Many years ago I hit this point. My mother always had the cheapest, shittiest knives going. She spent so much time prepping that I never understood why she tolerated crap quality. As soon as I was the primary cook in my own house I sprung for entry level Wusthof's. Have since upgraded to mid-range in the same brand and have never looked back.
I had a lot of "points" from a "flying miles" collecting place. I looked at their catalogue and saw a limited edition Wüsthof, speciality wood handle. I had enough points to get it (retail price, over $300), so I ordered it. It has been going strong for almost a year and a half. It needs sharpening now, and my husband is going to do it. It has been babied; kept in its box, and cleaned right away after every use. I have had a few kitchen knives (😳 including a "W¡lkinson sword"), but *none* have ever been this great.
I almost regret buying a Wüsthof knife .. that's an expensive rabbithole I never knew I needed.
I replaced our breadknife with a nice one last year just so they matched, and I'm still surprised at it. Like upgrading from a saw to a lightsaber.
Don't go overboard on a bread knife - save that for the other knives. A [Victorinox from Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-5-2933-26-Konditors%C3%A4ge-Fibrox/dp/B000IAZCAK) is a game-changer.
Honestly, I rent, a broken stone would have been an improvement over what was in the drawer.
But we went for the Wuisthof paring knife, cleaver, and santoku knives - so the breadknife was the last one left where I was regularly using the landlord's crap. And I'm a sucker for a matching set. I totally agree it's not worth prioritising unless you're big into brots. But if every other knife you have is from the same range, it's worth a few quid to complete the set.
[One of these](https://www.wusthof.com/products/wusthof-classic-5-serrated-utility-knife-1040101614?variant=Z2lkOi8vc2hvcGlmeS9Qcm9kdWN0VmFyaWFudC80MjU2NzgyOTE5Mjg1NQ==) and [one of these](https://www.wusthof.com/products/classic-10-inch-bread-knife?variant=Z2lkOi8vc2hvcGlmeS9Qcm9kdWN0VmFyaWFudC80MjYzNjg4NTg4NTA3OQ==&queryID=undefined) is all the bread knifes I’ve needed…but looking today they have a double serrated knife now…. 😬
u/KC_experience's second link, [this](https://www.wusthof.com/products/classic-10-inch-bread-knife?variant=Z2lkOi8vc2hvcGlmeS9Qcm9kdWN0VmFyaWFudC80MjYzNjg4NTg4NTA3OQ==&queryID=undefined).
Now to set expectations appropriately, I'm still renting so what we replaced was the landlord's junk. But this is the only breadknife I've ever had where I fear for my fingers.
(That said, it has not drawn blood. Wusthof's Santoku knife had/has already recalibrated how much I can mix drinking and cooking.)
Yeah, it's unexpected. Those cheap serrsted ones tear the hell out of bread, especially something flaky like a croissant or pastry. You end up with a pile of crumbs and something that looks like hell.
Mine are still going since the 90s but it's time to replace them. I've sharpened them to the point where the blade edge is now at the dimples and the grips have cracked and have pieces missing.
Never skimp on a good quality knife. The cost in the long run is well worth it.
Wusthof changed my life. I make all of our home meals with it and it's like a second appendage. I love this knife. We did a one year walkabout around the US and I missed the knife so hard.
I've read in various books that Chefs pack their own knives with them, and thought it was just a running joke among authors. **Then,** I got the Wüsthof. ✨️🔪✨️ The first time I used it, I'm pretty sure I’d heard Angels sing. (Ah-hah-ah-ah-ah) If my house ever catches fire, the Wüsthof is going with me! My husband always requests to use it when doing meal prep.
In your experience, what’s the difference between entry- and mid-level? I’m still on the baby Wusthof’s and they work fine, though sometimes the middle of onions on the vertical chop is tough, and when bigger veg stick to the flat blade. But those are first-world problems. Is it worth it to upgrade?
German knives use soft-ish steel and are relatively heavy. You’d notice a bigger difference going from an entry level German set to mid level Japanese. German knives are more durable if you are hacking into whole chickens and doing more butcher-level work but the cuts most people are dealing with in the kitchen, having a lighter sharper blade more resistant to dulling that you get from a Japanese knife will make a bigger difference.
Keep in mind that the lighter, sharper knives are not as "stainless" as the German steel, so you need to be more careful with them if you want to avoid them staining.
My personal opinion is the Classic series is all I need. It’s a style I learned to use at work as a cook when I was younger and it felt natural to me when I started to use them. After 20+ years, they’ve held up well and as long as you’re honing them when you use them, hand wash them, **keep them out of the dishwasher**, they’ll last a long long time.
I started as a kid with Wusthog Gourmet and they are just stamped blades, nothing special, basically paying for the name. I stepped up to the Classic line and they are forged blades and have a genuine bolster. Definitely worth the upgrade.
I came home from Japan with knives. Tonight I cut potatoes with my most beautiful one, for the first time. It was a remarkably different experience. Like lots of oohs and aahs. Totally worth it!
With the current exchange rate, the whole country of Japan is like 50% off for Americans. Bring an extra suitcase and pack up on clothes, electronics, whisky and knives.
We only get to do that once or twice in a lifetime with the US. The last time our dollar was worth more than theirs was around 2011. We used the crap out of our US mailing address in upstate NY to order cheap goods with free shipping.
Now we're back to the norm of having to pay about 1/3 more for everything...
I'm definitely at a point where I'll buy fewer things, but higher quality. What's annoying is that I feel like I'm mostly buying the same quality stuff that used to be normal.
Tools, in particular. I don't buy the highest end stuff on the planet, but I buy good stuff. I have a set of Milwaukee M12 for cordless tools - I bought my first one in 2009 and the battery still works, as does every other battery and M12 tool.
I like Adam Savage's approach. If you know you're going to use it, get something good. If you're not sure, get something inexpensive, then get the best one you can afford if it turns out you use it a lot.
One other area I spend on: Personal comfort. Get a great mattress and pillow. Get a great chair if you are at your desk a lot. Get comfortable shoes.
I think a deception that has been pulled on us is just how bad inflation has been over the last 40 years. To your point, I feel like you have to spend a lot just to get something that used to be middle of the road. The greatest of something, if it even exists anymore, is unobtainable because it is so expensive.
You're absolutely right. It wasn't just corporate greed, one way western companies kept prices down in terms of dollars was to move the labor to the cheapest possible markets. People got mad that they never saw a discount, but the result was prices seemed to stay a lot more stable than they were. And it worked for years.
Adam Savage’s approach sounds like what I’ve always called the Harbor Freight Rule. If you’re not sure how much you’ll use a tool, buy the cheap stuff at HF. If it breaks, you know you need to upgrade. Although I have some tools I’ve bought at Harbor Freight and put through hell that are still holding up fantastically.
I do the same with Harbor Freight. But, I do have a second HF rule. If it can kill me, I am not buying it from HF - things like jack stands or hoists come to mind.
This Get the right tool for the job, buy the best you can afford, a known brand so that spare parts are available. After years of crap strimmers, I bought a Stiga . It's the 'Ronseal' thing - it does what it says on the tin, means it's fit for purpose, all day, every day.
I bought a new mattress last year and bought the matching pillows, at a( £120+ each!) But it and they are giving me the most comfortable sleep ever. Bike too, dog food, cooking pans, earphones, shoes..
Edit...( in my head I've now got Renton's monologue at the beginning of Trainspotting!)
>Get a great mattress and pillow. Get a great chair if you are at your desk a lot. Get comfortable shoes.
The "anything separating you from the ground" rule. Add tires to this list and you're golden.
Yep. Finally bought a nice couch because my kids are old enough to respect my home. No more couches that hide booger stains and footprints for me. This couch has style. Lol
When my friend and I moved in to our first place together, we found a couch just outside the garbage room in our building. It passed the look and smell test so we dragged it upstairs. When we finally moved out, we just left it there. It was a good couch, but we were too lazy to move it.
I think about this a lot. I cook for our family of 4 multiple times a day/week. Our kitchen is a *working kitchen*. I have a few smaller skillets in steel, a big cast iron pan and a couple enameled iron pots. Knives are all sharpened by me a couple times a year. This stuff gets used basically every single day. I cannot work with shitty kitchen gear, because it’s actual *work*. Not doing all that with crappy tools!
Yes. I hit my breaking point with mismatched sheets and pillowcases so I broke down and spent a fortune on four brand new identical sets. Nothing on my bed will ever be mismatched again.
I did this with dishes and towels, once I had some extra $$. When I first moved out, I had mismatched everything. I hated it. Bought nice towels, and a set of Fiestaware dishes. Which I just recently replaced because I wanted something new, not because they were chipped, etc. hahaha
>The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. ... A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. ... But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and *would still have wet feet*.[^(\[4\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_theory#cite_note-4)
[The Sam Vimes "Boots" theory of socioeconomic unfairness,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_theory)
A local knife shop offers sharpening lessons so I signed up for one. Bought a set of stones and a strop that day. Best decision I ever made was to learn how to use those.
Worksharp Sharpening system from Amazon. Nine levels of abrasion, including a leather strop. I have pretty bad eye-hand coordination, and this thing is easy to use.
YES! I’ve had my Vitamix for over 10 years and I got a refurbished one, and it’s still going strong. I use it constantly. Any other blender would have crapped out 6 years ago at this level of use.
While not high end and only 5.1, I bought a Sony Muteki sound system in 2006. It still thumps today. It was 2.5k back then but I've got every cent out of it in quality.
Looking forward to the 7.1 Sony Muteki. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
Yep. I’m slowly getting nice things
Investing in good quality pots and pans has made me enjoy cooking more. ( I always have lived cooking but always used shit to cook with).
I have one good knife and to be honest between that and a cleaver it’s all I use).
I’m this way about most things, now. I’m tired of junk made to end up in a landfill. I try to buy only good quality. I’m single and live in a small place, so I don’t need that much.
Yep.
When I bought my house (that is, took out a mortgage on a place I thought was nice) I spent some of the excess on decent knives and pots/pans.
I still use them pretty much daily. The knives at least.
I got mine from a store well known for it's many many 50-85% off sales every 2nd month, so paid a fair price for an otherwise vastly overpriced set of knives and saucepans, but they've been well worth what I paid, with care and sharpening (of the knives, not the saucepans).
Interestingly - about a year or so ago I spent $12 on a Kmart cast iron frypan and after seasoning it's pretty much the only frypan I now use - it's amazing! Non-stick, even heat distribution and so easy to clean with cold water!!
Lol, on our 1st anniversary my wife's aunt sent us a block of Walmart knives (she didn't want to waste money on a wedding present for a doomed marriage, I was 29 she was 18, statistics were not on our side). I was stuck using those spite knives for 20 years (I sent them with my daughter when she moved out). It's funny because usually I'd be the spiteful one in almost any other situation but ooof, her aunts judgy bs set her OFF.
Edit to clarify...I was 19, not 29. I have fat fingers, I'm not a creep lol
I’m a chef so I’m guilty as fuck for dropping $1000’s on kitchenware. The wife still doesn’t understand, but quality counts. Edit: I’m not a sales rep or anything, but I just wanted to say, le crusset is expensive. But will last forever! Shun knives are pricey, but not as bad as professional Japanese chef knives, and boos chopping boards are (yees,heavy) the best I’ve ever used.
If you cook daily at home, money well spent.
Le Creuset pans are a game changer. They are also generational pieces for those with people who can inherit stuff from them. My daughters will definitely be getting some from us.
We did it. We basically used our less expensive coffee maker to death before that ....not that everyone is home so much we use it * a lot * and it was well worth it. Grinder is a part of it it does all the measuring.
Lower end, wustuf… higher end, shun.
Unless you’re a professional chef, you will only need 3 knives. Pairing (small) utility (medium) chefs knife (large)
Shop around, you can usually find some really good deals!
Funny enough Dick is a brand of chefs knives are they are amazing. Do move up from the lowest level to middle or higher though as it makes a huge difference. The lower end ones aren’t that different for me than the cheaper alternative crap
lol. My wife’s friend is a chef and that was what she used. When I needed new knives I said ‘good enough for her good enough for me’ and I love them even more than my former Wustoff ones
Absolutely, You don't save any money buying cheep crap. Expensive also doesn't necessarily = quality either.
That said If this guy is to be believed you don't need fancy knives you just need them sharpened correctly.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pagPuiuA9cY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pagPuiuA9cY)
I do a ton of cooking as well so I invested in some Le Creuset cookware. Dutch oven is just the best. I also have a cast iron skillet, a grill pan, lasagna pan, square baking dish and a loaf pan. I get a new piece every year with my Amex points. Worth every penny.
We’re definitely in that same boat. Buy less, buy quality. I have good knives, but I really have to learn how to sharpen them and take care of them!
A few years back, we bought Demeyere pots and pans. You have to learn how to cook with them up front, but “investment quality” kinda. We bought a Miele vacuum cleaner when our Philips died, and we replaced our coffee machine with a Jura.
Expensive? Yes. But for things you use basically every day, why make yourself suffer and constantly replace things? My folks buy drip coffee makers from WalMart…..at least once a year. In the long run, more expensive.
Coffee pots. We drink an obscene amount of coffee. When we first got married and money was especially tight, we went through 3 coffee pots in as many years because we could only afford to get cheap-ass ones and our water has a high mineral content. If I recall the order of events correctly, the last one crapped out around income tax refund time so we decided the hell with cheap crap and we got a Bunn. Like you say with your knives, it's not top of the top, but it's a quality brand and they make good products. After going through 3 cheap pots in 3 years, we're now still only on our 3rd Bunn after just over 20 years
I’m a chef so I completely get it, although you don’t really need to drop that much on good knives. A Mercer knife will cost you in the range of $25-40 if you live near a restaurant supply store, or you can always buy them online. If you can learn to work a whetstone they’re a good buy.
That being said, I have individual knives in my kit that cost as much as $350, because I’m a bit of a gear nerd and I use them for work. If I’m visiting people and they expect me to cook, I usually bring my knife roll along because I don’t want to have to use their Farberware shit and risk losing a finger.
I bought a set of Cutco knives almost 30 years ago. They still look and cut like the day I got them. Lifetime warranty and they’ll even sharpen them for you for free. They are not cheap but worth every penny.
All the time. I’ve learned to appreciate “buy right, buy once”. That doesn’t mean I always buy the expensive thing, I just find myself doing way more research for most purchases like this. Incidentally, Rada Knives are pretty good. They aren’t really expensive so they can easily be replaced but I’ve had mine for 15 years and have never replaced, just added.
I rage purchased a laser printer after getting sick of my little ink jet that just couldn’t handle what I needed it to do. Simple tasks like scanning a document meant frequent communication errors and sucking too many pages into the feeder forcing me to start over. It went through ink like crazy. I couldn’t take it anymore so I bought a $400 laser printer and couldn’t be happier.
I also have a set of good knives. No one touches them but me and my son who can cook and knows how to take care of them. It’s like day and night when you have a good knife.
r/bifl is always a fun read.
Was in Japan in September with a group and at least 4 of them spent on average about $500 each getting a single Chefs knife or similar. We got a top line set of Henkel just before going or I might have don’t the same.
Since you eat in so often, quality gear is worth every penny. Just like good chopping boards (Boos all the way) and cookery.
You are not the asshole, oops sorry wrong sub. 😄
Good for you! Learn how to sharpen them or find a good place to do it. Knives always dull with use, and sounds like you likely put yours to good use :)
Cooking stuff is essential and if you invest in a good set of anything it will last you for years or in some cases forever ❤
I got some lovely Calphalon knives in 2008 that still work like magic today, and when my Teflon coated Lagostina cookware (bought the same time) started to ware out I got new Paderno pots and pans back in 2018.
This year for Xmas I got a new $200 pepper mill- it's apparently the same one Gordon Ramsey uses.
https://hexclad.ca/products/hexmill-salt-and-pepper-grinder-set?variant=46834526257438¤cy=CAD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&nbt=nb%3Aadwords%3Ax%3A20719552693%3A%3A&nb_adtype=pla&nb_kwd=&nb_ti=&nb_mi=5294651577&nb_pc=online&nb_pi=shopify_CA_8683574427934_46834526257438&nb_ppi=&nb_placement=&nb_li_ms=&nb_lp_ms=&nb_fii=&nb_ap=&nb_mt=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoPOwBhAeEiwAJuXRhwoHv1MEHEoN-zrziGoGa7EI-5g3e4f_LQJfIGqggk4Io3o90csCYxoCKUwQAvD_BwE
Phenomenal piece of kitchen equipment!! You can adjust the coarsness with a single click of the bottom thingy and each turn gives you a lot of grind for your wind so to speak 😅
If you like fresh pepper i highly recommend ❤
I'm not super picky about most things; but kitchen stuff is an investment that's worth making for sure imo 🥰
Yes. With knives. Still, make sure to steel them before and after every use. That’s the key to keeping the edge. That rod isn’t a sharpener, it realigns the edge which bends microscopically. Steeling them frequently keeps the blade microscopically straight so they don’t become dull. My chef’s knife (German steel) gets steeled before and after every use. I bought it in 2014. It has yet to see a stone. I learned the hard way with another expensive knife I didn’t steel regularly.
Clothes for me. I can’t stand the shit that comes out of Walmart/target/whatever. I can’t stand the nylon/rayon/polyester. I’m investing in a real wardrobe of wool and linen and silk. Even cotton is slowly leaving. It’s soooo bad. For a real eye-opener on textiles, read the book “Worn: a People’s History of Clothing.”
The funny thing is this is actually a way rich people stay rich. It's far cheaper, in the long run, to purchase a single high quality item that lasts a long time, than to purchase much cheaper ones that don't last nearly as long.
It's become an actual economic indicator (with the OK of the Pratchett estate) --- the Vimes Boots Principle. From Discworld, a rich man can afford to buy a $200 pair of boots that last 10 years. A poor man can only afford $40 boots that last a year.
Back 20 years ago my then wife started me with a hollow ground slicer, meat fork, and steel from [Wüstohf.](https://www.wusthof.com/)
It was the best gift she ever gave me. Since then every sox months or so I’d pick up another essential piece that I’d use, then getting down to the ‘nice to have’ pieces.
For anyone that cooks a lot, a good set of cutlery is essential. I learned that working as a cook in high school and junior college.
My boomer father passed along nuggets of truth in life. One was “buy the best and cry once”.
While I won’t claim Wüsthof is the best, it’s higher quality than the restaurant grade knives I used to make thousands of meals for the public. They’re good enough for me.
Wüsthof might be the best, fr. My bf has been a cook, and then a chef, for 25 years. I bought him a chef knife last year for Christmas, and he still comments on its quality.
I use it occasionally, and I swear it cuts everything like it's butter.
Be careful!!! And instruct everyone in your family to be very careful. Going from shitty old dull knives to sharp new ones is an adjustment! I put myself in the emergency room cutting kale after deciding I need sharp knives. Be very aware whenever you use them.
I absolutely agree that its okay to spend money on quality stuff.
When I was in college I started selling Cutco knives. I ended up buying a nice set for myself. After college I ran a small restaurant for a couple of years and I used my personal knives everyday at work.
Cutco has a forever warranty and I have sent my french chefs knife in twice to be resharpened. I've owned it for 30 years now and it's just as sharp as the day I got it.
I also found a serrated Cutco knife like you would slice tomatoes with at a yard sale. It has to be 50 years old. I sent it back and they refinished the handle and sharpened and polished the blade for me. It should last another 50 years if it's taken care of.
I also collect pocket knives and I don't mind paying for a quality piece.
Sheets. Sheets. I will not buy cheap Sheets that get all fuzzy or are paper thin or just feel rough or weird that you can see through like cheesecloth. I will lay some nlmoney down. My latest acquisition are two sets of quality satin sheets.
I went all-in on sheets a while back.
I was traveling for work quite a bit and staying in some nicer (not totally posh, but nicer) hotels and realized that my favorite part was the sheets.
We're rocking bamboo now - they are great for hot summer weather.
I grew up poor. One year they brought the charity thanksgiving basket to us.
In 2022, my modest house burned down. I just spent 9.5k for closet systems in the new, rebuilt house. I have already proved I can be poor.
Since I started cooking a couple years ago I have bought many knives, including a Japanese chef's knife. Also a GIANT cutting board that I love to death, a new Dutch Oven, etc.
I'm assuming you dropped the coin on a set of Wusthof?
I spent close to $1200 on my last knife set. Our kids literally toss them in the trash accidentally. I’m still missing one knife from the block and I am PISSED.
Yes I searched for a long time about 15-20 years ago for pots and pans. I wanted the stainless steel, copper-bottom, with nonmetal handles. Took some time but love my pots and pans. Those nonstick ones we bought and after 6 months to a year were no longer nonstick and would crap out. I also got an iron skillet. No need for anything else. I don’t care about scratching the pan and scrubbing isn’t a big deal. (I boil off the stuck on stuff.) Never looked back.
I'm just about to buy a couple new good knives. What did you buy? I was over at my mom's place the other day and her knives were so sharp and I realized how much easier it was to cook with them. All of my knives are dull and it's really unsafe, actually.
Cheap knives can still be made sharp. They just don’t tend to hold their edge as long. Just get a Chef Choice electric knife sharpener and never worry about dull knives. You need a good sharpener no matter how cheap or pricey your blades are.
German knives are heavy, clunky soft metal things. Good for attacking whole-animal carci, but I find Japanese knives better for final prep work. I just came back home from Osaka few months ago with a $300 gyuto.
Got this with cordless vacuums , would buy them , only to get frustrated with clogging up, hard to open filter cartridges and lack of battery life and over all performance . Bought a very expensive Dyson and my life has changed for the better.
I’ve always been of the mind set that I don’t throw good money after bad …so I buy the best at the beginning. I’ve had expensive knives and all things kitchen related since my 20s. I’m a culinary snob though. And a fashion snob. And a sports equipment snob. My children are the same …I blame me:))
When I was a young go getter, I bought the best I could of whatever I cared about (I grew up wealth-adjacent so I had a good idea of what was good). My SO just got the cheapest crap and was constantly replacing stuff. Now, even the brands that used to be reliable are pretty crappy and I can't find a coffee maker that will hold up.
I agree with you 100%. I’m in the process of getting rid of the garbage my ex bought that sucks. Also see if you have a restaurant store in your area you will find some good quality cooking items that will last. Also check out But it For Life.
https://www.reddit.com/r/BuyItForLife/s/TZcAprfnxV
I spent probably just over that on three kitchen knives.
I own a couple dozen Le Creuset cookware pieces that cost probably over $3000 in total.
I built custom cookware shelving for my Le Creuset cookware in my kitchen.
I've endured countless people coming into my home criticizing me for spending money on my cookware, insisting "it's no better" than their Lodge or Cuisinart cookware. I say nothing as they shut up after eating my food or as they begin gifting high end cookware to their spouses.
I lie by saying nice things about their food when I eat at their homes regardless of how horrible it is. One of my wife's friends always prepares this casserole when we visit because she thinks I like it. It's a full sized block of Velveeta melted on overcooked rice with overcooked shrimp and the entire package of salt. All the salt. So much salt that it alters the already vile texture of the Velveeta "cheese". She looks so proud when people eat it. Her husband has confided in me that the reason he lost the weight after they got married is because he couldn't eat her food. He was close to 300 lbs and now is a relatively paltry 150.
I got this way because I got tired of junk, of replacing cookware every two years because of it failing. I got tired of bad cookware unevenly heating. I got tired of garbage overpriced kitchen knives in a quantity and variety of form that I simply had no use for.
I can’t handle microwaved anything anymore. People walk into my kitchen and short circuit, “wait, where is your microwave?”
Answer:I don’t have one.
Response: their brain melts.
Have open concept space. Was tired of hearing the loud dishwasher while watching tv. Got one of the high end Miele ones. OMG... we can't hear it. We even open it sometimes to put more dishes in not realizing that it's currently running. It is fantastic.
Proper knife selection and use is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. Like many of ya’ll my folks put up with a dismal selection of never-sharpened cheap knives they probably got as a wedding present. I hate seeing people use the WRONG knife (like using a bread knife to cut a tomato), or using it in the wrong way (cutting directly on a plate, marble countertop or god forbid a marble cutting board….wtf?).
Just remember that 90% of having a pleasant knife-skills experience is knowing when/how to sharpen them. I can’t abide a dull knife and even the cheapest knives can receive a decent edge (even if that cheap/thin steel won’t hold it for long).
Learn how to sharping your knives! It’s an overlooked skill. Don’t use powered sharpeners…these eat away more of your knife than they need to. If you’re not into hand-stoning your knives I personally like the [Warthog “Vsharp”](https://warthogusa.com/) knife sharpener for a quick and easy edge. A couple swipes of that and it’ll be ready for anything.
Know those white-handled, restaurant-grade NSF knives? Those are actually fairly decent steel that will hold an edge a lot longer than those Wal-Mart cheap knives for about the same price. Hit Amazon or a restaurant supply store and grab a few of them.
Finally, never ever use/buy serrated knives that aren’t meant to be serrated…they tear at your food rather than slice efficiently. The only knife in your kitchen that should be serrated is a bread knife and possibly some of your table knives meant for steak (provided they are good quality steak knives…its just easier to keep a few of these around that don’t require as much sharpening and don’t get dulled as quickly by contacting hard ceramic plates).
A chef relative buys everyone a really good quality knife set for wedding presents. I’ve had mine 30 years and sharpen them myself most of the time but get them professionally sharpened once a year. You won’t regret the purchase but PLEASE be careful!! When other knives bounce off your nail, good knives are cutting right through! Ouch
There are some things you just shouldn't skimp on, especially when you cook this much. I do the same. Eat at home most nights. I happily spent over 1k on high quality cookware. I'll never need to replace it.
We were stoked when someone actually bought us the Wustoff knife block on our wedding registry.
"Top of the top" knives are absolutely not worth the money, btw. The best knives are cheap, carbon steel with full tangs. Both require extra care, hand washing and drying right away, both require regular sharpening maintenance. Only plain, carbon steel knives can be found for a few $/ea. My main 8" chef knife was $10. When I got married, my wife wanted to replace her crappy kitchen tools. I bought everything we need from online restaurant supply sites for less than what she spent on the stainless steel shit walmart sells.
The funny thing is when I moved out at 18 (1996) my mom gave me her shitty knives. Those damn knives are the ones that have outlasted all of them I’ve bought over the years. Things are so crappy these days. My mom’s washer and dryer is still going strong since my birth in 78. I’ve replaced mine I think 8 times?
Adhd. Expensive knives are amazing. Japanese especially. You only need one.
Yep. I bought a top quality cutlery set recently. So tired of mismatched cutlery of random sizes. I took my favourite (mismatched) ‘knife, fork and spoon and shopped until I found the perfect set. I’m now thinking about a dinner set…
I don't think there was a specific point of time, but definitely since we're no longer newlyweds on a tight budget it's allowed us to upgrade to nice items. We started out with a beginner set of Henkel knives (there are different levels) and then about ten years ago we invested in a nice set of shun knives. Wow! They were such a big upgrade... I hate using anything else. My mom had the most crude looking, cheap butcher knife that she used for EVERYTHING, she thinks we are crazy for having a set of knives and she ruins our knives if she uses them, so neither my brother or I let her cook when she visits, lol.
That is a worthy investment, and I don't blame you at all. I have been thinking about doing the same with my pots and pans. I have some cast iron pans and they are fantastic, but my regular cookware, which is supposed to be high quality, Wears down quickly. Thinking about breaking down and getting some pro level pans that will last.
Mine have all been swapped for Victorinox or Dexter. Not top of the line, but good fine grained stainless that take a great edge off of any stone and can be touched up on a coffee cup or bowl.
I don't want anything with higher hardness steel than that in the kitchen, esp with the way the rest of the family use em.
Good moved are definitely worth it, if you like to cook a lot. Now when we have disposable income, it's something I got pulled into. I spent over 300 on just one knife. Then there's the specialized ones for deboning, cleavers, etc. 🥲
Hell, I have the same knives from when I was in my 20s.
I got good knives almost immediately because those cheap ass sets they sell are garbage.
A chef's knife, a paring knife at bare minimum. Flexible filet knives are great for trimming meats. A good bread knife is recommended too, but you can get away with a cheapo one.
I've inherited a few of my mom's and added others. Good knives will outline you.
Apparently the way capitalism shook out is you can choose between paying an affordable price for a mediocre product or an insane price for an insanely good product. Sometimes it’s worth doing the latter. For xmas I asked for a high-end skillet and was given a $200 Scanpan from Denmark. It is such a pleasure to cook with. The heat distributes so evenly and it is nonstick to the point you almost don’t even need to wash it.
I bought a $4000 road bike a couple of years ago, and a few months after that I upgraded the wheels to a set that cost around $2000. It was absolutely worth the money. I ride thousands of miles a year and exercise is very important to me. Also, I could afford it. I rode a cheap road bike for around eight years (and got stronger on it) before I upgraded. If I only biked occasionally it would’ve been stupid to buy.
I also rarely spend money on luxury items, don’t care about sports so I don’t spend money on big sporting events and don’t care about expensive clothes (except for cycling shorts, bibs and jerseys) and shoes. Don’t drink anymore, so I don’t buy expensive (or any) alcohol. I do spend money on things that I need and enjoy.
I have a set of knives my grandmother gave me about 25yrs ago. She bought them in the 70’s. They’re Cutco brand. I never realized just how good these knives are.. I always thought they were junk because they used door to door salesmen to sell them back then.
They’re still sharp AF. And I actually had one replaced and they honored a lifetime warranty even though they’re 50yrs old.
Have no clue how much these are to buy new but I’m very impressed by them.
I try to do this, too. I take a long time to decide what I want, see when it typically goes on sale and then pounce. Just got an amazing set of pots for the same price as the previous cheap set we purchased.
I can't get excited about them. Old girlfriend took my good knives that were a gift, so I went out and replaced them with the $10-$20 shit at IKEA. I have to sharpen them more is all. I have a sharpener, and don't mind using it on those. Sort of like a Ferrari, people with the expensive knives have to spend to maintain them too. You don't take them to the Ace Hardware to get sharpened.
My parents still are constantly trying to spend as little as possible on everything. They’ll spend $10 in gas to drive to a station that’s $0.03 less, saving a whopping $0.30. Buy the cheapest tires, food, clothing, etc.
Now I’m all for use economic choices. But I learned a long time ago that a $20 tool is a better buy than a $2 tool you have to buy ten times or more.
That’s said, I don’t skimp on food ingredients, buy fresh or frozen, no cans. I don’t skimp on anything that separates me from the ground: mattress, tires, socks, shoes, rugs, furniture… and I don’t skimp on tools and that includes kitchen tools and appliances.
See also: [Sam Vimes’ boots theory of economic unfairness](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_theory#:~:text=The%20Sam%20Vimes%20%22Boots%22%20theory,run%20than%20more%20expensive%20items)
Cookware/cutlery are good things to splurge on. Just last night I returned some pans to Costco that simply did not live up to their "non-stick" claims. The pan manufacturer obviously had never had a teenage son attempt to heat up quesadillas resulting in burnt cheese.
Camping gear. Got so tired of a cheap piece of equipment failing (or simply being shitty) in the middle of nowhere with no replacement on hand.
REI is expensive, but everything they sell is guaranteed for life. And higher-quality gear is often lighter, too.
Dude you should see my ballpoint pen collection. Buy once cry once is my philosophy for consumer durables. And if you're feeding a clan you need decent stuff!
I know the feeling! I started with good German and Swiss knives but now moved up to the amazing Yu Kurosaki Fujin SPG2 blades that I bought. Be careful, it’s a rabbit hole with kitchen knives!
Our pretty decent non stick pots and pans started showing delamination. Rather than spend $300 on a good new set we went with "lifetime" stainless set at $700. Well my wife went with it and begrudgingly pulled me along. But after looking at the options and quality I agreed.
I remember when my MIL bought us a $500 Oreck vacuum a couple decades ago I thought that was crazy. Well 25 years later and that thing is still running strong. We had gone though cheap $100 models every couple years. So bad the one previous we bought at a discount rebuilt from a shop.
When you look at the $/yr it is usually a better deal, plus add the better quality/performance to boot. It is just when you are younger you need everything so have to get the cheaper models. It costs $s being poor.
My job involves standing up for 8 to 12 hours a night so i try to buy quality shoes because u need to protect my feet. In my twenties and thirties i would never think of spending anything over $35 for a good pair of running shoes but even counting for inflation the price doesn't compare to the $175 pair i treated myself to last Christmas.
If you’re cooking that often, good stuff like knives, cookware, etc. are worth it.
Reminds me of a friend who bought a Green Egg. He already grills most of his dinners, and now he can smoke meats. All for $1k.
I worked in a butcher shop for awhile. I don’t do shit knives, however, investing in proper sharpening tools is just as important as the knives themselves. The steel honer that comes with knife sets is insufficient. There are a couple of different method, but buying a “worksharp” is one of the more practical options for many people. Have a pair of ceramic sticks is also very practical.
You don’t have to spend a bunch of money on German brands, either. I’ve picked up vintage knives off eBay that are carbon steel -used to be the standard.
I've been putting up with this crappy chair for my wfh job. My lower back with all it's disc issues has been screaming at me. I can't even stand up straight anymore. I just dropped $700 on a Steelcase chair that CNN rated very high. Hopefully it lives it up to my expectations. I cannot wait until it gets here.
This is the way. My partner & I have been living this way for years. We lived in Europe for years & had access to gourmet cooking stores & equipment. We have a restaurant style kitchen & use it. We rarely eat out as his cooking is phenomenal & costs 1/3 the price.
https://preview.redd.it/jcu3m8hxbwuc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e7df8d06a4c37e761ea5b6c7d438bcd192a679fc
Yes!! I did spend an obsessive amount of time on research and deal hunting. Lol I view having good tools in the kitchen just as important as my husband having good tools in the garage.
The older I get, the more persnickety I get. *”This can opener is a piece of shit!!”* (fling!)
The truth is, the right tool makes all the difference in the world. I grew up in a situation where everything was makeshift or somehow rigged and we made do with a bunch of junk. As an adult, when I had my own money to spend as I see fit, I spend on good things, and the things I need to get a job done. Those halfway solutions just don't cut it.
Buy cheap the first time. Buy for a lifetime the second time.
I use this with tools. My Ryobi toolset has not died in a decade+. No need to upgrade (they are good enough for me).
Knives.. completely different story. I was gifted Ginsu knives after college. They were shit. I have owned a basic Wusthoff set for 30 years.
I totally get this! I splurged on a series of Japanese Shun knives and they are the best! I really started cooking during the pandemic and while I don’t quite as much, I still cook a lot and quite frankly I deserve good knives that will actually work and not worry about slipping and slicing me. Oh, and I’ve invested in a good knife sharpener as well. Highly recommend!
Should have bought Ginsu knives off a late night TV ad program. If you act now, we will throw in this 2nd pair absolutely free, just pay shipping and handling.
Also have good knives. Make sure you have a good knife sharpener and keep the shitty Target ones in a drawer, because your kids are going to cut cardboard with them.
I keep stuff forever. When it dies...and I mean *really* dies, I usually do not skimp on the replacement. This is the best way, IMO. Less waste and buying stuff that both lasts longer and works well is worth every penny.
Many years ago I hit this point. My mother always had the cheapest, shittiest knives going. She spent so much time prepping that I never understood why she tolerated crap quality. As soon as I was the primary cook in my own house I sprung for entry level Wusthof's. Have since upgraded to mid-range in the same brand and have never looked back.
I had a lot of "points" from a "flying miles" collecting place. I looked at their catalogue and saw a limited edition Wüsthof, speciality wood handle. I had enough points to get it (retail price, over $300), so I ordered it. It has been going strong for almost a year and a half. It needs sharpening now, and my husband is going to do it. It has been babied; kept in its box, and cleaned right away after every use. I have had a few kitchen knives (😳 including a "W¡lkinson sword"), but *none* have ever been this great.
I almost regret buying a Wüsthof knife .. that's an expensive rabbithole I never knew I needed. I replaced our breadknife with a nice one last year just so they matched, and I'm still surprised at it. Like upgrading from a saw to a lightsaber.
Until you cut the tip of your finger off with that new serrated knife. ... don't ask me how I know.
That's some hefty knowledge you gained.
LOL. Auto-generated reddit name. I would never have named myself that. But I ain't gonna change it, neither.
What’s the upgraded bread knife you got? We make bread at home so slice it at home too and I kind of hate our bread knife.
Don't go overboard on a bread knife - save that for the other knives. A [Victorinox from Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-5-2933-26-Konditors%C3%A4ge-Fibrox/dp/B000IAZCAK) is a game-changer.
I use a cheap electric knife for bread. Wusthof for everything else, though!
Honestly, I rent, a broken stone would have been an improvement over what was in the drawer. But we went for the Wuisthof paring knife, cleaver, and santoku knives - so the breadknife was the last one left where I was regularly using the landlord's crap. And I'm a sucker for a matching set. I totally agree it's not worth prioritising unless you're big into brots. But if every other knife you have is from the same range, it's worth a few quid to complete the set.
[One of these](https://www.wusthof.com/products/wusthof-classic-5-serrated-utility-knife-1040101614?variant=Z2lkOi8vc2hvcGlmeS9Qcm9kdWN0VmFyaWFudC80MjU2NzgyOTE5Mjg1NQ==) and [one of these](https://www.wusthof.com/products/classic-10-inch-bread-knife?variant=Z2lkOi8vc2hvcGlmeS9Qcm9kdWN0VmFyaWFudC80MjYzNjg4NTg4NTA3OQ==&queryID=undefined) is all the bread knifes I’ve needed…but looking today they have a double serrated knife now…. 😬
That’s the same one I have and I agree. But when I really want to kill some bread good, I use my Shun classic serrated utiliity knife.
u/KC_experience's second link, [this](https://www.wusthof.com/products/classic-10-inch-bread-knife?variant=Z2lkOi8vc2hvcGlmeS9Qcm9kdWN0VmFyaWFudC80MjYzNjg4NTg4NTA3OQ==&queryID=undefined). Now to set expectations appropriately, I'm still renting so what we replaced was the landlord's junk. But this is the only breadknife I've ever had where I fear for my fingers. (That said, it has not drawn blood. Wusthof's Santoku knife had/has already recalibrated how much I can mix drinking and cooking.)
Yeah, it's unexpected. Those cheap serrsted ones tear the hell out of bread, especially something flaky like a croissant or pastry. You end up with a pile of crumbs and something that looks like hell.
I bought my first Wusthof in 2015 and it is still one of my fav knives.
Mine are still going since the 90s but it's time to replace them. I've sharpened them to the point where the blade edge is now at the dimples and the grips have cracked and have pieces missing. Never skimp on a good quality knife. The cost in the long run is well worth it.
Wustof knives are guaranteed for life. Contact the company and they’ll replace it free.
I saw that someone else posted that. I am going to do just that, thanks!
Wusthof changed my life. I make all of our home meals with it and it's like a second appendage. I love this knife. We did a one year walkabout around the US and I missed the knife so hard.
I've read in various books that Chefs pack their own knives with them, and thought it was just a running joke among authors. **Then,** I got the Wüsthof. ✨️🔪✨️ The first time I used it, I'm pretty sure I’d heard Angels sing. (Ah-hah-ah-ah-ah) If my house ever catches fire, the Wüsthof is going with me! My husband always requests to use it when doing meal prep.
In your experience, what’s the difference between entry- and mid-level? I’m still on the baby Wusthof’s and they work fine, though sometimes the middle of onions on the vertical chop is tough, and when bigger veg stick to the flat blade. But those are first-world problems. Is it worth it to upgrade?
German knives use soft-ish steel and are relatively heavy. You’d notice a bigger difference going from an entry level German set to mid level Japanese. German knives are more durable if you are hacking into whole chickens and doing more butcher-level work but the cuts most people are dealing with in the kitchen, having a lighter sharper blade more resistant to dulling that you get from a Japanese knife will make a bigger difference.
Keep in mind that the lighter, sharper knives are not as "stainless" as the German steel, so you need to be more careful with them if you want to avoid them staining.
My personal opinion is the Classic series is all I need. It’s a style I learned to use at work as a cook when I was younger and it felt natural to me when I started to use them. After 20+ years, they’ve held up well and as long as you’re honing them when you use them, hand wash them, **keep them out of the dishwasher**, they’ll last a long long time.
I started as a kid with Wusthog Gourmet and they are just stamped blades, nothing special, basically paying for the name. I stepped up to the Classic line and they are forged blades and have a genuine bolster. Definitely worth the upgrade.
I came home from Japan with knives. Tonight I cut potatoes with my most beautiful one, for the first time. It was a remarkably different experience. Like lots of oohs and aahs. Totally worth it!
With the current exchange rate, the whole country of Japan is like 50% off for Americans. Bring an extra suitcase and pack up on clothes, electronics, whisky and knives.
Hell, I do this in Canada at the duty free. Usually 10-25% cheaper... But Japanese knives are the bomb!
We only get to do that once or twice in a lifetime with the US. The last time our dollar was worth more than theirs was around 2011. We used the crap out of our US mailing address in upstate NY to order cheap goods with free shipping. Now we're back to the norm of having to pay about 1/3 more for everything...
It is an amazing time for US folks to travel to Japan. Shockingly inexpensive for everything.
💯 worth it
What brands are good?
I'm definitely at a point where I'll buy fewer things, but higher quality. What's annoying is that I feel like I'm mostly buying the same quality stuff that used to be normal. Tools, in particular. I don't buy the highest end stuff on the planet, but I buy good stuff. I have a set of Milwaukee M12 for cordless tools - I bought my first one in 2009 and the battery still works, as does every other battery and M12 tool. I like Adam Savage's approach. If you know you're going to use it, get something good. If you're not sure, get something inexpensive, then get the best one you can afford if it turns out you use it a lot. One other area I spend on: Personal comfort. Get a great mattress and pillow. Get a great chair if you are at your desk a lot. Get comfortable shoes.
I think a deception that has been pulled on us is just how bad inflation has been over the last 40 years. To your point, I feel like you have to spend a lot just to get something that used to be middle of the road. The greatest of something, if it even exists anymore, is unobtainable because it is so expensive.
You're absolutely right. It wasn't just corporate greed, one way western companies kept prices down in terms of dollars was to move the labor to the cheapest possible markets. People got mad that they never saw a discount, but the result was prices seemed to stay a lot more stable than they were. And it worked for years.
Adam Savage’s approach sounds like what I’ve always called the Harbor Freight Rule. If you’re not sure how much you’ll use a tool, buy the cheap stuff at HF. If it breaks, you know you need to upgrade. Although I have some tools I’ve bought at Harbor Freight and put through hell that are still holding up fantastically.
I recently discovered Harbor Freight. What an oddly magnificent place.
I do the same with Harbor Freight. But, I do have a second HF rule. If it can kill me, I am not buying it from HF - things like jack stands or hoists come to mind.
This Get the right tool for the job, buy the best you can afford, a known brand so that spare parts are available. After years of crap strimmers, I bought a Stiga . It's the 'Ronseal' thing - it does what it says on the tin, means it's fit for purpose, all day, every day. I bought a new mattress last year and bought the matching pillows, at a( £120+ each!) But it and they are giving me the most comfortable sleep ever. Bike too, dog food, cooking pans, earphones, shoes.. Edit...( in my head I've now got Renton's monologue at the beginning of Trainspotting!)
It's what I told my kids about harbor freight tools. You start there, and upgrade to better in stuff you use enough.
>Get a great mattress and pillow. Get a great chair if you are at your desk a lot. Get comfortable shoes. The "anything separating you from the ground" rule. Add tires to this list and you're golden.
Yep. Finally bought a nice couch because my kids are old enough to respect my home. No more couches that hide booger stains and footprints for me. This couch has style. Lol
Growing up we always had the most god-awful hand me down couches. Never again.
When my friend and I moved in to our first place together, we found a couch just outside the garbage room in our building. It passed the look and smell test so we dragged it upstairs. When we finally moved out, we just left it there. It was a good couch, but we were too lazy to move it.
Been there!!!!
I think about this a lot. I cook for our family of 4 multiple times a day/week. Our kitchen is a *working kitchen*. I have a few smaller skillets in steel, a big cast iron pan and a couple enameled iron pots. Knives are all sharpened by me a couple times a year. This stuff gets used basically every single day. I cannot work with shitty kitchen gear, because it’s actual *work*. Not doing all that with crappy tools!
Yes. I hit my breaking point with mismatched sheets and pillowcases so I broke down and spent a fortune on four brand new identical sets. Nothing on my bed will ever be mismatched again.
I did this with dishes and towels, once I had some extra $$. When I first moved out, I had mismatched everything. I hated it. Bought nice towels, and a set of Fiestaware dishes. Which I just recently replaced because I wanted something new, not because they were chipped, etc. hahaha
One of the best things I ever did was buy a nice (but inexpensive) Victorinox chef's knife. It's almost 20 years old now!
Those are actually some of the best on the market
>The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. ... A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. ... But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and *would still have wet feet*.[^(\[4\])](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_theory#cite_note-4) [The Sam Vimes "Boots" theory of socioeconomic unfairness,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_theory)
I buy my knives at restaurant supply stores dirt cheap. I invested in a $85 sharpening system. Good enough for the working pros, good enough for me.
Just curious, what came with the sharpening system? I always just use whetstones of different coarseness, a stropping belt, and a honing steel.
A local knife shop offers sharpening lessons so I signed up for one. Bought a set of stones and a strop that day. Best decision I ever made was to learn how to use those.
Not sure what system they’re referring to, but check out the Precision Adjust products from Work Sharp. I love mine
This is the answer.
Worksharp Sharpening system from Amazon. Nine levels of abrasion, including a leather strop. I have pretty bad eye-hand coordination, and this thing is easy to use.
Yeah 👍 just spent 450 on a Vitamix blender.
YES! I’ve had my Vitamix for over 10 years and I got a refurbished one, and it’s still going strong. I use it constantly. Any other blender would have crapped out 6 years ago at this level of use.
If you use something often enough, then “buy once, cry once.”
I finally bought a real sound system and I love it.
While not high end and only 5.1, I bought a Sony Muteki sound system in 2006. It still thumps today. It was 2.5k back then but I've got every cent out of it in quality. Looking forward to the 7.1 Sony Muteki. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
Yep. I’m slowly getting nice things Investing in good quality pots and pans has made me enjoy cooking more. ( I always have lived cooking but always used shit to cook with). I have one good knife and to be honest between that and a cleaver it’s all I use).
I've done this with knives, pots, pans, shoes, etc. I'm just done with junky shit.
I’m this way about most things, now. I’m tired of junk made to end up in a landfill. I try to buy only good quality. I’m single and live in a small place, so I don’t need that much.
Yep. When I bought my house (that is, took out a mortgage on a place I thought was nice) I spent some of the excess on decent knives and pots/pans. I still use them pretty much daily. The knives at least. I got mine from a store well known for it's many many 50-85% off sales every 2nd month, so paid a fair price for an otherwise vastly overpriced set of knives and saucepans, but they've been well worth what I paid, with care and sharpening (of the knives, not the saucepans). Interestingly - about a year or so ago I spent $12 on a Kmart cast iron frypan and after seasoning it's pretty much the only frypan I now use - it's amazing! Non-stick, even heat distribution and so easy to clean with cold water!!
Lol, on our 1st anniversary my wife's aunt sent us a block of Walmart knives (she didn't want to waste money on a wedding present for a doomed marriage, I was 29 she was 18, statistics were not on our side). I was stuck using those spite knives for 20 years (I sent them with my daughter when she moved out). It's funny because usually I'd be the spiteful one in almost any other situation but ooof, her aunts judgy bs set her OFF. Edit to clarify...I was 19, not 29. I have fat fingers, I'm not a creep lol
I’ve been getting the best chef’s knife I could afford at various stages in life. Makes life so much easier.
I’m a chef so I’m guilty as fuck for dropping $1000’s on kitchenware. The wife still doesn’t understand, but quality counts. Edit: I’m not a sales rep or anything, but I just wanted to say, le crusset is expensive. But will last forever! Shun knives are pricey, but not as bad as professional Japanese chef knives, and boos chopping boards are (yees,heavy) the best I’ve ever used. If you cook daily at home, money well spent.
Le Creuset pans are a game changer. They are also generational pieces for those with people who can inherit stuff from them. My daughters will definitely be getting some from us.
But have you tried the Ginsu knife? It can cut through a tin can!
It makes julienned fries! Whatever the fuck those are.
I'm so close to pulling the trigger on $350 worth of coffeemaker.
I’m right behind you with full-throated support. I have $350 worth of several different machines but none of them is The One Coffeemaker.
We did it. We basically used our less expensive coffee maker to death before that ....not that everyone is home so much we use it * a lot * and it was well worth it. Grinder is a part of it it does all the measuring.
Nice!!! What brand of you don't mind?
Lower end, wustuf… higher end, shun. Unless you’re a professional chef, you will only need 3 knives. Pairing (small) utility (medium) chefs knife (large) Shop around, you can usually find some really good deals!
Funny enough Dick is a brand of chefs knives are they are amazing. Do move up from the lowest level to middle or higher though as it makes a huge difference. The lower end ones aren’t that different for me than the cheaper alternative crap
I love my 8" Dick! Feels so good in my hand and easy to use. Even my wife loves to handle it!
I’ve said all of these jokes many times :D
In all seriousness, I've never heard of that brand. I'm in the market for a new chef's knife and I'm going to have to check it out. Thanks!
lol. My wife’s friend is a chef and that was what she used. When I needed new knives I said ‘good enough for her good enough for me’ and I love them even more than my former Wustoff ones
A "huge" difference you say? 😂 Honestly, thanks!
I have one chef knife that I paid about $400 for back in 2012, and it has been worth every penny.
Absolutely, You don't save any money buying cheep crap. Expensive also doesn't necessarily = quality either. That said If this guy is to be believed you don't need fancy knives you just need them sharpened correctly. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pagPuiuA9cY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pagPuiuA9cY)
Yeah, there are some things that just need to be really good: Waterproof boots, chef’s knife, leather wallet, watch, meat thermometer.
I do a ton of cooking as well so I invested in some Le Creuset cookware. Dutch oven is just the best. I also have a cast iron skillet, a grill pan, lasagna pan, square baking dish and a loaf pan. I get a new piece every year with my Amex points. Worth every penny.
I use my Dutch oven at least once a week and the skillet even more often
We’re definitely in that same boat. Buy less, buy quality. I have good knives, but I really have to learn how to sharpen them and take care of them! A few years back, we bought Demeyere pots and pans. You have to learn how to cook with them up front, but “investment quality” kinda. We bought a Miele vacuum cleaner when our Philips died, and we replaced our coffee machine with a Jura. Expensive? Yes. But for things you use basically every day, why make yourself suffer and constantly replace things? My folks buy drip coffee makers from WalMart…..at least once a year. In the long run, more expensive.
Coffee pots. We drink an obscene amount of coffee. When we first got married and money was especially tight, we went through 3 coffee pots in as many years because we could only afford to get cheap-ass ones and our water has a high mineral content. If I recall the order of events correctly, the last one crapped out around income tax refund time so we decided the hell with cheap crap and we got a Bunn. Like you say with your knives, it's not top of the top, but it's a quality brand and they make good products. After going through 3 cheap pots in 3 years, we're now still only on our 3rd Bunn after just over 20 years
I’m a chef so I completely get it, although you don’t really need to drop that much on good knives. A Mercer knife will cost you in the range of $25-40 if you live near a restaurant supply store, or you can always buy them online. If you can learn to work a whetstone they’re a good buy. That being said, I have individual knives in my kit that cost as much as $350, because I’m a bit of a gear nerd and I use them for work. If I’m visiting people and they expect me to cook, I usually bring my knife roll along because I don’t want to have to use their Farberware shit and risk losing a finger.
I bought a set of Cutco knives almost 30 years ago. They still look and cut like the day I got them. Lifetime warranty and they’ll even sharpen them for you for free. They are not cheap but worth every penny.
All the time. I’ve learned to appreciate “buy right, buy once”. That doesn’t mean I always buy the expensive thing, I just find myself doing way more research for most purchases like this. Incidentally, Rada Knives are pretty good. They aren’t really expensive so they can easily be replaced but I’ve had mine for 15 years and have never replaced, just added.
I rage purchased a laser printer after getting sick of my little ink jet that just couldn’t handle what I needed it to do. Simple tasks like scanning a document meant frequent communication errors and sucking too many pages into the feeder forcing me to start over. It went through ink like crazy. I couldn’t take it anymore so I bought a $400 laser printer and couldn’t be happier. I also have a set of good knives. No one touches them but me and my son who can cook and knows how to take care of them. It’s like day and night when you have a good knife.
r/bifl is always a fun read. Was in Japan in September with a group and at least 4 of them spent on average about $500 each getting a single Chefs knife or similar. We got a top line set of Henkel just before going or I might have don’t the same. Since you eat in so often, quality gear is worth every penny. Just like good chopping boards (Boos all the way) and cookery. You are not the asshole, oops sorry wrong sub. 😄
with knives for sure. i am a Bench Made man myself. other tools as well. i refuse to buy any made in china.
Good for you! Learn how to sharpen them or find a good place to do it. Knives always dull with use, and sounds like you likely put yours to good use :)
Cooking stuff is essential and if you invest in a good set of anything it will last you for years or in some cases forever ❤ I got some lovely Calphalon knives in 2008 that still work like magic today, and when my Teflon coated Lagostina cookware (bought the same time) started to ware out I got new Paderno pots and pans back in 2018. This year for Xmas I got a new $200 pepper mill- it's apparently the same one Gordon Ramsey uses. https://hexclad.ca/products/hexmill-salt-and-pepper-grinder-set?variant=46834526257438¤cy=CAD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&nbt=nb%3Aadwords%3Ax%3A20719552693%3A%3A&nb_adtype=pla&nb_kwd=&nb_ti=&nb_mi=5294651577&nb_pc=online&nb_pi=shopify_CA_8683574427934_46834526257438&nb_ppi=&nb_placement=&nb_li_ms=&nb_lp_ms=&nb_fii=&nb_ap=&nb_mt=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoPOwBhAeEiwAJuXRhwoHv1MEHEoN-zrziGoGa7EI-5g3e4f_LQJfIGqggk4Io3o90csCYxoCKUwQAvD_BwE Phenomenal piece of kitchen equipment!! You can adjust the coarsness with a single click of the bottom thingy and each turn gives you a lot of grind for your wind so to speak 😅 If you like fresh pepper i highly recommend ❤ I'm not super picky about most things; but kitchen stuff is an investment that's worth making for sure imo 🥰
fewer nicer things is a lesson that took me too long to learn. :(
Yes. With knives. Still, make sure to steel them before and after every use. That’s the key to keeping the edge. That rod isn’t a sharpener, it realigns the edge which bends microscopically. Steeling them frequently keeps the blade microscopically straight so they don’t become dull. My chef’s knife (German steel) gets steeled before and after every use. I bought it in 2014. It has yet to see a stone. I learned the hard way with another expensive knife I didn’t steel regularly.
And you can feel it on the steel as it does the job once you’ve used it a lot
Clothes for me. I can’t stand the shit that comes out of Walmart/target/whatever. I can’t stand the nylon/rayon/polyester. I’m investing in a real wardrobe of wool and linen and silk. Even cotton is slowly leaving. It’s soooo bad. For a real eye-opener on textiles, read the book “Worn: a People’s History of Clothing.”
The funny thing is this is actually a way rich people stay rich. It's far cheaper, in the long run, to purchase a single high quality item that lasts a long time, than to purchase much cheaper ones that don't last nearly as long. It's become an actual economic indicator (with the OK of the Pratchett estate) --- the Vimes Boots Principle. From Discworld, a rich man can afford to buy a $200 pair of boots that last 10 years. A poor man can only afford $40 boots that last a year.
Back 20 years ago my then wife started me with a hollow ground slicer, meat fork, and steel from [Wüstohf.](https://www.wusthof.com/) It was the best gift she ever gave me. Since then every sox months or so I’d pick up another essential piece that I’d use, then getting down to the ‘nice to have’ pieces. For anyone that cooks a lot, a good set of cutlery is essential. I learned that working as a cook in high school and junior college. My boomer father passed along nuggets of truth in life. One was “buy the best and cry once”. While I won’t claim Wüsthof is the best, it’s higher quality than the restaurant grade knives I used to make thousands of meals for the public. They’re good enough for me.
Wüsthof might be the best, fr. My bf has been a cook, and then a chef, for 25 years. I bought him a chef knife last year for Christmas, and he still comments on its quality. I use it occasionally, and I swear it cuts everything like it's butter.
Be careful!!! And instruct everyone in your family to be very careful. Going from shitty old dull knives to sharp new ones is an adjustment! I put myself in the emergency room cutting kale after deciding I need sharp knives. Be very aware whenever you use them.
I absolutely agree that its okay to spend money on quality stuff. When I was in college I started selling Cutco knives. I ended up buying a nice set for myself. After college I ran a small restaurant for a couple of years and I used my personal knives everyday at work. Cutco has a forever warranty and I have sent my french chefs knife in twice to be resharpened. I've owned it for 30 years now and it's just as sharp as the day I got it. I also found a serrated Cutco knife like you would slice tomatoes with at a yard sale. It has to be 50 years old. I sent it back and they refinished the handle and sharpened and polished the blade for me. It should last another 50 years if it's taken care of. I also collect pocket knives and I don't mind paying for a quality piece.
I have a set of cutco that are 50yrs old. They’re incredible knives.
Sheets. Sheets. I will not buy cheap Sheets that get all fuzzy or are paper thin or just feel rough or weird that you can see through like cheesecloth. I will lay some nlmoney down. My latest acquisition are two sets of quality satin sheets.
I went all-in on sheets a while back. I was traveling for work quite a bit and staying in some nicer (not totally posh, but nicer) hotels and realized that my favorite part was the sheets. We're rocking bamboo now - they are great for hot summer weather.
I grew up poor. One year they brought the charity thanksgiving basket to us. In 2022, my modest house burned down. I just spent 9.5k for closet systems in the new, rebuilt house. I have already proved I can be poor.
Kudos for ‘do it yourselfers’; I am trying to be.
Teach the kids how to use them or give them crap to use. Am I dick for saying that? $600. No.
My knives are the most expensive thing I own, literally
Since I started cooking a couple years ago I have bought many knives, including a Japanese chef's knife. Also a GIANT cutting board that I love to death, a new Dutch Oven, etc. I'm assuming you dropped the coin on a set of Wusthof?
I spent close to $1200 on my last knife set. Our kids literally toss them in the trash accidentally. I’m still missing one knife from the block and I am PISSED.
Yes I searched for a long time about 15-20 years ago for pots and pans. I wanted the stainless steel, copper-bottom, with nonmetal handles. Took some time but love my pots and pans. Those nonstick ones we bought and after 6 months to a year were no longer nonstick and would crap out. I also got an iron skillet. No need for anything else. I don’t care about scratching the pan and scrubbing isn’t a big deal. (I boil off the stuck on stuff.) Never looked back.
I'm just about to buy a couple new good knives. What did you buy? I was over at my mom's place the other day and her knives were so sharp and I realized how much easier it was to cook with them. All of my knives are dull and it's really unsafe, actually.
Cheap knives can still be made sharp. They just don’t tend to hold their edge as long. Just get a Chef Choice electric knife sharpener and never worry about dull knives. You need a good sharpener no matter how cheap or pricey your blades are.
Victorinox or Dexter.
German knives are heavy, clunky soft metal things. Good for attacking whole-animal carci, but I find Japanese knives better for final prep work. I just came back home from Osaka few months ago with a $300 gyuto.
Got this with cordless vacuums , would buy them , only to get frustrated with clogging up, hard to open filter cartridges and lack of battery life and over all performance . Bought a very expensive Dyson and my life has changed for the better.
I see I'm too late to recommend Victorinox kitchen knives.
I’ve always been of the mind set that I don’t throw good money after bad …so I buy the best at the beginning. I’ve had expensive knives and all things kitchen related since my 20s. I’m a culinary snob though. And a fashion snob. And a sports equipment snob. My children are the same …I blame me:))
Money spent on good quality knives are value for money on time spent in the kitchen.
Just going to leave the idea of Anthony Bourdains “Kitchen Confidential“ to tgose going down the “good knife” rabbit hole.
When I was a young go getter, I bought the best I could of whatever I cared about (I grew up wealth-adjacent so I had a good idea of what was good). My SO just got the cheapest crap and was constantly replacing stuff. Now, even the brands that used to be reliable are pretty crappy and I can't find a coffee maker that will hold up.
Good knives help everything, even mental health.
I agree with you 100%. I’m in the process of getting rid of the garbage my ex bought that sucks. Also see if you have a restaurant store in your area you will find some good quality cooking items that will last. Also check out But it For Life. https://www.reddit.com/r/BuyItForLife/s/TZcAprfnxV
I spent probably just over that on three kitchen knives. I own a couple dozen Le Creuset cookware pieces that cost probably over $3000 in total. I built custom cookware shelving for my Le Creuset cookware in my kitchen. I've endured countless people coming into my home criticizing me for spending money on my cookware, insisting "it's no better" than their Lodge or Cuisinart cookware. I say nothing as they shut up after eating my food or as they begin gifting high end cookware to their spouses. I lie by saying nice things about their food when I eat at their homes regardless of how horrible it is. One of my wife's friends always prepares this casserole when we visit because she thinks I like it. It's a full sized block of Velveeta melted on overcooked rice with overcooked shrimp and the entire package of salt. All the salt. So much salt that it alters the already vile texture of the Velveeta "cheese". She looks so proud when people eat it. Her husband has confided in me that the reason he lost the weight after they got married is because he couldn't eat her food. He was close to 300 lbs and now is a relatively paltry 150. I got this way because I got tired of junk, of replacing cookware every two years because of it failing. I got tired of bad cookware unevenly heating. I got tired of garbage overpriced kitchen knives in a quantity and variety of form that I simply had no use for.
I can’t handle microwaved anything anymore. People walk into my kitchen and short circuit, “wait, where is your microwave?” Answer:I don’t have one. Response: their brain melts.
Have open concept space. Was tired of hearing the loud dishwasher while watching tv. Got one of the high end Miele ones. OMG... we can't hear it. We even open it sometimes to put more dishes in not realizing that it's currently running. It is fantastic.
They are tools. Always buy high quality tools, that way you buy them once, instead of replacing them all the time.
Proper knife selection and use is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. Like many of ya’ll my folks put up with a dismal selection of never-sharpened cheap knives they probably got as a wedding present. I hate seeing people use the WRONG knife (like using a bread knife to cut a tomato), or using it in the wrong way (cutting directly on a plate, marble countertop or god forbid a marble cutting board….wtf?). Just remember that 90% of having a pleasant knife-skills experience is knowing when/how to sharpen them. I can’t abide a dull knife and even the cheapest knives can receive a decent edge (even if that cheap/thin steel won’t hold it for long). Learn how to sharping your knives! It’s an overlooked skill. Don’t use powered sharpeners…these eat away more of your knife than they need to. If you’re not into hand-stoning your knives I personally like the [Warthog “Vsharp”](https://warthogusa.com/) knife sharpener for a quick and easy edge. A couple swipes of that and it’ll be ready for anything. Know those white-handled, restaurant-grade NSF knives? Those are actually fairly decent steel that will hold an edge a lot longer than those Wal-Mart cheap knives for about the same price. Hit Amazon or a restaurant supply store and grab a few of them. Finally, never ever use/buy serrated knives that aren’t meant to be serrated…they tear at your food rather than slice efficiently. The only knife in your kitchen that should be serrated is a bread knife and possibly some of your table knives meant for steak (provided they are good quality steak knives…its just easier to keep a few of these around that don’t require as much sharpening and don’t get dulled as quickly by contacting hard ceramic plates).
A chef relative buys everyone a really good quality knife set for wedding presents. I’ve had mine 30 years and sharpen them myself most of the time but get them professionally sharpened once a year. You won’t regret the purchase but PLEASE be careful!! When other knives bounce off your nail, good knives are cutting right through! Ouch
Yes, along with All Clad copper core skillets and pots and Le Creuset cast iron casserole (outlet store for both is awesome). But once , but right.
I don't buy cheap shit anymore. Only buy quality. Fountain pens over cheap ballpoints and cast iron pans. My kitchen knives? My hunting knives.
Yup. I got a great knife (to me) and then named it and dared the family to mistreat it. No one fucks with my Fernando.
I’ve had a set of Wusthofs I asked my parents for (Xmas) in college for…. 28 years now? Ish? Buy once, cry once.
I’d rather spend $200 on a quality product and use it for 20 years than $50 for a similar item at Walmart and have to replace it every year.
There are some things you just shouldn't skimp on, especially when you cook this much. I do the same. Eat at home most nights. I happily spent over 1k on high quality cookware. I'll never need to replace it. We were stoked when someone actually bought us the Wustoff knife block on our wedding registry.
"Top of the top" knives are absolutely not worth the money, btw. The best knives are cheap, carbon steel with full tangs. Both require extra care, hand washing and drying right away, both require regular sharpening maintenance. Only plain, carbon steel knives can be found for a few $/ea. My main 8" chef knife was $10. When I got married, my wife wanted to replace her crappy kitchen tools. I bought everything we need from online restaurant supply sites for less than what she spent on the stainless steel shit walmart sells.
May I recommend restaurant supply stores?
👏🏻👍🏼jealous
The funny thing is when I moved out at 18 (1996) my mom gave me her shitty knives. Those damn knives are the ones that have outlasted all of them I’ve bought over the years. Things are so crappy these days. My mom’s washer and dryer is still going strong since my birth in 78. I’ve replaced mine I think 8 times? Adhd. Expensive knives are amazing. Japanese especially. You only need one.
Mostly camping and outdoor gear. But I was actually looking at fancy, more-spendy-than-Target kitchen knives the other day...
Yep. I bought a top quality cutlery set recently. So tired of mismatched cutlery of random sizes. I took my favourite (mismatched) ‘knife, fork and spoon and shopped until I found the perfect set. I’m now thinking about a dinner set…
I found /r/flashlight and stopped after buying… 5 lights
As I like over at my double Henkels “no…….” Congrats!
I don't think there was a specific point of time, but definitely since we're no longer newlyweds on a tight budget it's allowed us to upgrade to nice items. We started out with a beginner set of Henkel knives (there are different levels) and then about ten years ago we invested in a nice set of shun knives. Wow! They were such a big upgrade... I hate using anything else. My mom had the most crude looking, cheap butcher knife that she used for EVERYTHING, she thinks we are crazy for having a set of knives and she ruins our knives if she uses them, so neither my brother or I let her cook when she visits, lol.
That is a worthy investment, and I don't blame you at all. I have been thinking about doing the same with my pots and pans. I have some cast iron pans and they are fantastic, but my regular cookware, which is supposed to be high quality, Wears down quickly. Thinking about breaking down and getting some pro level pans that will last.
Mine have all been swapped for Victorinox or Dexter. Not top of the line, but good fine grained stainless that take a great edge off of any stone and can be touched up on a coffee cup or bowl. I don't want anything with higher hardness steel than that in the kitchen, esp with the way the rest of the family use em.
im happy with my Victorinox
fuckin a
Good moved are definitely worth it, if you like to cook a lot. Now when we have disposable income, it's something I got pulled into. I spent over 300 on just one knife. Then there's the specialized ones for deboning, cleavers, etc. 🥲
Hell, I have the same knives from when I was in my 20s. I got good knives almost immediately because those cheap ass sets they sell are garbage. A chef's knife, a paring knife at bare minimum. Flexible filet knives are great for trimming meats. A good bread knife is recommended too, but you can get away with a cheapo one. I've inherited a few of my mom's and added others. Good knives will outline you.
knives yes! I also cook a lot, and finally broken down and bought a better cleaver. Amazing! and Mattresses.
I’m not saying I’m bougie, but i did recently buy the most expensive electric can opener ($34.99) at Wal-Mart. And it works like a dream.
Apparently the way capitalism shook out is you can choose between paying an affordable price for a mediocre product or an insane price for an insanely good product. Sometimes it’s worth doing the latter. For xmas I asked for a high-end skillet and was given a $200 Scanpan from Denmark. It is such a pleasure to cook with. The heat distributes so evenly and it is nonstick to the point you almost don’t even need to wash it.
I bought a $4000 road bike a couple of years ago, and a few months after that I upgraded the wheels to a set that cost around $2000. It was absolutely worth the money. I ride thousands of miles a year and exercise is very important to me. Also, I could afford it. I rode a cheap road bike for around eight years (and got stronger on it) before I upgraded. If I only biked occasionally it would’ve been stupid to buy. I also rarely spend money on luxury items, don’t care about sports so I don’t spend money on big sporting events and don’t care about expensive clothes (except for cycling shorts, bibs and jerseys) and shoes. Don’t drink anymore, so I don’t buy expensive (or any) alcohol. I do spend money on things that I need and enjoy.
I have a set of knives my grandmother gave me about 25yrs ago. She bought them in the 70’s. They’re Cutco brand. I never realized just how good these knives are.. I always thought they were junk because they used door to door salesmen to sell them back then. They’re still sharp AF. And I actually had one replaced and they honored a lifetime warranty even though they’re 50yrs old. Have no clue how much these are to buy new but I’m very impressed by them.
Yep. Just bought some nice knives myself, amongst other things. At a point in our lives where we stop giving too much of a fu€k. lol.
I try to do this, too. I take a long time to decide what I want, see when it typically goes on sale and then pounce. Just got an amazing set of pots for the same price as the previous cheap set we purchased.
Knives are like shoes. Spend more, get more.
Just don't let any friends, in laws, parents, siblings or potentially your other half use them.
I can't get excited about them. Old girlfriend took my good knives that were a gift, so I went out and replaced them with the $10-$20 shit at IKEA. I have to sharpen them more is all. I have a sharpener, and don't mind using it on those. Sort of like a Ferrari, people with the expensive knives have to spend to maintain them too. You don't take them to the Ace Hardware to get sharpened.
My parents still are constantly trying to spend as little as possible on everything. They’ll spend $10 in gas to drive to a station that’s $0.03 less, saving a whopping $0.30. Buy the cheapest tires, food, clothing, etc. Now I’m all for use economic choices. But I learned a long time ago that a $20 tool is a better buy than a $2 tool you have to buy ten times or more. That’s said, I don’t skimp on food ingredients, buy fresh or frozen, no cans. I don’t skimp on anything that separates me from the ground: mattress, tires, socks, shoes, rugs, furniture… and I don’t skimp on tools and that includes kitchen tools and appliances. See also: [Sam Vimes’ boots theory of economic unfairness](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_theory#:~:text=The%20Sam%20Vimes%20%22Boots%22%20theory,run%20than%20more%20expensive%20items)
I’m about that about everything now. I’m gradually replacing all my cheap crap.
I’ve never regretted anything that I’ve spent more on but use a lot. I finally bought a yeti cooler. Expensive but gets tons of use.
Cookware/cutlery are good things to splurge on. Just last night I returned some pans to Costco that simply did not live up to their "non-stick" claims. The pan manufacturer obviously had never had a teenage son attempt to heat up quesadillas resulting in burnt cheese.
You can have knives sharpened for like 20
Camping gear. Got so tired of a cheap piece of equipment failing (or simply being shitty) in the middle of nowhere with no replacement on hand. REI is expensive, but everything they sell is guaranteed for life. And higher-quality gear is often lighter, too.
Dude you should see my ballpoint pen collection. Buy once cry once is my philosophy for consumer durables. And if you're feeding a clan you need decent stuff!
The real travesty of our times - privileged humble flexes over stupid things.
I know the feeling! I started with good German and Swiss knives but now moved up to the amazing Yu Kurosaki Fujin SPG2 blades that I bought. Be careful, it’s a rabbit hole with kitchen knives!
Our pretty decent non stick pots and pans started showing delamination. Rather than spend $300 on a good new set we went with "lifetime" stainless set at $700. Well my wife went with it and begrudgingly pulled me along. But after looking at the options and quality I agreed. I remember when my MIL bought us a $500 Oreck vacuum a couple decades ago I thought that was crazy. Well 25 years later and that thing is still running strong. We had gone though cheap $100 models every couple years. So bad the one previous we bought at a discount rebuilt from a shop. When you look at the $/yr it is usually a better deal, plus add the better quality/performance to boot. It is just when you are younger you need everything so have to get the cheaper models. It costs $s being poor.
My job involves standing up for 8 to 12 hours a night so i try to buy quality shoes because u need to protect my feet. In my twenties and thirties i would never think of spending anything over $35 for a good pair of running shoes but even counting for inflation the price doesn't compare to the $175 pair i treated myself to last Christmas.
If you’re cooking that often, good stuff like knives, cookware, etc. are worth it. Reminds me of a friend who bought a Green Egg. He already grills most of his dinners, and now he can smoke meats. All for $1k.
I worked in a butcher shop for awhile. I don’t do shit knives, however, investing in proper sharpening tools is just as important as the knives themselves. The steel honer that comes with knife sets is insufficient. There are a couple of different method, but buying a “worksharp” is one of the more practical options for many people. Have a pair of ceramic sticks is also very practical. You don’t have to spend a bunch of money on German brands, either. I’ve picked up vintage knives off eBay that are carbon steel -used to be the standard.
And here my best knife comes from the grocery store (I use a sharpener when needed).
I've been putting up with this crappy chair for my wfh job. My lower back with all it's disc issues has been screaming at me. I can't even stand up straight anymore. I just dropped $700 on a Steelcase chair that CNN rated very high. Hopefully it lives it up to my expectations. I cannot wait until it gets here.
This is the way. My partner & I have been living this way for years. We lived in Europe for years & had access to gourmet cooking stores & equipment. We have a restaurant style kitchen & use it. We rarely eat out as his cooking is phenomenal & costs 1/3 the price. https://preview.redd.it/jcu3m8hxbwuc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e7df8d06a4c37e761ea5b6c7d438bcd192a679fc
Yes!! I did spend an obsessive amount of time on research and deal hunting. Lol I view having good tools in the kitchen just as important as my husband having good tools in the garage. The older I get, the more persnickety I get. *”This can opener is a piece of shit!!”* (fling!)
The truth is, the right tool makes all the difference in the world. I grew up in a situation where everything was makeshift or somehow rigged and we made do with a bunch of junk. As an adult, when I had my own money to spend as I see fit, I spend on good things, and the things I need to get a job done. Those halfway solutions just don't cut it.
Buy cheap the first time. Buy for a lifetime the second time. I use this with tools. My Ryobi toolset has not died in a decade+. No need to upgrade (they are good enough for me). Knives.. completely different story. I was gifted Ginsu knives after college. They were shit. I have owned a basic Wusthoff set for 30 years.
Buy once, cry once. I think I spent $300 on a set of knives, in 2004, and my wife and I use them at least every other day. Good stuff just lasts.
r/buyitforlife
I totally get this! I splurged on a series of Japanese Shun knives and they are the best! I really started cooking during the pandemic and while I don’t quite as much, I still cook a lot and quite frankly I deserve good knives that will actually work and not worry about slipping and slicing me. Oh, and I’ve invested in a good knife sharpener as well. Highly recommend!
Should have bought Ginsu knives off a late night TV ad program. If you act now, we will throw in this 2nd pair absolutely free, just pay shipping and handling.
Also have good knives. Make sure you have a good knife sharpener and keep the shitty Target ones in a drawer, because your kids are going to cut cardboard with them.
I keep stuff forever. When it dies...and I mean *really* dies, I usually do not skimp on the replacement. This is the best way, IMO. Less waste and buying stuff that both lasts longer and works well is worth every penny.