Sadly, knives are not cheap.
However, if you are looking for great new knives that are both fairly priced and good quality. We will be discussing some of our favorite knives and other equipment that new chefs and cooks need.
A good first set of knives is like a first car! It will be with you through all your exams, and long culinary school classes.
It will be with you through your culinary internship, and the first time you get yelled at by you Chef.
It will be there when you get your first dish on a menu. At least it was for us!
So it will be a sentimental piece of your life! Your knife becomes an extension of your hand! You will sharpen it, clean it and appreciate all of it! No seriously!
Go ask an experienced chef!
In our near decade of experience working in kitchens. We have worked with plenty of knives. Fancy Damascus steel knives, German steel, globals, wusthofs, you name it.
Each brand has its own advantage. Some are flexible, some are razor sharp, others can slice and dice and not need a good sharpening for a year.
Whatever you are looking for in a knife, we can help you find it!
Here are our favorite knives for chefs and culinary students.
Great deals on knives!
Wusthof Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife
This first knife is our personal favorite. Most of us started using this great knife during culinary school and it is very reliable and it is engineered amazingly well!
One of our writers actually dropped this knife within the first week and broke the tip. It was a terrible moment. Our heart was shattered. Our brand new knife that we just spent $100+ dollars on was ruined!
Or so we thought! We were surprised how easy was to fix! We went to a local knife store and for about $10-$15 dollars they fixed the knife and it cut through things beautifully.
What makes this knife great is the german steel. It is solid, and gets agreat edge.
It is not as soft as most Japanese knives. However, it is a great multi-purpose knife.
We have used it to do everything from slicing, dicing even breaking down a pig!
The Wusthof Classic is our go to knife even now. It just does everything so well. Yes, there are alot of amazing Japanese knives that do just as a good of a job.
We are just partial to our first knife! Like we said earlier a first knife to a chef is a like a first car.
Alright, let us say you are looking for an even better deal on knives. $100 might seem like a lot for a knife.
We understand! Knives are not cheap. There is a little, you get what you pay for (but it is only slight).
Of course the wushtof is a little more expensive because it is a brand named knife.
If that is not what you are looking for. Let’s look at the Victorinox, it is pretty classic as knives go.
We have always noticed older chefs typically having this brand.
Maybe it was because it was one of the few good knife brands when they were students, or perhaps they could only afford that knife.
Whatever the reason. The knife is solid. It usually requires more regular sharpening and steeling.
Beyond that, it is a great knife. It is sturdy and reliable.
Don’t let the price point fool you.
You will still be able to some good detail work with this knife!
Victorinox 8 Inch Rosewood Chef's Knife
Alright, so maybe you want a little bit of a nicer knife. Perhaps even bit
Now let’s look for a great pairing knife! I remember back in culinary school everyone had a colorful pairing knife called a Kuhn Rikon. They are super cheap and fun looking.
We would not recommend these knives if you are going to work at some fancy restaurant…
Unless you want to get laughed at…
Plus, it will never do the the work you actually want it too.
Kuhn Rikon 4-Inch Nonstick Colori Paring Knife, Set of 3
Now, if you need a good pairing knife. Forget about the colorful, child like knives. We know they are cheap, but you get what you pay for with those knives
A much better knife for new culinary students are is the is the wusthof high carbon steel paring knife!
It was one of our chef’s first purchase and they swear by it.
They even once saw a chef grab their very paring knife and break down a whole pig with it!
Or so they say!
You know how chef stories go!
Whether it is true or not is not the point.
We have tried this knife and we know if you have detail work. Your life will be made much easier with this paring knife.
Wusthof Classic High Carbon Steel Knife Paring Knife, 3.5 Inch
Now for culinary students who are planning to be savory cooks. You are going to need a boning knife. A boning knife is an amazing tool that makes breaking down rabbits and chickens easy.
So make sure you buy a good boning knife that is flexible enough to do pin-point turns around bones, but also capable of cutting through sinen without cutting the meat of your product.
You would hate to cut into the actual meat of your $100 a lb wagyu beef tenderloin!
So you need to make sure you have a very solid knife. A reliable boning knife is a must!
At least, until you are skilled enough to break down your proteins with your chef and paring knife!
That will happen eventually. Don’t worry, you will get so good with your knives, you are almost to use any of them for anything…
However, you will be so good with your knives you will know exactly which one to use for what.
Wusthof Classic 6-Inch Flexible Boning Knife
It is time to go back to school. There are back to school sales sadly..even when knives are on sale. They are still pretty expensive.
We realized after we wrote this that we only recommend wusthof. It was what we have found the most reliable.
Japanese and Damascus steel style knives are also great knives! We have used them as well. As well as the occasional Bob Kramer Knife.
However, Wusthof knives are the most well rounded of the knife choices.
Japanese style knives are made of a softer metal. This allows for much finer work.
This allows you to do sushi style knife work. If you aren't doing this in your day to day work as a chef. Then you don't need one.
The links to the knives that lead to amazon are using the affiliate program. All of the pictures are from Amazon.com and the links are affiliate.
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