Thread: Knives

So, I am really getting into cooking as of late and am now in search of a new block and some really great knives. I have a wusthof set from a long time ago and some random henckels, but I really want a new set. Was at Williams Sonoma yesterday in Union Sq. and was looking at a Shun Kaji set and a Wusthof blackwood set. Also, the Global set looked interesting. Anybody with any of these and can provide me with some feedback. I know it is ultimately what I feel comfortable with and really like, which was the Shun Kaji, but looking for some feedback before i pull the trigger! THANKS

Started cooking when I was 16 and was a chef and ran kitchens for a large part of my life. I was given a Wusthof chef and paring knife when I first stared by my uncle who owned the restaurants that I worked in at the time...I still have them both. I recently bought a set of the blackwoods, and they are the best to me. For longevity, and usefullness I go with Wusthof period, tried a henckels once and some random professional restaurant used brands like mundial etc and none stack up to the Wusthof..just my .02

I was at William Sonoma a week ago looking for a knife set, but when I saw that their basic knife set was like 300.00 and it wasnt even a complete set, I walked across the street and got this at belk instead: Cuisinart CA-X Series 16 Piece Block Set - Belk.com . I got the stainless steel set, but these are the same brand. Seems I may not be in the same ballpark as you guys, but so far these have been great.

as what most professional chef's will tell you.. its all about what YOU are comfortable with.. pick them up.. hold it.. see how your hand likes the knife... and another thing.. u dont need a full block set.. yea it looks good on your kitchen counter.. but realistically you only need 2 - 3 knives depending on what you're doing..

i was in your shoes last year.. same questions.. global or shun.. ended up picking up 6 globals. Did i really need 6 knives? No.. but they were 2 separate sets.. one set with 3 knives and one set with 2 knives + a free knife. I've had them for over a year now.. and ive only touched 2 of the knives.

Look around online.. youll find a better deal.. william sonoma is a nice place to go "try" knives out.. but you will pay premium pricing.

before you spend all that money on a pricey block. learn how to use it. they have some classes at sonoma. and certain old meat markets teach them also. damn shame to spend money on knives you dont even know how to sharpen.

I've had Wusthof and Henckels and I always reach for my Henckels 4 Star. I am going to pick up a Global knife soon too see what they're all about.

Like others have said... try them all to see which feel the best to you.

I have almost all Shun knives in my kitchen right now, but there are a few other brands mixed in. I purchased them one at a time based on what I needed and when they had sales going on. I have six Shun knives from the Ken Onion and Classic series, then we have a few other henckel's and Calphalon that we've picked up along the way.

My Shun knives have held up remarkably well and kept a very sharp edge over the past 2 years, but I also take very good care of them - washing and drying by hand immediately after use. The German knives I have (Henckels mostly) don't stay quite sharp as long as the Japanese knives, but they have a little more weight to them and feel sturdy.

Out of my knives - I'd say that 95% of the time I use the Chef's knife and Utility/Paring knife. Sometimes I'll use the others just to use them, but it's rare that the main two can't accomplish everything I'm doing in the kitchen. Whatever you get - I'd make sure that your Chef's knife and main paring/utility knife fits very comfortably in your hand.

Be sure to take good care of them - no dishwasher, hand wash and dry the blades as soon as your finished using them. It'll keep them nice for a long time.

My Henkles are now 8 years old and I love them. If you take care of them they will last a life time. W/S will really milk you on price. Look for sales and open stock deals. Also Costco often has great prices on Henkle blocksets. Most importantly though go with what feels right. All the brands you listed are high quality and will serve you well if taken care of. Never use a dishwasher!

actually.. u dont need a block set.. all you need is one of these...



if you go to any asian restaurant.. they dont have knife sets.. just one of those at every cutting station.. well... maybe not as high end as Shun.

I suggest a simple set up of 3 knives to start with. Brad choice should be based on how the knife feels to you and realistically how well you will maintain the knives. I find that Wusthof's are very durable and that SHUN, while thinner, are equally useable but with different applications.

The simplest would be a paring knife. Great for small jobs and fine work on garnish.

The second would be an all purpose chef's knife. I use a SHUN classic. It's on thin side which adds to the flexibility. This type of blade is great for just about everything in a pinch.

The third is a heavier knife with a thicker spine. I use a Wusthof 8" Chefs knife. This is great for getting through tougher materials and taking apart larger proteins.

Two different size chef's knives are a personal preference.Some people may substitute a santoku style veggie knife or a larger cleaver - any of these will do the job for most non-commercial applications.