Bubba's Bar 'n' Grill

Out of all the tools a cook can use in the kitchen, I think a good set of knives are the most indispensable, and for a lot of people, one that gets a bit overlooked.
What knives do you all use?
Do you have a favorite one?
Why?

I learned the value of a good set of knives when my wife and I got married. We put, of course, a set of kitchen knives on our registry, and being the geek that I am (I know enough about metallurgy to be dangerous, from my days doing Japanese martial arts) I had to research everything and pick out a nice set.

We ended up, thanks to her bridesmaids all pitching in, with a set of Calphalon Katana knives, that look like this:


I like them a whole lot, primarily because of the shape of the grip. It allows you to really "choke up" on the knife and grip it with your hand partially above the spine of the blade as shown here:

(There's a nice article about the grip on this page as well.)

I've found that this grip gives me a lot more control over the knife, and I am able to use our large chef's knife for a LOT more tasks than I used to be able to.

These knives are going to be staying with us for a LONG time. They're actually due for a sharpening at the moment, so I've gotta get the stones out...

What does everyone else use?

-Tim

Currently, I use the Chicago Cutlery knives that we received as wedding gifts 15 years ago. I'm hoping to replace them soon though, with a brand that is a bit sturdier.

I think that my favorite would be the large vegetable knife. I tend to use that a lot.

A good Ka-Bar can be used for darn near ANYTHING!


Okay, okay. You mean kitchen knives. Sadly, we're in need of a good set of kitchen knives. I've been looking at some. But, find it difficult to spend a fair amount of money on a good set.

What's better overall, serrated or straight edge? Serrated are difficult to sharpen well. But, also don't want something that has to be sharpened frequently.

There is a Rambo marathon on tv today. He has quite the knife.

(05-14-2010 08:19 PM)ForceTen Wrote: [ -> ]A good Ka-Bar can be used for darn near ANYTHING!

Yes, they can. I've cooked my fair share of meals with oddball knives.

Quote:Okay, okay. You mean kitchen knives. Sadly, we're in need of a good set of kitchen knives. I've been looking at some. But, find it difficult to spend a fair amount of money on a good set.

I thought the same thing, but honestly, I think I would re-buy the knives we have even if I were paying for them. They are that nice to use compared to "cheap" ones. And I don't think I'm just being a snob, either.

Quote:What's better overall, serrated or straight edge? Serrated are difficult to sharpen well. But, also don't want something that has to be sharpened frequently.

The whole thing with serrations started as a bit of a cop-out, IMO. If you put thousands of microserrations on an edge, it will rip through a lot of stuff, and seems "sharper" than a straight edge will, if the straight edge isn't maintained. However, they're nearly impossible to re-sharpen, and they're often used as a substitute (whether this is bad or not depends on your opinion, I suppose) for using good steel in the blade that will hold an edge. 440c stainless, for example, will look nice for a long time but doesn't hold an edge all that well. When you put serrations on it, though, it will cut. If you have a steel with a higher carbon content, like the VG-1 that the Calphalon knives I mentioned are made from, it will hold an edge better than the stainless will, and IMO makes serrations unnecessary.

My knives are due for a sharpening, actually. I don't need to do it all that often, and they cut well.

-Tim

The best knives I've ever used are from Cutco:

http://www.cutco.com/home.jsp

My wife and I give these as Christmas presents, and we always hear back how much people love them. The one I recommend is the "Trimmer."

http://www.cutco.com/products/product.js...Group=1721

Favorite knife... hands down the Kyocera ceramic knife. I would advise people that this knife warrants caution. It is the sharpest knife I have ever used and I have NEVER sharpened it in over five years. It is a bit brittle (Don't cut hard shelled squash with it) and a bit expensive, but it has a life time guarantee (they replaced mine no questions asked when i chipped it) and its fantastic.... Just don't make a mistake with it

I am fortunate enough to have the Viking VCSR Santoku cutlery set and I love it dearly BUT may favorite knife of them all in the set is the 7" Santoku - what a versatile beast of a knife.

Ginsu and pyrex?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuBzRbLGVWA

to commit Hari-Kari rather than resign

---

You know what's the funniest thing about Seinfeld?
Global Warming and Tipper Gore's husband!

The Ginsu can't be beat, although Henckels come pretty close. The 8 inch Henckel is a classic.

http://www.amazon.com/Henckels-8-Inch-Ca...475&sr=1-1