Doing a complete kitchen renovation right now. I have never owned a decent or complete set of cutlery. I'm tired of grabbing knives that smash things rather than cut and forks and spoons that are bent up and don't match. I don't have a fortune to spend but I would like something with some quality if that's possible. Wondering if you guys have any tips?
A50#,
When it comes to cutlery, make your first purchase last.
For many years I spent every weekend hand forging knives.
Made the coal or charcoal fire and hammered them into
shape . . . used all sorts of ‘exotic’ steel and other tool steels.
After forging and grinding I would heat treat and polish the
blade and fit it to a hardwood handle. I did it all . . . soup-
to-nuts. (Again for all the doubters who PM me, I recently
found some long lost fotos of some of the knives I made
and will post them if anybody is interested.)
With regards to ‘commercial grade’ cutlery, I would go
with something like a Wusthof grade. I would avoid
spending a lot of money on the handmade, custom knives
and the high priced Japanese stuff. Invest wisely now
and you will enjoy them your entire life.
Once you decide, I would be happy to review and comment
on your selection.
Hope this helps.
FYI . . . . this is the man who got me started making knives.
He lives not far from me. I took his knife making class.
Karl Schroen Knives
PS. I also wrote for several knife magazines on hand forging
knives.