I need advice for a good kitchen knife and butcher block set for my wife.

[flyer1]

I think I have found a new hobby?/expense? This one will be for the wife. After she gets the gift I will show her this thread. I am sure this new hobby/expense will keep her engaged for a while. Thanks to all. I have learned a lot.

Mike

[jaysouth]

Just to chime in a bit late here, Buy a magnetic bar and mount on the wall in a convenient location. After a couple of months, she will probably settle on using daily a 8 inch chef knife, a 6 inch utility knife and a parer. If you get a serrated knife, do not use it except for bread. They are too hard to sharpen. Used only for bread, you probably will not ever have to sharpen it. Store these on the bar and leave the rest of them in the block. Put a good steel on the bar.

In 30 years working as a chef, I developed the habit of picking up a knife and hitting it with the steel a couple of strokes. When putting it away, I wiped it with a sanitizer soaked rag and hit it a couple of strokes with the steel and put it back on the bar. Once a year, I had each knife sharpened on a slack belt.

Do not let others handle YOUR knives. My kitchen help knew that a good asschewing would promptly ensue if I say any of them using my knives.

A quick note about blocks. They are not allowed in restaurants because they are too hard to sanitize and breed germs.

This is my favorite knife in the kitchen. It has replaced all my French and German shaped chef knives for general use.
http://www.knifemerchant.com/product.asp?productID=3232

When I first started in a kitchen, I had a complete set of the French made Sabatier carbon steel knives. They are generally sharper than stainless knives but require hourly care to keep from rusting. You cannot keep them from staining.
http://www.sabatier-shop.com/kitchen...-vintage_.html

[GabbyM]

GabbyM thanks for that link to the $6 sharpener. It looks like a great stocking stuffer for this Christmas!

you are welcome smoked Turkey:

I'm giving both my son in laws one of the Case Trapper pocket knives and the little sharpener for Christmas. They both hunt, fish and camp along with my daughters they married. Those trappers are like having a fold up paring knife with two blades. Old Uncle Henry knives I used to have when I was a kid are all made in China now and total junk. the blades will bend and not hold an edge btw. Case is still made in the USA and owned now by Zippo.
As a side note. Still in my possession is the first ever real pocket knife I ever had. My grandmother gave it to me when I was about eight years old. Along with a five minute lesson on how to use a "real knife".

I checked and noted Midway is sold out. Wonder if that's because of my link? Lots of places to buy knives. One is Smokey Mountain Knife Works. They have a bunch of them at competitive every day prices. Here's the link so no one gets spammed. http://www.smkw.com/ There's always sites like Amazon dot com but SMKW has about every knife Case makes. I like the scrimshaw art on the bone handles even though it's done with a lazer. Never bought one though as I'm tight. Plus I've lost a lot of pocket knives to theft.

SMKW sells some neat little two dollar or so ceramic sharpening sticks. They are all I use to sharpen kitchen knives in general. Unless I have to use a stone first. But my daughters seam to be able to break one in a week. I've used the same one for twelve years. I finish My Lamson knives on a canvases razor strop with buffing compound. As long as some uninitiated type doesn't get a hold of one then drag it across a cutting board like a shovel it will cut for a couple hours through bushels of cucumbers and such. They aren't as dangerous as a chain saw but you do cut at the board not your hand. What I leave laying around are some Old Hickory knives which are excellent. I don't sharpen them past what the ceramic stick will do because I hate mopping up other peoples blood. Even the fine stainless Lamson's won't hold that fine razor edge in the block for more than a couple weeks as corrosion will dull it. That's just how fine the edge is! What I'm really getting at. From a few bad experiences. I can recommend talking it over with your spouse as to just how sharp she wants these knives. Mentioning the hazards. They need to know haw sharp they are because a surprise here isn't a good thing.

[MaryB]

A dull knife is dangerous and more likely to cause a cut than a sharp one!

[GabbyM]

A dull knife is dangerous and more likely to cause a cut than a sharp one!

That's true to a point. However if you really work one to a razor edge they are very dangerous. Not many people in this vast world whom have ever actually worked with a truly sharp knife. I'm talking about sharper than those cheep plastic shaving blades you use to shave your face in the morning. That's exactly the problem I've had communicating to the others in my kitchen. They seriously do not have a concept of what a sharp knife is. The dull knife will cut you concept is simplified as pressure required to make a cut makes a break through pass with the knife. With a truly sharp knife. If you just bump your finger with the edge it will go almost to the bone. Dull knife wont' do that. I'm 58 years old and can't recall myself cutting myself bad since I was in my twenties. That is because the experience is very memorable. Then as a machinist I've been cut and nicked to pieces for decades on the job. My mind has developed a serious aversion to being bodily cut up. Just writing about it makes me feel creepy. I seriously hate being cut. Kitchen knives are however completely under control. Not like chips flying of a lathe that will get you once a month or so.
With a sharp kitchen knife. Just don't put your meat in front on the blade.

[Artful]

I'm talking about sharper than those cheep plastic shaving blades you use to shave your face in the morning.

I'm not sure that applies to MaryB!

Several Thanksgivings ago I took my knives over to the in-laws and after the mean, my brother-in-law was going to do the clean up - he put my knives in the sink with the silverware
and tried playing blind man's bluff in the soapy/suddsy water and found out why you don't do that with a sharp knive in the water. Nasty deep cut but it wasn't ragged.

[Hogtamer]

I work as a chef as well and the Henkel set first mentioned is great quality at a very good package price. Your grandkids will think so too.

[DougGuy]

flyer this is a real cool knife block, we have two of them and they beat the slotted blocks by a long shot:

It's called the Kapoosh and you can get them at a lot of places or online.

https://www.google.com/search?q=kapoosh&client=firefox-a&hs=sj0&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=07KUUpPLL7bJs QSp4YCoAQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1807&bih=935&dpr=0.9

[MaryB]

I warn anyone in my kitchen that my knives will take a finger off if they brush against them. I demonstrate by dropping a ripe tomato on the blade. It falls in half.

I hate those cheap plastic razors for leg shaving, in a pinch yes but I buy better. Thankfully it is winter again and leg fur is warm advantages to being over 50...

[bandit7.5]

W R CASE and Son makes a great wood handled kitchen set it comes in one of those block stands with the case brand on it

[jonp]

A dull knife is dangerous and more likely to cause a cut than a sharp one!

Just like an axe or chainsaw

[jonp]

I warn anyone in my kitchen that my knives will take a finger off if they brush against them. I demonstrate by dropping a ripe tomato on the blade. It falls in half.

I hate those cheap plastic razors for leg shaving, in a pinch yes but I buy better. Thankfully it is winter again and leg fur is warm advantages to being over 50...

Are you sure your not related to my wife?

[alamogunr]

Nearly 50 years ago I bought two kitchen knives from the old Alaska Sleeping Bag Co. They were described as "boning" knives. One was more flexible than the other. I got married shortly after and those 2 knives got more use than all the cheap gift knives put together.

About 10-12 years ago, I bought 3 Henckels knives. A utility model, a boning knife and a parer. Followed that up with another brand(but equal) slicer and a Santuko(sp?). All get fairly heavy usage except the Santuko. I don't sharpen any of them to the ultimate razor edge since my wife is the primary user. I just keep them reasonably share(my definition) and it seems to be good enough.

Browse around the net for "chefs" knives and you will find a lot of very expensive Japanese knives that serve mainly to satisfy the egos of would be chefs. I guess real chefs can make use of them and get their money's worth but I don't think most of us can justify them. Just my opinion and worth every penny you paid for it.

[kenyerian]

+1 on Cutco.!!!

[StrawHat]

Interesting thread and amny good recommendations. As a knife sharpener,I handle many knives every day so I have some opinions about what makes a good knife. When asked what is a good knife, my response is "...the one that feels best in your hand...". If it doesn't fit your hand or style of use, it will just stay in the drawer. For some, it is Cutco, others prefer Victorinox, and some prefer Wustoff. They all make good knives.

Not trying to argue with any of the chefs, but the magnetic bar makes your blade want to carry the small bits of grind along to your food. For anyone looking to buy a new knife, or several, try out knives your friends or family have. If you find something you like, buy that knife for your set. Handles do not need to match, so you can mix brands to get your set. I find the three knives that get the most use in my kitchen are the 8 - 10 inch chefs knife, a 10 or 12 inch serrated bread knife and a paring knife. The boning and filet knives only get seasonal use in my kitchen, same with the 12 inch slicer.

Keep them sharp and they will serve you well.

[Artful]

Well stated StrawHat

[MaryB]

Hey legs are hidden all winter so why shave, also good for the skin to give it a break from shaving, especially as dry as it gets in my house. My skin gets so dry that the skin on my finger tips cracks...

[fecmech]

My skin gets so dry that the skin on my finger tips cracks...

As a mechanic mine do that all the time in the winter. Tried something last year and it worked great. When I get a crack I put a small drop of super glue in it and push it together till the glue holds. Hurts like He## but only for a minute then they don't hurt anymore and heal way better. Don't use liquid soaps!!
Sorry for the Hijack
I like the Wustof knives and have 3. There back on topic.

[geargnasher]

If you buy J.A. Henkel knives, don't buy the cheap ones, they're garbage same as all the other cheap SS kitchen blades available. A $400 Ziess scope is still a $400 scope.

I use a bead-blasted spark plug to sharpen most of my stuff. +1 on carbon steel being generally better than stainless for consumer-grade blades.

Gear

[montana_charlie]

My skin gets so dry that the skin on my finger tips cracks...

A small can of udder balm will cure that ... works well as patch lube, and makes a pretty decent mini-ball grease.