Reddit mentions of Victorinox Swiss Army Cutlery Fibrox Pro Santoku Knife, Granton Edge, 7-Inch

The Victorinox knives are generally considered to be the best "bang for the buck" knives in that price range. The 8 inch is a little more than $30.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000638D32/ref=psdc_289857_t1_B008M5U1C2?sa-no-redirect=1&pldnSite=1

Pretty much anything else in that range will be cheap stamped Chinese garbage. Even if it is called "German steel," if it's cheap, it's Chinese garbage.

If you absolutely must stay under $30, then get the cheapest one you can find and start saving for an upgrade.

EDIT: Here's the santoku. A little more money, but it will be worth it:

https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-6-8523-17-Classic-Santoku-Fluted/dp/B000QCPNWM?ref_=ast_sto_dp&sa-no-redirect=1&pldnSite=1

I'm no chef, just a hobbyist. Below are things I've learned over the years.

Resources
I'd recommend Americas Test Kitchen Cooking School cookbook.

Also Rouxbe Online Cooking School is really good.

Jaque Pepin is an amazing cooking teacher, absolutely wonderful. He had a PBS show for a while, search your library for the DVDs.

While I don't use that often anymore, during learning I liked the Zwilling J.A. Henckels Complete Book of Knife Skills. In fairness you can learn a lot of this from youtube.

Knife Skills

When cutting with a knife stay safe by keeping your fingers tucked away using the "Claw Technique" See Picture

Celery is a cheap vegetable which you can use for practicing knife skills.

Get a good chef's knife, santoku knife, and paring knife. I like santoku knifes for cutting potatoes, since the blade is the same thickness from top to bottom it doesn't "wedge" like a chef's knife.

Those little indents on the knife are called grantons. They make it so vegetables don't suction as easily to the blade. I like it for my Santoku knife.

You should learn to properly slice an onion. Jamie Oliver has a good video on this.

Garlic has a few technique, first breaking open the head by just smashing it with your palm.
Next removing the paper by crushing the clove with a knife then pinch one side, lift it in the air, and whack it with the knife.
Lastly chopping it, just watch [Jacque Pepin] (https://youtu.be/1y5h1pDHhzs).

If you have to peel a ton of garlic put the whole head in a mason jar and shake really hard, it will peel them all. See Video

When chopping fresh herbs roll them into a ball first. See video

Learn to cut a bell pepper

When you cut meats cut "against the grain". This will cause the meat to seam more tender when you chew.

Pan Searing

Some meats like steak should be "temped" which means leave them out on the counter for a bit before cooking. The idea is if it's warmer it needn't cook as long. Google safe times.

While a pan is heating up the metal pores open and close sporadically which can “bite” the food causing it to stick. Prevent sticking by first properly heating the pan.

Heat your pan to temp before adding oil as the heat breaks down the oil. Just wet your fingers and flick the water on the pan. If the water dances it's ready. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XokCISVqgjU](See video)

When you heat your oil wait until it just starts to smoke then throw the meat on.

Remember when you add the meat it's cold and can drastically lower the temperature of the pan. Certain metals hold heat much better. Cast iron holds heat really well, so when cooking meats a cast iron skillet can give you a better sear.

Also remember the side that goes down on heat first will get the best sear so presentation side should go down first.

Try to get your meat a consistent thickness throughout by pounding it. Uneven meat means you'll over cook the thin portion in order to get the thick portion to a safe cooking temperature. Put meat in saran wrap folded over then pound, this prevents juices from flying everywhere in you kitchen.

Pat your raw meat dry with a paper towel before putting it on heat. Water does not reach above 212 degrees, if there is water on the meat surface it has to all boil off before it can reach a higher temperature. If you dry the meat first it can get a much better sear because the heat hits fast.

Don't crowd your pan. Pan crowding brings down pan temperature and encourages steam thus preventing proper sear.

When cooking use your ears! Listen to pan sizziling to know when to control pan temperature. Intense sizzling means it’s too hot. Home cooks want a gentle sizzle. Low sizzle means more heat is needed.

Get a good meat thermometer like a thermapen and learn the different safe cooking temperatures or get a fridge magnet which tells you.

Those brown bits on the bottom of the pan are gold, it's called fond, don't throw those out, scrape them off to incorporate into the sauce.

Be sure to rest meat after cooking. This is very important, if you don't then when you cut into it the juices will rush onto plate. Resting allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. Just tent foil over the plate and wait 10mins or so for a steak.

Misc

Know that if meat is left out in the danger temperature zone for too long you cannot simply reheat it to a safe cooking temperature. What happens is the bacteria (which can be killed with heat) produces waste or toxins. These toxins are not affected by heat so you can't kill them.

Chicken is a dry meat in my opinion, brining is a neat trick where you put the chicken in a salt water solution. The cell walls of the meat want to keep an equilibrium of salinity so they open up to allow more water in their cells which allows the meat to seem juicier.

Remember your dry spices have a shelf life. I like to replace mine at a local spice shop every 6 months. Consider having a small herb garden if you're able it's way cheaper than buying fresh herbs all the time and pretty easy.

I love reheating meats using Sous Vide, which is where you put your meat in a vacuum sealed bag and then but it in a pot of water at the desired temp. This makes it so the meat doesn't dry out and you can't overcook it since the water temp is right. I do this a ton for smoked meats like ribs and brisket (check out a weber smokey mountain and flameboss controller)

• This is a fantastic chef's knife under $30
  
• Same, but Santoku
  
  If you're only going to get one, opt for the chef's knife. Santoku is useful for slicing and the scalloped (or Granton) edges allow you to slice without sticking to the food as much, whereas the chef's knife has that curve to it, allowing for a rocking motion while slicing and chopping, making it more versatile. But no matter what knife you are considering, you should hold it in your hand first to see how it feels.

These are the entry level types

MAC Superior - popular with professionals

Tojiro DP - has a good weight to it

Victorinox Fibrox - good for value

Wusthof Gourmet - competition of above

​

If you like a bit fancy:

MAC Pro - popular with professionals

Wusthof Ikon - I just like the handle, the steel quality is pretty average

​

For the japanese knives with the indentations she could mean two things.

It's most likely she is referring to what is commonly known as a Santoku. Here is a pic. They are more or less just a style of a general purpose chefs knife. A really solid brand for not a lot of cash would be Victorinox. If you wanted something fancier you could go with a Wusthof.

However, she could also be referring to a knife made with damascus steel. These knives are incredibly high quality and very very sharp. Shun is the company that is most known for them. They are quite pricey but I've not heard a single complaint. They have several lines.

There is one incredibly famous knife maker named Bob Kramer who does that style. He partnered up with Shun to release a series with them. You can even order a Bob Kramer, Damascus steel Santoku as seen here. But they are pricey.

You could also go with their normal line if you wanted just a Shun Classic, for cheaper (but still expensive) as seen here.

If she does want the damascus steel but not a santoku knife then Shun offers a big line of normal chefs knives (as well as any other kind you could want).

Not all santoku knives have the indentations on the side, but I think most do.

I like the America's Test Kitchen shows and picked up the chef's knife because of their glowing review of it and inexpensive price:

Victorinox Fibrox Chef's Knife is great.

I liked it so much that I purchased the santoku and a few paring knives.

small paring knives
The paring knives seem to go dull more quickly than I would like though, but I might have really high expectations for my knives.

I also personally like the santoku knife a lot and it might be my favorite.

To keep all of them extremely sharp I use this whetstone in fine/course.

If I only got to pick one of them it would be the whetstone; hands down the best thing to have in your kitchen and will last a long time.

Cheers.

https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-4-Piece-Knife-Fibrox-Handles/dp/B004IEBTZ4/

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QCPNWM/

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https://www.amazon.com/Wüsthof-4461-23-Wusthof-9-Inch-Sharpening/dp/B00074PDE2/

Mini Processor

A Good Knife

Mini Mixer

That's a start. A+ for your girl, and enjoy the great food that ensues. :)

I wouldn't get a sharpener like that. I use a stone that has two different grits on it. It was like $3 at a kitchen store and keeps my knives sharp. There's a lot of tutorials on youtube showing you how to use one.

As for what knives to get, the recommendation for Victorinox Fibrox line is solid. You need a chef's knife and a paring knife. Next I would pick up a serrated bread knife, preferably one with an offset handle like this. Note, I'm not recommending that specific one, I just linked to a sample of one so you'd know what I was talking about. You can cheap out on this one. One serrated knife cuts just about as well as another. After you have a chef's knife, a paring knife and a bread knife you should be good for just about any job in your kitchen. If you then want more knives I would recommend a santoku and some sort of cleaver.

Other important points, hand wash your knives, don't throw them in the dishwasher. Use a wood or plastic cutting board. Please don't use a glass one, it's a bad idea. Sharpen your knives & hone your knives frequently.

You might consider the 7" Santoku to suit your purposes. 7" is about the perfect size for the home chef, IMO, and the santoku shape and blade are more versatile.

I have three of these knives, but honestly, I prefer the 7" santoku for most things. www.amazon.com/dp/B000QCPNWM/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_5Lz3tb0ZMGFPYPB8

Get a crock pot and check out /r/slowcooking.

There are some really good recipes that only take 5-10 minutes to put together, and you're guaranteed leftovers.

diet_gingerale is definitely right about getting a good knife, this is an excelent knife for $30, or for $10 more you can get a chef style instead of santoku.

Assuming you don't have a sharpening system already, I'd recommend a Victorinox Fibrox 7-Inch Granton Edge Santoku Knife and a Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker. Without a good sharpening system, no knife will be of any use, no matter how expensive or nice. And the Victorinox line of kitchen knives are a joy to use and it's easy to get a very fine edge on them with the sharp maker (I use a Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife).

The total will be more like $118, but trust me, it's worth it.

Instead of the Chef's Knife (which is fantastic) get the Victorniox Santoku. Around the same price, but it'll serve you in many more ways (can do meat & veg) It's the one I use at work, and I love it.

Another vote for Victorinox. We bought this knife almost 3 years ago and it is still going strong and has stayed very sharp.

A good knife is always a good idea. That being said, there are knives out there that are cheaper than the one you're looking at. I have the Victorinox Fibrox 8" and I love it. From the first cut I made with it, I knew I had a good knife. It's a solid knife for a home cook. If you still want the santoku style blade, Victorinox also makes one with a Granton blade for about 1/4 the price.

One other point: if you do get a good knife, make sure you have a good place to store it. You don't want to just put it in with the rest of your cooking utensils; it will get all beat up and blunted very quickly. The best option is a heavy wood block with slots to put the knives in. But you can also get something like this. I have one that has slotted foam at the end to stick the knives in. Other maintenance items like a honing steel and a whet stone are good to consider as well.