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Well, this has been a very interesting post. I love cooking and everything that goes with it. Already picked out two knives. Wusthof. Looks to be around $190. Now tonite I was looking at my pots and pans. I already have a 12 inch Lodge cast iron skillet and have been using that for about two years. Now I am needing a five quart pot. The one I have is aluminum and Teflon coated and the Teflon has some chips in it. I am thinking a ceramic coating or something along that line. The first thing I looked at was Castamel as they used to have coated pots and pans but it wasn't Teflon. So when I go into their site , they now talk about Teflon. Any suggestions?

I have a set of All Clad pots and pans they cook more evenly than anything i have ever had my hands on . They arent cheap but will last a lifetime . http://www.allclad.com/

+1 vote for a good set of sharp knives.

I'm using a Global set at the moment, but they were a gift.

Ive got a set of the Chicago Cutlery knives as well...work well for me..and i keep them sharp.

Pots and pans, go with All-Clad. Very good stuff with excellent heat distribution.

I have a setup better cheap knives that are reproductions of the more expensive ones. Those i use when i when i dont need finesse, also the heft in the larger knive is great for heavier stuff where i dont really care about finesse or the edge of the knife, smaller bones etc.

Then i have a half cheap Fiskars chef-knife with a rubbered handle thats actually much better then what the extremely meager price woyld suggest. But its actually both light, stiff and very sharp. And keeps an edge as well as my Sabatier knife. So not all cheaper knifes are bad, although the good ones are extremely rare. This is my main chopping knife. Good 22cm length on the blade and room for the fingers.

The last one is my main knife for control, its a shorter 15-16cm blade sabatier. Although this one is still broad enough so you have room for the fingers, which arent that common, especially among cheaper knives. Sturdy, bit heavier.

Good knives are essential if you like to cook. And even more essential if you want to chop stuff fast without having your fingers chopped too. Last time i tried a cheap flexing stainless i hadnt had any sleep that night, so of course my mind wandered and i put a real nice dent in my thumb. Had i had a sharper knife, i would have looped the outer part off, but then, with a sharper knife, i wouldnt have slipped of something as easy as an onion.

Well a better way of putting it is if you know its gona get abuse get a craftsman if you know its gona be babied get more spendy fine tools.

Same with cutlery. Dont use delicate knives for tableware unless its gona be handled right.

mattsteg wrote:

Captain Ned wrote:

thegleek wrote:

i'll have to try out both the wusthoff's and shun's next time i go back to that williams-sonoma store.

If you decide on the Wusthoffs, don't buy them at Williams-Sonoma if you've got access to Costco. They sell the same set for much less coin.

Out of curiousity, what price is the set going for at Costco? I assume it's in-store since I can't find it on their website.

My bad, it's the Henckels that Costco carries, not the Wusthofs.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.as ... d=10045499

Buub and Hance, with line of Allclads do you have? Just curious since I need new pot and pans and I noticed 5 different lines on that site.

Btw - Craftsman are good midgrade tools. Better then the really cheap stuff but not as fine as say, Mac or Snap-on.

They work well for casual use for the average person. Point being I had set of sockets given to me as a gift one year from ACE hardware. The rachet broke within the first year.

I have a set of craftsman that I bought 11 years ago and they still work like the day I bought them.

Remember I am talking about their hand tools. Power tools are a different story.

Same goes for knifes. Some sushi chefs out there have large sets of knifes that are handcrafted and valued in the 6 figures for the set.

The knifes we are talking about are not that nice. But much better then the cheap crap out there.

Oh and I stand corrected I have a set of wusthofs that I got when married. I have one Henckels chefs knife that I bought when I first moved in with her since the cheap set she had sucked. And I needed something that would cut.

Captain Ned wrote:

mattsteg wrote:

Captain Ned wrote:

thegleek wrote:

i'll have to try out both the wusthoff's and shun's next time i go back to that williams-sonoma store.

If you decide on the Wusthoffs, don't buy them at Williams-Sonoma if you've got access to Costco. They sell the same set for much less coin.

Out of curiousity, what price is the set going for at Costco? I assume it's in-store since I can't find it on their website.

My bad, it's the Henckels that Costco carries, not the Wusthofs.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.as ... d=10045499

Those aren't the same line. They're Henckel's "value" line that's of non-German origin.

This doesn't have anything to do with cutlery, but I was wondering if any of you kitchen people have heard anything about the diamond coated frying pans?

I kind of want one for novelty purposes.

Action Jim wrote:

This doesn't have anything to do with cutlery, but I was wondering if any of you kitchen people have heard anything about the diamond coated frying pans?

I kind of want one for novelty purposes.

So... it makes a mean pancake? I got my parents a set of J.A.'s (Pro S). They're nice -- much better than anything they had before. Got 'em from cooking.com during the dotboom at like 25% off cause they shipped 'em late (they didn't ship til I called to check on the order status -- Christmas rush ).

Action Jim wrote:

I kind of want one for novelty purposes.

Why does that statement scare the hell out of me?

Yep, I don't want to know. Seriously, I don't.

I've always wanted to try one of these Ceramic Knives. They're delicate from what I understand, meaning that they'll shatter if you drop them. As long as the blade is protected through, it'll holda razor sharp edge for 3 or 4 years, without the need to hone the blade. They're too expensive and fragile though, so I'll just wait until I have the money for a nice Wustof set.

Henckles is to Wusthofs as Toyota is to Lexus. Henckles are still very good knives, much better than the Wal-Mart stuff, but not in the same league as Wustofs.

z-man wrote:

Buub and Hance, with line of Allclads do you have? Just curious since I need new pot and pans and I noticed 5 different lines on that site.

I have the LTD. I bought those instead of the stainless finish because they're a little thicker, hence should cook even a little better. However, the fact that they can't be put in the dishwasher without messing up the finish is a hassle sometimes.

Still, even if I could, I wouldn't put them in the dishwasher often because that would ruin any "seasoning" the pan had acquired.

For easier maintenance, the stainless are good. I believe they are the most popular line, being in the lower-middle of the range. The Copper-Chef and Copper Core are, of course, the high-end pans. We know how copper works vs. aluminum with computer heat sinks. Same thing with the pans. The main line of All-Clad has aluminum cores for heat distribution. The Copper stuff uses copper on the outside instead of steel, and/or copper in the core. More expensive but better. I don't know anything about the MC2, as that appears new.

Buub wrote:

Henckles is to Wusthofs as Toyota is to Lexus. Henckles are still very good knives, much better than the Wal-Mart stuff, but not in the same league as Wustofs.

So in other words, a little better for a lot more money (try working in a car plant sometime ).

Buub wrote:

I have the LTD. I bought those instead of the stainless finish because they're a little thicker, hence should cook even a little better. However, the fact that they can't be put in the dishwasher without messing up the finish is a hassle sometimes.

Still, even if I could, I wouldn't put them in the dishwasher often because that would ruin any "seasoning" the pan had acquired.

For easier maintenance, the stainless are good. I believe they are the most popular line, being in the lower-middle of the range. The Copper-Chef and Copper Core are, of course, the high-end pans. We know how copper works vs. aluminum with computer heat sinks. Same thing with the pans. The main line of All-Clad has aluminum cores for heat distribution. The Copper stuff uses copper on the outside instead of steel, and/or copper in the core. More expensive but better. I don't know anything about the MC2, as that appears new.

Though the Copper core look cool, I think I would go with the LTD line. One they have more items in the line up and they are a little more in my price range.

I do know pro chefs prefer copper core or bottom but hey I'm not a pro chef. I'll take really good over the best. I also know I can't wait to get off this electric stove and back onto a gas range. *sigh*

I have a set of the copper core All Clads . I got out my handy dandy IR thermometer and checked how even the tempature was one day when i was bored . as i remember they only varied 4 or 5 degrees between the hottest and coolest part of the pan .

Hance wrote:

I have a set of the copper core All Clads . I got out my handy dandy IR thermometer and checked how even the tempature was one day when i was bored . as i remember they only varied 4 or 5 degrees between the hottest and coolest part of the pan .

Jebus...now thats a true geek. Dont you have anything better to do

Until Shun (Kershaw), I've always bought different knives. Ranking my knives from favorite to least favorite- Shun, Global, Wusthof, Horschner, Henckels.

Henckles- Good all around knives, but they aren't truly forged knives according to some articles I've read. I use them on just about anything except for bones.

Horschner- Stamped blades, CHEAP ($17/ea), Veterinarians use them as necropsy knives- they cut through bones like butter. Bought a bunch of them as Christmas presents one year- they were quite a hit.

Wusthof- Great blades. My first truly forged knifes.

Global- Blade holds its edge better than my Wusthofs. Handle is too small for my hand, but it cuts like a razor.

Shun- My Shun is without a doubt the best knife I have ever used. The handle is comfy, and the blade looks awesome with the "folds." I've had the Shun since Christmas and still haven't had to steel/sharpen it.

I have one Global. I'm not really a fan of their handles. They look cool but are quite slippery when wet. It cuts great but I prefer my Wusthofs because they have superior handles, and I really don't think they cut any worse.

z-man wrote:

Why does that statement scare the hell out of me?

Yep, I don't want to know. Seriously, I don't.

Not everything I do is perverted and weird. I just want a diamond coated pan to sensuously rub up and down my sweaty body and use my own secretions to fry up some pierogis. That's all.

Action Jim wrote:

Not everything I do is perverted and weird. I just want a diamond coated pan to sensuously rub up and down my sweaty body and use my own secretions to fry up some pierogis. That's all.

No matter how long I know you, you still manage to shock the **** out of me.

ROTFLMAO AJ your one strange duck

Naw...just sounds like a perv..you and him should be twins

I know one thing Action Jim. Do not invite me over for supper

thegleek wrote:

awesome advice from everyone! woo woo.. i'm glad i made this post.

with my meek salary, it's hard to part with the cash for something simple
and yet so necessary as good knives.. i think frobozz has a set of those
walmart's $50 cutlery set.... but i think i cook a lot more often then they
do in their household...

here's something my fiance pointed out as well... she said that the better
the quality of knives, the less chances you will have to cut yourself...

and here i am contridicting what she said by stating if the knives are of
better quality and sharper, wouldnt you be missing some digits rather then
just a deep cut? lol... so who's more right?

i just cant decide to go with wusthof or the shun set... i love both designs,
but one is german based and the other is japan based... hmmm.....

If it was me I'd go with the German set,because you cant beat the Germans at anything,except war.

As a college student I use a lot of really crappy knives. Having one decent knife is a lot more useful than having a set of crap. I am actually asking for a knife for my birthday, something big and rigid enough to cut watermelon would be really nice. if it doesn't bend cutting watermelon, it won't bend for anything.

First, Craftsman is a fine wrench.

Not so much...they're an around the house type of tool line, they're much cheaper though, this week I paid 39 bucks for a 17mm Mac wrench..you can buy a small metric wrench set for that from sears...for doing any real work their tolerances and features just suck...for instance, their sockets are the same 6 flat design as the fastener they're turning, gripping only the pounts making them prone to rounding off the fastener, where as mac, snap-on, or matco are designed to contact the flat portion and not hte point making them much less likely to damage the fastener.

Back to knives, just buy a chef or santaku knife however it's spelled, the rest of the set will barely be used by most people once they get used to the utility of the chef's knife.