The only purpose of a steel is to keep a knife sharp. If you've been lazy and let it get dull, you need a sharpener.

I agree great knives. :thumbsup

Nah, then you need a whetstone. They're not complicated either :)

Cutco's are knives that cost around 1k for a whole set and you will never buy another.

I sold those fuckers in hs and when I got the job I was so excited to make some money... little did I know I had to hit up everybody I knew friends of theirs to make the sales. I hate sales like that but did manage to keep a set for myself and sisters and parents.

These fuckin knives last a lifetime... any problem they will either fix or replace for free... for life. You asked the question what are the best knives... no doubt cutco's are just try and get a hookup w/out sitting through an hour long sales meeting. Also... do NOT put them in the dishwasher... it is the handles that will never wear... the blades will get dull real quick.

Those look really nice.

I have a set of Henkel Five Star cooking knives and I also picked up a set of Seki Ryu cooking knives at Homegoods for like $40 bucks. The Japanese set is like razor blades but the weight is very light.

Shun knives look awesome but a little pricey. That will probably be my next set.

Having grown up in the restaurant business I'll say that the most important thing is to keep your knives sharp!

I see two pictures in this thread of stamped knives. Alton Brown doesn't like those!

im using wusthof, you can get a pretty good price from cutleryandmore.com

wtf is alton brown? are you talking in third person?

Don't have cable or satellite? Never seen Food Network?

Alton had some lower end Shun knives, actually a great deal. I think they had a 7pc set for $200 :thumbsup

i recommend cutco.

Had a set of Henkel's for 10 years. Great knives.

I've never seen the purpose of having a set of 15 knives - I've never known anyone to be that dynamic in the kitchen ;)

IMHO, all you need is a very good 10" / 20cm (like the ones I linked) an a small pearing knife. The only other addition I've ever needed was a cleaver (but chinese style - light)

No need to spend a fortune :)

I tend to agree. About 4 or 5 knives total. A fish knife, meat cleaver, chef's & pearing...

well, i agree that one doesn't need a zillion knives,

but a good bread knife is essential

and i prefer two kinds of paring knives...one serrated, one not....

a chef's knife --- actually two because both of us cook together....

fish knife, cleaver and a damned good set of steak knives...

:error

A whetstone is a sharpener is it not? I own a very nice Japanese water stone. It's great for small blades, but I prefer a ceramic rod type system for larger knives. No error, easy, and perfect angle every time.