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Food Knives

Discussion in 'Tilted Food' started by thejuanald, Dec 12, 2012.

  1. thejuanald

    thejuanald Vertical

    Location:
    Here
    Hi all,

    I haven't been on TFP for some time but I recently got an email reminding me to come back so I thought this would be a good opportunity to come back. I have a girlfriend who really loves cooking and was wanting to get her some good knives for Christmas. At first I was thinking of getting a knife set but then I read online that it would be better to piecemeal a set together. I was thinking that the three essential knives are a good chef's knife, a santoku, and a paring knife. What are some good brands of knives I should be looking at? I've been looking at these MAC Pro knives:

    Chef: MAC MTH-80 8" Chef's Knife w/ Dimples
    Santoku: MAC MSK-65 Santoku Knife w/ Bolster
    Paring: MAC PKF-50 5" Paring Knife

    Any help would be greatly appreciated as I know nothing about knives

    Edit: I guess my post count was deleted so I can't post links to the knives. So I just put the descriptions from Amazon.
     
    thejuanald, Dec 12, 2012
    #1
  2. Random McRandom

    Random McRandom Starry Eyed

    I'm kinda partial to the Shun Ken Onion knives...

    pricey though.
     
    Random McRandom, Dec 12, 2012
    #2
  3. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    First question: Will she take care of the knives, or does she just want something she can throw in the dishwasher? Plenty of people love to cook, but they aren't willing to handwash their gear. Make sure before you buy. There are some great low-end knives that go in the dishwasher. Cooking with Engineers did a bunch of tests that had some interesting results: Chef's Knives Rated - Equipment & Gear - Cooking For Engineers

    Knives are also highly personal. She needs to hold the knives before you buy them. I have small hands, and so when I was shopping for my chef's knife, I held several different kinds before deciding on mine. It wasn't the most expensive or the fanciest, but it fit my hand the best. I don't like knives with bolsters, either, so that was another consideration. I went with a 7" santoku from Zwilling JA Henckels over a straight-up chef's knife because of my personal preference.

    For a paring knife, I actually really like the ceramic knives from Kyocera. They feel good in the hand and they are really easy to use. A paring knife is also personal because of the length--some people prefer a shorter paring knife, as it tends to be more maneuverable.

    Hope that helps.
     
    snowy, Dec 12, 2012
    #3
    • Like Like x 1
  4. thejuanald

    thejuanald Vertical

    Location:
    Here
    Thanks for the replies. I'm now leaning toward this set that I found at Williams and Sonoma. I was going to piece a santoku, chef and paring knife and I really liked the JA Henckels Pro series (not Pro-S) over the others I saw. The price for all three ended up being $40 less than an 8 piece set that had all three knives and a bread knife, utility knife, shears, sharpening steel and a block. I think I may go with those. There were other ones I liked but they were out of my price range. Also, JA Henckels sounds familiar, so that may be a brand she mentioned before.

    Here's an image of the set (I don't like that the utility knife is serrated, maybe they will let me exchange that knife out for something else):

    [​IMG]
     
    thejuanald, Dec 12, 2012
    #4
  5. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    snowy gave you good input. Knives are a tough buy. There is such a wide range of quality and price available. You also have to balance out what you will actually use and how much care you are willing to give them after each use.

    We have a set of Wustoff knives that were given to us as a gift, I think 2 years ago. I believe it is this exact set:
    Wusthof Gourmet 18-Piece Knife Set with Storage Block: Amazon.com: Kitchen & Dining

    I like them. They may not compare to some of the very high end knives you would buy individually, but they've held up well and are fairly easy to care for.
     
    Borla, Dec 12, 2012
    #5
    • Like Like x 1
  6. thejuanald

    thejuanald Vertical

    Location:
    Here
    Yeah, snowy's advice is very good. I know my girlfriend will care for them really well. The article gave good insight and made me think MAC are great knives but now that I think about it more, JA Henckels sounds so familiar that maybe that was a brand she mentioned. I went to Williams and Sonoma and handled the JA Henckels Pro knives and they definitely are nice. They have a nice feel to them. They were a bit heavier than the Pro S but I think that was a good thing.

    Now I'm torn between the MAC and the JA Henckels. Does anyone know the difference between the Pro and the Pro S series? The Pro is more expensive on Amazon but I couldn't find a difference in the description on the official website except the bolster on the Pro is that it doesn't go to the bottom so the knife edge runs the entire length of the knife.

    I know that each person should personally feel out a knife for themselves but that would ruin the surprise.
     
    thejuanald, Dec 12, 2012
    #6
  7. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    Maybe a Williams-Sonoma gift card?
     
    snowy, Dec 12, 2012
    #7
  8. Zen

    Zen Very Tilted

    Location:
    London
    This.

    Hi thejuanald
    I'm so understanding your not wanting to ruin the surprise.

    If your girlfriend totally loves cooking but does not give a feck about what knives, then cool ... no problem.

    But Snowy's idea of getting the Williams-Sonoma gift card ... especially if you take her to the shop OR if you say 'your present isn't wrapped up yet, in fact we have to go on a journey to make sure it fits you' ... THEN as you enter the shop, give her the gift card, so she KNOWs she'll have to get something there but that it will be her choice. I so think that's the way to go. At the moment, you're doing your very best to choose the very best for her, but with with YOUR HANDS.

    Now I'll confess, I'm letting my own stuff slop over as I write, thejuanald ... like, I've built my knife collection over a period of 30 years. I'm bloody pernikkety, and I've secretly gone berserk when people have gone 'Zen likes cooking = uses knives = get him a knife' - they are SO well meaning but they just don't bloody know the intimacy of the differences between chopping heaven and bloody-finger land, given the size of my hand and my established method of use.

    :oops: ... er ... pleased to meet you. I get quite excited about cooking knives .... my eyes bulged as soon as I saw the thread title, I can tell you.

    Best wishes :)



    HAH ... this thought leapt out at me: You Do want to get her a SOMEthing ... so how's about gift card AND tape it to a nice new chopping board ... wooden or plastic, the kind that will be friendly to high quality knife blades? Or a magnetic knife-holder that you can fix to the wall? Then you still get to give her a THING that you've chosen, as well as being sure that the overal present will 'fit' her ... be right for her. How's that sound?
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2012
    Zen, Dec 12, 2012
    #8
    • Like Like x 2
  9. fflowley

    fflowley Don't just do something, stand there!

    Agree with all the above. Preferences really will vary person by person. It's like buying bike shorts. Some brands work great for me, other people find them unwearable, and vice versa.
    Lose a little surprise but make her so much happier in the long run by taking her and letting her check out the goods before purchasing.
    She will be impressed by your thoughtfulness.
     
    fflowley, Dec 12, 2012
    #9
  10. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    Oh, I am SO HAPPY to hear someone else share a story like mine, because my story makes me feel really ungrateful sometimes.

    I asked for a knife set as a wedding gift. In trying to figure out what I wanted, I did a lot of research, conferred with some folks I know who know knives (like Carbonic), and made a selection based on a lot of work. Actually--I asked for the Pro set shown above! Anyway, at my bridal shower, I unwrapped a set of knives that weren't nearly close to what I'd asked for. There are two families of knives Henckels makes--Zwilling JA Henckels and JA Henckels. They are very different in their manufacture (although I have a low-end santoku from the JA Henckels family that I've been very happy with)--and the box set I received was a JA Henckels set like this one: J.A. Henckels Statement, 12 Piece Block Set - Cutlery & Knives - Kitchen - Macy's Now, my husband is a vegetarian, so I definitely didn't need a knife set with steak knives. We literally used these knives once and they got rust spots on them. I returned them. Obviously, since this was a cheaper set, and we were (are) near broke students, I couldn't get the set of knives I wanted, so instead, I invested in a knife I did want along with a pair of shears. I rarely use anything else unless I absolutely have to use a paring knife for a task. I love my knife--it's a Zwilling JA Henckels Twin Signature. The molded handle fits my hand well and it has no bolster.
     
    snowy, Dec 12, 2012
    #10
  11. thejuanald

    thejuanald Vertical

    Location:
    Here
    That's a great idea! Thanks, for that idea! I know she's been wanting a really nice chef/santoku knife to start a set and I think your idea is great. I have a feeling based off her taste, she'll like the Zwilling JA Henckels set that I picked, at least aesthetically but it would be best to let her choose!

    Yeah I definitely found that out today. After looking at Williams and Sonoma today I saw others that were much cheaper and found out that they were of a different family. The Zwilling is definitely nicer in my opinion. The Zwilling JA Henckels have the twin logo while the JA Henckels has the single logo, I believe?
    Thanks, again for all the help, everyone! This is why I love the TFP. :)
     
    thejuanald, Dec 12, 2012
    #11
  12. Zen

    Zen Very Tilted

    Location:
    London
    Ah snowy, you've edited ... I was about to ask you the name of that knife that you love.

    I tentatively assumed that it'd one of the cooks' knives ... so I looked at this link:

    http://www2.zwilling.com/en-CA/Product Range--sortiment/Knives--knives/Series-overview--serien/TWIN-Signature--3543/30721-203-0--Chef`s-knife--7885.html

    Very nice. Defiitely a friend for life.


    .... and ah ... thejuanald ... you've come to conclusion of what to do. Well Done ... and I've got to remember to get on wiith some more Chripsmas propping, After a good sleep.

    Take care, both :)
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2012
    Zen, Dec 12, 2012
    #12
  13. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    Yes, they do have the two little men. And Zen, mine is the 7 inch santoku. It's not as big as a chef's knife and I definitely prefer the dimples the santoku provides.
     
    snowy, Dec 12, 2012
    #13