Looking for a decent all around knife set

Mundial has a competition set for somewhere around $140.00. I love my mundials.

Ken

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This is what I got for my bday last year I think they're about $400 for
the set but the wife said she found them for around $200.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1449777

With "sets" you usually have 1-3 knives that are basically useless or that you simply don't need. Your budget will be more usefully spent by picking out 2-3 knife styles and purchasing the best you can afford. You can still buy a block to store them if you want.

This is an excellent all around set for the kitchen, available at Amazon.com for $179.00 with free shipping.
Amazon.com: Victorinox 8-Piece Knife Block Set: Kitchen & Dining@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31g17qt2lHL.@@AMEPARAM@@31g17qt2lHL

Mister Bob said:

This is an excellent all around set for the kitchen, available at Amazon.com for $179.00 with free shipping.
Amazon.com: Victorinox 8-Piece Knife Block Set: Kitchen & Dining

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I got that set at Christmas. They are light, thin knives - different than what most people think of as quality knives - but I like them. They work well. Consumer Reports always rates them very high. Used by lots of professionals. And important to me, they have molded plastic handles so if they accidentally get put in the dishwasher, not a problem. :redface:

I bought my set at Cutlery & More. For the same price, they throw in some steak knives, which aren't as high quality.

I prefer Henckel knives, but they can be a bit on the expensive side.

Hey there fellow Maryland bro!

Knives are a really personal thing. Are ther specific knives you've used before and liked? Might help guide you towards specific brands or styles of knife to consider.

Going with a set of knives is really appealing... You just make one decision and call it good! But, the reality is that most times, people don't really need all of the knives included in the set. Might make more sense to identify your specific needs and get the best tools to meet those needs.

What do you use most commonly now? What kind of food prep are you doing?

If you're planning on getting large cuts of meat from the butcher and are expecting to break those large pieces down into different cuts, might include a cleaver and/or breaking knife.

If you're planning on doing sushi, might go with a very different knife.

Another potential consideration...depending on what you already have...something to sharpen the blades. Important to budget for the proper
tools to let those new knives function as well as they can.

good luck!! And, please post whatever you decide to get.

Bruce

Well, if you are a gadget type (as many of us are) then there are many "toys" to entice you and, unless you are very refined in your needs, any of them will do just fine. I prefer quality high carbon stainless knives for the best combination of performance and price.

If you are like me, you will gravitate to several knives on a regular basis, so I will give you my best guess as to what is the minimum necessary. Then you go to a store and compare the different ones that you like the best.

The first "must get" is a chef's knife, in the traditional style. Santoku knives, which are very popular now, are mostly a compromise between a slicing knife and a traditional chef's knife. They to not, however, have the heft to chop as well as a French chef's knife. I have an 8" Wusthof chef's knife that works great. Lighter is not better for these knives (in other words buy one with a full tang and is forged).

Since this is a BBQ forum, I presume that you are not a vegetarian. Therefore a slicing knife is also a good idea. A 10-12 inch knife is probably the best choice. This is the place where heft is not necessary. The Victorinox-type knives (stamped blades) are more than adequate. I have a Mundial slicer that I got cheap from Tuesday Morning.

Another "must get" is a good paring knife, again depending upon your needs. A 3-4 inch model is probably a good all around choice and a quality one should not be too expensive.

Remember to get a good honing steel to keep them sharp. And a knife holder (the magnetic ones you mount for vertical storage seem to be the best choice).

If you have done your homework and have some money left over, get a decent 8-10 inch serrated knife for bread and other stuff that it comes in handy. Nothing wrong with the stamped knives here also.

Good luck.

Shop around for a good deal on Wusthoff. They have a good block set with pretty much everything you mentioned. I think possibly more important is ending up with a good sharpener. Everyone here recommends the brand they have - so worst case they are decent knives. But having a sharp decent knife is better than a spectacular dull knife.

MrOneEyedBoh said:

yeah. so any blockset from then in my price range is ok?

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I'm a grade A certified knife nerd. Scratch that, I'm a knife FREAK and I'm probably out of my mind. Put it this way, I just put down a 50% deposit on a single knife that costs far more than any knife block set that has been mentioned in this thread. I'm not bragging, I'm just saying I care about knives more than the average person. I've used a lot of knives and lot of steels.

My $0.02... forget Wusthof, Henkels, etc. The steel is good and strong and lasts forever, but they're thick and wedge through veggies. The Victorinox/Forschner knives take just as keen an edge and slice pretty darn great. Not to mention, they're much cheaper (in price) white still being very durable.

My "good" knives are all carbon steel (not stainless) that I keep perfectly sharpened by hand on whetstones. My backup/kamikaze set that I use when I can't care for my knives or when I have company over are a set of Victorinox. If someone told me I wasn't allowed to have the knives I buy (custom/semi-custom from Japanese and American makers) and that I could ONLY buy knives that are readily available then I would buy Forschners in a heartbeat.

Also, I recommend against buying block sets as well. As mentioned before, a block set always contains knives you won't use/need, and redundant knives. If you're crafty you can do everythijng you need with an 8" chef's knife. However, you will get plenty of use with a 10" or 12" slicer (I don't like granton/dimple edges). A boning knife, parer or utility knife are also nice. A bread knife is the only serrated knife you should have in your set, if you keep your chef's knife sharp it will slice through tomatos beautifully.

A magnetic rack is the most sanitary method for storing knives. I've heard stories about knife blocks trapping bacteria since you can't easily clean inside them, although they might be exaggerated I still prefer a magnetic rack for quick access.

Good luck.

Cook said:

With "sets" you usually have 1-3 knives that are basically useless or that you simply don't need. Your budget will be more usefully spent by picking out 2-3 knife styles and purchasing the best you can afford. You can still buy a block to store them if you want.

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I agree completely. I originally went the "set" route, and wasted good money on knives I never used.

I "gave" the set to my ex-wife in the divorce, and bought just the knives I used all the time, and was able to buy better knives for the same money as a set would have cost me.

One other thing, there is no ONE perfect brand of knife. IMO, knives are very personal. You have to pick them out, one at a time, and buy the ones that feel good in your hand, and match your personal needs.

I have three brands of knives in my collection of six knives. I like them all, for their own reasons. But, all of them meet my needs, and feel good in my hands.

I don't have a block -- I have a drawer with a custom-made cradle to hold my knives -- homemade.

CD

Honestly, check Walmart or a similar shop for some of the nicer Chicago Cutlery blocks. I'm very happy with mine and I got it for less than a hundred bux.

Here's a link to the set of Chicago Cutlery I got for less than $100. I typically only use the Santoku and the bread knife, but they are nicely weighted and I'm very happy with that purchase...

http://www.chicagocutlery.com/index.asp?pageId=1&catId=30&bid=74&sku=1075692

Steer clear of sets unless it's a REALLY good deal. You only NEED two,a chef's knife and a paring knife.A slicer is a nice third addition.Spend a little more on a quality knife and add others as you see fit.Create your OWN set.FWIW the Victorinox gets great reviews as far as less expensive knives go.

After reading this thread I'm a little more interested in putting together my own collection of high quality knives. I sorta like the idea of buying individual knives as I need them and then buying a block if I NEED one. The price of the block sets of Henkels and Wusthoff knives have sorta made me shy away from them. And everyone here is right about not using most of the knives. I use two regularly from my set and a third on rare occasions. I never use the included steak knives because I'm a big fan of my Weber steak knives for some reason... they weren't expensive but I love them.