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Ronco Knives


Daniel

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I am sitting here watching an infomercial.. Not really watching it, but it caught my eye. And now I am seconds away from ordering the 27 or 22 piece set for three easy installments for 13.33 .. I have real dull knives and they are really crappy to begin with.. The question is, are these knives horrible? Are they worth 40 bucks to last a couple of years. will the last a couple of years?

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Not very well balanced, mediocre steel, And the majority of them are serrated so when they do get dull, you'd be better off just throwing it away. They probably will last a couple of years, but you're not going to be the happiest cook during those years!

Personally, I would take the 40 Bucks and buy a Forschner Chef's and a paring knife. These two will serve most of your needs. IMHO of course.

"Live every moment as if your hair were on fire" Zen Proverb

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The cheapest stamped knives from your local resturant supply house are better that those knives.

Bruce Frigard

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But on the other hand… The Ronco flavor injector is well worth those 3 low monthly payments!

There is something about the way they market the flavor injector… It seems almost, shall I say… obscene?

"Live every moment as if your hair were on fire" Zen Proverb

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But on the other hand… The Ronco flavor injector is well worth those 3 low monthly payments!

There is something about the way they market the flavor injector… It seems almost, shall I say… obscene?

Sex sells, baby. It even sells glorified turkey basters.

Um, ok, I'm stopping there. :wink:

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My favorite knife is a small Cutco I got a dozen years ago when I was feeling sorry for a local starving artsy type. Actually, the best 50 bucks I've spent on a knife, so far! 12 years later, it still cuts like a speedboat through the ocean. Gorgeous, too, and I've never cut myself with it. Not once. ME! :shock:

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But what happens if I need to slice a tomato right after I've been chopping hammers?

...and then cutting a soda can in half!

Something about Ron Popeil's spiel is very hypnotic. Don't do it, Daniel. Restaurant supply stores, Chinatown (or both) would get you better knives.

Karen C.

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But on the other hand… The Ronco flavor injector is well worth those 3 low monthly payments!

There is something about the way they market the flavor injector… It seems almost, shall I say… obscene?

Sex sells, baby. It even sells glorified turkey basters.

Um, ok, I'm stopping there. :wink:

When an artist friend was asked what his art is based on he replied: "all art is inspired by sex and food".

So according to him, your answer is right on topic!

"Live every moment as if your hair were on fire" Zen Proverb

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Personally, I have found that investing in a couple of good knives is the most important decision I have made in relation to my cooking. A good knife can literally last you forever and sharpening is a very learnable skill (most of the time you only need a few passes on the honing steel anyway). I think it would be more worth your time and money to invest in a quality chef's knife (10" recommended unless you have small hands) and a quality paring knife, as well as an honing steel. Buying a block set is not worth it because you almost always wind up with a smaller chef's knife than you really need and you will use the chef's and paring 90% of the time (you can always get one of the magnetic wall racks instead of a block or purchase the block on your own). I would save up, buy Wusthof or Henckels (I personally own Henckels), and use it as often as possible.

"If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony."

~ Fernand Point

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My favorite knife is a small Cutco I got a dozen years ago when I  was feeling sorry for a local starving artsy type. Actually, the best 50 bucks I've spent on a knife, so far! 12 years later, it still cuts like a speedboat through the ocean. Gorgeous, too, and I've never cut myself with it. Not once. ME! :shock:

Couldn't agree more! In my parents' divorce, I got the full set of Cutco, including the drawer trays and the utensils and rack, and I just love them (the parents, too! :laugh: ). 1-2x a year I send off the most-used knives for their free sharpening service, and then have to be veeery careful, as they come back SHARP. And they have a LIFETIME guarantee. Doesn't matter how old they are--if you somehow nick one of them or bend one, they just replace it with a brand new one. Definitely a Cutco girl for life.

I also like my Sabatier chef's knife, which was a present from an ex-bf...not super expensive (certainly under $50)...

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Personally, I have found that investing in a couple of good knives is the most important decision I have made in relation to my cooking.  A good knife can literally last you forever and sharpening is a very learnable skill (most of the time you only need a few passes on the honing steel anyway).  I think it would be more worth your time and money to invest in a quality chef's knife (10" recommended unless you have small hands) and a quality paring knife, as well as an honing steel.  Buying a block set is not worth it because you almost always wind up with a smaller chef's knife than you really need and you will use the chef's and paring 90% of the time (you can always get one of the magnetic wall racks instead of a block or purchase the block on your own).  I would save up, buy Wusthof or Henckels (I personally own Henckels), and use it as often as possible.

Saving up for a quality knife is a great recommendation (I would personally lean toward a PS Tojiro, Hattori, or Masamoto), but Forschner makes a very good knife at a reasonable price. I have a couple in my block that sit right next to their high priced cousins. They easily stand toe to toe with some of the bolstered German knives!

"Live every moment as if your hair were on fire" Zen Proverb

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Forschner definitely makes a good knife. I have used them a couple of times. They are very popular in restaurants because they are good, inexpensive and durable, so they can replace them cheaply if stolen or lost and often they put labels on the handles if they are being used for specific tasks (to help avoid cross-contamination, etc.). My only personal objection is to plastic handles, so I would probably spend the extra $10 on the rosewood, but that is just a personal opinion. I would also have to adjust to the lack of a bolster.

I would love to get a Masamoto, personally, but I am not yet at the point of mentally being able to puchase a $800-$1500 knife (I may get there eventually, though).

"If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony."

~ Fernand Point

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If you ever make it to Japan you can get a bad ass Masamoto for way under US retail. That's what I did, and the knife absolutely owns. But then again, you do have to to get to Japan; a predicament that has both up and downsides.

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I have a soft spot in my block for Mundial... Mundial was my very first Chef's knife. Althought the steel is a bit soft and my handle is delaminating (this is an OLD knife) it has done its tour of duty in quite a few kitchens.

Not a bad knife for the price!

"Live every moment as if your hair were on fire" Zen Proverb

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If you ever make it to Japan you can get a bad ass Masamoto for way under US retail.  That's what I did, and the knife absolutely owns.  But then again, you do have to to get to Japan; a predicament that has both up and downsides.

Don't tempt me. I almost found myself pricing flights to Tokyo.

"If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony."

~ Fernand Point

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I am definately going to look into this a lot better.. Right now, just because I am in desperate need I am buying these guys.. I will definately do some research and get a better set when I am more informed.. I just need something sharp at the very least.. I appreciate all your tips.. And I have now noticed most block sets dont carry a 10 inch chef knife?

Are these worse then the Ronco? :biggrin:

No flavor injector here.. Tho sad, tho rerry sad.. But I am excited to learn how to use the cleaver.. I think this might be my tool of choice..

knives

Tools Of the Trade block set for 35 bucks..

Edited by Daniel (log)
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If you ever make it to Japan you can get a bad ass Masamoto for way under US retail.  That's what I did, and the knife absolutely owns.  But then again, you do have to to get to Japan; a predicament that has both up and downsides.

What is the price difference compared from US to Japan Bryan..

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Here is a forged set for under 40 bucks. You might like the handles on these a bit more than the "ergonomic" steel handles of the Tools of the trade. Quite often, these ergonomic handles don't work out for many people.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001GZO7...itchen&v=glance

"Live every moment as if your hair were on fire" Zen Proverb

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Here is a forged set for under 40 bucks.  You might like the handles on these a bit more than the "ergonomic" steel handles of the Tools of the trade.  Quite often, these ergonomic handles don't work out for many people. 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001GZO7...itchen&v=glance

I would have to agree with Dougery. If you need to buy a set, buy these, then keep your eye out for a nice 10" chef's knife.

"If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony."

~ Fernand Point

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Daniel, I don't understand the urgency...other than to save you from the Ronco TV advert.

You will not use most of the pieces in a set.

You're not going to get a 10" Chef knife in a set.

You're not going to get a usefully long bread knife/slicer in a set.

You can get good quality in a Forschner 10" Chef knife and paring knife (or any old paring knife) for what you want to spend. That will do 95 % of what you will use your knives for. Then add a bread knife slicer (12") for about $20 later. These will last you a long, long time in a household kitchen. And then you can upgrade to something else when you want to.

But save yourself from knife sets.

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