How many knives are in your kitchen drawers? You can discount the steak knives and the butter knives. Go ahead, count them, I will wait. Got it? OK, now how many of those do you actually use often? How much have you spent on knives? Knives should be a decades long investment for most home cooks. Buy the best you can afford that fits you.
Having said that though, I wouldn't spend more than $300 for all of your kitchen cutlery. A great japanese chefs blade can be had for $75 or less, and an french/german blade made in Americal for $100 or less. The best bang for the buck (hence my favorites) brands are Victorinox Forschner and Dexter-Russell. Both are extensively used in restaurants and commercial kitchens.
Some myths that aren't true:
1. Forged knives are better than stamped. This is no longer true and "forged" doesn't always mean forged. There are a lot of cheap (I DON'T mean inexpensive) that are forged from low quality steel. Some of the more expensive knives are not forged but sintered. Even worse, some expensive brands have devalued their product line by making cheap knives (again, I don't mean inexpensive) *Bottom line: do your research and buy good quality knives*
2. Brand names = quality. As I mentioned above, this is no longer true. Henckels make cheap stuff that is no better (even worse) than the less expensive Victorinox Forschner stamped blades or even the ubiquitous white handled Dexter-Russell knives you see in a lot of restaurants. *Bottom line: do your research and get the best bang for your hard earned buck*
3. Never needs sharpening. Hmmm...yea... Usually this means the blad is serrated somehow. Either a scallop serration or sawtooth or other styles. They WILL get dull, and when they do most are impossible to sharpen. But what's wrong with them? The sawtooth style serration will RIP your food rather than cut (best to cut through leather, shoes and cans). The scalloped serration is not very good at all for chopping, mostly good for slicing, but it won't be as smooth and as fast as a well sharpened knife. *Bottom line: keep it simple, except for one serrated slicer/bread knife, your other knives should be good quality steel with a smooth edge*
4. Gimmicks = good. Some have specific uses, but most are useless. Diamond coated edge? No thanks, how do you sharpen it? What happens if the diamond coating wears off? Titanium coated knives? Usually pretty good at preventing surface rust, but what happens when the coating gets scratched? Besides you should always immediately wash and dry your knives after each use. The one gimmick that I wouldn't mind having is a ceramic bladed knife (Kyocera brand). A ceramic blade is wicked sharp and keeps its sharpness for a long time. The caveat is to ONLY use it for slicing and LIGHT chopping. The edge is brittle, so any abuse (cutting on hard surfaces, hard chopping, etc) will chip it faster than a steel blade. The whole blade is brittle, so don't drop it or use it in extreme temperatures or use in hot boiling water then ice cold water. *Bottom line: watch out for gimmicks, most will solve one problem but will create others. For the most part, a simple knife is better for the long run*
Taking care of your knives:
1. Wash your knives immediately after use, especially after cutting acidic things
2. Dry your knives immediately after washing
3. Use your steel often, at least before each use
4. Don't put your knives in the dishwasher
5. Don't put your knives in the drawer unprotected
6. Don't use powered knife sharpeners unless you're confident you know how to use it
7. Don't cut on glass, metal, marble, ceramic or stone
8. Only cut on wood/bamboo or plastic surfaces
9. Don't scrape your board with the knife edge, use a board scraper or at least the back of the knife not the edge
10. Don't use your knife for anything else except cutting foodstuffs (no opening tin cans with your knife despite a famous Food Network chef predisposition to do this)
What I recommend:
1. 8"-10" Victorinox Forschner chefs knife (or a santoku or a chinese chefs knife/not a cleaver)
2. the most comfortable vegetable peeler for you, OXO is what I use
4. A decent steel, at least the length of your chefs knife
5. Victorinox Forschner serrated slicer, I have the 10". I like the curve so my knuckle doesn't hit the board. Get one that's at least curved if not offset so you have knuckle room
What makes a good knife, in order of importance:
1. Comfort/good balance, I prefer mine to balance at the bolster
2. Durability
3. Edge holding capability
4. Full tang
How to hold your knife:
1. Pinch the balance point with your thumb and forefinger
2. Wrap your other fingers around the handle (if the knife fits you well, these two steps should feel natural)
3. In general lock your wrist and make your big movements from your arm/shoulder, precise control of the tip should be through your thumb and forefinger
4. No need to grasp the handle as if it's going to fly away, just curl your fingers around the handle
Material considerations:
1. Carbon steel - can be hardened to be very hard, but usually more brittle than stainless steel. Hard material means the knife can be sharpened to a very keen edge and hold that edge longer. But use it to hack away at hard bones or to open a tin can, the edge will chip faster than a stainless steel one. Major downfall: tend to rust and produce black stain on your acidic foods.
2. Stainless steel - a little bit less hard than carbon steel but usually tougher. Higher toughness means it is not as brittle and would tend to bend rather than break/chip. A stainless steel knife may be less sharp than a carbon steel and doesn't hold its edge as long. However, it is resistant to rust and stains throughout its life.
3. Ceramic - very sharp, very hard (thus holds its edge for a long time), very brittle. It can break just being dropped on the floor or counter. Need to be carefeul with chopping motions, best to use as a slicer only. Also prone to cracking with extreme temperature use (use in very hot foods/boiling water and immediately dunked into ice cold water).
4. Exotic steels - VG10 is the darling of the knife industry right now, both kitchen and knives in general. There are many other exotic steels, but do be careful with nomenclature. Surgical stainless steel isn't that good for real knives. This is a steel focusing on the stainless aspect of the material, not necessarily hardness/toughness/edge holding. A lot of great expensive knives are made of exotic steels that produce great compromises. As hard as a carbon steel but retains some stainless properties, or just as stainless and tough as a stainless steel but can be hardened a little more.
The only knives you need in the kitchen, in order of importance:
1. 8"-10" chefs knife with a curved belly or santoku knife with a curved belly
2. vegetable peeler that is comfortable for you
3. a steel, at least the length of your chefs knife
4. serrated slicer
5. easily disassembled kitchen shears
6. cleaver
7. paring knife
8. boning/filet knife
Uses around the kitchen:
1. Chefs knife or santoku for chopping or slicing
2. Vegetable peeler for peeling vegetables or shaving cheeses or chocolates
3. A steel to straighten the edge that's been rolled. Use a steel every time before use (4-6 strokes per side)
3. Serrated slicer for slicing roasts, cutting bread, cutting soft ripe fruits (apricot, tomatoes, nectarines)
4. Shears for butchers twine, but even more importantly to cut the ribs from fowls to butterfly them, mince herbs, chopping whole tomatoes in the can, trimming the fat on meats, cutting fins on fish, etc
5. Cleaver for separating larger meat joints, cutting through frozen foods,
6. Paring knife for making decorative cuts, devein shrimp, section citrus fruits (making supremes), strawberries
7. Boning/filet knife to filet fish, making cuts close to the bones, making slits and pockets for stuffing into the meat
Knife brands I would consider:
Victorinox Forschner 10" Chefs knife - $27 @ Amazon
Victorinox Forschner 10.25" curved bread knife (40547) - $26 @ Amazon
Dexter-Russell 8"-10" Chefs knife - $15-$35 @ Amazon
Tojiro DP series 8.2" Chefs knife - $80 @ korin.com
Global 8" Chefs knife - $100 @ Amazon
MAC 8" Chefs knife - $120 @ Amazon
Shun Classic 8" Chefs knife - $135 @ Amazon
Hattori 8" Chefs knife HD series - $90 @ japanesechefsknife.com
