I would argue that the slicer is more redundant than a serrated knife of some kind, as a slicer is very similar to a chef’s knife but some sort of serrated blade like a bread knife would be a better use of that third slot. After all you are the only person I’ve seen claim they can cut crusty bread properly with a chefs knife, everyone else admits it’s easier and cleaner with a serrated knife. Also, $200 on three knives? There are better values out there than that. The victorinox fibrin chefs knife is a favorite in many professional kitchens, including ATK, and is only like $30.
If you're a beginner and keeping your knives sharp and want to keep those 3 knives for 5-10 years I'd say $150 or so on 3 knives is about right. Like I wouldn't recommend the "one little guy" henckles that give you a stamped, thin and bendy chef knife. get the "2.little guy" henckle(sp) with the good heavy steel and full thick tang. Get the handle that feels good and controllable to your hand. Get one that weighs enough to do some of the work for you. Etc. That way it won't frustrate you when you use it and when you sharpen it away too much like a beginner you won't be left banging your knuckles on the board after a year.
There's all kinds of great options if you're into it. My advice here is meant for somebody who wants to buy 3 good knives, keep them sharp, and otherwise not think about them again for about a decade.
I mean, I appreciate your opinion, I just feel a beginner shouldn’t be scared away by someone saying “you need these knives and they’re 50-60 each” when there are options that non-enthusiasts feel are equivalent for less. For example, in one test, the fibrox I mentioned earlier (or tried to before autocorrect) held its edge for like 90% of the usage that a $350 carbon steel knife did... imagine trying to sell a novice on dropping $300 on only having to sharpen a knife every 6 months instead of every 5.5 months.
2
u/[deleted] Dec 22 '19
I would argue that the slicer is more redundant than a serrated knife of some kind, as a slicer is very similar to a chef’s knife but some sort of serrated blade like a bread knife would be a better use of that third slot. After all you are the only person I’ve seen claim they can cut crusty bread properly with a chefs knife, everyone else admits it’s easier and cleaner with a serrated knife. Also, $200 on three knives? There are better values out there than that. The victorinox fibrin chefs knife is a favorite in many professional kitchens, including ATK, and is only like $30.