Get good stuff the first time!!

[Dakaty]

I just finished making a gallon of mango pico de gallo with my recently acquired array of good knives. Two types of onions, 3 types of bells, Japs, celantro, mangos, celery, fresh garlic, 2 types of tomatoes plus various spices.

While I was enjoying peeling, choping & dicing with my "very high quality" knives, I was thinking about all the money & time I have wasted buying cheap knives.

I have 2 drawers full of junk knives that have cost me way more than $1000 over the years. What a waste!! I finally figured out (late in life) that you should get a high quality knife, the first time around.

I know that good knives seem expensive, but they are well worth it and are good investment.

You younger guys take some advice from someone who knows from experience. Buy yourself good knives the first time. They will last you a lifetime and you can leave them to your heirs. You will be proud of them, you will enjoy working with them and they will speed up your cooking process.

Start a quality collection, a knife at a time. Don't worry about buying a complete set of knives by a particular manufacture. Decide what knfe would be your priority at the time, then research, shop and try out different brands.

Even the top names (including Henckles and Wusthoh) have low quality series of cutlery. Stay away from those and go for the "top of the line" good ones.

You will have to sacrifice a little in the near term, but for the long term, you will be so much better off.

Bone appetite!!



PS: This advice holds true for practically everthing in life.

[queball]

No question about it my man. You can skimp on some things but sacrificing a little for good tequila and knives makes life easier. And, there are some really good knives that are not prohibitively expensive. I use Forshner knives. But I would not hesitate to recommend CutCo or Dexter Russel. None of these are super expensive. Also, stay away from the giant collections which are expensive and in most cases simply not practical. Personally, I use an 8 inch butcher, a 6 inch chef, a flexible boning knife (my favorite), a slicer and a paring knife. Like Dakaty a probably have a grand or more in various knives and implements that live in a drawer and are rarly used. Eventually they end up at the duck camp. Also, if you can, handle a knife before buying. Balance and heft are extremely important when buying knives and how an individual perceives these characteristics differs from hand to hand. From this perspective, a well chosen knife can help to forstall hand fatigue. Finally, you have to learn how to properly sharpen a blade or the cost, quality and balance of the knife mean nothing.

[kcquer]

Knives are tools (IMO) and I have had the same experience with both. I've often thougt that I should have spent a little more and gotten better, and never thought I bought too good a tool and spent too much.

[Q_Egg]

... no question about the value and importance of finding 'your' choices of the very best knives .... even if you have to use one size and style for more purposes than it was 'ideally' intended. I waited far too long to add my last four upper tier knives and they are a joy to use!

Having said that, I almost daily have situations arise which cause me to reach for a 'lesser' knife to avoid unnecessary effect on one of the better knives and the resulting need to sharpen (or even repair) it. Some of these issues might be pitting hard seed fruits (close to the pit), opening a hard-shell vegetable or fruit (squash, watermelon), etc.

I have even commented, to other cooks, how often I grab a handy, dull, old, steak knife, for many tasks, including cutting a quick chunk of cheese, even though there are three specialty cheese knives nearby. I consider it one of the 'essential' tools in my kitchen.

Back to the thrust of this post ..... I get the point and support it fully!

[qman]

Originally Posted by Dakaty

You younger guys take some advice from someone who knows from experience. Buy yourself good knives the first time. They will last you a lifetime and you can leave them to your heirs. You will be proud of them, you will enjoy working with them and they will speed up your cooking process.


Bone appetite!!



PS: This advice holds true for practically everthing in life.

I agree with almost everything Dakaty said here, but I wante to point out this statement about leaving good knives to your heirs. I work every day in my kitchen with knives that belonged to my wife's GRANDFATHER, and also knives that belonged to my GRANDMOTHER. So this is true.

[queball]

That beautiful qman, like inheriting an old iron skillet thats had a million eggs cooked in it.

[capnamerca]

bought calphalon katana's ... 8 piece set cause the wife wanted the scissors. I love the chefs knife and the sudoku knife, can't wait to get some meat on 'em ... like said above, I plan on keeping them forever.

[qman]

Originally Posted by queball

That beautiful qman, like inheriting an old iron skillet thats had a million eggs cooked in it.

queball, you are right. I did that too. Got some of my Mom's Iron cook ware when she died. My sis got the rest. I have a dutch oven that supposedly belonged to my Grandmother and is over 100 years old, but I have never documented that. Still cooks great.

[Dakaty]

capnamerca

I have an 8" katana chefs knife. It is very sharp, well balanced for my hand and the stainless layers are really cool looking. It will chop a gallon of pico de gallo vegatables before you know it. A pleasure to use...

[queball]

Originally Posted by qman

Still cooks great.

And it will only get better

[Doorbusters]

Dakaty, you did not mention what you have started with. I have began collecting and using the WUSTHOF, and I would recommend them to any one, what are you using?

[qman]

Originally Posted by queball

And it will only get better

You got that right queball. My two sons are even now arguing over which will get my Iron cook ware when I shuffle this mortal coil. Lots of good llife left in those pots.

[Dakaty]

Doorbusters

So far I have collected Henckles Pro S (two 6" chefs knives) and Twin Cusine (5" santuko and a 3 " paring knfe), I have a Wusthof Classic 10" chef knife and a Forschners 12" granton slicer and 6" curved boner. Calphalon Katana 8" chef knife.

My next pieces will be a larger santuko, cleaver and shears. I'm eyeing the Shun Classics...

[Sawdustguy]

Originally Posted by Dakaty

Doorbusters

So far I have collected Henckles Pro S (two 6" chefs knives) and Twin Cusine (5" santuko and a 3 " paring knfe), I have a Wusthof Classic 10" chef knife and a Forschners 12" granton slicer and 6" curved boner. Calphalon Katana 8" chef knife.

My next pieces will be a larger santuko, cleaver and shears. I'm eyeing the Shun Classics...

I got a $1000 set of Henckles Pro S knives for christmas and have added a granton slicer and a few other extra knives , also Henckles Pro S models. The way I look at it is that they are not expensive knives but an investment that if properly treated will last the rest of my life.

[capnamerca]

Just an update, in the original spirit of the thread ... the Katana's I (we) just bought are our first set of really nice knives. Last night was really the first chance I had to use them. Before, I always thought that citrus fruits were just really tough, and that it just took a couple of sawing cuts with a knife to "get into one". How wrong I was. With the Katana's, it felt like the weight of the knife alone was enough to slide of perfect chunks of lime ... and also made me VERY aware that my fingers are not safe :).

Just a microcosm of what I'm sure with be a lifetime of easy cutting.

Dakaty, I agree with your thoughts on the Katana's - I ended up noticing them because of the looks, but after holding all of the ones that Foley's had out, the Calphalon's definately felt best in my hand, which is what I was going for. I think I most enjoy the non-traditional handle - that flared base for some reason fits my hand like a glove.