good kitchen knife set for gift?

erhodes

erhodes

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Jan 30, 2012
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Hey guys and gals. I'm looking to get my mom a good set of kitchen knives for Xmas and am looking for some suggestions. I know what I'm looking for in my personal fixed blades and pocket knives but not so much kitchen stuff. Looking to spend up to around $200. I figure that can get a decent set of knives. Thanks in advance
 
erhodes said:
Hey guys and gals. I'm looking to get my mom a good set of kitchen knives for Xmas and am looking for some suggestions. I know what I'm looking for in my personal fixed blades and pocket knives but not so much kitchen stuff. Looking to spend up to around $200. I figure that can get a decent set of knives. Thanks in advance
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I would look at shun. Depending on what you consider a "set" you may be able to find something in that range. They sell a chef/pairing knife set as well as a set of three: chef, pairing knife and "sandwich knife". My wife gave me that set a few years ago and it's still serving me well [emoji106]🏽.
 
What is a "knife set" to you? Steak knives? A chef's knife and steak knives? A chef's knife, bread knife, steak knives? A chef's knife, bread knife, scissors, steak knives? A chef's knife, other chef's knife (santoku and traditional) and ANOTHER chef's knife, scissors, steak knives, bread knife? What's your minimum number of knives for it to be a "set"?

If you're not trying to replace her main chef's knife, you should be able to do so.

Define what you're looking for in a set, and then we can help you.

Zero
 
I'm gifting a Toijiro gyuto, petty, and paring knife. You could add a Victorinix bread knife, mount a magnetic holder on the wall, and still be under budget.
 
Check the threads in Kitchen Cutlery & Tools and if you still have a question, post it there.

I'm no professional but a big fan of MAC kitchen knives, which I learned about from Nikkei friends. These are the three I have found most useful: UK-60 utility knife, FK-70 fillet knife, and PK-40 paring knife. You can buy them as a set for half your target price.

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They are MAC's "Original Series" knives for home cooks, which also includes a larger utility knife (UK-80), a carving knife (CK-90) and a light duty cleaver (CL-6).
 
In your price range, for a nice "complete set" in the kitchen Look at;

Victorinox - Switzerland
Tramontina - Brazil

They both have complete sets available for right about $200 and both companies make fine quality steel blades...

Pick her up a nice ceramic honing rod too to keep 'em sharp... MAC black is a great very fine rod, I currently use a Messermeister good affordable option.

Messermeister elite 3 piece starter set - Germany
is a great buy at right around $200 as well; chef's knife, paring knife, and a 6" utility knife for the in-between...
 
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Just a personal note - unless the women in your life express a need/desire for new knives or other 'chore' instruments/appliances, I would strongly recommend against getting them as Xmas/birthday gifts.

As you know with your own knives, fit-n-feel are major factors. Try to take her shopping and just happen to pass the knife section to see if anything catches her eye.

I would recommend getting against a 'set' and get 2 or 3 special models instead. My 7" Santuko is my goto kitchen knife. Then a 5" Utility and a couple of 3.5" Parings. I'd rather have $200 worth of those 4 than a set of blades I'd rarely use.
 
I guess I should have defined a bit more. By set I meant 2 to 3 good knives. Not something that comes with steak knives etc. I may just look around here on the forum and see if I can find a good main knife and go that route
 
Along with a Messermeister 3 piece set or the Victorinox Forschner 3 piece set, Wusthof is another solid and respected brand from Germany that offers a 3 piece set for right around $200 or less if you shop around, and all have traditional styling...

Shun from Japan is known for higher end Cutlery, but also harder to find deals in your price range, unless you want just 1 or maybe 2 knives, but another Japanese brand, "Global" makes some nice knives at a lower price in more modern stylings... Can probably find a 3 piece set in your range...

Messermeister also offers a 4 piece set I found looking for a new set for myself; http://www2.knifecenter.com/item/MM80004SB/Messermeister-Park-Plaza-4-Piece-Gourmet-Set
To be honest I'm only working with a cheap big box store set at the moment... A decent "cheap" set, but nothing special, I just Got 'em on sale a while back since my exwife has a nice set of Henckels, and when I got with the current one, her kitchen Knives were shear garbage so I replaced hers as a gift, but the funds were tight and I wasn't 100% committed yet at the time. Now we've got some years under our belt, kid, house, etc. And her mom is always eyeballing our Knives (because I keep 'em sharp), so I'm considering upgrading and giving her the old set... Not that I will buy them, but they are decent, enough for my kitchen needs, and it is a good value, so they're on my radar...

Anyways, i digress, I'm hardly an expert on kitchen Cutlery, and there are certainly some fancier higher end brands, customs, etc. but those brands are all very well respected, especially for home cooking, and in your price range will certainly do you justice; i posted a thread in the "kitchen Knives" board here a while back about the "needs" of a kitchen, and chef's, paring, and "tweener", those 3 were the consensus key Knives for any kitchen, all the rest were considered nice to have novelty pieces, but not needed... (Cleaver, boning, fillet, clam, etc).
Bread knife was 4th, understandably (though I know first hand a sharp chef's knife will cut bread just fine without squishing the loaf), the other most common discrepency was that some preferred a santuko style over aa traditional chef's knife...
 
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I recently bought a Richmon Artifex AEB-L 240mm Gyuto (about a 9.5" chef's knife) and have been very pleased with it, price about $80. I'll be adding more sizes of that line.
 
i would suggest these http://www.ontario-knife-store.com/5-piece-old-hickory-cutlery-set-705/ 5 piece set from Old Hickory. Basic 1095 knives, made in USA with ok handles. easily sharpened to a razor edge. if cared for, will last a lifetime. you will have enough left over for wood and polyethylene cutting boards.
here are two other options for just a little more
http://www.lamsonsharp.com/product/forged-3-piece-chef-set 3piece set from Lamson in stainless
http://www.zippo.com/product.aspx?id=1025765 5 piece set from WR Case in stainless
scott
 
Keep in mind that those Shun and Mac knives are a different animal from the traditional western knives. They are a harder steel that holds an edge longer, but more prone to chipping under hard use. Unless Mom is interested in knives and intends to sharpen on stones and strop rather than use one of those carbide knife-killer gadgets, she may be happier with something like victorinox or another western-style knife that is a little more forgiving and easier to sharpen.
 
erhodes said:
Hey guys and gals. I'm looking to get my mom a good set of kitchen knives for Xmas and am looking for some suggestions. I know what I'm looking for in my personal fixed blades and pocket knives but not so much kitchen stuff. Looking to spend up to around $200. I figure that can get a decent set of knives. Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

MAC makes some great hardware, can't speak for all their products, but the "Professional" series I've sworn by for years. Fujiwara's FKM series, and Tojiro DP are great chef/paring combo that will last years if taken care of. A good 8" - 9.5" chefs or santoku with a 3" - 5" paring utility will make an effective duo for just about anything you could ever want to cook in a home kitchen and affordable saving some loot for a ceramic hone, sharpening stone and a magnetic bar to store them.
 
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