Another poster said it well. . .you've opened some kind of egg!

Some helpful ideas (I hope):

In general, get a good and respected brand name, Henckels, Wüsthof,
Sabatier or the like. The US-made commercial chef knive are also good
and, in some cases, a lot less expensive. If you have access to a
restaurant-supply house, that may be a real saving.

The Japanes knives are superb and can be sharpened to a razor edge.
(Imagine how sharp they must be to slice wiggly raw fish.) But, many
of them are made with a folded forging technique in which an inner
layer of very hard, high-carbon steel is wrapped with a softer and
more corrosion-resistant outer steel layer. Yes, the inner cutting
edge will be razor sharp but it WILL rust and must be cared for by
wiping with peanut oil or some other light oil after use.

The German-made knives are excellent but, to me, tend to be a bit
massive. . . heavy with thicker blades. ("Now THAT'S a knoif!")
When chopping and mincing, these thicker blades tend to "spray"
whatever you're cutting (mincing onions comes to mind.) Although I
happen to be a big guy and don't mind the slightly heavier weight, I
prefer the thinner bladed Sabatier or some commercial blades like the
Forscher.

Same remarks go for the Santuko-style blades. The thinner ones seem to
allow more control than the heavier chef's knives. I've come to
prefer the lighter-weight Santuko over the Henckels Chef knife.

Kitchen knives are simply cook's tools. But a craftsman cares for his
tools and that takes a little learning (just as cooking does.)

Teach yourself to hand-sharpen your knives. I don't mean that old
Arkansas stone and machine-oil mess. And I don't mean buying a $150
fancy grinder. (they've ruined more blades than they have saved.)
There's an easier way. Google "How to sharpen with Japanese
WaterStones."

It will take a little practice but once learned, will allow you to
keep a very sharp set of knives with only a little effort. I do most
of my sharpening with a single stone ("King" brand) 1200 grit.

Just a few strokes will return a blade to a very good edge. I also
use a finer stone (about 6,000 grit) to "polish" a blade (I'm a
nit-picker) but the single 1200-grit stone will work well for a
beginner.

The advice to use a steel is excellent. You could do worse than
forming the habit of "steeling" the blade when you first remove it
from the knife block. If you've ever watched a butcher work, you will
have noted how often he uses a steel.

Steels vary by manufacturer (some are harder than others and some have
slightly differing patterns than others.) If you end up using a set of
knives from one manufacturer, use that manufacturer's steel.

Of course, a steel does not sharpen a blade by grinding away minute
bits of the blade to form an edge. The steel simply brings those
microscopic, rolled-over bits of the edge back into line. Eventually,
any blade will require sharpening by grinding.

Be patient; it takes a little time to learn a new technique
(sharpening.) Practice on some old knives you haven't used for years.
Or go to the local flea market, buy a few old kitchen knives and use
them for practice. Stick with it and you'll develop a wonderful new
skill.

Most of all, be kind to yourself! You are cooking because you enjoy
it, right? Then take the time to shop for knives that FEEL GOOD to
YOU! Before spending $50-$100 on that really good Santuko, buy a
cheap one and try it out. (You can always use it to practice
sharpening <G>.

Pixmaker









On Wed, 11 Mar 2009 07:56:18 +0900, "phil..c" >
wrote:

>blake murphy wrote:
>> On Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:57:16 -0600, Omelet wrote:
>>
>>> In article >,
>>> "James Silverton" > wrote:
>>>
>>>> Dasco wrote on Mon, 9 Mar 2009 16:17:36 -0000:
>>>>
>>>>> Can anyone recommend a good brand name of cooking knives. They
>>>>> will be used for general household, bbq-ing etc. I'm looking
>>>>> for something that won't blunt after 10 mins use!
>>>>> Thanks - Dave
>>>> Henkels and Chicago Cutlery are quite good. You should also learn how to
>>>> use a steel; it's not difficult.
>>> Agreed. I use a steel all the time to hone my edges when they start to
>>> dull. Just takes seconds and returns them to razor sharpness.
>>>
>>> My favorite knife is my Kiwi brand chinese chef's knife, seconded by a
>>> $10.00 fillet knife from the sporting goods section at Wal-mart. I
>>> think it's "Eagle Claw" or something like that.
>>>
>>> Honestly, knives don't have to be expensive to be good, or at least
>>> that's my personal experience. The Kiwi was also $10.00 from the asian
>>> market and I've used it now for a few years.
>>
>> i bought a kiwi (actually two, a knife and a cleaver, but i don't use the
>> cleaver much) based in part on your recommendation a couple years ago.
>> really an outstanding value - i paid about six bucks. christmas before
>> last i got a knife for my dad and for my girlfriend (despite the folklore
>> prohibition on giving knives as gifts). thanks again for the tip.
>>
>> here are some pics:
>>
>> <http://www.wokshop.com/HTML/products/cleavers/thai-kiwi-knives.html>
>>
>> they are well worth seeking out.
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>
>The Kiwi Brand you mention are Excellent VALUE
>and as you say they stay sharp if looked after
>
>Once you have the right edge when you do have to sharpen them they stay
>sharp using a fine steel and later leather
>
>The Balance feels right also on their cleavers
>can debone a chicken far quicker with the mid sized cleaver than with a
>cooks knife
>In fact is the most used instrument in our kitchen
>
>Another GREAT FIND actually is distributed here in Aus by an American
> crowd called twin towers trading PO box 6553 freehold NJ 07728 USA
>it says on the packaging
>called forever sharp
>again from the packet here is the web site http://www.twintowerstrading.com
>Just looking at the site we got a whole series of knives here plus some
>junk freebees for$AUD 19.95 at Woolworths in store demo
>yet on the web same set sells for $US 50 plus ??
>
>They have a life time Guarantee money back
>
>great as bread knives and cutting over ripe tomatoes
>
>We bought 3 packs and one serated knife is used as a pruning saw
>
>For a junky set made in China actually not bad
>But too light and flimsy for my liking in the kitchen
>But bloody sharp