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brian david | February 27, 2010 9:39 AM

Steel, simply for their durability and ease of care. However, you should seriously consider high carbon steel knives over stainless steel. The only advantage of stainless is that it is less susceptible to rust. If you take care of your knives, clean and dry them by hand, as you should be doing anyway, rust will never be a problem. High carbon steel is stronger, sharper, and will retain its edge longer.

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Chris Hillman | February 27, 2010 12:45 PM

For longer blades such as carving knives, kitchen knives, etc. definitely go with a steel knife. Large ceramic knives are too easy to chip and break and can be more expensive. However, i have kept a ceramic paring knife in my kitchen and it's worked great. The smaller size of knife makes it less likely for it to chip when storing and they are cheaper then longer knives. I don't really have a brand to recommend for ceramic knives. However, I do have a great deal to say on which steel knives to buy.
German knives like Wusthof are good knives i've owned and used them in the past. But I personally have a few problems with most German made knives. First of all they use around .5% carbon in their blades. Carbon is what gives steel its hardness. Also they use about 1% total of vanadium, chromium, and mollybdenum. These metals together will give the still more flexibility (Steels too hard are brittle and will chip) and stain/rust resistance. Also German knives are commonly sharpened to a 22 degree angle which makes the edge strong and will keep it longer but that edge is not very sharp to begin with. So, i recommend buying a Shun or Global knife. These knifes use superior steel. My favorite the Shun knife uses a blended steel that is far better then steel you would find on a german knife. Also these knives are sharpened to 16 degrees which makes the knife extremely sharp. However, having such an edge means you need to take care of it. Proper use of a sharpening steel will help keep that super sharp angle. Also i don't recommend sharpening a knife at home. I send mine to a professional once or twice a year depending on how much you use it.

Shun knives

Global knives

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Jay Brandes | February 27, 2010 4:53 PM

Not to be repetitive, but, steel—Shun, Global, and Wusthof. BUT: You don’t necessarily need or want a set of one or the other. Just because you/your hand likes the feel of one item from one brand doesn’t mean the other pieces will be to your liking. Chris H. is being factual about the blades (G versus J). I like both (G/J), but they are different. I have a number (5) of Henckel’s, a few (4) Global’s, a couple of Wustof’s, a full set of Shun Ken Onion (8), and three Shun Classics. Go into a store that lets you play with them, e.g., Williams-Sonoma. Start with one or two pieces from any given brand to see if you like them in actual use over time.

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hiflyer | February 27, 2010 10:41 PM

If it's just for your use and you don't care about bling, may I suggest hitting a local Restaurant Supply Store.

You can pickup Hinkle knives with yellow plastic handles for $20-$30 compared to $100-$150 for ones with nice handles...

Steel is the same ;)

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E R | February 28, 2010 12:34 AM

I own a whole set of Wusthof Classic knives, and they work well for me. The Wustof Grand Prix, Culinar, and Ikon are exactly the same blade, but with different style handles.

Wusthof is not the very best, but they are well-respected and the go-to knives for the upscale home cook because they are easy to find and will last a lifetime.

A Wusthof Classic chef's knife goes for around $100.

If you want to save some dough, the Victorianox Fibrox is an inexpensive ($30) alternative that is highly recommended for its value by America's Test Kitchen.

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David Press-Dawson | March 2, 2010 3:50 PM

Either material makes a good knife. It depends on how much time you will set aside for care and maintenance. A ceramic knife (ie Kyocera) will stay sharp for a very long time and are not as fragile as you would think. The problem is that when they do finally go dull, you will need to seek out a ceramic knife sharpener as they are too hard to sharpen on conventional whet stones. A stainless steel knife will dull considerably faster than the ceramic knife and will require daily steeling to maintain its edge. When a stainless steel knife goes dull it will be much easier to find a sharpener and you could even do it yourself. I would suggest a Mundial Stainless steel knife as they are cheap and are made of very good quality steel (they supply Wusthof). You can find both brands at reasonably prices on Amazon.

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Joe Bartolema | March 4, 2010 6:50 AM

Steel. I'm a professional chef and anyone that tells you that ceramic knives never wear out is lying. And they are very difficult to sharpen. Oh, and I've actually broken a few of them. Stick to middle to lower priced knives because they are softer and much easier to sharpen if you're not a professional. I recommend the lowest priced offerings from Wusthof or Henckels. This way you'll have an easy to sharpen knife with a high end look.

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john mchugh | March 17, 2010 2:10 PM

steel for sure. if you are a novice, pick up some of victorinox forschner knives . these always win cooks illustrated coveted "highly recommended" rating and are much more inexpensive than high-end german and japanese knives. they are durable, stainless steel and have idiot-proof, non-slip handles.

you really only need a paring knife, an 8" chef's knife, and a slicer. these knives are great and will last you until you get your knife skills to the point where you can decide if you want to invest in higher quality knives.

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Edgar Sarmiento | May 24, 2010 2:16 AM

I know I'm a little late to this answer party but you definitely want to go with Steel. Ceramic is more of a novelty. They're practically impossible to sharpen yourself and crack/chip/break too easily.

The best kitchen knives are HIGH CARBON steel. I like the Wusthof Classic series but the best knives I've ever used are CUTCO knives. They're a lot more expensive but well worth the investment. They stay ridiculously sharp, guaranteed forever, most dishwasher safe and feel great in your hand.

An essentials set is more than you'll ever need unless you do some serious cutting/cooking.

They're kind of a pain to actually get but well worth the effort.

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