Knife Sets

I have a small set from Cutco that I've had for over 10 years. They still look brand new. Yes, they're a bit more expensive, but they have a FOREVER guarantee. And they are SO comfortable to hold.

Good luck!

I agree with the Cutco knives. I've had mine for 9 years and they are still wonderful. My mom has had hers for almost 25 years and they are still great too, probably better than mine since the construction of the handles were better then. You can get them for pretty cheap on ebay if you look hard enough. I do agree with Kristen on getting some quality chef knives if you cook a lot or are in need of something specific, otherwise, these are decent. I'm also a size 5 ring finger and 5 foot. I think our set was in the $150 range.

Sets are typically not worth the money and space. I don't know anyone who uses all of the knives in a standard set. The most useful knives are a chef's knife, a utility knife, and maybe a bread knife. Kitchen shears are also useful.

I would suggest buying one or two good chef's knives. (I prefer the 8" Wusthof Trident.) You and your hubby might want to try out several and buy one for each of you, since you are so petite. Find one that is comfortable in your hand.

Buy a decent utility knife. (Victorinox is highly rated and inexpensive.)

And get a knife steel (for knife maintenance) and a decent knife sharpener for periodic sharpening.

Pay more for a decent chef's knife and you won't be disappointed. Mine is around 10 years old and will last another 20 or 30 years, easily. I love my knife.

ETA: After reading Riley's answer, I realized I have an 8" chef's knife, not the 9". Perfect size for both me and my hubby. I use it almost every day. And, fwiw, I prefer the feel of Wusthof Trident over Henckels. I also prefer composite handles over wood. (And now I know of a few folks who use all the knives in a set. :-) )

If I bought another knife, it would be a smaller Santoku knife.

Honestly... instead of buying a whole set... buy your favorite pieces. And really... go german or japanese. Then ADD to the set over the years.

German:
Wustof
Henckels

Japanese:
Shun

The difference between german and japanese is the angle at which the sharp edge is cut and type of steel used. Folded steel can be cut at a steeper angle... making the cutting edge razor sharp, but still sturdy. The wider angle of german knives and the use of legendary german steel... means german knives last for generations when cared for properly.

My absolute favorite knife I use 90% of the time is a 8.5" chefs knife. The 9" and larger irritate me. No end irritate. And I'm just over 6 feet tall. I pure and simple don't use them. It's a comfort thing. I'm wicked with an 8 or 8.5" knife. I'm clumsy with the larger ones. (I've worked in kitchens, doing several thousand cuts a day in prep work... I have STRONG preferences as per the size of the knife I'm using.)

For my son's 7th birthday I got him a 6" chefs knife. He's been helping in the kitchen since he was tiny, and had been learning knife skills since he was 5. The 6" knife is perfect for him.

Both are german... because one of my brother's lives there, so he picks up knives at the factory.

Now... I AM one of those people who use every knife in my rather large block. The ones I used the most are:

- Chefs knife (for all prep except fish and slicing tomatoes)
- Bread knife (for bread and tomatoes... I own 2 of them, the little one does tomatoes, and is what my son uses when he needs a bread knife)
- Paring knife (for tiny tasks)
- Fillet knife (for fish)
- Steak knives ... because imho any bit of meat should *never* be sawn at.

The knives we have are NOT cheap. About $200+ each. I've had my favorite chef's knife for well over 10 years at this point (my mum has had her german knives for over 40 years now). She CANNOT put hers in the dishwasher... as they have wooden handles. I CAN... (because I have composite handles) but it's bad for the blade. The harsh chemicals damage the edge. It's far far easier (and more cost effective) to just immediately wash after use, and slip into the block. It's not the world's best thing for the BLOCK (although good blocks are cut all the way through so water runs out the back end)... but I don't care about my block so much. I DO care about my knives. I'm not letting them get knocked about in a drying rack.. so they dry in the block. My block is 9 years old and has yet to show any water damage. Again, though, it's a good block.

I have a Cutco set in a block that I got as a gift, and truth be told, I HATE them! I would never buy a set.

My favorite knives are Henckels.
I wouldn't buy a set. Go to a store with sets on display that you can feel and hold to see what "feels" right for you.
My most often-used knives are a serrated bread knife and a small utility knife (also serrated) which I seek out before all others. Not sure what kind it is even. Our steak knives are Henckels and they are great.

I don't think good knives should go in a dishwasher--ever. Matter of fact, I remember reading they should be WIPED off, not even submerged!
I do put mine in the dishwasher--especially the Cutco ones because I wish they would just die! No such luck yet (+10 yrs).

I have had my Cutco knives for over 11 years. Never had to sharpen them. They are dishwasher safe and have a lifetime guarantee! One of my steak knives fell out of the utensil holder in the dishwasher, landed on hot dryer part and the handle melted. Cutco replaced it for free! I sent them the melted knife, and they sent me a new one to match my set. Customer service was super nice too! Love my Cutco knives!

No suggestions, just a tip. If you want your knives to last, don't put them in the dishwasher. Especially if you get wooden-handled knives.

The water can "pit" some knives' blades, and it can definitely damage the handles. It's not guaranteed, and you may not notice for a while, but it's recommended to hand-wash good knives that you want to last.

I put mine in the dishwasher only every now and then. Otherwise, it's hand-wash.

BUT - in contrast to a lot of posters, I do use every knife in my block set. We somehow lost our 5" santoku, and we miss it dearly. Have NO idea what could have happened to it. The only knife I basically don't use is the boning/filet knife.

I love my Cutco knives!

We have a set of Henckels & also a santoku set by Wolfgang Puck. We handwash all of our good knives even though there are no wooden handles involved to extend their lives.

Cutco Knives. are expensive but come with a lifetime warranty. If they become dull you can return for them to be sharpened.!!

Love love love Shun knives!!! I'm 5'2 and hubby is 6'5" and we both love them. My go-to knive is an 8" Chef's knife, though I do use my 5" Santoku pretty often as well. I would definitely go to a store and handle the knives to see what you prefer. If you go German steel, Wustof is one that you can count on for consistency. Henckels are great, but look for the twins as the logo. That means they were manufactored in Germany and are the best quality. The single man logo means that they were made elsewhere and do not have the same quality. Go to a Williams Sonoma Outlet as the pricing is great. There are a few in the NY area, though I have no idea how far they might be from your location.

I got the higest end Henckels for my first Mother's Day gift in 1995 and they are FANTASTIC.

We got them at Bed Bath and Beyond and used discount..... they were still around $500. If you look at it though, I use them daily and they are well worth the money. Divide it out to a little over $10/year!

I do not put them in the dishwasher. They have a fantastic warranty, even if you do something stupid.. you call them, ship it back to them and they ship you a new one. I've done this 2 times. First time, hubby was messing with ice cream that was too hard and broke the blade, Second time, something was wrong with the handle and it broke.

I would buy this set again and I use them a lot. Go to a store and hold them, get a feel for the fit for your hand.

I have a set of Henckel knives I got for my wedding almost 10 years ago and they are doing very well. I hand wash them since the handles are wood. They came with a knife sharpener that fits in the block and a few swipes on each side and the knives are back to being sharp (it is very easy and takes less than 30 seconds). My favorite knives in my set are the large chef knife and the medium size serrated knife. I also just got some small paring knives of the same brand for my sister. It is worth going to the store and seeing what knives feel right in your hand.

We have Henckel and love them; they are also the highest rated by Consumer Reports.
Some of the knives may be too large for your hands, so you might want to avoid knife sets as they might include some you can't use (unless hubby cooks too).
This is a great time of year to buy, or just after Christmas; dept. stores have huge sales now. We got a great deal for my sister at Macy's.
If you sharpen them and don't use them to cut rocks, they should last far longer than 5 years.

My set includes four different brands. Calphalon, Cuisanart, Farberware and Imperial (Granny's parer). I bought the knives individually at Ross or Marshall's choosing each one when they were available. You can hold the knife to see if it fits your hand. The handles vary because of the various brands. I've been pleased with each one.

As others suggested you don't need a whole set. I use a 7"and 5" Santoku knife, a small paring knife, and a bread knife most of the time. I also have a boning knife that I use not necessarily just for boning. I love the Santoku knives. The blade is wider and has dimples which helps to release the food from the blade. Because the blade is wider it also works well on more firm foods such as cheese.

I also have a pair of Farberware kitchen shears that I couldn't live without. And am wanting to buy a set of sharp steak knives.

I have an off brand (Robinson) slicer that I've used for 30 years but I don't use it often now that I have the Santoku knives. I do use it for carving chicken and turkey.

I don't have room for a block on my counters so I use a plastic knife rack attached to the side of the counter. This eliminates the difficulty that putting a wet knife in wood might cause.

I do wash all of my knives in the dishwasher much of the time. The heat and detergent do dull the blade and so I use a knife sharpener often.

Here is a web site to help in choosing knives. http://www.cutleryguide.com/how-to-choose-a-knife-set