Good Knife for a good price...

[nperkins]

ok... I'm sick of having ****ty knives... I need a good chopping knife/butcher knife... Mainly for veggies and meats... I'm sick of the serated (SP) knives... I want a real knife...

What should I get that won't break the bank?

[jeff]

You really only need 1 single good knife, it's something you will use for years to come and use every single time you cook, don't skimp out on buying a good knife.

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.ht...e=9325">Amazon Link</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=h...l=ur2&amp;o=1" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> This is what I use. I have a whole set but for the most part use only this one knife.

I would go to your local kitchen store and grab each knife, look at my basic cutting guide and learn how to hold the knife then get your hands on as many knifes as you can. I would stick with the major big name companies and plan on spending $70-120 just remember this knife will last you years and years if taken care of.

[nperkins]

Is it good or bad to get something completely metal and one piece? Basically something without a plastic/ivory handle, just one solid piece.

[jeff]

As long as it fits your hand and is with out a doubt a good brand that is known for making good knifes then go for it.
Just DO NOT buy any knifes that say never need sharpening or other random "as seen on TV" type crap.

Stick with a major name brand and buy something worth while. once again you'll use it for many years.

[nperkins]

So the other night I was gonna make a salad, so I stop at the store on the way home... I think of what its like cutting carrots with my serated knife, and just cringed, so along with the groceries, I grabbed a $9 Farberware Steel 8" Santoku (SP) knife with Steel Handle... I'm impressed with how a $9 knife works.

Can I use an Oiling stone to sharpen it? Or should I only use a round rasp knife sharpener?

[jeff]

Originally Posted by nperkins

Can I use an Oiling stone to sharpen it? Or should I only use a round rasp knife sharpener?

I'll never sharpen my knifes. I hone them and if they ever need to be sharpened I'll pay a professional to do it for me. I've never met a chef that sharpens their own knives. there's a lot to getting the blade just right in order for it to last.

If you buy a good knife and keep it in good shape it should stay sharp for 1+ years. with normal use. If you use the knife all the time day and night then 6 months would be pushing the life of the blade.

Get your hands on a nice high dollar knife, the weight and the sharpness that the blade has is just great. makes cutting things super easy. in fact I've never once cut myself with any of my high end knifes. I use to always cut myself using my parents crap knives back in the day.

[jeff]

I should add, at work we buy these $20.00 knives they are NSF (kitchen safe for public use FDA crap...) anywho, they're GREAT knifes! almost as good as my Henckel knife. only the blade last about 2 weeks with daily use.

you get what you pay for...

[510dat]

how do the blades fail? do they break or warp? I really don't like serrated knives. It's hard nowdays to find a decent one that isn't serrated. But it's really difficult to sharpen a serrated knife, unless you just grind it down.

[nperkins]

Oh I eventually want to buy a really nice knife... But for now, I would just like to sharpen this one a bit...

[jeff]

Originally Posted by 510dat

how do the blades fail? do they break or warp? I really don't like serrated knives. It's hard nowdays to find a decent one that isn't serrated. But it's really difficult to sharpen a serrated knife, unless you just grind it down.

When I say fail I'm talking about the edge of the knife going dull.
I've never once had to sharpen my good knives since buying them. I simply hone them. the idea is to sharpen them as little as possible since when you sharpen a knife you (grind it down) So the more times you sharpen a knife the shorter the life will be.

With the cheaper knives I find that they only last for a few dinners then once the edge is gone you can't really do much to get it back for more then 1-2 uses. do keep in mind my idea of sharp might be different then your idea of sharp.

I like to test a knife by taking a napkin or paper towel and folding it 4-5 times so its like a 2-3" square. Place the blade on the paper towel/napkin and using only two fingers one on each side of the handle, drag the knife across the napkin using ZERO FORCE! the knife should cut through at least half of the paper if not more. Also you could try cutting a ripe tomato. You should have zero issues cutting a ripe tomato if the knife is sharp, believe it or not you do not need to use a serrated to cut tomatoes.

I cut chicken breast using zero downward force. I focus on the angle I want as with how thick of pieces I'm trying to cut, the knife does all of the cutting, I just guide it. Always remember, the knife cuts, not the user.

I do think owning a nice knife that will hold an edge is IMO the best thing to have in the kitchen out of any tool, it makes life easy when cooking.