556807 Fri Sep 12 07:48:39 -0700 2008 23 41 Cookware 0 4029082 Good Morning Chow People - I'm an aspiring home chef and in the market for some new knives - nothing too crazy (ie $300+). I was wondering if anyone had recommedations or a good website to browse? Thanks in advance! Fri Sep 12 07:48:39 -0700 2008 18654 mitchell25418 1 4029253 I like Knife Merchant.com or cutlery.com. I have to ask if you are planning on spending $300.00 on 1 knife, or is that your entire budget for a kitchen cutlery overhaul? Fri Sep 12 08:52:30 -0700 2008 4029082 22220 Kelli2006 2 4029265 Oops sorry about that 300 for the whole lot. Not alot I know. Fri Sep 12 08:57:24 -0700 2008 4029253 18654 mitchell25418 1 4029325 If you get a chef's knife, a slicer, a utility knife and a bread knife, that's a lot. Check out Dexter-Russel http://www.dexter-russell.com/ and Forcshner http://www.swissarmy.com/Cutlery/Pages/default.aspx?category=cutlery&. If you have any restaurant supply places you can get to, check them out for decent prices on these knives. They're going to stock what their customers buy. Don't buy a block full of knives!! Oh, yeah, buy a "steel." Fri Sep 12 09:12:05 -0700 2008 4029082 10743 yayadave 2 4029907 I second Dexter-Russell and Forschner. There restaurant dupply places on the Web, too. Just do a search on those brand names to find good buys. Rather than a steel, I use an inexpensive sharpener called AccuSharp, recommended by Cook's Illustrated. Works great. Fri Sep 12 12:07:47 -0700 2008 4029325 55316 mpalmer6c 3 4032166 Third Dexter-Russell. I bought a couple of paring knives for $3 each at a restaurant supply store and they are sharp and have a good feel, although light. Sat Sep 13 11:23:26 -0700 2008 4029907 109573 coney with everything 4 4032613 Strangely enough, my Globals get slippery and hard to grip at times, but not my V-Lo Dexter-Russel with that rubber handle. Very comfortable. It's an offset sandwich knife which I got at a restaurant supply house for seventeen bucks. I think you might have to go through a lot of knives to find out what works for you. I saw a Japanese vegetable knife on epicureanedge.com for about $55. That could be a major go-to knife for a lot of people. Sat Sep 13 15:13:04 -0700 2008 4032166 10743 yayadave 2 4033585 Listen to what this guy has to say, The Forschners rock Easy to keep sharp if you have a steel. Sharpen once every six months with a diamond stone, steel every time you use it. Cheap, I paid 25 bucks for a 10 inch chefs knife albeit several years ago. Sun Sep 14 07:07:46 -0700 2008 4029325 119411 paul balbin 1 4029343 http://www.korin.com/ http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/products.html http://www.japanwoodworker.com/page.asp?content_id=9964 If you are going to spend some cash on a knife it's hard to beat a Japanese knife. You don't need too many knives really. Don't waste the money on a set. You can get a decent Japanese gyuto=general purpose chef, for around $60 from Korin in the Tojiro or the Tagiharu brands. Fri Sep 12 09:15:16 -0700 2008 4029082 89493 scubadoo97 1 4031542 http://www.epicureanedge.com/ some nice stuff here Sat Sep 13 04:37:15 -0700 2008 4029082 168526 csweeny 2 4032350 Indeed, csweeny, but I think he said that $300 for a set would be too much... I doubt that could really be done at the EE. I would second the Dexter-Russell comments -- if you're looking for cheap, durable startup knives. Go for those. Sat Sep 13 12:52:39 -0700 2008 4031542 156499 mateo21 3 4033497 you're right of course, i misread the post. i thought the op was looking for A knife in the $300.00 range... Sun Sep 14 05:42:40 -0700 2008 4032350 168526 csweeny 1 4032434 Here is a direct order link for an excellent book to help buyers and users,http://www.amazon.ca/Edge-Kitchen-Ultimate-Guide-Knives-How/dp/0061188484 You can stay within your budget with the Japanese sites on scubadoo's post. Sat Sep 13 13:46:24 -0700 2008 4029082 56131 jayt90 1 4033241 You'll need at least four cheap, dishwahsble, fairly small (3 to 4 inch) utility knives. Include a serrated one. Here in the UK these run below $10 each. Brand does not really matter much. Otherwise, by the time you've prepared fruit for breakfast, a salad at lunchtime and used one to open a pre-packed raw meat or fish purchase in the evening then you will have a dishwasher full of little knives, and nothing to slice a lemon with for your gin & tonic! One each of chef's, filleting, bread, boning etc. should be enough. Ok, maybe 2 chef's, for same reason as above. Sat Sep 13 21:40:24 -0700 2008 4029082 156990 Robin Joy 2 4033247 Good knives in the dishwasher? That's not the England I remember! Sat Sep 13 21:46:26 -0700 2008 4033241 56131 jayt90 3 4033267 Not good ones...."cheap, dishwashable"........ Actually I've been dishwashing decent knives since the early Eighties with hardly a single problem, but that has been discussed many times in other threads. Sat Sep 13 22:01:19 -0700 2008 4033247 156990 Robin Joy 4 4033576 If you keep the blades from hitting into each other, I don't see any reason to not put knives in a dishwasher, except the wood handles. Most of the utilitarian knives don't have wood handles. Sun Sep 14 07:00:59 -0700 2008 4033267 10743 yayadave 5 4033740 The alkaline liquids aren't good for the blades and they will also deteriorate from the heat during the dryer cycle. It is so easy to clean a knife with a dip in hot water and the a wipe with a side towel, why would you want to put it in a dishwasher ? I would suggest that the OP get Forschners to start. A 8" chefs knife, 2-3 of their 3.5" paring knives, a slicer, a bread knife plus a steel to keep them sharp and you will probably still have $100.00 left over. You might want to look at buying a knife block or safety sheaths for them. Your optional blades could include a cleaver, a santuko, a tomato or utility knife plus a boning knife. You can spend a lot of money but your best value will be Forschner fibrox handled knives. Take care of them and learn how to use them and you will be miles ahead of those who buy Globals, Shuns and other fashionable knives buy who lack the skills to use them with efficiency. I love the Forschners that I bought to start out, and I prefer their paring knives over those made by anyone, at any price. Sun Sep 14 08:38:17 -0700 2008 4033576 22220 Kelli2006 6 4033767 I don't put my knives in a dishwasher, but it just doesn't seem like a big deal to me. I'm thinkin' that the damage from "alkaline liquids" and "heat during the dryer cycle" may be a bit over-stated. But then, I don't really know. On the other hand, as you and I both know, it ain't that hard to clean off a knife, so why bother with the dish washer. The Kapoosh is a great universal knife block. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=13749337 If you get it at a store, you don't have to pay the shipping. And if you have the 20% coupon at Bed, Bath & Beyond, that's also to the good. Sun Sep 14 08:52:52 -0700 2008 4033740 10743 yayadave 7 4033886 I bought my sister and husband a set of forged Lampson knives for their wedding, and the handles were severely cracked and falling off with 18 months because she insisted on putting them in the dishwasher. The Fibrox handled Forschners might be different because they were designed for restaurant use, but I still prefer to hand wash my Forschners. Sun Sep 14 09:45:36 -0700 2008 4033767 22220 Kelli2006 3 4060273 I don't think that commercial kitchens hand wash their knives. The plastic handled commercial cutlery is dishwasher safe. Banging blades against other hard objects is the biggest thing to look out for in dishwashers. But I still hand wash all my cutlery. Most all have wooden handles and I never put wood in the dishwasher! Thu Sep 25 05:37:22 -0700 2008 4033247 41726 Sam at Novas 1 4040824 If you are willing to take the little extra time to take care of them, Sabatier carbon steel knives are an excellent bargain. an 8" chef's, a 5" chef's, a slicer, a boning knife, a serated bread/tomato knife, and a paring knife(I'd rec a stainless for this one) are all that you need. they take an excellent edge with a few swipes of a steel.Professional Cutlery Direct has good prices on Sabatier CS. Tue Sep 16 21:09:15 -0700 2008 4029082 106255 chazzerking 2 4060248 If you go with Sabatier, make sure you are NOT getting the "made in China" ones. I got sucked into a set of these on Amazon--regular retail $300 (yeah, right), on sale for $29.99. They said "imported" but not from where, and at the time I assumed all Sabatiers were made in France. Not so. Worst.knives.ever. Thu Sep 25 05:20:52 -0700 2008 4040824 109573 coney with everything 1 4055246 The last blade I got was an 8 inch Mac chefs knife. It holds an edge well and is quick to sharpen. http://www.macknife.com/ Tue Sep 23 10:41:51 -0700 2008 4029082 227182 speake