Knives for Barbecue and Cooking:

More to the Point - What do I Recommend?

By Tom Brohamer

At many contests, and events, I have been asked what I feel is a reliable, well made, quality brand of knives.  While I do own, and enjoy, an over-priced set of J.A. Henckels at home, my recommended favorite is the Forschner series of knives, of which I prefer the rosewood handle style. These are the knives I use in cooking competition, and to say that I’m happy with them would be an understatement.

While the Forschner may not hold an edge quite as long as the Henckels, of which I have not proven out that fact, they do hold a sharp edge for quite some time.  Of course, they hold it even longer when you practice good knife maintenance by using a steel.  The Forschner knives are also very well balanced.  I actually prefer using my $38 Forschner 10” Chef’s knife, over my $120 Henckels Four-Star 10” Chef’s knife.  That’s saying something!  The Forschner just feels better in the hand, and in the wrist when you do a lot of cutting. 

As for their quality, I have 2 Forschner knives, a pairing and a 4 1/2” utility, that belonged to my grandfather.  I have no idea as to how long he had them prior to my inheriting them, but it was almost 15 years ago that I received them, and they're still going strong.  Yes, they’re a quality knife, and they’ll stay that way… as long as you don’t do something like put them in the dishwasher!

Never put good knives in the dishwasher!  Please have respect for any quality knifes you buy, and hand wash them.  Besides staying in better condition overall, they'll hold their edge longer.

Knives I couldn’t live without:

10” Chef’s (although the 8” usually does the trick.)

6” Chef's

6” Stiff Boning

3 ¼” Pairing

Butcher’s Steel

And while it’s not a knife, the Spyderco's Tri-Angle Sharpmaker.  In my opinion, this is by far the most user friendly, efficient, knife sharpener on the market today.

When you're ready to buy your knives, you can find great deals online (I have no connection to them, but Knife Center is a good place to start), or look in your local telephone book under “Butcher Supply.”  The Forschner brand is big with butchers, which should tell you something! All that said, dollar-for-dollar, it is my opinion that you cannot get a better knife, then that made by Forschner!