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SidPost
73
Nov 20, 2017
Good comments so far!
For Chef's knives, there are two basic profiles to choose from: German and French. German will have more 'belly' and to me are more of a slicer 'chef' knife versus the French profile which is flatter. I prefer the French/Japanese pattern because I like to leave the tip on the cutting board and cut vegetables with a cleaving or guillotine motion versus coming down from above with a 'slice'. Both work really well and it is as much a personal choice as anything (Ford, Chevy, or Dodge?).
Victorinox 'plastic' handle chef's knives are good values in general and are easy to maintain with a steel to realign the edge over time. Personally, I want something a bit harder in my own kitchen but wouldn't complain with a Victorinox in the drawer. The Wal-Mart celebrity chef "starter" knives are a good way to go for someone on a tight budget as long as you get the better "forged" ones, not the cheaper stamped knives. They will have thicker heavier blades and are really very serviceable and offer most people 90%+ of what they would get from Henckels or Wusthof.
Absolutely do not buy a full knife block. You end up spending your money on knives you will never ever use. Personally, I don't see the usefulness of a bread knife and would prefer a true meat slicer for carving a turkey or ham for a holiday meal if I was going to invest in something other than a Chef's and Paring knife.
For cost, a Wal-mart 3 knife starter set will run ~$30~40 for a good set (probably Pioneer Woman today but, my Paula Deen closeout was like $12 at the time). If $100 is doable, a true starter set from Germany, either Henckels or Wusthof, shouldn't cost more than $100 at normal retail pricing. On black friday, you might score a deal in the $70 range.
Finally, don't confuse a "knife steel" with a "knife sharpener". Steels take out (or minimize) knicks and rolled edges but, don't 'sharpen'. A true knife sharpener will restore a dull edge. I find the ~$12 diamond stones at Wal-Mart cut quick and are easy to use. Avoid blade munching automated blade sharpeners at all cost.
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