A question for culinary experts!!!

[elwoodblues]

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the only knife you really need is a good chef's knife, 8".

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That will certainly get you started in the right direction, but you can't cut delicate items with a chef's knife very well. For example, cutting bread with a chef's knife doesn't work. Also, for some things a small knife (paring knife or slightly larger) just works better.

[Leo99]

Sounds like good advice.

I have the Chicago Cutlery knife set. I've had it about 15 years and it's still real nice. I picked up the Belquige (spelling is off) set from Macy's two years ago. It's an Allclad knock off. They're real nice pans. Caphalon is annodized aluminum and nice stuff but Allclad is the "bomb"

[elwoodblues]

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My high carbon steel knife at home will remove a nice big ball of hair off my forearm in one swipe

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Remind me never to eat at your house [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[cnfuzzd]

plus, you can use the cutting shears to make a corkscrew out of a penny!!! (I worked as a cutco saleperson for exactly one day. Then i found out not only would i be going into peoples houses, but with lots of knives. Im a big, scary guy, and my humor is often misunderstood, so i didnt think this was the best idea.)

peace

john nickle

[Blarg]

Anybody ever use any of those ceramic knives or find themselves liking them?

[wacki]

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Anybody ever use any of those ceramic knives or find themselves liking them?

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I've heard they hold a great edge, and they hold it for a long time. The downside is that they are very difficult to sharpen. High carbon, San Mai, and high carbon blends are generally accepted as the best.

[wacki]

In a post about Kyocera Ceramic

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If you're really careful with it, it shouldn't do too poorly. I like using mine for slicing tomatoes and other acidic foods because with the ceramic blade, you don't have to worry about the acid from those foods dulling the blades.

However, if I had the day I bought the knife back again, I wouldn't have bought it. The knife is too dull for all-purpose chopping, especially when compared to a good, properly sharpened steel blade. You also have to be very careful not to put any lateral stress on the knife or drop it, because it is very susceptible to breakage.

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I forgot to mention damascus... knives made from that steel are very good, and very pretty. You can see the grain of the steel in those.

[benfranklin]

Wustof knives are excellent, if pricey. I have quite a few Calphalon pots and pans, nonstick and anodized aluminum, and they are great. You can usually get some good deals on Calphalon, especially discontinued models, at Amazon: Pots and Pans

There is disagreement about which is better, stainless or anodized, particularly for skillets. Calphalon makes both, and their literature says that anodized is better for browning and for creation of fond, the little black specks in the skillet essential for great sauces.

[vulturesrow]

I prefer cutlery by Ka-bar

[eric5148]

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I forgot to mention damascus... knives made from that steel are very good, and very pretty. You can see the grain of the steel in those.

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Damascus is expensive, though.