The additional stones are an Extra Coarse Diamond and a Super Sapphire They also have angled stones for serrated sections. I also picked up a few strops off of r/knife_swap from u/jester002100 which he hand crafts and are of utmost fit and finish.
Which "super-fine" Lansky hone should I get to accompany the Deluxe Diamond Set that I purchased, seen here:
http://www.amazon.com/Lansky-Diamond-Deluxe-Sharpening-System/dp/B000B8L6LS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1452449613&sr=8-3&keywords=lansky
I feel that I would like to get a sharper edge than what I can achieve with this basic set. I was considering between the Ultra fine here:
http://www.amazon.com/Lansky-Ultra-Sharpening-Yellow-Holder/dp/B000B8L6MC/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1452449613&sr=8-11&keywords=lansky
or the Super Sapphie polishing hone
http://www.amazon.com/Lansky-Super-Sapphire-Polishing-Hone/dp/B000B8IEB8/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1452449613&sr=8-5&keywords=lansky
Both of which have been recommended, however I do think the ultra fine is better for sharpening, rather than polishing, no?
Hows this one? anyone know? https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Cutlery-BladeSafe-8-Inch-10-Inch/dp/B000MF47B6/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1484363561&sr=8-6&keywords=knife+guard
That's where I'm leaning so far. Unless my parents have extra knives sitting in the basement that they want to get rid of, I'll probably end up getting this, this, this, this, this, and a couple of these.
When I gifted a chefs knife to my wifes mother, we didn't know where they would keep it, so we also gave her this
You don't need anything super expensive, just something made with decent steel that will hold an edge. Maybe 30 bucks tops. Get a knife case like this to protect the edge. If you are using a whetstone you can sharpen your knife down to a narrow angle that will require less in between sharpening (Japanese style). A wider angled edge can just be kept with a honing steel between uses.
Here’s a link to one I’ve been eyeing. What I like about these as opposed to the more expensive ones is that I’m much less worried about it’s everyday wear and tear so I’m much more keen to use it.
Agreed with what everyone said - the sharper the knife, the better. One thing to add, larger knives are typically easier and safer to use than smaller knives for a lot of tasks because there is a bit of weight to them so less chance of slippage etc and they tend to be quite versatile. Get yourself an 8 in chef knife (mercer and victorinox are good budget friendly brands that real cooks and chefs actually use) and begin practicing proper cutting techniques. Watch youtube videos, Good Eats episodes, whatever, and take your time to learn it properly. You will very quickly realize that a knife is simply a tool, and while tools can be dangerous when used improperly, they will not hurt you if you are mindful of what you are doing. You should pretty quickly get over your fear of knives by simply using one in your own home, at your own pace.
Here's a good one to check out: https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Millennia-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B000PS2XI4/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1503530333&sr=1-4&keywords=8-inch+chef+knife
You'd be hard pressed to find a restaurant anywhere in America that didn't have this knife on its house knife rack.
Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife (8 inch)
The Fibrox series is the classic chef knife series. Known for good quality and able to keep a good edge for a while. Can't go wrong here. Like other comments have said they also have paring knives and bread knives, all at reasonable prices.
Mercer Culinary M22608 Millennia 8-Inch Chef's Knife
The Mercer Millennia series is great if you're really on a budget. I own one of these but I will say that after about a good 6 months of use it is losing its edge quite a bit (also possibly due to roommates chopping stuff on the hard metal table. I'm a little bitter about it.) Came sharp and will stay sharp with some care.
Mercer Culinary Genesis Forged Short Bolster Forged Chef's Knife, 8 Inch
Same company, forged blade. Little nicer, will most likely keep an edge a little longer.
As far as chef knives go, these are some budget picks and probably what most people would recommend unless you want something much nicer! :)
Edit: Also if you are looking for something much nicer, jump down the rabbit hole that is /r/chefknives
It's a steep slope lol
To add to this, I've never personally been a fan of a Western style blade, as I use more of a push cut. I much prefer the Santoku profile. A good value Japanese knife is the Tojiro DP 170mm Santoku.
I don't know knives well, so take this with that in mind, but....I think I know what you are describing and I had a similar experience. I always preferred my German heavy chef's knives mostly due to the profile of the, uh, steel on the top of the blade. I mean, the heaviness and place to grab it, since I go in front of the handle and pinch it.
So, I had a couple nice Santoku, a wusthoff and a japanese light veggie type, and they were too light. I bought the Tojiro DP 6.5" to try another one, since I love the overall blade shape and prefer it to the German chef's I have.
As it turns out, the Tojiro DP are heavy, with that thick back and solid blade. I recently got rid of all of the others. So, maybe give it a try, and upgrade if that fits the bill. It's relatively inexpensive and a really nice tool in my opinion.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UAPQEA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-DP-Santoku-6-7-17cm/dp/B000UAPQEA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479324283&sr=8-1&keywords=tojiro+dp+santoku
Free shipping too with prime
Whetstone.
What about something relevant to the area you're getting married in? I'm getting married in Maine and giving each bridesmaid a rope bracelet along with some custom earrings from another Etsy jewelry designer.
Here are some other ideas I had that weren't the typical bridesmaid gift:
Where are you getting married? Find something local.
Victorinox, Henckel, or mercer are all good for a reliable American style blade. They are very good for beginner cooks. They will run you anywhere from 60-200 depending on the knife/quality.
If you want to go a step up, check out Shun. Japaneseish style blade, although the cheaper ones are not traditional Japanese edges/metal. You can get their bargain brand (Wasabi I believe its called) for as low as $80 (for an 8 inch chef knife). But I really shun will run anywhere from 120-300+. I was given a Wasabi by some salesmen at my reaturaunt, I actually like it for certain things. Light weight, durable, ergonomic. It has the feel of a Japanese knife with the durability of an American one. I looked on amazon and found it for around $80.
I would either recomend that, or a Victorianox for around the same price.
I like knives.
Edit: here's a couple.
This is the Wasabi. I guess it's only around $50 on Amazon, and on sale right now.
www.amazon.com/Kai-6720C-Wasabi-Black-8-Inch/dp/B000YL4NY4
This is the equivalent victorinox:
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008M5U1C2/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1450865367&sr=8-2&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=victorinox&dpPl=1&dpID=21fDfo37ZPL&ref=plSrch
That's a lot of great info, thanks a lot! I was looking at this any thoughts? Is the difference between 1000 and 250 grit too much?
Knives are great. Sharp knives are better. It's not camping gear that you take with you, but it's gear that's essential for a camper (unless you want to be buying new knives all the time).
I know you said <$5, I promise if you gift a GC I'll put it toward this.
Happy Zambambo! You're such a good hobbit!
Gonna link some cutting boards, 'cause we need them, but they're not too spendy. :)
I love t-bone well but not burnt seeing blood just makes me feel ill.Link./u/captivatingbleu hi how do you like yours? No soup for you!
My daughter is also four, and has a very varied diet for a four year old. We gave her all sorts of odd and multicultural foods as she was growing up, and she always seemed willing to try new stuff.
Lately, though, sometimes she sits down at the table and if it's something new or something she hasn't had in a while she looks at it and goes, "I didn't want that!" and refuses to eat. So it just seems to be a phase.
We have a couple rules about eating. One is that you have to try a little bit of everything (only exception - hot/spicy foods are 100% optional). If you still don't like it after having tried it then you can get something else like a cold sandwich while we have a hot home-cooked meal. Rule two is that in order to get a "treat" (i.e. dessert) you must eat what daddy cooked. We will happily swap daddy's home-cooked meal for a sandwich without complaints, but then no treat.
Allowing the possibility to swap for a more inoffensive meal can take away some of the fear of foods. He may be afraid that if he hates it he'll have to eat the whole thing anyway. We take away some of that fear by lowering the threshold. We don't tell ours "you must eat the whole plate," which may be daunting, we just tell her, "you must try just a tiny bit," which seems more reasonable to her.
Usually when we remind her of these rules she tries what we put down because we hold her to it and she might go to bed with no supper if she's not willing to taste. And 99% of the time after she tastes it she goes, "I LOVE THIS" and eats up the whole thing.
Another trick I've heard is to get them involved in cooking the food. Find something for them to do to "help", even if it's uselessly handing you the vegetables to cut. I've had mine "artfully" assemble cut slices of bologna and grapes in a bowl for her lunch, or to put together her own sandwich. You can pre-measure ingredients and have him combine and stir them. They even sell knives for kids to practice with that won't cut fingers but can actually cut food. I had these recommended to me, but we haven't tried them yet.
If your kiddo feels like he had a hand in making the food, he may be more willing to taste the fruits of his labor, so to speak.
Her favorite knife is called a petty. In Russian it has another name - the ladies' favourite, and for a good reason.
The "proper" way for your girlfriend to move forward would be to buy a chef's knife and learn how to use it. However, she may not be willing to learn.
Perhaps you should show her
some knife pornan educational video like this one and look at her reaction? Then buy her either a decent chef or a decent petty.As for the brands, the best chef's knife that fits your budget on amazon.co.uk seems to be a Mercer - closed heel, open heel.
If you choose to buy a petty, you can get her a classic Wusthof, or a wider Japanese-inspired Wusthof. An interesting budget option is Tescoma AZZA. The brand is meh, but this line of knives is said to be good.
Shun and Wusthof are basically the popular overpriced brands of the kitchen knife world. For the same price as a Shun you can get a quality handmade artisan Japanese knife. There are also lesser priced, but equal quality German knives compared to Wusthof, like this Mercer: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B002R1CGV6/ref=mp_s_a_1_24?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1480891569&amp;sr=8-24&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=mercer%2Bculinary&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=31FJWLfEU2L&amp;ref=plSrch&amp;th=1&amp;psc=1
This is what I use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003BUV226/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_tp9EybHGFVJRV
And how to use one: https://youtu.be/D4y8u_iJf1M
The whetstone was 25$, the chip knife was 20$, and the set of carving tools was only 15$.
EDIT: Amazon Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Flexcut-KN15-Chip-Carving-Knife/dp/B001NI6LJ
https://www.amazon.com/Fallkniven-Diamond-Ceramic-Whetstone-Sharpening/dp/B003BUV226/ref=pd_bxgy_79_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_i=B003BUV226&amp;pd_rd_r=589A5K5TZA7F93T9TCM9&amp;pd_rd_w=dTInI&amp;pd_rd_wg=Av0xb&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=589A5K5TZA7F93T9TCM9
https://www.amazon.com/Carving-Chisels-XUANLAN-Beginners-Pottery/dp/B06XCCGWZ7/ref=sr_1_6?s=arts-crafts&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1497213735&amp;sr=1-6&amp;keywords=Wood+carving+tool+kits+12
The rest of the things I bought at my local hardware store
I got the companion Heavy Duty MG! I jumped the gun a bit it seems. I ordered this - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BUV226/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
before seeing the comments about the Japanese water stones. I've been watching a lot of MCQBushcraft's videos on Youtube and that is the sharpener he carries with him in the field. Hopefully I can learn to make that work. Thanks!
The Higo uses some grade of Japanese blue or white steel, right? (Amazon says it's a Hitachi Blue, so I'm just gonna assume they're right and run with that.)
These steels are actually more common in kitchen knives than anything else. For general purpose fixed blades, Kanetsune is one of the few companies I know off the top of my head that makes stuff in blue steel.
Company page
BladeHQ; Knifecenter (to give you an idea on pricing)
Japanese Knife Direct should also have some stuff in that steel. I've never ordered from them personally, but I've heard good things.
If the comfort's an issue, you should know that Spyderco has released sprint runs of the Caly 3 and Caly 3.5 in Hitachi Super Blue and a Mule in Cobalt Special, and there are plans for an upcoming Delica and Endura in Super Blue (laminated) as well.
And finally, some more info on Japanese Blue and White steels, just in case you were interested.
Hope some of that was useful.
There's the Shilin Cutter
Chambriard makes some cool ones
The classic Opinel or douk douk
[The Okapi knife](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okapi_(knife)
Higonokami
Sgian Dubhs
The Navaja
The German Mercator
Canadian Grohmann
Mora
Swiss army knife
Stockman
Also, here is a good website to find similar knives: http://www.worldknives.com/
I carry two with me. One is a Balisong that I've carried since I was in sixth grade. There's some reasons for that, but a good TL;DR is as a "Fuck you. I'm still here." The other is this. I found it through /r/Knives, actually.
For defense, I actually carry a Ninja Stick. Corny name. Absolutely brutal in the few times I've had to use it, though. And since it's coiled steel, there is zero impact shock to me.
Even though /r/EDC says CRKT is an 'ok' manufacturer, I honestly like mine. Picked up a CRKT M21-G10 new for $20 at my local Army/Navy. I do not regret that purchase at all.
I've only recently stopped carrying it on-person constantly in lieu of a Higo no Kami that I also picked up for under $20 on Amazon.
Thought I should add that Lansky also makes a turn-box style kit (the type a Sharpmaker is) for like less than $25 that you can use for a quick touch up, so with a Lansky guided system and turn-box you would still be under $100.
If you tried I'd imagine you could get both for less than a Sharpmaker (I have seen the basic Lansky guided set for under $35 USD and the Lansky turn box for about $12 or so).
I'm not endorsing the Lansky guided system (just because I have not used one, not because I think it is bad) but the Turn-box I do own and it is quite handy for pocket knives, I wouldn't recommend it for kitchen knives since it is pretty small.
For larger knives, I have used other guided systems, including ones similar to the Lansky, but the one I currently use is an Edge Pro knock-off (it was like $40 I think with 5 stock meh stones) that I have upgraded with better stones.
It is great for larger knives but was pretty tough to use for smaller pocket knives (which I prefer). So I glued a couple of Neodymium magnets underneath the deck and it's quite a bit easier to sharp-up the little guys now.
NOt op, but I use this. It's the cheap knock off of the edge pro apex system. 1) it's easy to use after about 5 minutes of practice, 2) you set the angle you want, so can go very shallow for a sharp edge or steep for a long lasting one, 3) it gets knives insanely sharp. Basically you decide how sharp it gets.
Downsides are it takes about 5-10 minutes per knife, so it's not quick. But I love it
I've had the Fibrox for years & sharpened with a regular stone. Just before Thanksgiving I got the Image System and love it. It's a knockoff of some made-in-America product. The manual is written in bad Engrish but eventually I figured it out - the pictures helped. It's wonderful - basically a set of stones & a jig that holds them at exactly the right angle.
I think for the price, Mercer makes a great 8” chef knife.It certainly won’t turn any heads but they were standard issue when I was in culinary school, and now (even though I have upgraded my knives) still often recommend it to average users and have even given a couple as gifts.
https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Genesis-Forged-Bolster/dp/B00DT1XFSQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1536526855&amp;sr=8-2-spons&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=mercer+chef+knife&amp;psc=1
I would recommended you steer away from the two listed. Had a coworker who owned one and the build quality was not great and the handle even snapped off after a couple of months.
Yes. There are two great chefs knives available for around that much that I recommend.
Of those two I recommend the Mercer most. I outfitted my kitchen with knives out of the Mercer Genesis range, and only the carving knife was a non-bargain.
Get this knife.
An 8" chef's knife is versatile enough to handle anything in the kitchen, and forged Mercers are excellent quality at a low price.
Mercer Genesis series is in your price range and very nice quality for the money. My 8 inch chefs knife was 30usd. It's pretty heavy as you've requested
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00DT1XFSQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1518989449&amp;sr=8-3&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=mercer+chef+knife&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=31IKtdKbS%2BL&amp;ref=plSrch
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FLQ4EE6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=3ML2NW5IKRPB8&amp;coliid=INDULA7MM65NY&amp;psc=1
Here you go! :)
Your'e gonna want some awesome new knives.
this to keep all your cords in place.
this so you don't have trouble plugging in all your stuff.
this can be used to keep track of all the tiny pieces (e.g. batteries, screws, etc.).
I personally use this everyday, it's the best.
these to keep you clean.
everyone needs one of these.
gotta put all the shoes somewhere.
something like this will come in handy.
It's the small details that count.
this could help when moving everything in.
And then get one of these bad boys for you!
okay I think I put enough for now, hope it helps.
I've used rust erasers nlike these:
Rust Eraser Sabitoru Medium and Fine 2-piece Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FS0BFJC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fvB.BbBE2T4AN
It gets em off pretty well.
I stumbled across this Rust Eraser Sabitoru Medium and Fine 2-piece Set on Amazon a few weeks ago and it's great. Literally just like an eraser, clean your knife off, wet the eraser, and the rust comes right off.
Snag these:
http://www.amazon.com/J-Henckels-International-Forged-3-Piece/dp/B00375MLSE/ref=sr_1_103?s=kitchen&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1299527235&amp;sr=1-103
And this:
http://www.amazon.com/Henckels-9-Inch-Poly-Sharpening-Steel/dp/B00004RFMA/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1299527277&amp;sr=1-1
And these:
http://www.amazon.com/Messermeister-4-Piece-Edge-Guard-Set-Black/dp/B002KKC312/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1299527361&amp;sr=1-2
And you'll be good to go for life as long as you take good care of the knives!
Well, you're doing part of it right, anyway.
http://www.amazon.com/J-A-Henckels-9-Inch-Sharpening-Steel/dp/B00004RFMA/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1381259811&amp;sr=1-2&amp;keywords=steel+sharpener
This will be your best friend. A few swipes across this before you use the knife — every time — will improve your game a lot.
Btw, learn to take care your knife so it cuts like it's brand new every time with a sharpening steel. Something like this http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00004RFMA?pc_redir=1404625086&amp;robot_redir=1 you can get any brand for this. I try to use it on my knife once a week. There's a good clip on YouTube from Gordon Ramsay on how to use it.
I have this one from Henckels and like it. A few quick passes before you use your knife really can make a difference.
If you just purchased your knife, DO NOT SHARPEN IT YOURSELF.
Your knife needs to be sharpened only every few years, maybe. However, it should be honed as part of your day-to-day process in the kitchen. I read an article the other day referencing an Italian master chef who honed his knife every four minutes, but come on, that's overkill.
The difference: sharpening a knife (with a whetstone) refers to re-grinding the steel to form a new edge. Usually the edge on your knife is fine (especially if it's brand new), it's just been knocked about and isn't entirely facing in the direction of your cutting force.
Honing a knife (with a honing steel) reshapes the blade and evens out any distortions or irregularities that may be present from ordinary use. After honing a knife, it cuts better not because it's sharper, but because you can actually use the cutting edge.
Here's Alton Brown's explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRUYAgrsoLw
You might be right, but it might be coming down to the following choices:
&#x200B;
Wusthof Classic Ikon
Wüsthof Classic Ikon Bread Knife 23cm Black - £89.00
Wüsthof tr9606 N Christmas Set 2 Knives Classic IKON (Chef's + Paring) - £103.36
Wusthof Classic Ikon Utility Knife 12 cm - £51.90
Wusthof Hanging Sharpening Steel with Black Base, 26 cm - £18.58
Total (including shipping): £265.84
&#x200B;
Tojiro DP
Tojiro DP Cobalt Alloy 3 Layers Bread Slicer 215mm - £49.93
Tojiro DP Cobalt Alloy 3 Layers Chef Knife(Gyuto) 210mm - £57.73
Tojiro DP Cobalt Alloy 3 Layers Petty Knife(Utility) 120mm - £35.89
Tojiro DP Cobalt Alloy 3 Layers Petty Knife(Utility) 180mm - £42.91
King Combination Grit Waterstone (Grinding stone) Sharpening Whetstone with Stand #1000/#6000 - £35.89 (added to get free shipping over a certain price point)
Total (including shipping): £220.12
&#x200B;
Thanks! Will this one work about the same or is there something inherently better about the Brod Taylor models? Finally, does the pull through sharpener eliminate the need for one of these if get the pull through with fine and course slots?
Thank you!
Follow up question: would this be considered a smooth steel?
Wusthof steel
Or maybe this one?
victronox honing steel
I guess I'm not sure whether steels with very small ridges are considered smooth or you mean something entirely smooth. My googling has yielded mixed results.
This is the nicest santoku-ish knife I've ever used. http://www.amazon.com/Onion-Shun-DM0500-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B0007IR2MO
wrong. we got one of these http://www.amazon.com/Onion-Shun-DM0500-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B0007IR2MO/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1346611396&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=shun+ken for my mom for mother's day a year ago. she uses it almost every day and it's still sharp enough to cut through vegetables effortlessly. shun recommends one sharpening every year. there's a reason why good knives cost more than $20, and not just because of brand name. you can sharpen any knife to the same sharpness but the materials and design, and therefore cost, determine how long it will hold an edge and how comfortable it is to hold
I think it really comes down to how you grip a knife (do you hold it like a lot of people who actually grab the handle like they're holding a torch, or do you pinch the bolster where it's thicker and balanced). I've had all kinds of expensive knives, but when I bought the Shun Ken Onion chef's knife, I couldn't imagine using anything else. Here's a picture of the knife. Compare that with the Victorinox Fibrox, Henckels, Masamoto, Wusthof, etc. The knife's bolster is what I love about my Shun (thumb and index finger fit perfectly on it).
If you got the non-diamond system - add the Coarse Diamond and the 2000 Ultra Fine one.
After reading through the comments, you really can't go wrong with either the BM940 or the ZT0450. Also, a cheaper and just as great sharpening set is the Lansky System. All you need to add to it are the Leather and Diamond strops, oh and the Stand.
ok now that i am back home and on my computer not a phone here is what i got
http://www.amazon.com/Lansky-LK3DM-Diamond-Standard-System/dp/B000B8JDRC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1419717060&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=lansky++diamond+sharpeners
http://www.amazon.com/Lansky-Super-Sapphire-Polishing-Hone/dp/B000B8IEB8/ref=pd_bxgy_sg_img_z
http://www.amazon.com/Lansky-Ultra-Sharpening-Yellow-Holder/dp/B000B8L6MC/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1419717110&amp;sr=8-9&amp;keywords=lansky++diamond+sharpeners
i got these, it was less then 100 dollars and with a couple of strops on a leather belt you will be shaving your arm hair in no time
I also have a Henckles Classic and it fits this guard perfectly. No scuffing at all.
Get a large chefs knife for general cutting, you’ll be glad you did.
this one is very affordable on amazon.
I don't know where the one I use is from, I've had it so long the branding has washed away. However, the one linked below has great reviews and looks like it's a great choice.
https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Millennia-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B000PS2XI4/ref=sr_1_13?s=kitchen&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1483386129&amp;sr=1-13&amp;keywords=chefs+knife
Mercer is a better deal if you're OK with a partial tang plastic handle like the Fibrox has. It's very popular with people who cook for a living and it's only $14.
I'm no expert but based on the recommendation of the Burrfection channel on YouTube, I purchased the Mercer M22608 (the chef's knife that is part of the $80 set recommended here). I am very impressed with it. It was one of his choices for best $20 knife.
I am somewhat intimidated at how I will maintain it. Intimidated. Confused. But it's time to step up and figure these bevel angles out.
if he is getting into his own cooking - no better gift than a quality knife. Tojiro makes a great one for the money ($47)
Working out - 35-45 lb Kettlebells are a versatile place to start a home gym
ahh shit. just saw filler gift. dont know if either fit the bill
Thank you so much for all the info! So maybe something like these Zhen knives or this Tojiro knife?
Stupid question: I recall someone telling me once that high quality knives are not dishwasher safe. Is this true? If I buy these for her, we'll be hand washing them, correct?
For the wet stone: how much does the manufacturer matter? I was able to find this one and it seems well reviewed. :)
Thank you again for all the help!
My first stone was a Kai 240/1000, which I got because it was cheap. It got me started on sharpening technique, and I restored a few mangled knife blades out of it. It does a great job, despite its smaller size
My current stone is a King 1000/6000, priced at only $40. I've spent a lot of time practicing proper technique with the King stone, and can get my Henckels Santoku sharp enough to shave (which I think is impressive for a $40 knife). My Shun Chef is sharp enough to do surgery. Shun uses VG-10, a much harder steel (HRC around 60) which requires a very consistent technique to polish properly.
If you want to move up in quality after that, you're looking at $100+ per stone.
I'd say a Japanese waterstone would be the way to go. They're not that hard to use. This Kai 240/1000 would even match most of his knives! A 1000/6000 would also be a good option paired with a fine diamond stone.
I understand that none of these would work particularly well for that half serrated blade. But a little Lansky blade medic could touch it up nicely.
This King, This Taidea one, and this Kai one.
I think an 800 grit is a little too fine if you want to do any re-edgeing of blades, especially if you're trying to remove enough material to hide a nick in the edge. This Kai waterstone off Amazon is always my recommendation to friends as a first stone. The 240 grit is just coarse enough to do some re-edging work, and the 1000 is enough for some pretty fine edge.
If you miss your Shun you could get a Wasabi. They're made by the same company and the profile is basically identical. Decent grind, steel is a few points harder than Victorinox.
Tojiro DP has come back down to ~$60, cuts about as well as a Shun.
Would a Wasabi be close to what you're looking for? They're not high quality or anything but decent budget knives.
Kai Wasabi Santoku or Chef's knife. The WASABI BLACK Series is very affordable.
EDIT# Added price.
$34.95 for the Chef's knife/Santoku if you are in the US. Its about £40 if you are in the UK.
If money is an issue for her, I recommend this knife. It has to be, by far, one of the best deals for a knife in this price range.
I've been using this knife for the past 6 months after it was recommended in a similar thread. No regrets.
I have the puck, works great on axes and knives alike. I knew multiple fishing guides who even used it on their filet knives daily for years.
This also works great for my knives:
http://www.amazon.com/Kotobuki-King-1000-K-80-Combo/dp/B00200L90I/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
I use a Kotobuki King 250+1000 and lay the bevel flat on the wet stone. I use water to keep it wet. I sharpen on the coarse until I have made and removed a burr on the whole edge. Then switch to fine. It does not come out quite as sharp as the factory edge, but is more than satisfactory. I typically make my very last pass on the fine side with more of an angle to make sure I have removed any bits of burr.
I would avoid something with an angle guard on this style of blade. The bevel is so significant that it guides for you.
edit: assuming only sharpening a mora
Try this then. If you think about how long you'll own your stones, the price is a few cents a year or less if you properly maintain it.
http://www.amazon.com/Kotobuki-King-1000-K-80-Combo/dp/B00200L90I/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1421365781&amp;sr=8-10&amp;keywords=whetstone
This one doesn't come with a case/stand. I'd recommend getting one to increase the lifespan and ease of use. If you're completely new to whetstones, look at getting sharpening guides to help you get a feel for the proper 15 degree angle.
Redditing at work is awesome! -- So awesome I am doing it right now! :)
You are super awesome because I noticed we share names IRL! Obviously Elizabeth's are the most awesome people in the entire world!! I think you might like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Funko-POP-Game-Thrones-Targaryen/dp/B009B0YWDG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1372264342&amp;sr=8-5&amp;keywords=funko+pop
I think it is pretty cool! But if I were to win something off my wish list I would choose this:
http://www.amazon.com/Totally-Bamboo-20-7930-3-Piece-Cutting/dp/B002M782UO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&amp;colid=1X2VKQHLODCNW&amp;coliid=IO6C0DIIDLYDQ
I am moving out soon and I will be needing those! Thank you for the contest! :)
mother freaking
boomerang!
Watching other people open presents I've given them (especially well planned/thought out ones) makes me incredibly happy.
Also, casually looking over at my BF and seeing him already looking at me with this goofy smile...... makes me even more happy.
I would love this
Buy some of this shit. It's dope.
Also, this fucker is rad.
These motherfuckers will come in handy.
Don't forget this thing.
Link
Halloween
My gf's parents got me a set of bamboo spatulas and a bamboo cutting board set. It is the best housewarming gift I have ever had. I just searched bamboo on amazon so this is what came up. I can show you what I have but I don't want to get out of bed atm.
Oh man, another foodie :P I love cooking and I have just started really getting into it. If I have to suggest something for you to try, give this a shot. I am part peruvian and I grew up eating masamora. It is essentially jello/pudding made from purple corn. Trust me, this is super nomalicious, especially if you cut up and throw in some fresh pineapple, apples, mangos, and grapes.
I seriosly hope you will give it a try, you will not be disappointed. Also if I do win the raffle, this bamboo cutting board would be the shit as I'm still acquiring kitchenware :P Hope you find something that peaks your interest and thanks for the contest!
Cutting Boards for $10, highest priority!
check out these plastic safety knives. got them for my 5 year old and he loves em https://www.amazon.com/Curious-Chef-TCC50029-3-Piece-Nylon/dp/B002Q5YH9C
I use a plastic knife similar to this, but not this exact brand:
https://amzn.com/B002Q5YH9C
Works great
You can definitely get a good chef knife in your price range. I would ask him if he prefers an 8 inch/210mm knife or a 10 inch/240mm knife.
First, a good knife. The Victorinox Fibrox is an excellent selection for a little less. They're durable as hell, take a good edge, and feel nice in the hand. I've seen more of them in professional kitchens than any other line, and for good reason. Mercer's Genesis line is an equally good but heavier option, if that's his inclination. He'll want a honing steel to go with either of those. If he likes the traditional wood handle on a heavy knife, a Mercer Renaissance is the same knife with a different handle. I really like the rubber/poly handles on the Genesis line, but it's a personal thing.
If you really want to blow him away, I have two suggestions. First is my favorite of the two, the Fujiwara FKM. Fujiwara's knives are comfortable and light. I consider them the best introduction to Japanese knives. The only possible considerations are the size of the handle and his handedness. These knives are ground 70/30 in favor of right hand users and those with larger hands find the handles small. I wear large gloves and find them perfectly comfortable. If he has macho man hands I would look at the Tojiro DP instead. It's a beefier knife, but it's still a bit lighter than most Western chef knives. With these knives he'll need some way to keep them sharp; they keep an edge longer, but not forever. The Fujiwara responds decently well to a honing steel, but the Tojiro is a bit too hard to see the full benefits.
It also heavily depends on the type of steel you use. I use a forged steel knife, as opposed to a blade that was say, press cut out of sheet steel.
I highly recommend getting a decent knife. I use An eight inch Mercer. Providing I use it on a wood cutting board, it lasts me about six to eight months. Honing steel every once and a while doesn't hurt either.
>Care? honing
>
>Budget? 150-200
This part as a knife enthusiast bothers me a little.
Any knife you buy in your price range is going to benefit immensely from learning sharpening, otherwise it will be a loss for you. Whether you do it yourself or have them professionally sharpened is up to you, but if you have the time and inclination I highly recommend learning to sharpen, as it extends the life of your knife much more. No matter what knife you buy, it will eventually get dull and need to be sharpened.
If you don't feel like learning to sharpen, just get a cheaper nice looking knife, like a victorinox rosewood (or fibrox is cheaper though) or mercer renaissance (best bang for your buck forged steel knife). That way you can have them belt sharpened locally without worrying about the knife being damaged. most sharpeners will use belt sanders which will not be great for the knife, but it is a cheaper knife so no fuss. I would also recommend these knives if you are a beginner with knives.
If you will never sharpen your knives, don't read further.
If you want to go down the rabbit-hole of /r/chefknives, then get a stone. Decent quality sharpening stones begin at around 40 or so bucks. I recommend the king kds 1000/6000 as a good starting point. with a stone, you can get most cheap knives hair shaving sharp, but it requires practice. if you get a stone, get something like a Gesshin 210mm stainless chef knive. The balance, feel, fit and finish are all the best you can get at that price, and is about as high quality a type of knife you should ever go for a first knife.
Mercer
Henckels Classic, $45
Henckels Forged Premio, $34
Mercer Culinary Genesis, $33
Mercer Culinary Renaissance, $38
Mac French Chef's Knife, $90
Misen Chef's Knife, $65
Please note that I cannot vouch for any of these personally.
DC4's are popular. Spyderco Pocket Stone is a step up. Also consider a strop for maintaining the edge when it doesn't need to be put on the stone. These can be made with scrap leather to save some money. The Worksharp comes with both, I've never used it but looks like it has good reviews.
41.99$ you liar >:(
But really that's a cool account O:
Heheh....
Whetstone
Folding Saw
If you want to stick to something simple then let me point you to this amazing little pocket sized no water/oil stone. It's great to put a nice edge on things quickly
https://www.amazon.com/Fallkniven-Diamond-Ceramic-Whetstone-Sharpening/dp/B003BUV226/
Bring one of these along if you do: Fallkniven DC4
Diamond grit on one side and a ceramic media on the other. Mine will sharpen S30V well enough, so it should be more than adequate for D2.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003BUV226/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1494703479&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=fallkniven+dc4&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=31LIT5RpijL&amp;ref=plSrch
Another good one is the Fallkniven DC4 Diamond/Ceramic Whetstone.
Guys like Ray Mears recommend it.
Something like this is a bit shorter but still has a wide blade that will allow you to use proper technique. And it has the benefit of only being $7 if you don’t like it:
Deba-Style Flexible Thai Knife (#171), Kiwi https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003LIX4QA/
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.
>kramer meiji
Alright so I've got a great 8" stealth Messermeister chef knife I love (http://a.co/d/04Forve) and a Kiwi 6" (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003LIX4QA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)that is cheap but I really like it.
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Would you recommend that I go with the 6" Kramer Meiji or the 8"?
These are actually pretty great, and so cheap that you could just replace them every year when get dull (I actually learned about them from a professional chef who does just that, tossing them instead of paying to have them sharpened).
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003LIX4QA/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1377837599&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SX110_SY165
Higos are very light:
https://www.amazon.com/Higo-Kami-sizeM-Nagaokoma-JAPAN/dp/B003UOEDW4/ref=lp_15241665011_1_1?srs=15241665011&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1482789979&amp;sr=8-1
You could make a small cloth pouch for it and sew it to your waistband.
I like the look of this knife. Is it the same/similar as this one? If so I think Ill get it
DAT HIGO NO KAMI
A hone is a stick usualy made of out harden stainless steel or Ceramic which is used to restraighten the edge, it does not sharpen or polish, just gets the edge straight, all it does is realign the edge, it does NOTHING for sharpness. Also besare of diamond dust hones which do sharpen to some extent.
You should hone every time you use your knife. Always use a proper cutting board (don't cut something on the granite countertop like I've seen many do). Store your knife in a knife block or on a magnetic strip. And yes, definitely stay away from automatic sharpeners. Learn to use a waterstone. You can even get a kit that can help you fix the sharpening angle (disclaimer: I'm not necessarily recommending the one in the link, it's just an example.).
So I’ve been looking at different options. Whetstone, yes, but it’s a skill that takes time to perfect. It is a useful skill, but don’t expect super sharp knives overnight (unless you are literally spending all night on it, haha).
Professional knife sharpening: honestly, I’d recommend this for getting an initial sharp. It’s easier to maintain an edge than creat an edge
Another sort of midway option that is not highly recommended here, but I think I’m headed that way is a knife sharpening system. And I don’t mean the draw through POS that you get from the department store. I have those and don’t think they work. I’m thinking of getting an Edge Pro clone and chosera stones. I don’t have a lot of knives and don’t plan on spending a lot of time honing my sharpening skills. And I think that’s the best option for me right now. There are others out there like Lansky that are good. I just like the variable angle on the Edge Pro and similar products.
I’m thinking something like this knowing that I’ll need to mod it to make it more sturdy as well as pick up some chosera stones for it:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00CGVJ4YO/
It's hard to directly compare because I have never used the real deal. I can't imagine how the legit EPA could perform dramatically better. The clone does a fine job of holding the authentic stones. The stones it comes with are pretty poor quality. I suppose the clone is more likely to break because of inferior materials/quality control but I can replace it several times and still come out ahead. This is the one I got.
Not off of Ali per se, but I bought this bad boy and have used it to sharpen a few kitchen knives with great success. It can accept other stones, but so far the ones that came with it have been good enough for my purposes.
I've got a sharpening system that makes it easy to keep a straight edge and that comes with basically all the stones you need. They aren't the best though but they do the job.
Here is the link to it on Amazon.
And here is the video that should give you an idea on how it works.
This is actually lower than your budget but I've heard good things about this knife. I'm about to buy it myself and my criteria is pretty similar to yours.
Edit: Removed affiliate link
Welcome/congrats on moving into your apartment!! I recently moved into my first apartment, and it drives me crazy discovering all the little things I need.
I suggest you get a good knife set (I bought this set for myself and I LOVE it) and a couple of cutting boards. The knives are great for a small space because you can just store them in a crock or whatever with the rest of your cooking utensils (thanks, knife covers!) and the cutting boards take up virtually no room in your cabinet.
Congrats again! I'd love to talk decorating or sometime, because I'm super lost in this whole living-on-my-own (college exuded) thing!
Chef Essential 6 Piece Knife Set With Matching Sheaths, Multicolor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015GDDSTA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_GyH5Ab2CMBX5G
This is the one I have but it was on sale when I got it. This set looks to be similar, though I can't vouch for their efficacy:
Cuisinart C55-01-12PCKS Advantage Color Collection 12-Piece Knife Set, Multicolor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FLQ4EE6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_LAH5AbYNN2PQ9
I love these knives -- if you are not into the various colors, you can get them in a single color. I like having the multi colored ones because it is easy to remember that you use a certain color for certain things so you can grab it from the drawer more easily. But to each their own! Here is the link. I literally LOVE cooking with these knives.
For my brother. With a note reading, "Good hunting."
For the only girl.
For the person placed last.
Delivery for Lucas from Arden Winters.
Give these knives a shot. You’ll thank me later. When one gets dull toss it and buy a new set.
Haha I'm okay now. I laugh about it constantly and was laughing while in the hospital. Ps. I got you on the info-The knives that gave me the cleanest cut that all the nurses rushed to order! :-)
Yes, they’re much lighter. Also, by the look of this one there’s a lot of steel filings already on the surface. I would buy a rust eraser, which you can use to remove that material.
I use these ones:
Rust Eraser Sabitoru Medium and Fine 2-piece Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FS0BFJC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Cq3xzb7Y6N7MS
The red is a coarse and white is a little smoother. They sell individually too. Probably only need the fine (just search rust eraser on Amazon) one but I just like them. You just rub it on top of your water stone after it looks metallic/gray on the surface from all the metal clogged on top. This will rub it right off. Can also use to literally rub/erase rust spots off of a knife etc.
They feel like rubber sandpaper lol.
I suggested the Atoma 400 in our earlier posts too.. I found a new diamond plate yesterday.. I linked it in the big post I made with all the links. S & K sk11 plate. 160/600.
Check out virtuovice on YouTube
With a rust eraser!
Rust Eraser Sabitoru Medium and... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FS0BFJC
Soak the rust eraser and then use it to clean your stone.
That 1x42 should do the trick to get started as long as it has a platen to keep things flat and belts in the right grits but before you start grinding away you might try starting with these https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Eraser-Sabitoru-Medium-2-piece/dp/B00FS0BFJC
rust eraser for his knives. Japanese, inexpensive, great bit of kit.
2-eraser Sabitoru set on amazon
I really love Shun knives. They are very nimble and sharp, and fit comfortably in your hand. In particular I recommend the Ken Onion chef knife, which looks strange but is a excellently designed knife. The only drawback to Shun's knives is that they are fairly delicate, I wouldn't use them to hack apart bones or that sort of thing.
I actually personally use this one:
Kai Japanese Professional Knife Sharpening Stone https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UZET0M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fjMqyb445MVA8
I've had it for a solid year and every few months I sharpen all the knives in my house. Works just great. Although I use a sharpening steel to help keep them that way.
I don't really like Mora's Knives. They are good enough at a low price, but look pretty cheap in my Opinion. But that one may only be expensive because of the added accessories. You propably better off buying a firesteel and sharpener seperately.
I for one own a Very100 Firesteel and a Fallkniven DC4 for these purposes.
In the end, it depends on your preference. For me, a knife is like a wrist watch for others. I have it on me all the time, so I like to pay a little more. If i have to choose one knife til the end of my life, it would be the rangerwood.
Just watch review of it. https://youtu.be/spb5TlG7luw
Btw, do not get confused be the wenger and victorinox thing. They merged a few years ago.
yearly? you don't cook much. Knives need to be sharpened way more than that. Buy a good knife sharpening kit, and sharpen them once a month.
something like this:
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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CGVJ4YO/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B00CGVJ4YO&pd_rd_w=3RLpc&pf_rd_p=45a72588-80f7-4414-9851-786f6c16d42b&pd_rd_wg=B0gom&pf_rd_r=08Q8KNMGCCFRKGHJ5KDP&pd_rd_r=a74c98ad-869a-4743-8431-0b00e760cbf7&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExSkZOT1ZIR1laMEFLJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjg3MTg5U044OTlVRFpESDNVJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA4NTg1MDkxWElXTE9IVzBNMDVCJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
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that will give you a professionial edge, that's what they are using anyways. The expensive one is $300, i forget the brand. These cheap ones, are the same thing. I'm not vouching for this $30 one. I have one I paid about $80 for. It's phenomenal.
edit:
u/spiceywoff named the expensive one. edge pro professional.
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Point is, GET A GOOD SHARPENER. Use it once a month.