Reddit reviews J.A. Henckels International 31161-201 CLASSIC Chef's Knife, 8 Inch, Black

Okay here's the score from someone who does a lot of knife work for a living and have used a lot of different knives over the years.

It's how you care for your knife. Not the knife itself, generally.

Not trying to shit on OP at all here, because he likes cool knives and ain't nothing wrong with that, but 99.9% of home cooks will never need a knife like the ones he's got there.

Get a well-reviewed, cheap, high carbon stainless steel chef's knife on Amazon, I'll drop some links here at the end. Carbon steel is strong and tensile and sharpens easily. The only issue, if you could call it that, is that it won't hold an edge as long as higher end knives. But the tradeoff is you get a knife that won't chip or break as easily.

What often happens with amateur cooks is, they buy a solid carbon steel blade, it loses it's edge after a few uses, and the buyer assumes it was another cheap dud.

Learn that honing a blade and sharpening a blade are different. A quick honing takes that "dull" knife back to razer sharp in moments when you know how to do it. Basically honing "resets" the edges, while sharpening grinds down a new edge entirely. Sharpening won't really need to happen more than once a year for home cooks. But I hone my knife before and after every job, if I can.

Here's Gordon Ramsay on how to hone your knife
https://youtu.be/SBn1i9YqN1k

Always dry your knives off and never put them in the dishwasher or sink to get dinged up. I see people just chuck their knives about or toss them in drawers or ugh knife blocks. Splurge on the blade guard for your particular knife, or make a makeshift one out of duct tape and cardboard (my favorite as it doesn't scratch the knife as some knife holders do).

Here are some links

my personal knife, a whopping $14
https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Millennia-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B000PS2XI4/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?keywords=mercer+knives&qid=1562486505&s=gateway&sprefix=mercer&sr=8-9

a little pricier at $45, but a lifetime piece if cared for well
https://www.amazon.com/J-HENCKELS-INTERNATIONAL-31161-201-Classic/dp/B00004RFMT/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=j.a.+henckels+chef+knife&qid=1562486690&s=gateway&sprefix=j.a.+henckles+chef&sr=8-3


honing steel
https://www.amazon.com/Utopia-Kitchen-Steel-Knife-Sharpening/dp/B071FC4GYN/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=honing+steel&qid=1562486000&s=gateway&sprefix=honing&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004RFMT/ref=psdc_289857_t3_B0001WN9VO

• Traditional german three rivet design
  
• Full tang
  
• 8 inch
  
• It has a full bolster. That feature is annoying for sharpening, makes it more front heavy but it's reassuring that your fingers won't slip on the cutting edge.
  
  I don't know this particular model, but i know the brand well. I work at a EU based knife retailer. Going by my general knowledge of the brand I have this to add: Zwilling runs most of their knives around 58 HRC, which is average on the lower side. That means you would need to sharpen it more frequent than some other options. But it's also easy to sharpen, easy to touch up and very forgiving. Some knives will just chip just by looking at a chicken bone, this is not one of those knives.
  
  Quite frankly, i'm very surprised how low the price is on amazon. It's drop forged, so not really forged, but still. It's not some laser cut plate steel knife. Though no first hand experience with this line by Zwilling, should be super solid.
  
  
  

jeez, it's a good knife for the money but let's not pretend it's what it's not. it's a good entry level knife and that's what it's designed for. at the $100 dollar range you're going up against good consumer knives (not saying the global is better because global handles suck).

it doesn't hold an edge as long, it's weighted poorly and the blade is stamped.

this will be better in *almost every way, also someone suggested the tojiro which is good too.

$54

http://www.amazon.com/HENCKELS-INTERNATIONAL-Classic-8-inch-Chefs/dp/B00004RFMT/ref=lp_291360_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1452203136&sr=1-2

Full knife sets are a scam. You don’t need two different size chef knives and a santoku, you don’t need a serrated paring knife, or any of that crap. You’ll never use them and they’ll just sit there in your knife block, and you will have spent 50% of your money on knives you never touch. Here’s all you need, in your price range:

A henckels 8 inch chef knife - https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00004RFMT/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1510433354&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=henckels+chef+knife+8&dpPl=1&dpID=31OX1pDMIvL&ref=plSrch. you’ll use this for 90% of the things you cut. Veggies, meat, whatever.

A tojiro bread slicer. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001TPA816/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1510433463&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=bread+knife&dpPl=1&dpID=312P9gZ10AL&ref=plSrch. this thing will eat through crusty breads, tough squashes, pineapples, etc, and you can also use it to cut paper thin tomato slices with those sharp teeth. It’s good quality and cheap, I just bought one myself and love it. I accidentally cut my dish brush and a cloth when washing and drying it the first time. That’s how sharp it is.

A victorinox paring knife. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0019WXPQY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510433648&sr=8-1-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=victorinox+paring&psc=1 - for when you need to do fine cutting work

If you have a good reason, you might add a boning knife or something like that, but these 3 knives are all I use 99.9% of the time. The only other thing to add is a sharpener and honing steel to keep them sharp.

If you’re not a professional chef, you can get away with a cheap (decent) knife sharpener like this one - https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00004VWKQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1510433817&sr=8-10&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=knife+sharpener&dpPl=1&dpID=41bRTplVVXL&ref=plSrch]

You don’t need to spend a bunch of time and money on stones to sharpen your knives properly unless you’re super interested in that sort of thing. Use this sharpener once every few weeks or so and it’ll keep your knives sharp enough to get everything done.

If I were starting a new kitchen from scratch, those are exactly what I’d buy to get started. Treat them well and sharpen them occasionally (except the bread slicer, it’s hard to sharpen but cheap enough to replace every few years when it starts to dull), and they’ll last you a long time.

Hmm, a lot of times trouble with cutting things is mostly an equipment issue-- aka, a blunt knife. Is your supermarket an Asian one? They often have really good, sharp knives for not very much money. If not, it may be worth getting something like this. There's a bit of a learning curve, but with a sharp knife you'd improve rapidly!

I'm an amount-eyeballer too, so that makes it easier to give you some of my recipes, haha. This one is a nice alternative to a tomato sauce that doesn't require a lot of chopping and comes together very fast:

• Put your salted water on to boil for the pasta.
  
• Slice 1 medium onion: Halve the onion lengthwise. Cut off the tops of each half and peel back the skins to the root. Holding onto the root, slice thinly crosswise, so that the slices are ~1/8" thick. Basically, follow up to step 4 of this image, making thinner slices and not cutting off the root ends because they make a nice handle.
  
• Smash 4 garlic cloves: Bash each clove with the side of your knife. The papery skins will fall right off.
  
• Take a 12-inch skillet and pour in ~3 tbsp of olive oil, just to thinly coat the bottom of the skillet. Put over medium heat. (Meanwhile, start cooking your pasta as soon as your water is boiling). Once the oil is hot, throw in the onion, the smashed garlic cloves, a filet or two of anchovy (the kind that comes in a tin packed in olive oil), ~2 tbsp of drained/patted-dry/lightly smashed capers, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Salt and saute until fragrant and the onions are softening and the anchovies have started to dissolve.
  
• Add about half a glass of white wine to the pan and then add ~3 large handfuls of roughly-chopped kale or other hearty green. It should take about 5 minutes for the kale to wilt down, during which time your pasta should be finished-- again, undercook it by 1 minute. BEFORE YOU DRAIN YOUR PASTA, save about a cup of the starchy water.
  
• Add your pasta to the skillet with ~1/3 of the pasta water, a handful of fresh-grated Parmigiana cheese, and a pat of butter. Turn up the heat. Toss until the pasta's done, adjusting the consistency of the sauce with additional water if you need to. Take off the heat, adjust seasoning (salt and pepper), and add the juice of one lemon, stirring to coat.
  
• Serve with additional cheese and cracked black pepper.
  
  Good luck with your pasta voyage!

People keep saying Victorinox, which I'm sure would work fine, but if you want to spend a few bucks more for something that a bit higher in the quality scale get this Henkles chef's knife. Two features it has that I don't see mentioned on the Victorinox are the full tang, which means that the blade is one piece of metal that spans the length of the handle, and it's it's forged instead of stamped.

A lot of knives are just a blade with a little piece at the end that fits into the handle. This leads to the blade coming lose and being able to wiggle inside of the handle and eventually fall out. Last thing you want with a sharp blade is instability and unpredictability. A full tang has the handle glued or riveted to the end of the blade which tends to make it more stable. I can't say for sure but that Victorinox knife looks like it's got a partial tang based on the handle. This photo kinda shows what I'm talking about with the different tangs.

A forged blade is just going to be stronger than something that's stamped out from a big sheet.

If you’re just cooking for yourself, you don’t need a whole set of knives, just one really good one. Here’s an amazon link to a great, all purpose chef’s knife that’s under $50.

The victorinox fibrox or the ja henckels international are both 50$ or less. Both of good steel and will hold an edge.

J.A. HENCKELS INTERNATIONAL 31161-201 CLASSIC Chef's Knife, 8 Inch, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004RFMT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_PgFIDb5198GNF

Not all steel will hold a edge OP. If it’s not properly hardened and heat treated like many cheap knives you will sharpen endlessly and not get results.

50$ will get you good knife with good steel but it won’t be a super steel. This is the price point where a home chief can get performance to last. Higher end is nice but not needed.

Dont get a set. You'll hear that advice again and again and again for a very good reason: bad value for the money. You're paying for lower quality knives you may never use. Get a Henckels Classic chef's knife, paring knife, and maybe a utility/serrated knife for bread, slicing, etc. That comes to a total of ~$220, leaving you with enough for some shears or something additional.

I do a lot of sharpening, and have used many kinds of stones, jigs, and gadgets. Many of the jigs and gadgets are junk, or slow, or high-maintenance.
For basic kitchen knife maintenance, it's worth it to learn to sharpen freehand with inexpensive waterstones. If you want to spend more money for better tools, spend it on nice big diamond stones. Don't spend money on sharpening machines, jigs, or gadgets. My personal sharpening setup is three 3x8 EZE-Lap diamond stones (Coarse, fine, and super-fine), and a leather strop with chromium oxide buffing powder. With this I can turn pretty much any piece of steel into a long-lasting razor blade. EZE-lap makes some nice double-sided diamond stones too that look great for kitchen use. Knife steels have their place (touch-ups between real sharpenings), but are not a complete solution on their own, and can be bypassed entirely.

For knives, anything that's not super low-end is good. It should feel great when held correctly. Most home cooks who've spent $200 on a fancy chef's knife would be just as well off with something like a $55 Henckel's Classic. Knives like that are good steel, easy to sharpen and easy to use. Most good knives require thoughtful maintenance. If someone needs a cook's knife but will not take good care of it, get them a Victorinox Fibrox. They're cheap, good-enough knives with handles that can survive the dishwasher. I also like knives from Wüsthof, Global, Shun, Mac, and many others. Modern knives are mostly excellent. As long as you avoid ultra-cheap options and exotic gimmicks, it's easy to go right.

Mine was a this model in particular:

J.A. Henckels International CLASSIC 8" Chef's Knife https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00004RFMT/

So it has the one man on it, but I've gotten it sharpened pretty damn well. I was a college student looking for something better than the dull shit the kitchen staff couldn't be arsed to keep consistently sharpened, and they wouldn't hire a company to sharpen them either. At the end of the day, it's served me well and helped me become a faster cook while I worked at that cafeteria and still helps at family gatherings. Didn't know that tidbit about the Henckel knife grades, though, so thanks for the TIL.

LOL, no really, i had to go look them up. Your chefs knife is the most important thing in your kitchen and you get what you pay for.

For $50 you can get a good 8" chefs knife. Like this one Learn how to use it, care for it and keep it sharp. You can add a paring knife and bread knife at some point to cover all your bases.

I like to have my thumb and forefinger of my knife hand above the handle and actually gripping the blade itself. It gives me more control over the blade. Depends on what I'm doing though, if I'm trying to chop a whole chicken in half, I'll have my hand on the handle only for a better grip.

Your non-knife hand should be in a claw-like position like /u/leakyweenie (lol) was describing. It keeps your finger tips away from the danger zone. This is very unintuitive and difficult to do, but don't give up. It's like the first time you drive a stick-shift or the first time you attempt a bar chord on guitar. It feels impossible the first time, but keep at it and it will be second nature before you know it.

Don't try to be fast, be deliberate and careful.

Keep your knives sharp. Dull knives are dangerous because you have to use more force, which could mean the difference between a nick and a severed finger.

Cut by slicing, not by pushing. The knife should always be moving forwards and backwards as well as up and down.

Use the right knife for the job. Straight knives are for carving, don't try to mince stuff with them. Curved knives are good for mincing, as the curve lets you rock the blade back and forth. Use a small paring knife for detailed work like peeling and trimming. If you don't have any good knives and want to buy something that can handle most (if not all) situations, I recommend getting a cheap 8 inch French-style chef's knife. Don't go dirt cheap though, and make sure it's full-tang (blade goes all the way through the handle). Otherwise it could break in your hand and send you to the hospital. This is what I would get.

This is what I would get if I was in the market for a chef's knife.

I know I'm a bit late to this, but for a great all around knife at a even better price there is no better than JA Henckels 8 inch chef's knife, in my opinion. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00004RFMT/ref=sr_ph_1?qid=1449898321&sr=sr-1&pi=AC_SX118_SY170_QL70&keywords=8inch+chef%27s+knife#

$100 - Wusthof 8" Chefs Knife



$40 - J.A. Henckels 8" Chefs Knife


$35 - Victorinox Fibrox (If you want the Victorinox but don't like the handle, get the rosewood version for a couple bucks more)

Then get their corresponding utility/paring knives for smaller/finer work. Personally, I went with the Henckels I listed mainly for aesthetics and value and got a Tojiro DP Petty Knife, mainly because I'm used to heavy western chef knives but I also wanted to try out a Japanese style kitchen knife. Learn to handle a knife properly, get a good cutting board (end-grain wood boards ideally), and they should last you for life.

Sounds like the Henckels "International" to me. For example: http://www.amazon.com/Henckels-International-Classic-8-Inch-Stainless-Steel/dp/B00004RFMT/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1290731835&sr=8-7

I use a http://www.amazon.com/Henckels-8-Inch-Carbon-Stainless-Steel-Chefs/dp/B00004RFOD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290731884&sr=8-1

It's one of the few knives I've found that doesn't hurt my hands to use for big projects, and I have no problems at all maintaining an edge on it.

• Chef's knife 1 [2] (http://www.amazon.com/Henckels-International-Classic-8-Inch-Stainless-Steel/dp/B00004RFMT/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1335026275&sr=1-3) me gusta
  
• Paring knife (victorinox is good if you get a few. If you want just one, get something with solid construction. You can find them for pretty cheap)
  
• Cutting boards (ikea is a good place for these. 2/$1)
  
• French Press (Mmmm, coffee)
  
• Spices (oregano, basil, salt, pepper, yellow curry powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder)
  
• A few nice microwave safe bowls
  
• A mixing bowl
  
• 1 nice, heavy saute pan (8" coated works well for 1 person, though you may want to get something a bit bigger if you'll be cooking for 2. Also, use plastic a wood utensils. NEVER use a fork because it's easier. You will ruin your pan if you do not heed my warning.)
  
• 1 nice, heavy pot (1 or two quarts should do. Try Goodwill or somewhere similar for this)
  
• Spatulas, wood spoons, tongs, etc.
  
  A well fit kitchen is really important. I like to go with a minimalist style and just wash as I go. It keeps the clutter down and makes cooking pretty damn easy. Good luck!

This is what I use:JA Henkels 8 Inch knife I've had it for 2 years now and apart from using a steel it hasn't needed sharpening at all. I use it everyday for everything from cutting up veggies to parting chickens. I would seriously recommend it to anybody. Plus it's not terribly expensive.

At a $50 price point, you'll probably be happy with the Victorinox or Henckels knives. The Henckels one cuts through anything I've thrown at it.

I love the JA Henckels classic chef knife. It's a workhorse, keeps a nice edge, looks good, and affordable. Pair it with a honing steel, and you should be able to cut anything you need for years to come.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00004RFMT/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480777137&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=ja+henckels+chef+knife&dpPl=1&dpID=21A8SR38R2L&ref=plSrch

Henckels Classic, $45

Henckels Forged Premio, $34

Mercer Culinary Genesis, $33

Mercer Culinary Renaissance, $38

Mac French Chef's Knife, $90

Misen Chef's Knife, $65

Please note that I cannot vouch for any of these personally.

http://www.amazon.com/HENCKELS-INTERNATIONAL-Classic-8-inch-Chefs/dp/B00004RFMT

I would recommend a higher end Henckels where it features the Gemini Twins and not just the one guy, but Henckels are good knives either way.

https://www.amazon.com/HENCKELS-INTERNATIONAL-Classic-8-inch-Chefs/dp/B00004RFMT

Yeah... quick amazon search... a chef knife from vic was starting at $100, henkel was $190, and wust was $150.

I dont really want to pay any of those prices...
Id really rather prefer any japanese branded solution for costs sake

I'm getting two knives. One is

http://www.amazon.com/HENCKELS-INTERNATIONAL-Classic-8-inch-Chefs/dp/B00004RFMT/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1450011141&sr=1-1&keywords=henkels+cutlery

and the other is

http://www.amazon.com/Henckels-3-Inch-Carbon-Stainless-Steel-Paring/dp/B00004RFKB/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1450011192&sr=1-3&keywords=henkels+cutlery

Just going to get pieces at a time to get exactly what I want/need. Like I don't need a cleaver or some of the other knives found in sets. I only need a a few knives.

Chef Knife

Keep a sharp lookout at Marshall's, TJMaxx, if Ross didn't make the cut in your area.

For the past 8 years, I've been using a cheap Hamilton Beach 8" chef's knife that I got at an outlet store. About a year ago, I bought a Henckel's 8" chef's knife that has the same feel, and has been working amazingly.

I like Henckels knives, especially if you know you can take care of them (i.e. you don't have shitty roommates using them for who knows what).

Chef's Knife

this one has pretty good reviews. and you would have enough leftover to buy a sharpener.

https://www.amazon.com/Profession-German1-4116-Stainless-Ergonomic-Restaurant/dp/B07TKM8R97/ref=sr_1_70_sspa?

or

https://www.amazon.com/IMMEK-Kitchen-Stainless-Dealing-Vegetables/dp/B07DX57KXZ/ref=sr_1_73?

Or, Here is a Henckels knife that is only $47.

https://www.amazon.com/J-HENCKELS-INTERNATIONAL-31161-201-Classic/dp/B00004RFMT/ref=sxin_3_sp_qu_bss_is?

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Sharpeners

https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Sharpener-Electric-Serrated-Stainless/dp/B07BJ6VQ85/ref=sr_1_84?

I have one of these and Love it! but it's a bit pricey on a budget. so maybe next time. get the cheap on now and get something like this later. Mine has lasted me 10 years so far and is still going.

https://www.amazon.com/ChefsChoice-ProntoPro-Sharpener-Sharpening-Euro-American/dp/B007IVBET0/ref=sr_1_24?

also, to help keep the edge sharp on your knife... Don't put it in the dishwasher! hand wash only dry and put away. also if you cut anything acidic, tomatoes, orange, lemon etc. rinse the blade well and wash as soon as you get a chance. the acid will dull your knife pretty quickly.

is it possible your Henckels is the Chinese version that everyone here is so glum about?

You can get this for 5 more dollars and its forged, full tangy