Help: Recommendations from Chefs?

Hi guys,

I know there are some pros here so I need advice (will be moving to a new place) on top quality but lots of bang for buck :)

1. Best couple of knives (prefer something carbon and very versatile, hopefully on sale) in the most useful sizes - guess will be cutting meat and some chopping
2. pan (e.g. is Calphalon good, what's better) I guess 10" or so: T-Fal or what? durability, heat distribution, etc.
3. some pot for soups - afraid I'll break a glass top but maybe they are better?

I do enjoy some cooking but won't have much time so I need decent sizes so I can cook only once every several days

Thanks!
Ivo

Not a chef, but do plenty of cooking at home.

Knives? I don't use carbon blades, I'm happy with Wusthof and Victorinox. Size is pretty personal, I like an 8" Chefs knife but often reach for a slightly longer slicing knife ( A Henkels, found discarded after being used for gardening of all things! Fixed the broken tip and honed it up... good as new except for looks!).

Cookware? Hands down All Clad stainless. Crappy handles (they can get hot but I always use a towel when I pick up a pan) but the best heat distribution out there, so if you can afford it, buy it. Need to save money? I'd look at Cusineart.

Regards

Christian

I like my Wustof knives, and my Caphalon cookware. I like the combination of a chefs knife and a boning knife for all around utility, the chefs for cutting vegies and the boning does a number on meat. The only improvment I would make to my cookwear would be to have gotten the teflon coated rather than the plain, I leave them sit to often after using them and the teflon would certainly help with cleanup.

Thanks!

All-Clad: I am flirting with the idea but really not that much of a cook

Calphalon and Ciusinart seem more reasonable, considering my hodge-podges :roflmao

Cheers
Ivo

Quote:

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Originally Posted by izlat

Thanks!

All-Clad: I am flirting with the idea but really not that much of a cook

Calphalon and Ciusinart seem more reasonable, considering my hodge-podges :roflmao

Cheers
Ivo

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Well Ivo, it's usually the cheapest to buy your last set of pans first. That said, I can't say I've been impressed with the Calphalon pans I've seen but I haven't seen them all. They seem to be more of a boutique brand... nothing really special but hey, we have a quirky name and we put the word Professional on the box. Ditto for most of the celebrity chef branded stuff, some are downright dreadful. Cusinart stainless is good bang for buck, you're not going to tell the difference in the taste of your food between it and All Clad and with their lighter weight are probably better suited for home cooking, being lighter and easier to handle.

Don't be afraid to mix and match either, All quality cookware is sold open stock, pick and choose what you think might suit you best.

Regards

Christian

Hi Christian -

I'm with you that ideally I can only afford the best but right now it's not the time to spend several hundred :)

Probably would buy some Cuisinart stainless for starters (pot + pan), then later I'll try to get an All Clad 10" pan. For my soups, I really can't see how I need All Clad - pretty much any pot would do alright, and for other meals I have very nice special clayware stuff, etc. but it won't be moving with me (for the time being). I just need a minimal set to be able to cook some food for a while

Thanks again
Ivo

ps I liked Calphahon because it's heavy gauge, seems solid and I expected good heat distribution at a very reasonable price

I have all clad cook ware and wustof knives and both have served me well but if moneys an issue I have found that nothing beats cast iron for all around cooking. when seasoned properly it is non stick, conducts heat well, and will work stove top or in the oven equally well. Just another option!

Hey Ivo, don't know if you want to get too into different pots and pans and all, but check out Le Creuset's cast irons. They are very heavy, but can withstand a LOT. They can also go from the stovetop straight into the oven and are enameled so I don't think they need conditioning like regular cast iron. They are workhorses. Check them out at least.

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Originally Posted by Philadelph

Hey Ivo, don't know if you want to get too into different pots and pans and all, but check out Le Creuset's cast irons. They are very heavy, but can withstand a LOT. They can also go from the stovetop straight into the oven and are enameled so I don't think they need conditioning like regular cast iron. They are workhorses. Check them out at least.

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I have to agree with you. I've bought two different sizes for my wife and she loves them. I cook with them on occasion. Well seasoned cast iron is hard to beat, and you certainly can't go wrong with All Clad.

Wustof knives receive great reviews. I have some JA Henckels I picked up ten years ago and they're still the best knives I've owned. The super high-end ones are where it's at -- stay away from the cheap models. I've heard the handles have been redesigned in the past few years and many folks don't like them as well. Find something that fits you hand. Try lots of stuff. I use an 8" chef's knife for nearly everything. My wife likes her Santoku knife, and it does a great job just in a different way than a chef's knife.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sensei_kyle

I have some JA Henckels I picked up ten years ago and they're still the best knives I've owned.

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10 years ago is a good time to have picked up J.A. Henckels. IIRC, Within the past 5 years they've moved their blade production facility for cheaper labor costs and the quality of blades has suffered because of it. In fact, the designers of their older blades had a fall-out with the rest because of the changes and split off into their own company. Blades from the new company are at least as nice as the old Henckels and are balanced better (more centered than handle-heavy). I'll have to try to track down the name of the new company as I don't remember it right now.

ETA:
There is another Cutlery company that produces some very fine blades is Global. They're a brand made by Yoshikin. They have a very nice balance and are made out of a single piece of molybdenum/vanadium stainless. Their blades also tend to be shaper and hold their hone better than others as they are ground to a narrower angle and non-beveled. They're supposed to be a pain to hone (really hard steel). My sister has a set of them, and they're a pleasure to work with. Oh, and best of all, they're a good deal less expensive than Henckels and Wusthof.

Not a chef but I like to cook.

These are the knives I bought sometime ago, and I like them a lot:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/showthread.php?t=19262
I prefer 6" knives to 8".

For pans, well we use tefal which are great to work with.
They can't stand years of intensive use, so you need to replace them after 5-7 years. Otoh they are cheap.

We have a cast iron stir frying pan from Le Creuset, and it is great.
The shape is nice, and it comes with ears instead of a long handle, so it is easy to put on the table. It weighs a lot, but otoh once it is hot it stays hot, which is nice.

If cash is in short supply, I'd go for a quality chef's knife as that's probably the most useful knife. Personally my favourite from my collection is an old carbon steel 8" Sabatier, followed by a similar size Wusthof. Japanese blades are amazing but the chef's knife styles tend to have thinner blades that are more suited to slicing. The Sabs and Wusthof will hack through most things without the fear of breaking the blade edge.

Quality carbon steel Sabatiers are available in Britain if you know where to look. Don't know about the States. I bought one recently from Axminster though they seem to be out of stock at the mo.

As for Global, been there, sold them on. The handles just hurt my hands! YMMV of course. Handle them first. They are thinner blades as well.

After that, if you are still short on cash for pots and pans, I'd just get an El Cheapo set (I paid about £4.50 from Ikea!) and replace them bit by bit when the good stuff comes up in sales. That's what I did, worked fine. I use the Ikea set for camping now so the 4.50 wasn't wasted!

Gareth

Knife, go for something 20cm, I think the next size is 25cm however in my career I have not yet come across anything that the 20cm can't do. I have a lot of German stainless and Japanese carbon. Global I'm not a fan of after seeing people drop them and they break between handle and blade, and because its one piece, your totally screwed. (shouldn't drop your knives anyway, but I guess it happens)

Pans, go around some garage sales or swap meets or whatever the term is you use, for people who sell their household items on the front lawn and get yourself a nice cast iron pan for next to nothing. I prefer the older stuff than the new, and if you season it properly and take care of it, it shall serve you just as well as any of these rubbish teflon coated pans.

Pots, I prefer heavy based ones with copper bases, but again that stuff is now something of the past. But if you can get your hands on it.... You won't be disappointed.

My 0.02

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Originally Posted by OLD_SCHOOL

Global I'm not a fan of after seeing people drop them and they break between handle and blade, and because its one piece, your totally screwed. (shouldn't drop your knives anyway, but I guess it happens)

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I hadn't heard that about Globals before, but that would definitely be problematic. I'll have to let my sister know about that. I agree that it's not a good idea to drop sharp implements, but if for whatever reason you do, I'd rather have it be a tad more forgiving.

Im partial to circulon pans and wusthof cutlery. I have had the circulon pans which are an aluminum nonstick coating on a steel body. The nonstick works really well and reduces the requirement of oil when frying. heavier bottom than the sides so great heat coverage and water clean up is easy. We cook here for 8 every meal and they have held up really well for three years or so. they can be purchased as sets or as open stock. i do use a significant amount of cast iron cookwear as well and they are always a bargain. once it is seasoned and properly cared for cast iron will be the last pans you ever buy in my opinion. The knives are a mixed bag of wusthof purchased partly as a set and then added to as requirements came up . I like the larger knives as my mitts are large and small handles are fairly uncomfortable. My wife on the other hand has tiny hands and has no problem with handles on the shorter knives. I have a large chefs knife that i got from walmart tho that i really like. Go figure. the series of knives there by chicago cutlery are decent and inexpensive. decent as in they cut and hold a pretty good edge for a decent amount of time. i assume you can sharpen a knife tho ;) they sharpen quickly and i think i paid 9 dollars for the large chef and 7 for a smaller boning knife by chicago cutlery as well. It all comes down to feel for me if its something that doesnt fit your hand and that you will use who cares if emeril signed the darn thing???? thats my two pennies and i hope it helps.
Peace
Shmamoozle

Pots/ pans - if you are considering stainless clad-ware consider Cuisinart "Multiclad." About 1/2 the price of All-Clad and just as durable, functional and attractive.

I bought a 7 piece set a few years ago and it's one of the best kitchen investments I've ever made.

Le Creuset is excellent. A bit heavy but some of the best made.

A 4 quart stock pot, 1 qt sauce, and a 10" fry/saute pan should be a good start.

Also, get a good heavy roasting pan w/rack made of anodized aluminum for perfectly carmelized fond for your sauces. Enameled cast iron works extremely well too if you don't mind the weight.

A Lodge cast iron reversible gill pan has been indespensible in my kitchen.

As far as knives, buy the best you can afford, one at a time if you have to. They will last a lifetime. At least get an 8" Chef's knife and a small paring knife. Those two will do just about everything you will need. Make sure to get a sharpening steel as well.


Scott

Ivo,

I concur on getting one cast iron pan - these are nice and so cheap there's no reason not to get it. That's the one I use most. Really heavy, but I know you can handle weight :) And the heat distribution can be beat only by copper. Mine's 12" or so by Lodge, but it's cast iron afterall - anything would do. LeCreuset is quite fancy, but somehow I prefer non-enamelled old-fashinon stuff. I also have a light 10" teflon pan, so that I can flip pancakes if I feel adventurous. And There's a small 8" calphalon made of anodized aluminum that I rarely use. I cook soup in either of 2 pots - a stainless steel one (I suppose it's cheap as the expensive copper bottomed one got 'lost') or another calphalon sauce pan that I have. They work fine, heat distribution doesn't seem to be a big issue with soups as there's plenty of water.
As far as knives go - good suggestions so far. You probably have an idea what you like already in terms of weight and with your DMT's you can keep them sharp, but a sharpening steel is nice to strop/realign the edge every now and then (as you know it doesn't remove metal as it's too soft).
I mostly use a cheap made in china chef knife - the steel is not fantastic, but it's forged and fairly well made qualitiwise. I keep it sharp and it works really well.
Some day I'll start getting good stuff, but so far it's been doing quite well.
If you know what you like you may as well go and get your good german/japanese knife now.

Oh, and don't forget the wooden cutting board - I don't like bamboo, much prefer maple.

cheers,
ivan

Oh man you can drown in the subjectivity of this topic. All the better cutlery (Henkels, Whustof, Sabatier, etc) is good. If it's forged (not stamped) and has a good handle it will serve you as well as you treat it. My personal favortie knife is a seven inch santoku. I can demolish an onion in seconds and chop parsely into molecules just as quickly. I have about a thousand bucks worth of knives but I use only two or three. See this thread:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/showthread.php?t=20382

In the same thread you can see the cookware I have. I used to collect Magnalite (which is what Calphalon and Circulon are based on) but it has vanished from the market. Then I began collecting All-Clad but it is very costly. I have a few cast iron pieces, including a Lodge Dutch oven with stainless handles that is my favorite pot. I have a Belgian LeCruset knockoff omelet pan that is wonderful. As long as it's not bare aluminum you can get by with anything. The cutlery is way more important than the cookware.

Regarding knives, I'm going to say something heretical so be prepared.

Anolon

There. I said it.

Anolon primarly makes medium quality non-stick pans.

I am not a knife snob. I want a paring knife, a chef's knife, and cleaver and I'm pretty much good to go. I needed to replace my very old Henckel's chef's knife and I went to a lot of high end stores and none of the knives felt right in my hand. Either the handle or the blade felt like crap but more often they both did. I tried all the renowned brands I could get my hands on, because I won't buy a knife without holding it first, and they were all crap.

Then I found the Anolon 7" Santoku and it was perfect. I was looking for an 8" chef's knife but I had tried other santokus and I hated them as much as all the chef's knives. For me, the Anolon Santoku just works. It fits my hand just right and has a good heft to it. It takes and holds an edge well. It doesn't feel like it was made in China, like all the German stuff I tried, though it probably is.

If interested, I googled it and THIS is the first link that came up. I think it's pretty good for $29 and I wouldn't trade it for any of the stuff I tried that cost over 100 bucks.

Using Anolon isn't heretical. I have one of their 7" Santokus as well, and I use it almost as much as my better knives. Great balance, comfortable, and you can't beat the price (although I paid almost twice what they're selling for on that site).

For pans, I have Calphalon. I really like them, and I think that the dark gray anodized aluminum looks really slick. Avoid the chinese versions...go for the ones stamped "Toledo, OH."

I use Henckel's Professional S knives. It was a toss-up between those and Wusthof Classics. When I found out that the two factories are literally blocks away from each other (Solingen, go figure) I decided that there couldn't be a noticeable difference in quality between the two...at least not for a non-professional like myself. So the decision was made on how comfortable the handles felt in my (and SWMBO's) hands. The Henckel's won for us. Find a store that has several different brands that you're interested in, and ask to handle the same knife in each line. That should give you an idea of which ones feel the best for your particular grip.

Cast iron all the way!!!!!Most durable, easiest to clean, great heat distribution. Classic cookware that can be passed on as an heirloom just like your classic razors. Can be picked up cheap at sales, flea market etc. You need one skillet with a lid and one pot with a lid. Used is better because its already seasoned(broke in) and is cheaper. Once you learn how to use it, aint nuttin' better.

I like my Henckels knives. I got a set several years ago and have not regretted it. I have the 5 star line, the ergonomic shaped handles fit my hands the best. They only need taken to a stone a couple times a year, the rest of the time, a few passes down the steel is all that is required. Most people only need an 8 or 10 inch chef’s knife, 6 inch utility knife, pairing knife and a good 8 inch bread knife. If you cook a lot of primal cuts, then a thin bladed 8 inch carving knife and a 6 inch boning knife come in handy as well. I do some butchering now and then so I also have a 100+ year old butcher’s cleaver but it is for very large jobs only. I once used it to split a frozen hunk of meet, a rib roast that I only wanted to use part of if I remember correctly. It went through the meet, split my cutting board in half and sunk a quarter inch into the countertop with almost no force. The wife was thrilled.

Cookware, I think All-Clad is the best, but you pay for it. An 8 inch cast iron skillet is nice to have as well, I am using my grate, grate grandmothers iron skillets. A word of caution, if you have a sealed cook top, the cast iron will scratch it if you move them around. But there is nothing better to sear in, or make cornbread in. A small deep dish pizza works good as well.

There are some great suggestions for what to look for in this thread. As has been said, you'll definitely want to buy sufficiently high-quality equipment that you won't soon want to replace it; if you don't, you're setting yourself up for more expenses down the road for no reason. Keeping your collection small and tightly-focused but high-quality is quite worthwhile. A chef's knife or large santoku (I prefer the latter, but it's just a preference) and a vegetable or paring knife are indispensible and serve probably 90% of your cutting needs in the kitchen. One or two medium-sized nonstick saute pans, a stockpot or sauteusse, a cast-iron skillet (pick this up at a flea market or garage sale, as used stuff really is better in this case), and a couple of saucepans in whatever material suits you will again provide for the vast majority of your needs on the stove, and you won't have to spend a fortune on a department-store boxed set that includes pieces you'll never use.

What hasn't been mentioned is where to buy this stuff. Frankly, if there's a Homegoods or something similar in your area, do not wait -- go there right away and see what they have. Their inventory is not consistent, but they'll often have amazing deals on what they do carry. Nearly my entire kitchen has been outfitted from a few Homegoods visited at various points in the last couple of years, and I couldn't be happier with the equipment I've bought -- stuff I never could have afforded at retail. If you don't have a Homegoods or need more options, discounters like Marshalls and T.J. Maxx also have kitchen sections, although the selection tends to be smaller and often has less of the fancy stuff. Still worth a look, though, IMO.

Best of luck!

Thank you all for the responses!

I have purchased a 10" All-Clad copper core pan, and a 3.5 qt All-Clad stainless steel pot (as Ivan says, for soups the liquid will take care of heat distribution so I fidured I don't *need* copper for them).

Next on the "to do" list is choosing a chef's knife and / or a santoku (smaller one) and a paring knife and this will be it.

Love cast iron, but not sure I will be using it much for starters so it'll come later. Low cost is good news, of course

As you see - keeping it very small and focused. While not adequate for family cooking, it would be perfect for just me. Btw, I found some BIN deals on e-bay so cost is much lower :)

Oh, yes - a cutting board, of course. I may just grab one of ours

Thanks again!
Ivo

Ivo,

I, too, am a fan of the older Henckels and Wusthof. I think they are fine knives for us kitchen-competent wannabes. (My favorite chef's knife is an old Dexter 10"carbon steel knife I found in a garbage pile behind a bar about 40 years ago) As for pots and pans look at this:
http://www.paderno.com/us/index.cfm

Paderno was the favorite brand of the late, great James Beard.:bow It's nice heavy stainless with thick aluminum bottoms for excellent heat distribution. They even have a set on clearance that is just about all a kitchen needs to keep a small family going. I have several and one has to go far to get better. Personally, I'd avoid anything with Teflon coatings. Being paranoid both makes selections easy and difficult. Sometimes food sticks a bit, but I haven't grown a third thumb either. :tu

Good slice and dice and good saute' and simmer

Quote:

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Originally Posted by izlat

Next on the "to do" list is choosing a chef's knife and / or a santoku (smaller one) and a paring knife and this will be it.

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Ivo,

Bed, Bath, and Beyond has a Henckel's set that you may be interested in. It's a 7" Santoku and a 3" Kudamono paring knife, both from the Professional S line of knives. I bought it a year ago, and I can't say enough great things about them! Check them out here:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/prod...4562303&RN=963

Not trying to sway you, but it sounds like it's right up your alley.

Steve

General Rules of the Road for Equipment;
In seach of a good knife I would say the two most important points are :
1) Is it solid tang (is the knife one piece from point to the back of the handle?) You can always find some one to rehandle your knife; I'm inheritiing my mothers 40 year old 14 inch carbon steel Sabatier and I'm having a friend redo the handle.
I also had the privaledge of destorying my hand with a Chicago cutlery chefs knife one night, one that didn't have a full tang. Well needless to say I wasn't using dictionary english when the blister on my hand burst as I was hand salting a steak. Yes, full tang is better.
2) How does the knife feel in your hand as you cut with it ? I have handled many Wustof's and they all are not comfortable to me, hence my preference for Henckles. So handle as many as you can, I do know that the Martin Yan collection from Wustof is Very good and if your going to own an all purpose knife a Santuko is the SUV of the kitchen you'll want to have.

Consider looking in old restaurant supply places and in department stores that look like they are closing down. I got a brand new Henckels paring knife for 80% off because the store was closing the department. Nicest $10 I spent for a long long time.:D
:y I also found a web site www.wildfirecutlery.com that MAKES knifes to spec; you fax him an outline of a knife you like, he makes you a carbon steel version of your tracing. He does have some standard stuff he sells yet he ONLY deals in Carbon steel, so if you're not neurotic or OCD about knife care (like I am), stick to stainless.

Regarding cookware; thicker is better for stockpots and sautoirs (low rider dutch ovens) and unless you have access to copper your not really going to do much better. Though if you ever cook over an open fire then you may want to experiment with the cast iron. Use cast iron for outdoor or direct cooking over woodfires. Cast iron takes longer to heat up but will really hold heat once it gets going. I saw Julia Child teach how to do a proper french omelette and she by passed every pan and went right for the cast iron, made the most fluffiest omelette I ever saw, no additives!

Frying pans - Old Calphalon was always nice. I'm not keen about All Clad and that boutique Rachel Ray stuff has just got to GO! When looking remember metal handles attached with metal rivets to the pan anything less and you'll replace the pan after about 4 years of moderate to heavy use. Viking has some really good stuff but not if your on a budget. Never to forget to look in Goodwill, antique and second hand stores. I live in South Florida and we have TJ maxx, Macy's and other assorted general stores. If you know what your looking for you might get lucky, I got a Calphalon Sauce pot with lid for $21.00 with tax and they even threw a bottle of Williams & Sonoma italian seasoning for free. It was the good Calphalon, the thick grey anodized 1.5 quart sauce pan. If your an equipment hound think about reading Cooks Magazine (see a local Barnes & Nobles or Borders for recent issues) they don't accept advertising, so they can be honest with the equipment evaluations (sometimes brutally honest) and they are usually dead on.
I'm talking from a professionals view here, but it comes down to making it as practical for YOU as you can make it. Oh and one more thing buying cheap is not always the best way. Buy the best you can AFFORD at that time, it goes further. Though you can hedge your bets, I always have two really cheap saute (egg) pans I leave around so my guests can destroy those, instead of damaging my good stuff. [I have family come to visit and they like to sometimes cook without me]

I was enthusiastic about my Calphalon when I first got it but it just didn't stand the test of time. The bottom half of the insides of my stock pot and large sauce pan are practically bare aluminum now. I was scrupulous about cleaning per the manufacturer's directions so I tend to attribute it to acidic sauces.

I've picked up a little All-Clad open stock here and there and so far, it's a joy to cook with. I'll be buying a 15-pc set this fall.

Knives...I pieced together my block of Zwilling Vier Sterne knives (mostly) while living in Germany. Today, I'd buy something different but I can't justify ditching the 4 Stars when they're doing so well after all these years.

One of my favourite knives, far from the most expensive I own but still in the hundreds of dollars price range, is a Shigefusa. It's very well finished and is wonderfully balanced.

If you're on the lookout for a board now theboardsmith.com makes some nice ones. A decent end grain one should last you for years and will be kinder to your knife than other types of board.

I bought some Henckels 5 star kitchen knives a while ago. I love them to death. They're my favorite thing in the kitchen.

Just did a readup on cutting boards...interesting. I'll have to buy one for myself in time.