My first quality knife set

[dcSaute]

I'm a blockhead - includes fork, full&half T+t measuring spoon, analog long probe thermometer. working on a redesign to add kitchen shears....

 

[Addie]

My counter space is too valuable to have a block of knives sitting on it. I have plenty of drawer space and use it to its fullest content. I even keep my little hand mixer in a drawer. My counter space is for prep and other things such as pie crust or kneading bread dough.

 

[GotGarlic]

I hope your knives aren't knocking against each other in the drawer. That can dull and damage them pretty quickly.

 

[Addie]

I hope your knives aren't knocking against each other in the drawer. That can dull and damage them pretty quickly.

They aren't. I have a flat block that the knives sit in separately. Each knife has a slot. It holds five knives. My first husband taught me to run the knife through the sharpener a couple of times before I am going to use it. I do that each time I take one out of the drawer. So they stay sharp all the time.

 

[Caslon]

As was posted earlier, a cheap set of knives in a block given to you...you can always make use of the knives until they dull out one time, then toss them, then make use of the knife block.

 

[GotGarlic]

That's good. We have the opposite problem, then. I have lots of counter space but no room in a drawer for my knives

 

[Silversage]

I respectfully disagree with the group wisdom here. Over a period of time, 30-40 years ago, I accumulated a complete matched set of Wustof Classic knives. Each birthday, anniversary, Christmas, I received pieces to complete my set of Wustof knives and Mauviel copper pots.

I love having & using my 15 or so well balanced, matched knives. The largest chef's knife has an 11 inch blade and weighs in at 15 ounces. The smallest is a 2 inch fluting knife. I got them all piece by piece because that's what I could afford when I was starting out. I'm very happy that I was taught the value of investing in top quality equipment years ago.

The advice from everyone to try them in your hand is important. There were several brands available in the US in the 70's & 80's - I have very large hands and these felt manageable to me. Other handles felt skimpy in my big mitts.

Will they cut any better than an assortment of different knives? Probably not; but they are nice to have, and I'd do it again. If you can afford it - DO IT! It's not a waste of money and you'll be happy with them for a lifetime. Your price, by the way, looks pretty good.

My pans are opposite - I have an assortment of tri-ply from Cuisinart, Calphalon, AllClad, Tramontina, which I picked up piece by piece on sale. If I had the money at the time, I'd have bought a matched set of AllClad, whether I needed it or not.

Here at DC, most of the regular posters have an average age of OLD. (I include myself in that). We also tend to know everything and be always right, simply by nature of our years of individual experiences. Most of us grew up in an era when there just wasn't a lot of culinary awareness & adventure. We also didn't have disposable income like younger folks today. Because we couldn't buy expensive equipment, we learned to do it on a different budget. But if truth be told, give any of us unlimited resources and we'd be delighted to buy a shiny new set of knives, pans, appliances, etc.

If you can afford it and you want it - go for it! It's a wonderful investment and a good price. You won't regret it. Don't let us talk you out of it.

Signed,
The Enabler

 

[Dawgluver]

Ya know, Silversage, I agree with you. If you have the money, go for it.

 

[GotGarlic]

I don't think many young people have as much disposable income as they act like they do. Too many live with their parents because they're unemployed or underemployed and don't bother to save because they think they're invincible. And they seem to think they need to start out as if they're mid-career when they're not.

I still think starting with a chef's knife, a paring knife and a serrated knife is the best way to go, adding to the collection as needs arise.

 

[dcSaute]

sigh.

Yardley has posted the same question on multiple forums.

and no response from Yardley anywhere.

and not a lot of response in other places, as the "What's the best knife?" thing is like _so_ yesterday/week/month/year/decade/century....

I sure hope we're not in for "and here's where you can buy a 17 pc set below retail"

 

[Andy M.]

I was gifted a (9 piece?) Henckels set about 15 years ago. I didn't use all the knives right away and I still don't use some often. I have a boning knife that doesn't get a lot of use. Same for the carving knife and the bread knife. The other 6 plus the scissors are regulars.

 

[dcSaute]

I was gifted a (9 piece?) Henckels set about 15 years ago. I didn't use all the knives right away and I still don't use some often. I have a boning knife that doesn't get a lot of use. Same for the carving knife and the bread knife. The other 6 plus the scissors are regulars.

but yeah you see, the whole nacho depends on what is exactly your habits, preferences and proclivities.

I bake breads. I use the bread knife, a lot. perhaps you don't. no problem.

I rarely buy any largish chunk of meat except "bone in" - I use my boning knife right regular. perhaps you don't. no problem.

I rarely buy anything but a whole chicken which I cut up. the boning knife is the hen's meow. perhaps you don't. no problem.

so, Yardley has / does not have any multitude of problems or needs based on the unspecified needs and usage.

simple, eh?

one can always buy more knife styles/lengths to satisfy one's needs.
it's really tricky to sell bits and pieces of a set back to the store; eBay may be easier.

 

[Andy M.]

but yeah you see, the whole nacho depends on what is exactly your habits, preferences and proclivities.

I bake breads. I use the bread knife, a lot. perhaps you don't. no problem.

I rarely buy any largish chunk of meat except "bone in" - I use my boning knife right regular. perhaps you don't. no problem.

I rarely buy anything but a whole chicken which I cut up. the boning knife is the hen's meow. perhaps you don't. no problem.

so, Yardley has / does not have any multitude of problems or needs based on the unspecified needs and usage.

simple, eh?

one can always buy more knife styles/lengths to satisfy one's needs.
it's really tricky to sell bits and pieces of a set back to the store; eBay may be easier.

Yes. While I don't use the 3 knives I mentioned often, I am glad I have them for those times when I need them. Had I not received the whole set as a gift, I would have bought 3-4 knives and added the others later. I still use a butcher's knife and scissors from an earlier set.

Plus, your needs change over time. You may decide to add a knife you never needed before or stop using a knife you used often before.

FWIW, that set came with a tomato knife. It's a 6" bread knife. I use it several times a week to slice my bagel. Never used it on a tomato. That's what a sharp knife is for.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

I bought the predecessor to this set about 12 years ago, and immediately gave away my Henckles knives to a close personal friend who had no good knives at all. They are the Gunter Wilhelm 12-Piece Chef Knife Block Set.

I have never been happier with the price or with the knives. They fit well in my hand, are perfectly balanced, hold an edge extremely well when sharpened, and the company honors their guarantee with no argument and no questions asked. On top of that, they look beautiful on my counter!


In the 12 years I have owned them, they replaced, free-fer-nuthin, the paring knife when the blade became discoloured, the 8-inch chef's knife when the handle popped a rivet, and the steel when it separated from the handle. And yes, I use every piece in the set.

 

[Andy M.]

The GW knives have been around for a while. Always a handsome. They setup at Costco periodically. I bought the carving fork pictured.

 

[RPCookin]

I was gifted a (9 piece?) Henckels set about 15 years ago. I didn't use all the knives right away and I still don't use some often. I have a boning knife that doesn't get a lot of use. Same for the carving knife and the bread knife. The other 6 plus the scissors are regulars.

And at the same time, I love my boning knife for a lot more than boning. I use it for many different meats - more for trimming fat and gristle and other membranes that I'd rather not serve than for boning. It's just a handy size for a lot of uses.

I rarely use a paring knife - more likely to use my boning knife for small work - but I also don't peel much of anything with a knife, which I guess is what a paring knife is supposedly for. I also don't do things like radish flowers, etc. I guess nobody would confuse my food with art.

 

[Addie]

And at the same time, I love my boning knife for a lot more than boning. I use it for many different meats - more for trimming fat and gristle and other membranes that I'd rather not serve than for boning. It's just a handy size for a lot of uses.

I rarely use a paring knife - more likely to use my boning knife for small work - but I also don't peel much of anything with a knife, which I guess is what a paring knife is supposedly for. I also don't do things like radish flowers, etc. I guess nobody would confuse my food with art.

I use my paring knife for....Lets see, picking out splinters, sharpening pencils when I can't fine the pencil sharpener for my eyebrow pencil, certainly not for paring. That's is what my serrated peeler is for. I have two paring knives. Dollar Store specials. Five for $1. When one gets dull, get another out of the package. I might use it to dig the eyes out of taters if the tip of the peeler can't get it. Oh yeah. I have used the parer to remove a spot on a veggie or fruit that doesn't look to healthy to me.

I think it is time to start telling new cooks that instead of a paring knife , to get a good peeler. I don't know of anyone who pares veggies anymore with a knife. To much waste.

 

[GotGarlic]

I primarily use my paring knife for cutting the cores out of small vegetables.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I'm going to put in a plug for my favorite brand of knife, as it just works. I have a Chroma type 301 F.A.Porsche, 10 inch chef's knife. I've read the review on this knife and many people think the knife is terrible. I've been using this same knife for 90% of my cooking for 12 years now, and I cook all kinds of things. I've used in on very hard foods, very soft foods, and everything in between. It's sharp enough that I even use it as a bread knife so as not to tear sometimes delicate crust and crumb as with a serrated knife. The edge holds, and is easily restored with a few swipes on a good steel. In the 12 years I've owned it, I've sharpened it with a stone maybe three times.

The handle, in spite of all the negative reviews is comfortable, and provides great control of the knife, even when covered with slippery juices. You do have to use a proper pinch grip with it though. The narrow vertical transition from handle to blade, at the "pearl" give great lateral stability, while the flat horizontal surface gives the heel of the hand somewhere to really apply downward pressure. I have a son who cooks professionally, in a very demanding environment, and he states that he has never used a more comfortable, and useful knife. The handle scares away many people. But for me, this knife is the most comfortable, and useful knife I have ever used. I've had the chance to use Wusthoff-Triident, Henckels, Sabatier, High carbon steel knives, Chicago Cutlery, and many others, both dirt cheap, and ridiculously expensive. I like my Chroma.

That being said, it does not invalidate what the others have said. Every hand is different. What is a dream to me might be intolerable to you. So go by what you want in a knife.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Specialty knives I just picked up today for my sushi .....

Another Bokker Fan. Yes, that' a great place to purchase good knives. And hte Arbolito brand is pretty good quality.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North