Kitchen

[eddyandme]

Any recommendations for a good knife set that won't break the bank? I seem to have sooo much trouble when trying to slice raw meat. For example when slicing sausage meat to brown up, it just squishes, sticks and pulls apart. I find cutting raw meat/poultry a nightmare. With so many brands available, just don't know what to get. Would like something dishwasher safe, if possible. Would appreciate your advice.

[queendiva]

You don't need a whole set of knives. I recommend Victorinox Fibrox 8" Pro Chef's knife. $34.00 & f/s on Amazon. I use mine 90% of the time.

You also need a small paring knife and maybe a 6" serrated knife.

I bought a good, inexpensive paring knife at HomeGoods and a NY made serrated knife when it was on special at Costco from Cutco.

[proudlyfromNJ]

This isn’t a knife recommendation but we freeze our Premio hot and sweet sausage when we buy it. We like to cut it in rounds and roast with peppers and onions.

I had such problems slicing it as you said it gets squishy.

Slice it frozen. Any knife I use goes right through with a little pressure and stays perfectly round. Defrosts then in no time.

[Nightowlz]

ITA with Victorinox. We have several of that brand.

DH loves the slicing knife with Granton Blade. We have the 10" & 12". We also have the steak, paring, boning, chefs knives etc.

I use the boning knife #40513 when I slice a roll of thawed sausage. It cuts right through it. 

[PinkyPetunia]

Good advice to freeze your sausage before slicing.  It doesn't have to be frozen solid, just partially.  Same goes for poultry.  

I bought Rada knives on Amazon years ago and they have held up well, stay sharp.  The black handles are dishwasher safe.

[Kachina624]

High quality knives, those that will "hold an edge", are not sold in sets or by shopping channels.  I'd select sizes I'd use most and buy them individually as I could afford them.  I found Case (brand) knives on display in a hardware store when I was first equipping my kitchen, and would buy one every payday.  That was 50 years ago and I'm  still using them.

[Sooner]

A good knife makes life so much easier!  I think you have gotten some great suggestions.

Also, black Friday sales are gearing up, so I'd keep an eye out in the next few weeks for specials! 

To start some research, Williams-Sonoma has lots and lots of great knives and sometimes at great prices.  Anything Henckles or Wusthof makes are excellent knives (except the Gourmet versions--then go with something else).  But check out that site to see the variety and read reviews and think about what size and type you would use most often.

AND get a good hand held sharpener--you'll see those at William-Sonoma too!  A good knife can and should be sharpened when needed, and last possibly a lifetime for you!  Cheaply made knives don't sometimes have the weight that makes them pleasant to use, and/or don't sharpen well.

But you've had excellent ideas already!  So have fun shopping and chopping!  

[eddyandme]

Thank you ladies for your recommendations! I've got a list now so better idea where to start! Also appreciate the advice to freeze sausage/poultry before cutting (or in my case, trying to)!

[HLP]

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@queendiva wrote:

You don't need a whole set of knives. I recommend Victorinox Fibrox 8" Pro Chef's knife. $34.00 & f/s on Amazon. I use mine 90% of the time.

You also need a small paring knife and maybe a 6" serrated knife.

I bought a good, inexpensive paring knife at HomeGoods and a NY made serrated knife when it was on special at Costco from Cutco.

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I also recommend these, don't buy a whole set, there are things you won't use. Buy a couple then later more. These are very good knives. I have a paring knife,a serrate paring, and a 5inch  chefs knife. I just bought a JA Henckels bread knife for $26.00, because I bake hard crusty bread, and it is wonderful for that. All this is from Amazon. Also have a magnet holder for knives on the side of my refrigerator, which I love, so handy. it's at the end of my counters.

[Razzy 7]

"High quality knives, those that will "hold an edge", are not sold in sets or by shopping channels."

Kachina, that's not correct. High-quality knives ARE sold in sets - check Williams-Sonoma. However, no one needs to purchase sets of knives. Three or four knives generally meet the needs of most people.