inexpensive chefs knives ?

[alexia]

I recall reading somewhere (grey memory gap) that the newer Sabatier carbon steel knives are not as good as the old ones. Anyone know if that is true?

[dano1]

i think China was supplying their lower end knifes but haven't heard of a change in the French made ones. I'll let ya know when i get mine .

danny

[32RueduVertbois]

Originally posted by dano1
Both 8 and 10" chefs were 49.95 with no freight.

You got a deal, dano. The prices for those knives on amazon today are considerably higher. Better make sure they make good on your order.

Anway, I need to replace my 8" and now you've made me covet one of these. When you get them, please let us know how you like them.

32

[AzRaeL]

if your have $125 to spend on knives, your best bet is to spend $100 on your Chef's Knife and $25 on your boning knife and paring knife.

[dano1]

yeah, i got a couple of "good" chefs knives that have been following me around for a while just gettin tired of them-and the edge. Might have to get a carbon steel boner though...
And still waiting for the dang things.
danny

[narrowhouse]

I will agree with several people, Sanelli(great handles and a big variety of blade profiles) and Forschner (inexpensive but quailty) if you are not obsessive about forged knives. If you are a big fan of the more traditional ( Wusthof, Sabatier) forged knives, I have a slightly offbeat suggestion, Mundial. Brazilian made of German steel, they are less expensive than "second tier" Spanish made Henckels and in my opinion(just an opinion) better. The best "cheap" chefs knives I ever bought were very surprising- a 6 piece set of forged ("Professional Series" ) Tramontina knives for 70 bucks, also made in Brazil with German steel they don't hold an edge as well as the better German and French brands but they took a nice edge easily and had good weight and balance. Unfortunately Tramontina also makes some of the most profoundly inferior knives you will find under a brand name so you have to be careful.

P.S. One other suggestion, if you are not a traditional European knife only kind of person I will also suggest the Kershaw "Wasabi" line for a great $20-$30 asian santoku. Wasabi Santoku

[hipjoint]

in the discussion of inexpensive knives, why doesn't anyone ever mention the most widely sold/used knife brand in the regular restaurant kitchen ...
dexter/russell sani-safes with the white plastic handles?

all over san francisco, anyway, i ALWAYS find a few of these hanging around being used by lower line prep chefs. i own 12 of these knives and they have served me well for over twenty years. they have lots of shapes and sizes and are NSF approved for commercial kitchen use and can be sharpened well enough for just about anyone's use.

a local restaurant supply shop has an occasional 50% off sale on sani-safes
and you can pick up a six knife set (of your choosing) for under $100.

[hipjoint]

If you are a big fan of the more traditional ( Wusthof, Sabatier) forged knives, I have a slightly offbeat suggestion, Mundial. Brazilian made of German steel, they are less expensive than "second tier" Spanish made Henckels and in my opinion(just an opinion) better. The best "cheap" chefs knives I ever bought were very surprising- a 6 piece set of forged ("Professional Series" ) Tramontina knives for 70 bucks, also made in Brazil with German steel they don't hold an edge as well as the better German and French brands but they took a nice edge easily and had good weight and balance. Unfortunately Tramontina also makes some of the most profoundly inferior knives you will find under a brand name so you have to be careful.

===== how about another brazilian made knife ... the boker "arbolito" line
of stamped knives? made from german steel with full three rivet handles,
they have the traditional german feel but at a lighter weight. also ... can
you believe the 10" chef's knife is only around $20.00?? you can get the
4" paring, 6" chef's, 8" chef's, 8" bread, and 10" chef's knives for under
$100.00!!

[hipjoint]

The good "carbon" steels also hang out around 1%, but very rarely higher. 01, 1095 being very popular in hand crafted knives and tough stuff. It's not what you see in the cheap carbon kitchen knives.
===== except maybe "old hickory" knives for under $15.00 each??

Only at the very lowest end of the scale with knives no one on this board would consider for kitchen use would I consider your statement to be true in todays' kitchen knives.

And a big factor in the test is the user's ability to sharpen.

On that list, I own knives in various steels. From the staining steels, i have D2 and M2. From the stainless, I have 440C, ATS-34, 154CM, AUS 6, AUS 8, 12C27 and S30V.

The other hassle with carbon steel in the kitchen is the staining of the food. Forget about the knife. Cut artichokes iwth a carbon blade and watch them discolor.

Chop a bunch of potatoes and look for the black streaks from your blade.

Carbon isn't worth it in the kitchen.

===== just wondering, phil ... what kind of steels are being used by
the inexpensive japanese makers?? i heard of 1K daido (?) used by kai
for their wasabi line of knives and several other lines, and what about
V-10 and sus410 and others?? between kiya, masamoto, hiramoto,
and various other knifemakers, a lot of these steels are being used and they seem to be very excellent knives!!

Phil

[progressivepro]

You can also find great cookware and food prep selections, including knives at www.catererswarehouse.com. They have a vast variety of cookware, and foodservice equipment solutions at great prices for catering and cooking applications! Also feel free to give them a call, their reps are friendly, helpful, and can help you get just about any specialized product you need. Hope this helps.

[michalik]

Q: does 1 global chef knife +1 global veg. knife = 1 global santoku knife?

[icars]

I have a rather large knife collection. What I really use is my 10inch Shun Chefs, 6 inch Shun prep and my generic Santouko.

[Gravyboat]

I agree about the Brazilian knives. They ARE fantastic value for price. I used to use Montana knives - they are professional quality. However for my kitchen I bought Victorinox will only replace them with the same ones.
They are everything good knives need to be and yet cost like some cheap immitations.
I have 9" chefs, 21cm Bread, 16cm filleter, 10cm rabbit/boning, and all small peelers/sliicers - They are so cheap.
You will fit your budget and get real professional quality knives.
Some more info is here :

http://www.cookware-uk.co.uk/BrowseC...-Knives&cid=16

The cons I wrote are for the professional chefs who work all day with their knives. For a home kitchen this is not inportant.

And do not buy a set .

Cheers!