Looking for Knife Set Recommendations

S

slashbrackets

Joined
Apr 1, 2023
Messages
6
Hi -

My daughter is getting married next month. She wants a good knife set for the kitchen. She cooks pretty good and will be using chefs knife and paring knife the most I think. However, I want to get her a good quality set that won't break the bank. Any suggestions?
 
I'd post in this subforum for best feedback, but you'll need to be more specific about your price range:

Kitchen Cutlery & Tools

Ya gotta eat, and what you use in the kitchen makes a big difference.
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
 
Old Biker said:
Victorinox. They won America's Test Kitchens, kitchen knife test.

Or old Hickory, if you are a fan of carbon steel.

O.B.
Click to expand...
I agree with this. They aren't fancy and they don't have the latest fad steel but they work and are easily maintained.
 
Victorinox or F.Dicks are easily the best "bang for your buck" value priced knives that perform exceptionally well, especiallyfor the price... After that, if you wanr something "nicer" in the presentation, most of your upper end models from the traditional German or Japanese makers are still pretty solid choices, (Wusthof, Messermeister, Henckles, Shun). But generally you gotta go with their more premium in-house lineups, as their budget friendly lines are outsourced and QC is hit or miss and can leave a lot to be desired.
Boker, Buck, and Case all make a decent block set as well.
 
Danke42 said:
1) Sets are a waste of money because as noted she'll only use 2. Get her 2 good ones.
2) Get her a good end grain cutting board to go with them.
3) Make sure she knows to give you a coin back to not sever the relationship.
Click to expand...
My daughter is in culinary school and insists on individual knives for task and feel. No set will ever really do for a real cook.
 
As mentioned I’d go with the Victorinox fibrox. If it were me, I’d get an 8 inch chef, a 5 or 6 inch utility, a bread knife and a handful of pairing knives that come in an assortment of colors and a honing rod. If you want to get others you could add a boning knife. These knives are used in commercial kitchens everywhere and routinely the top knife of America‘s test kitchen. I have everything I just listed and use them daily. You can get a magnetic knife strip to keep them out of the way and off the counter.
 
I would send my daughter to a decent store so she could handle a bunch of different knives. She needs to find the most comfortable handle for herself, this is crucially important. It won't be a surprise gift, but there is a wide range of handle shapes out there any no one likes them all equally. The handle-to-hand fit is forever.

Modern steels are so good that most cooks don't need anything exotic, just good quality mid-range steel (or better if the wallet allows!).

The food you eat matters when choosing knives. The stock answer used to be 8" chef, 5" flexible boner and a 3 1/2" paring knife (and a big long serrated bread knife if you were going to buy four and couldn't sharpen any of them).

Folks used to eat more meat with bones and big birds in the olden days. The boner made sense when a light meal included a turkey or a big chicken. The flexi boner got plenty of use and it was a lot better suited to big boning tasks than the paring knife. Folks who don't eat a lot of meat with bones or big birds and fish would probably get more use out of a 5" utility/petty/santoku type blade than the flexi boner.

As to the long serrated bread knife, save your money by buying a couple of good diamond stones which you need anyway and keep the chef sharp. A sharp chef's knife slices any bread as well as a serrated knife. Hard, stale French bread, soft, fresh-out-of-the-oven bread, I can't think of a job that the sharp chef won't do as well as the serrated bread knife.

I have become convinced that the only reason the serrated bread knife exists is because people are so attached to their dull chef's knives! People love their dull chef's knives so much that they refuse to sharpen them! And since they are too dull to cut bread they need a serrated bread knife to make a sandwich! It all makes sense now! The dull knives are part of a grand, stupid plan!

You really should budget your sharpening tools up front as well, because you will start needing them almost from the beginning. A Sharpmaker is a good choice to get started, otherwise get a diamond stone or two and practice on beaters. Don't let your knives get too dull.

My personal preference would be a 7" santoku and a 3 1/2" or 4" paring knife, together with a steel or ceramic hone and eventually a couple of good diamond stones. Good but not necessarily the best quality stainless (for home use), and most importantly a handle that fits my wife's hand! After a few weeks of use I would know what additional blades she/I might want or need. Maybe the 5" santoku. The wide blade and greater knuckle clearance of the santoku works well for me. I can process some food with that blade shape, and use the back of the blade as a spatula. A well executed santoku is a formidable kitchen tool!
 
Last edited:
I had two friends who went to Jonson and Wales in RI for culinary arts, which has a great hospitality program. They both had F.Dick knife sets in a hard case. I looked up what they sell at the JWU store now and came up with this:
https://www.bkstr.com/johnsonwaless...supplies/culinary/cul-1104-knife-kit-923740-1

They both dropped out one saying she already had an associate didn't need to learn how to cook an egg. Ya I don't know what she is doing now.
 
1. Yes on a good cutting board & sharpening system.

2. I’ve always used a chef’s knife & paring knives, vs the Japanese styles (also good), and these days, I also use a solid butcher knife for some heavier duty jobs.


The good cutting board (s) - small more portable one and a bigger one - are necessary.

A good sharpening system is mandatory.

A set of non serrated steak knives added, as budget allows.
 
Last edited:
Danke42 said:
1) Sets are a waste of money because as noted she'll only use 2. Get her 2 good ones.
2) Get her a good end grain cutting board to go with them.
3) Make sure she knows to give you a coin back to not sever the relationship.
Click to expand...
For a young bride there may be some desire just to have a ‘set’ sitting on the kitchen counter. As much as we guys own knives that are mostly just for looking at I wouldn’t begrudge her for this.

Chef, paring, carving and bread knives are my most used. A separate set of steak knives would be nice.
 
CKTG Tojiro DP Gift Set (Google that)

210mm gyuto F-808, 170mm santoku F-503, 120 mm petty F-801 set, $180.

If you want a knife block or magnetic strip, purchase that separately.


Alternate:

CKTG Tojiro 3pc Set

Same 210mm gyuto, but with a 150mm petty and an 80mm paring. Same price.
 
Square_peg said:
For a young bride there may be some desire just to have a ‘set’ sitting on the kitchen counter. As much as we guys own knives that are mostly just for looking at I wouldn’t begrudge her for this.

Chef, paring, carving and bread knives are my most used. A separate set of steak knives would be nice.
Click to expand...
Don’t disagree, some things just have to be learned. A big factor would be if they are getting washed in the dishwasher. I’ve got olive and walnut handles messermeister that my wife doesn’t use because they can’t be placed in the bottom of the sink for later.
 
Square_peg said:
For a young bride there may be some desire just to have a ‘set’ sitting on the kitchen counter. As much as we guys own knives that are mostly just for looking at I wouldn’t begrudge her for this.

Chef, paring, carving and bread knives are my most used. A separate set of steak knives would be nice.
Click to expand...
If it's not an air fryer she won't want it on the counter.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top