What is a good, moderately-priced brand of knives for cooking - preferably open stock?!
Answers: My old ones are just about gone, and I'd like to buy some that are really good, but need to do so gradually, as I'm not rich. What brand would you suggest?
Ok There are many different makes of Knives that you can buy. I have used Farberware and find them more than Lacking. I have also used Chicago Cutlery and while they once enjoyed a prestigious name in cutlery they have since slid down the slope of cheapness.
On the other hand there are some good knife companies out there that cannot be purchased in Walmart or Target. I prefer Swiss or Austrian knives like Frost, or Forschner. Frost is Austrian and Forschner is Swiss (well its made by the same company who does Swiss army knives) These knives are Stainless steel and have a good edge put on from the factory and can be sharpened easily and Steeled in between for a good clean cutting edge. They are Moderately priced and can be purcashed online or at some retailers. I'll post a link below.
there are some other lines that some chef's like that are more expensive like Wustoff that can be purchased in some specialty stores but I find that they are more knife than most people need for home use.
the thing to remember is to find a knife that you are comfortable with and can handle easily.
Good Hunting!
Farberware are pretty good and cheap....
when I worked as a chef for a while I used Chicago Cutlery. A good brand that will serve you well.
Your life will be easier w/ good knives. Henckels or Wustoff are both great. You may check prices on Rachael Ray's line of knives... they're probably cheaper than the first 2 I mentioned.
I gave flipper a thumbs up....I too went shopping recently for a chef's knife....wound up with the J.A. Henkels...now it was about $90 at bed bath and beyond...well worth it (plus I had gift certs...thank you santa)...but I have heard good things about forschners...I asked the same question as you...many a chef said they got forschners right out of culinary school...they don't last a life time....but are good knives...keep a decent edge...and i have seen them for $29 on-line...America's test kitchen ranked them #1....I really considered them...but I already had a Henkels utility knife...and the gift certs...so I went higher...but the forschners are worth a try at that price
There are 2 main type of knives: stamped, and forged
stamped knives have their blades cut from a sheet of metal
forged knives go through tempering and shaping, and are generally heavier/thicker/higher quality
among higher priced knives, the criteria that most people consider in a knife -- sharpness -- is a function of maintenance. one knife may have better optimal sharpness, or be sharper OUT OF THE BOX than another, but after that first day of use, sharpness is all about maintenance -- how you wash, treat, hone, sharpen, etc the knife. i think all knives can be equally sharp, in that respect. THUS, i think the distinction one needs to make when shopping for knives is checking for ERGONOMICS - see if you like the weight, balance, grip, etc of a knife... which is all personal preference (i like my Messermeister Prime Meridian very much)
a very well regarded entry-level knife is the Forscher, made by same people who make Victorinox Swiss Army products. even though it is stamped, its lauded for having good quality. i personally have not had a chacneu to use them