Advice on registering for knives

[rodent]

I am working on my registry today. I'd like to get a good set of knives, but I'm not sure what to get. I'd like a block to put them in, but I would also prefer for guests to be able to purchase them seperately. I need to add more inexpensive gifts to my registry, so individual knives would be good.

 

Do knives ever come individually with the option to buy a block they fit in seperately?

 

What are good brands? I'd like the knives to be less than $30 each.

 

Right now I just have a draw full of random knives. I don't know that I have any good knives. I don't know if I've ever used a good knife to know the difference. I do cook & chop quite a bit, but I've been holding off on buying anything nice for the last couple of years because I wanted to have something left to register for.

[Jenn]

Good knives tend to be expensive unfortunately. The really good brands (Wusthof, Henckels, Shun) are about $50-$120 per knife in open stock. When looking at the different brands, remember that they have high, medium and low versions - talk to a salesperson. Calphalon makes a decent set of knives in a slightly lower price range. I think their set is about $200, and they sell some additions in open stock for $15-$40. Most brands sell their knife block seperately as well as part of a set. If you do go for an open stock, you could consider using a universal Kapoosh block Bed Bath & Beyond Product

 

Hope that helps! If you go to any store like Bed Bath and Beyond, they should be able to show you the options and tell you the pros and cons

[calyx6]

We have Henckel's knives in both the Pro-S and Twin Cuisine lines. One thing to consider when choosing your knives is how you want to hold them. Apparently, knives are balanced differently for the "home" chef and "professional" chef. The balance point for a "professional" is near the point where the butt and blade meet - in general chefs want more control over their knives and will hold them there right at the blade. The balance point for a home cook is in the handle of the knife. Try holding different large chef's knives in the store and see what feels more comfortable to you. For example, I am more comfortable holding the knife near the blade (Pro-S), and my DH prefers holding the knife on the handle (Twin Cuisine).

 

-Vi-

[foxytv]

We have Henckels, but Calphalon is good too.

 

I love to cook and love knives that work well in the kitchen. I've tried several brands. Anything that comes with a self-sharpener usually will do the trick okay too. You just need to make sure you can keep them sharp cos dull knives are useless, of course.

[DreaW]

we just got some Wustof knives for a wedding present

We registered them seperately....and the block seperately. My Godfather ended up buying all of them for us though (I still need to call him and thank him)....

but to answer your question....depends on the knives you like and yes you can register for them seperately.

[rodent]

Thanks for all the advice! I might go to BB&B today & talk to someone.

[rodent]

BB&B was so helpful. They really treat you like a VIP when you register. I ended up registering for cusinart knives for the set & 2 small wustoff knives. I use the little knives all the time for chopping. I hardly ever use a big knife.

 

I didn't really like the kapoosh block. Have you tried it? I stuck a knife in it & it slipped down. I could see it getting a little messy.

 

What kind of sharpener should I get?

[Rachelle E.]

We have these Linens 'n Things - Calphalon: Cutlery: Calphalon® Katana Series® Open Stock Cutlery and LOVE them! I think they're a happy medium price-wise. And it's definitely more cost effective to get them in a set. You can get other Calphalon kinfe sets that are pretty good and not quite as pricey. I agree...go to BB&B or Linen's N Things and have one of the people give you more info about them, let you hold them/get a feel for them etc. There were some super expensive knives we were looking at at Williams Sonoma when we were registering and as great as they might be...I just didn't like the feel of them. Something about the handles just wasn't workin' for me! So check stuff out and see what you really like.

 

Have fun!

[becassidy]

I worked at BBB for years, and love wustoff... but theyre sooo expensive!