Which Brands of Santoku Knives are Recommended for Christmas Gifts Under $200?

[Ronnin]

I need to procure a set of knives for my wife for Christmas. We do a lot of cooking together and have both agreed we both favor the Santoku style for general purpose prep work. I have been all over Amazon but until you actually hold a knive and put it to use, one can never tell. So, can anyone recommend some good brands that you might have used. I am looking to spend less than $200.

 

[Chi Meson]

Wusthof makes a really good santoku, about $100 for a 7" in most kitchen specialty shops. Classic German knife company. An actual Japanese santoku will be two to three times that. Unless someone knows of a good deal somewhere

 

[Ronnin]

I saw that name come up in my searches. Thanks Chi, for the recomendation.

 

[Chi Meson]

I have several Wusthof knives we got for our wedding 16 years ago. They now have a couple of levels of quality. It's always worth going for the top end of quality with knives. Be sure you are looking at the classic handle with three rivets and the red trident logo

 

[gravenewworld]

I own a complete set of wusthof knives. Hideously expensive and worth every penny. I can not stress how important a high quality set of cuttery is in the kitchen. It is one area you definitely don't want to skimp out on. You'll loathe having to use a lower quality knife once you start slicing with a wusthof.

 

[Evo]

Wusthof for me too, excellent quality.

 

[turbo]

Ronnin, have you ever used a high-quality French chef's knife? They can be expensive (my 4-star Elephant 6" Thiers Issard was about $75), but I wouldn't be without one. I prefer the sharpness and edge-holding of forged carbon steel, but since I cut acidic foods frequently, I elected to get the SS version. Still hand-forged and beautifully-balanced. A 6" Thiers Issard chef's knife and a paring knife from the same company would easily keep you 'way under budget. Admittedly, that is a small "set", but I'll bet they would very soon become your go-to knives. If you can visit a store that carries Thiers Issard knives, please do, and get a feel for them. Don't be fooled by the "brand" Sabatier, since a large and growing number of cutlery producers have been using that name, and not necessarily delivering the quality you might hope for.

I have picked up Santokus before in high-end cooks' stores, but was put off by the thin blades. Also, the pricier models seemed to have hidden tangs, which I don't care for. The Thiers Issards feature full tangs and are not only solid but well-balanced. I do a lot of canning, pickling, and freezing (we have a pretty big garden), and if you're going to process large amounts of vegetables, balance becomes an issue for me pretty quickly. My wife has very small hands, and she always goes for the French knives first.

Edit: I have a bit of arthritis creeping in, especially on rainy days when I tend to do canning, and the shape of Thiers Issard handles makes them easier to use than some of the other knives that we have. That, and the lovely balance makes it easier to slice and chop large quantities of vegetables without using a lot of hand-strength. My father still has my mother's old German cutlery, which I will probably inherit, someday, though I have been thoroughly spoiled by high-end French knives. As gravenewworld mentioned (just below) you're not going to get any set of high-end knives for $200. A starter set of high-end knives is going to run you probably $400-500 minimum, for 3-4 knives, and maybe a fork and a steel.

 

[gravenewworld]

Btw you won't be able to buy a good set of knives for just 200. Id recommend just building up your set one piece at a time if you can't afford it all at once. 1 good chef's knife will run you 100-200 alone.

 

[fourier jr]

Anything made out of http://www.e-tokko.com/eng_vg10.htm" steel would be good. It seems to have the right balance between hardness & durability.

 

[Ronnin]

Thank you everyone for your replies. They will help tremendously. I knew I would find some good recomendations here.

 

[mgb_phys]

Rather than buy the set of 7-8 knives and the wooden block - you only really need 2, an 8in chefs knife and a 3.5-4.5in vegetable knife.
Spending the same money on just these two (and a sharpening steel) will be much better.

edif - amazon have some good deals, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005MEGG/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[BobG]

Who cares how good the knives are. I just like a cool knife holder. (The knives are pretty good, as well).

 

[minger]

Some other nice (and usually pricey) brands are Henckels and Globals. I agree with mgb though, you really only need like two good knives, a chefs and a paring.

 

[Sorry!]

I would go with a MAC knife... really amazing santoku knives.

 

[Chi Meson]

Who cares how good the knives are. I just like a cool knife holder. (The knives are pretty good, as well).

That is

AWESOME!

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Head over to Williams Sonoma. They have top brands.

 

[turbo]

Another place with a fine selection.

http://www.thebestthings.com/knives/knives.htm

 

[physics girl phd]

Who cares how good the knives are. I just like a cool knife holder. (The knives are pretty good, as well).

This depicts what might happen in my house if my spouse purchased me a new set of knives.

 

[Ronnin]

Thank you everyone for the replies. I think I may be leaning toward the MAC. I just wish I could find somewhere her in Houston I could actually put my hands on them. I would also like to try the the French versions mentioned earlier as well (Turbo, you were right about all those other knock offs!). Now my lovely bride has informed me that she also would like something like a skillet, stainless or alum, that we can braise in then move it into the oven. I guess I've got my work cut out for me. Anyone use that Calphalon cookwear?? I love to eat so I never complain about anything for the kitchen. I'm glad so many people here love to cook!

 

[Saladsamurai]

Thank you everyone for the replies. I think I may be leaning toward the MAC. I just wish I could find somewhere her in Houston I could actually put my hands on them. I would also like to try the the French versions mentioned earlier as well (Turbo, you were right about all those other knock offs!). Now my lovely bride has informed me that she also would like something like a skillet, stainless or alum, that we can braise in then move it into the oven. I guess I've got my work cut out for me. Anyone use that Calphalon cookwear?? I love to eat so I never complain about anything for the kitchen. I'm glad so many people here love to cook!

Honestly, what you need is a good old-fashioned cast iron skillet. I have one that is older than me and it works awesomely.

And though you could pay $150 for one at Williams Sonoma, you should be able to find the real deal for less then $75 easily. The ones at WS are way overpriced since they have the hoity-toity colorful enamel coating on the bottom so that it matches the curtains.

I might have 1 or 2 Caphalon products lying around, but I cannot recall what. I can say that All Clad is awesome.

 

[turbo]

Thank you everyone for the replies. I think I may be leaning toward the MAC. I just wish I could find somewhere her in Houston I could actually put my hands on them. I would also like to try the the French versions mentioned earlier as well (Turbo, you were right about all those other knock offs!). Now my lovely bride has informed me that she also would like something like a skillet, stainless or alum, that we can braise in then move it into the oven. I guess I've got my work cut out for me. I love to eat so I never complain about anything for the kitchen. I'm glad so many people here love to cook!

Glad to raise the alert about the French knives. Thiers Issard is the gold standard, and most of the other "Sabatier" knives are imposters, riding on a "brand" that they did not earn. If you can get to a store that carries the "4-star/elephant" brand (especially the carbon steel models) and other competitive brands, you will probably rein in the "set" goal and start buying very small "sets" of open stock.

For some reason (deaths of relatives, estate sales at the church, etc) my mother managed to get an old used Wusthof and a couple of Henkels many years ago. They are very nice knives, but are blade-heavy and are not as nice as the French knives in sharpenability and edge-holding. The Henkels butcher knife in particular is a dud - it functions well for separating joints, busting rib-cages, etc, but it's way too heavy and way too thick for most other uses. Did they design this as a cleaver?

 

[Ronnin]

Honestly, what you need is a good old-fashioned cast iron skillet. I have one that is older than me and it works awesomely.

And though you could pay $150 for one at Williams Sonoma, you should be able to find the real deal for less then $75 easily. The ones at WS are way overpriced since they have the hoity-toity colorful enamel coating on the bottom so that it matches the curtains.

I might have 1 or 2 Caphalon products lying around, but I cannot recall what. I can say that All Clad is awesome.

I saw them online, thanks for the recomendation. I have a cast iron skillet but my wife doesn't like to use it because she won't immediately clean it, dry it, then re-oil it. I normally only use that for deep frying on my turkey fryer.

 

[Moonbear]

Any high end department store will sell brands like Henkel's and Wusthof. You may not want to buy them there if you can find a better price elsewhere, but they are a good place to go to see how they feel in your hand and decide if you like the balance, weight, etc. for your own personal preferences. Regarding Henckel's, beware that they also sell a low-end line of knives. You want to be sure you're buying their drop-forged knives, not whatever the cheap ones are.

I also agree with the suggestion that instead of buying a whole set at once (which might require compromising quality for cost), just buy one or two of the type of knives you use most often, and then build a set gradually. The nice thing about high quality knives is they will last you a LONG time, so you can build the set gradually.

 

[turbo]

I also agree with the suggestion that instead of buying a whole set at once (which might require compromising quality for cost), just buy one or two of the type of knives you use most often, and then build a set gradually. The nice thing about high quality knives is they will last you a LONG time, so you can build the set gradually.

I went to college with a butcher knife, a crappy chef knife, and a few others, including a really nice paring knife. I had hand-me-downs. I've got a lot of cutlery these days, but the ones that I'll always grab preferentially are a 3-4" parer and a 6" chef's knife. Get those two covered with the best knives that you can afford, and fill in your "set" from there.

 

[gravenewworld]

If you want to spoil her rotten get 1 copper piece of cookware. Its quite amazing how much different copperware is.

 

[Ronnin]

If you want to spoil her rotten get 1 copper piece of cookware. Its quite amazing how much different copperware is.

You mean vs. the stainless? I've never used copper before so I don't know much about cooking in one. I hate to admit it but most of my experience so far has been with ye ol PTFE (Teflon is a registered trademark of Dupont, lol), alum, and cast iron. Also, I'm also thinking of buying a sheath for the knife, not a big roll, and getting her initials embroidered on it. I don't want her thinking its "our" knife, even though I will be using it quite a bit. Do they sell something for larger knives (hunting knives maybe?) that would work for that? She's spoiled, but she puts up with me and that's not always easy.

 

[daveg360]

To really benefit - do you own and know how to use a steel?

 

[Saladsamurai]

I saw them online, thanks for the recomendation. I have a cast iron skillet but my wife doesn't like to use it because she won't immediately clean it, dry it, then re-oil it. I normally only use that for deep frying on my turkey fryer.

Gotcha' That is the clincher. They need to be re-oiled if you wash them. Do a Google search for {Alton Brown + cast iron skillet}. I don't know how well documented it is, but he did an episode where he took you to a store and showed how to pick out a skillet. He also demonstrated the 'proper' way to clean one. No water is involved. Just a good dose of Kosher or Sea salt and a dry towel. The salt soaks up all of the oil and then a second dousing acts as an abrasive to lift any burnt on bits.

The beauty of the cast iron skillet is that you really shouldn't ever have to scrub it (with a few exceptions of course). Since it conducts heat so well, you really don't have to keep the heat up too high which results in less charring of things to the pan.Also, regading

You mean vs. the stainless? I've never used copper before so I don't know much about cooking in one. I hate to admit it but most of my experience so far has been with ye ol PTFE (Teflon is a registered trademark of Dupont, lol), alum, and cast iron. Also, I'm also thinking of buying a sheath for the knife, not a big roll, and getting her initials embroidered on it. I don't want her thinking its "our" knife, even though I will be using it quite a bit. Do they sell something for larger knives (hunting knives maybe?) that would work for that? She's spoiled, but she puts up with me and that's not always easy.

Yes. Copper is the bomb (I think that's what kids are saying these days). It is a great conductor of heat keeping the pan evenly heated throughout. Usually the higher-end pans are either all copper or the like the All Clad pans (the ones I mentioned earlier), have a layer of copper 'sandwiched' in between two layers of stainless to enhance the conducting properties of the pan.

HTH
~Casey

 

[minger]

Now my lovely bride has informed me that she also would like something like a skillet, stainless or alum, that we can braise in then move it into the oven. I guess I've got my work cut out for me. Anyone use that Calphalon cookwear?? I love to eat so I never complain about anything for the kitchen. I'm glad so many people here love to cook!

I have a full set of Calphalon One hard-anodized and the stuff is really great. They make this paste-stuff that you can use on it every year or so to get it back to "normal". You can use metal in it, so long as its not like a knife or anything and it heats evenly and fast.

As far as the copper stuff someone mentioned, I'm not a HUGE fan of it. It heats like crazy, but due to the nature of the metal, you really can't use anything acidic in it: no tomatos, no lemon juice, nothing.

Aside from that, if you're looking for something that you can sear in (think 2" NY strip) and move to the oven, then honestly nothing beats a $25 10" cast-iron skillet you can get from anywhere. Season it properly and you're in business.

 

[turbo]

Aside from that, if you're looking for something that you can sear in (think 2" NY strip) and move to the oven, then honestly nothing beats a $25 10" cast-iron skillet you can get from anywhere. Season it properly and you're in business.

Really. If we are not going to cook a steak on the grill, it gets seared really quickly in a cast-iron frying pan, then transferred to a pre-heated oven to finish cooking, then to a covered dish to relax for a few minutes before serving.

Never wash cast iron with soap and water. Scour with coarse salt and wipe clean. The remaining oils and residue from past uses fill in the pores in the cooking surface, and make the pan almost non-stick. Washing a cast-iron pan ruins this seasoning and puts you back to square one.

 

[gravenewworld]

As far as the copper stuff someone mentioned, I'm not a HUGE fan of it. It heats like crazy, but due to the nature of the metal, you really can't use anything acidic in it: no tomatos, no lemon juice, nothing.

\

They make copper cookware that is lined with stainless steel to circumvent that problem.

 

[Ronnin]

All of this food talk has really made me hungry for a nice T-bone or NY strip. I've never used salt to clean my iron skillet and had no idea that was the preferred method. The only other way I've seen the skillet cleaned was with a hand full of dirt if for some reason it was left out wet and rusted. Of course Granny would wash it clean afterwards, but it did get rid of any rust. I do have some kosher salt in reserve that I use to roll prime rib roast in. If you have never tried making it using the salt crust method I highly recommend it! I believe Christmas dinner this year is going to be either rib roast or leg of lamb done in my roto with a cilantro and garlic coating. Since I'm buying the wife the knive I guess I'm going to have to let her make the first cut this year

 

[Ronnin]

I have never cooked with stainless or copper. From what I've read the secret is having the oil and pan already hot but I won't know until I try to do eggs. Any suggestions would be welcome on the proper methods. I do love my cast iron, but the wife just isn't a big fan of dealing with it. Also, for anyone who has used the oven to finish a steak (I've never done one that way, I grill then move to a upper rack on the pit to finish) do you cap it while it is in the oven? Does it matter? I have a large roasting pan that I cap when I do a large pork roast or something similar and the cap is essential on that.

 

[Saladsamurai]

I have never cooked with stainless or copper. From what I've read the secret is having the oil and pan already hot but I won't know until I try to do eggs. Any suggestions would be welcome on the proper methods. I do love my cast iron, but the wife just isn't a big fan of dealing with it. Also, for anyone who has used the oven to finish a steak (I've never done one that way, I grill then move to a upper rack on the pit to finish) do you cap it while it is in the oven? Does it matter? I have a large roasting pan that I cap when I do a large pork roast or something similar and the cap is essential on that.

No! Check out http://www.recipezaar.com/Pan-Seared-Steak-From-Alton-Brown-265639" procedure by Alton Brown. I live and die by it for a good Rib eye!

 

[turbo]

No! Check out http://www.recipezaar.com/Pan-Seared-Steak-From-Alton-Brown-265639" procedure by Alton Brown. I live and die by it for a good Rib eye!

That's the way to do it, though I shorten the oven time because my wife and I like our steaks rare. If you want succulent, tasty steaks on the cheap, buy flat-iron steaks. They are a super-tender shoulder cut, and they can be hard to find because the yield is low (just 2 per animal), but they are a lot cheaper and tastier than porterhouse, rib-eye, etc.

 

[Ronnin]

I will have to try that in the near future. I don't see how that wouldn't work great. I wish I was cutting into a steak right now. Instead it's its a chicken quarter for me.