Really good knife for cooking?

Question

I'm looking for just one or two really good, yet affordable knives for cooking -- ones that can cut meat, vegetables, etc. Any recommendations? Any brands you recommend?

Answer 1

The cheapest knives that are worth buying, if you're at all serious about cooking, are the Forschner/Victorinox ones. Get them with the Fibrox handle. If you're just starting out, you'll want an 8- or 10-inch chef's knife (about $25), and a paring knife (about $5). You can do most things with just those two knives.

To make this really clear, what you're looking for is this:
http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Forschner-Chefs-Knife-40520/dp/B000638D32/sr=8-1/qid=1172528784/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-0652818-1521709?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden

You'll notice that the reviews are all positive; there is a reason for this, which is that it's a much, much better knife than anything else you can buy at this price point.

You'll also need a steel. A well-maintained $25 Forschner knife will be much better than a $100 Wusthof that's been neglected. True the edge every time you use your chef's knife.

The most affordable and best knife that I own is a Wüsthof that I found used at a thrift store for $2. Wüsthofs are just very good knives, very well-balanced. Better, I think, than Henckles. But you're not likely to find that kind of deal every day.

At any rate, back to my original point: you'll find the Forschner knives in A LOT of commercial kitchens. They're cheap, they do the job, and if they go in the dishwasher it won't ruin the handle. Anything fancier than your basic Forschner knives is a luxury.

An excellent review of a number of knives:
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article.php?id=129&title=Chef%27s+Knives+Rated

Answer 2

Mine is J.A. Henkels from Bed Bath and Beyond

There are no affordable good knives. THe cheapest will be about $30 for a large one and $20 for a medium/small one.

get a sharpener too.

Answer 3

William Sonoma Carry fantastic cooking products

Answer 4

I love the J.A. Henkels. I have the steak knives as well as the multi-purpose set. Have had them for six years now and they have held up great! They also have really nice cutting boards too.

Answer 5

get a Chefs knife, the usual one you usually see on t.v. or whatever, it works pretty well for everything. cheap knives are hard to come by, especially good quality one, i like wustof (don't know the spelling), but you can always go to a cutlery store and ask for assistance and they should be glad to help you out,

Answer 6

i would say a 8-10 inch french knife (chef knive) they have a flat blade they are versatile for chopping veggies,etc. a paring knife, a filet knive and a bread knive,one with a serated edge the are great for cutting soft foods like duh bread, tomatoes etc. i have a set of henkels and a set of swibos which i both love.

Answer 7

arent there like rachel ray brand knives? theyre supposedly verey good but if not sushi knives can be all porpose

Answer 8

hinkle actually ginsu is pretty good too. get 1 with a serrated edge

Answer 9

FILET KNIFE, I DO EVERYTHING EXCEPT SMALL JOBS WITH IT, I USE A PARING KNIFE FOR ONIONS ALTHO YOU CAN USE THE FILET KNIFE AS WELL.

Answer 10

Rada cutlery - radamfg.com - very good