STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

pollyjean23 · Marc Jacobs

Knives

Boots · Gucci

Do you have a smaller kitchen store by you? We have a few here in Chicago and they seem to know their stuff. If you go in and tell the associate what your needs are they should be able to pair you with an appropriate knife. When I went shopping for mine it was almost like a bra fitting, they had me hold different knifes to see which one felt balanced in my hand. I ended up paying less than $100 for a knife that would work for me.

greendiamond · Marc Jacobs

I agree that you should go and hold several. However, I do love my Wustof's. Kitchen Aid and Cuisinart make ones that look similar and are pretty good quality. I don't know if the tang goes all the way through the handle though, which is usually what you look for in a nice knife, along with the balance.

Yana · Dooney & Bourke

I know it sounds suspicsious, but IKEA does good kitchenwear, including knives. I'm not sure if they sell them as a set ( you know, inseerted in this nice wooden stand), since I've been to IKEA a long time ago, however, I know you can buy separates for sure, the prices are decent.

Aurora · Marc Jacobs

I have a Kitchen Aid chef's knife that is pretty good. I know I've seen them at Marshall's and TJ Maxx sold individually if you just need something for class.

Elle · Hermes

We have a Calphalon set from BB&B that I really like - we got it for a wedding present 4 years ago and they've held up great.

My set included one chef's knife and one santoku knife (my preferred knife), but I ended up scoring an extra one of each for $15 a pop at Marshalls last year. That's less than 50% of retail on those, fwiw, so I would check there for high-end brands. That said, I would also consider getting a santoku knife instead of/in addition to the chef's knife. I find it's much easier to handle because it's shorter and ligher weight, which is nice if you have alot of chopping to do.

Hermes

I put myself through undergrad cooking and waiting tables in restaurants. I purchased one expensive knife from a knife sales rep at one of the fine dining restaurants I worked at. The brand is Forschner, and I have a 10" chef's knife. It is my go to knife, and I've had it for 15 years and have never sharpened it. It's great for chopping, slicing, and any larger food prep jobs.

something like the following would be great for your class:

http://cgi.ebay.com/FORSCHNER-Victorinox-3-pc-Chefs-Knife-Set-NEW-/310234011704?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item483b635838

ETA: while looking for you, I just bought this set for myself to replace some old knives I have http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220570396669

If you can find a set like that, I would recommend you grab it. However, the smaller set I recommended above might suit your needs just fine.

this article may also be of help to you http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/129/Chefs-Knives-Rated

-- Edited by D on Saturday 24th of July 2010 09:33:07 AM

wicked · Coach

Opinel makes great paring knives. They're around $16 and you can get them at Williams-Sonoma

wetbandit42 · Marc Jacobs

They're expensive, but Global knives are great, and you can use those 20% off BB&B coupons on them - they sell them. I have a Global pairing knife, and I want to get a chef's knife from them. I have a Wusthof chef's knife, and even though my Global is a paring knife and I can't really compare, the Global is much better - it's very sharp. The only downside is that they are hard to sharpen.

I don't mean to hijack your thread, but how do you all sharpen your knives? I have one of these, but I don't know that it works that well - maybe I'm not using it correctly? When do you use a steel versus a sharpener?

31FEUJ3JAOL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

-- Edited by wetbandit42 on Sunday 25th of July 2010 11:39:15 AM

pollyjean23 · Marc Jacobs

Thank you thank you !!!

Stylethread ladies always come through! I appreciate it.

btw

Use the steel daily. It keeps the bevel on the sharp edge even/balanced/straight, which also prolongs the life of the sharpened edge in between sharpenings.

wetbandit42 · Marc Jacobs

pollyjean23 wrote:
btw
Use the steel daily. It keeps the bevel on the sharp edge even/balanced/straight, which also prolongs the life of the sharpened edge in between sharpenings.

Thanks!

Boots · Gucci

wetbandit42 wrote:

They're expensive, but Global knives are great, and you can use those 20% off BB&B coupons on them - they sell them. I have a Global pairing knife, and I want to get a chef's knife from them. I have a Wusthof chef's knife, and even though my Global is a paring knife and I can't really compare, the Global is much better - it's very sharp. The only downside is that they are hard to sharpen.

I don't mean to hijack your thread, but how do you all sharpen your knives? I have one of these, but I don't know that it works that well - maybe I'm not using it correctly? When do you use a steel versus a sharpener?

-- Edited by wetbandit42 on Sunday 25th of July 2010 11:39:15 AM

I get my knives sharpened by this old man who sets up a cart at a local famer's market and uses a grinding wheel. I do it in Spring when the market begins and then again in the fall when it closes. And I get nervous each winter that he'll either retire or, well, die over the winter. He does it for about $2 and I know I'll never find somebody who will give them a personal touch like that for such a small amount.

There are places that do professional knife sharpening in most larger cities. A dull blade is dangerous. A local cobbler actually has one by us (yeah, not sure WHY the cobbler has a grinding wheel either!) A quick local google search might help.