Kitchen Cutlery

Just the other day, a buddy from DC wrote to me asking about kitchen knives and what to get. This is kinda like saying, "What car should I buy?"Along with weighing the monetary issue, you need to factor in what kind of performance you are looking for. How much maintenance are you willing to invest, and not to mention Esthetics, Durability, Purpose, etc...

So I basically broke it down to Needs and Wants.
It's nice to have a knife for every job in the kitchen. Boning, Filleting, Chopping, Carving, Slicing, Peeling, Dicing, Spreading, Poking, yada yada yada.
But you only need 3 in my opinion. The rest you rely on practice.
I find cooking to be fun and therapeutic. You learn something everyday from cooking and knife skills is something you can visibly see improving as you continue to cook.
I recommended a basic 7 or 8 inch chef's knife, a 2 to 3 inch peeling knife, and a cleaver.
With these 3 knives you should be able to tackle 99% of the cutting chores of a kitchen.

Now the next step is finding a make and model that fits you. Like a car, some people like BMWs, some like Chevys. Take your pick.
Commerical and retail kitchen knives in the past 5 years have become a booming business and the options are endless. Each maker will have at least 3 series to choose from. Some up to 10. From Professional series to Everyday, to just funky Artsy styles.

Better knife companies will offer various types of forged metals and blade/edge angles.
Balance and weight also play a big factor in all this.

I personally don't know enough to talk about all the choices out there today. But I can definately share with you what I like and find to be superior kitchen knives from a personal standpoint, both in use, and also by my visits to various kitchens in the city.

Basically, Japanese knives are the weapon of choice in today's top kitchens.
The Germans once dominated this field but the Japanese have taken over. Hmmm kinda like cars. Anywho, I digress.
A few brands, and the models that make very good western style knives are :

my picks for the common foodie -
Glestain Indented-Blade
Kikuichi
Misono UX-10
Global G Series

professional grade - you can get these too if you don't mind sharpening every week. it's like having that ferrari where you have to pay attention to it even when it's not in use.
Nenox
Masamoto