medium priced camp kitchen knife set...

[6Pins]

I come from a family of Chef's (last count was 10), and by Chefs I mean classically trained, CIA, Johnson & Wales, Sorbonne, etc. men and women. If you want to start a knock down, drag out fight, you sit down and say XYZ makes the best knives and watch the sparks fly.

Most Chef's I know use a hodgepodge of knives, depending on what the task is at hand. My wife loves a knife she bought me for Christmas a while back, and I hate it. Blade isn't tall enough to keep me from rapping my knuckles on the board, handle is too slick, blade is too long, etc.

Personally, as long as the knife is sharp and fits my hand, I'm okay with it.

 

[Spur]

Okay. I'll offer my expert opinion. I'm a chef. I went to the CIA. I've worked in high-end restaurants and have been a private chef for the last few years. There's my resume.

I've got a lot of knives. I mean, a lot. Mostly, I use Henckels Professional S line. Why? Because it's a good knife and IT FITS MY HAND. That's the most important thing. Once you get into the upper end brands, it really comes down to what fits you well. Henckels, Wustoff, Messermeister, Sabatier, Global, whatever. They're all great knives, but you need to try them out to see what feels the best.

As to the question of taking good knives overlanding, I guess it boils down to what you'll be doing and how you'll be treating them. Personally, my knives are my livelihood and they don't come camping with me. I only take one knife when I camp and it's this one:

http://int.jahenckels.com/357jahenckels_international

The cheapest chef's knife that Henckels makes. If you know what you're doing and it's sharp, a chef's knife is all you really need.

Bottom line. Knives are a very personal choice. Try out all the top brands and choose what fits you well. Keep em sharp and treat them with care.


EDIT: In regards to the original post. I don't think cheap knives are bad; they just don't last. Those Faberware knives are probably just fine. But I wouldn't count on them to hold an edge or to last for too many years. Cheap knives are disposable, which isn't always a bad thing. Professional kitchens always have a lot of cheap knives floating around. You can give them to the 14 year old prep cook, open cans with them, throw them at the waiters, etc.

 

[Mike_rupp]

Even an expensive knife will get dull, with out the skill to sharpen a knife the best in the world is no better than the cheapest.

Properly sharpened the cheapest can be as good as the best.

So one could argue that the ability to sharpen a knife is more important than the knife itself.

I knew that I should have included the rest of the quote. He went on to discuss having a wet stone as well.

I was trying to make two points in this thead:

1. It is silly to call a certain knife "the best". It is silly to say that because someone is a chef and they claim that a certain knife is the best makes it so.

2. I find it odd that someone's standards suddenly change when they head into the outdoors. If you have high standards for a knife in the home, why would that change? If money is a concern, bring your home knife along camping. Is that so hard?

 

[Spur]

One more thing:

If you're not using a knife that has an integrated sheath, like the ones in the OP, you need a guard.

I use these. I have them in all sizes.

http://chefdepot.net/knifeguards.htm

 

[rusty_tlc]

I knew that I should have included the rest of the quote. He went on to discuss having a wet stone as well.

I was trying to make two points in this thead:

1. It is silly to call a certain knife "the best". It is silly to say that because someone is a chef and they claim that a certain knife is the best makes it so.

2. I find it odd that someone's standards suddenly change when they head into the outdoors. If you have high standards for a knife in the home, why would that change? If money is a concern, bring your home knife along camping. Is that so hard?

1) Agreed, as spur said "best" is a relative term. What ever suits your needs is "best".

2) How so? Camp is not home, the conditions are very different. And also consider style, I try to avoid meals that involve a lot of prep when camping. I'd rather spend the time on other activities:campfire:. I know a lot of people who make more elaborate meals in camp than they do at home. Naturally the two styles needs will be different.

 

[Mike_rupp]

2) How so? Camp is not home, the conditions are very different. And also consider style, I try to avoid meals that involve a lot of prep when camping. I'd rather spend the time on other activities:campfire:. I know a lot of people who make more elaborate meals in camp than they do at home. Naturally the two styles needs will be different.

How are the conditions different? More specifically, if you are dicing an onion in camp, how is that different from cutting an onion at home?

 

[RgrBox]

Sorry if I made any of you feel that my opinion was bigger better or faster then anyone elses.. I never said that this was the BEST knife myself. Hell the only Swiss knife I own I got when I first joined the Army in a small survival kit fromt eh Supply Sgt of my first unit. I still have it an dit's hell to sharpen. I agree with what most has been said here. I sell knives here, and have some experince with them. I've been using knives for many years now, and know what I prefer in a knife, and what works for ME. I was just trying to help th eforst poster out with a suggestion from a friend of mine who gave me this same advice when I asked him.. Anyway, what I prefer in a knife depends on the job at hand. But firstly it must be Sharp. A Knife that sharp is a tool, and Knife that isn't sharp is just a piece of metal..

I use mostly a Ray Mears, Andy Woods made knife . And my Fallkniven Idun I carry with me all the time. These are the knives I use for the Survival and outdoor course I teach. And anytime I'm outdoors etc.. For house /Kitchen knives, I have a set of Cold Steel. But they don't hold an edge.. I have to re sharpen them all fo the time..

I use Japanese Wet stones 800 and 1200 grit stones. Along with an old leather belt to stromp then with when I'm finished. I use a ceramic stone for my cerated knives.. all work well for me. Kinves are personal. So what I'm saying so no one gets confused is that this is a private thing.. what works for you may not work for someone else.. but I suggest you get something of good quality.. that way it lasts, holds an edge, and you will be more carful not to loose it..

RB

 

[Spur]

How are the conditions different? More specifically, if you are dicing an onion in camp, how is that different from cutting an onion at home?

I think you make a valid point and you're not wrong. Good gear is good gear, whether at home or in the field.

For me, the level of abuse that a camping knife is subjected would be unacceptable for my professional knives. I like to be able to throw my cheap Henckel in with the rest of my camping gear and not worry about it. I'm very careful and take very good care of my professional knives. That doesn't always happen when I'm camping.

Case in point: I went camping over memorial day weekend with a bunch of people. We had a huge BBQ pit with all kinds of great meat and several coolers full of tasty beverages. When I woke up in the morning, my cheap Henckel was stabbed into a cutting board, completely covered with food. A friend, after a few beers, thought that was a good way to store the knife. I didn't care though. It's a $20 knife. If somebody had done that to my $100 professional knife, I'd be pretty riled up.

 

[Mike_rupp]

I understand the concern about keeping the good stuff safe.

The way I approach things is to cook & clean in the field the same way that I do when I'm at home. When I'm at home, I immediately clean my knife when I'm done using it and it goes back in the block. In the field, when I'm done, I clean it up, put the guard on, and toss it in the roll. The last thing I want is to have a drunk friend of mine wielding a 10" chef's knife. At home, my concern is my 4 year old grabbing the thing.

When you bring the good stuff, you will step up your game. It's that simple.

 

[Spur]

I think this whole discussion really speaks to the differences in philosophy about how people gear themselves. At one end are people who bring the very best gear they can afford and care for it accordingly. At the other end are people who bring the cheapest gear they can live with so that if it gets damaged/lost/stolen the consequences aren't so dire.

I don't think either way is right or wrong. They both have their advantages and their pitfalls. I probably fall more into the latter category, but there are lots of things that I won't compromise on.

For example, I buy the cheapest electronics I can live with. They are too easily stolen or broken. And if that doesn't happen, they are outdated in a couple years. However, I'll spend a small fortune on backpacking gear, because I put a high value on super lightweight gear. Priorities are different for everyone.

Sorry for the hijack. This thread now has nothing to do with the OP and I'm partly responsible for that. Apologies.

 

[Hank]

For some things, the cheap pots and pans will do just fine:

For other jobs, a nicer pot or pan is works out better:

Sometimes a cheap knife is fine:

Other times a good knife is required:

If you're eating hot dogs in camp, those Fiberware knives will be just fine. But for others they just don't get the job done.

 

[Mike_rupp]

All-clad on the trail? Isn't that a bit over the top?

 

[Hank]

Well, it's not copper core

 

[6Pins]

Yeah, but he's close enough to Pittsburgh that you can pick that up pretty cheap at the annual All Clad Factory Sale .

 

[konagold]

I never leave home with out two knifes a 9" chief knife and a paring knife . I camp with them, I go to my mother in laws with them I will not go anywhere with out them. I can not stand being some where trying to cook and prep with a GINZU knife. I went as far as buying a set to leave at my in laws house only to come back to find that someone took them to a grinder ($300.00). I love to cook, I have been on many a camping/hunting trips in Alaska because I can cook on anything that produces heat but I can not prep with crap knifes and enjoy it if I had the choice to use something else. JMO