The only way your knives will be harmed in the dishwasher, unless they have wooden grips, is that the edges will tend to get banged into other metal things. If you can place them in the dishwasher so that this doesn't happen, they will be fine. If you put all your sharp knives in a heap with each other and other silverware during the handwashing process, then you subject the blades to similar abuse. Safety is a different issue. While I agree that it is pretty dangerous to have sharp knives sticking up out of the silverware basket in your dishwasher, putting them in a basin of sudsy water is even more dangerous. At least in the dishwasher silverware basket, you can see them. A sharp knife that is invisible under sudsy water is ridiculously dangerous. If that's how you would handwash them, then do yourself a favor and put them in the dishwasher. jefd

I don't eat steak much these days but I never buy sirloin to serve as steak I do buy it to make in a gravy with long slow cooking almost like a roast. For a good steak I go for a bone in ribeye, boneless ribeye, true porterhouse not tbone, or filet. I do not care for NY strip they are so hit and miss. I have found what they call chuck eye steaks in some stores and they are pretty decent they are from the same area as the ribeye but a lesser cut and not as expensive. I like to squeeze a lemon on the meat and let it set for a little while marinating in it, helps to tenderize it. The amount of marbling is really the key a steak with little or no marbling is not going to be as good or tender as one with it. Angus beef is one type that is known to have good marbling and is one of the reasons it is popular. Marbling improves flavor, tenderness, and keeps meat moist while cooking. Highest marbling = Prime beef. I don't pay the extra cost for something labeled Angus however. A lot of cattle has some Angus mixed in them. I look for good marbling and the feel and texture of the meat. Method of cooking makes a lot of difference!

Found this and learned some things, so am sharing. Author: Joe Talmadge, knives Newsgroup Push cuts: The main cutting is done by pushing the edge through the thing-to-be-cut. When peeling an apple, you push the edge under the skin of the apple. When chopping wood, you try to push the edge into and through the wood. Slicing cuts: The cutting action is substantially done by dragging the edge across the thing-to-be-cut. When you slice meat or a tomato, you drag the edge across the tomato as you cut through it. Slicing and sawing are examples of slicing cuts. Plain Edge vs. Serrated Edge: The Conventional View: In general, the plain edge is better than the serrated when the application involves push cuts. Also, the plain edge is superior when extreme control, accuracy, and clean cuts are necessary, regardless of whether or not the job is push cuts or slices. In general, the serrated edge will work better than the plain edge for slicing cuts, especially through hard or tough surfaces, where the serrations tend to grab and cut the surface easily. Some of the cutting power of the serrated edge is due to its format alone; thus, even a dull serrated edge knife will often perform competently at slicing jobs. The serrated edge gets its slicing ability from a number of factors. The high points on the serrations will touch the material first, and this gives those points higher pressure per area than if the same pressure was applied to a plain blade; this allows the serration to puncture more easily. In addition, serrations are normally chisel-ground into the blade, which means they are thinner (and thus cut better) than the comparable plain blade. Generally, the more push cuts are used, the more necessary it is for the plain edge to have a "razor polished" edge. One interesting case is cutting a tomato. In theory, you can just push a blade through a tomato, so a razor polished plain edge would work fine. However, the tomato is soft, and unless your plain edge knife is very sharp, the tomato will simply squish when you start pushing. You can (and many people do) use a slicing motion with your plain blade, but if it's even a little dull it won't cut well and it may not even break the skin. Use a sawing motion with a serrated knife (even a dull one), and your tomato will slice fine. The plain edge excels in push cuts, and the serrated excels in slicing cuts. So the claim that serrated edges work better than plain edges for slicing needs to be re-examined. It appears that as materials get harder or put under more tension, the serrated edge may slice a bit better than a coarse-ground plain edge. As the material gets softer and looser, the coarse-ground plain edge may slice a bit better. And as we go towards push cuts, the polished plain edge comes into its own. The user may want to experiment on those materials that he often cuts, before choosing the edge format. In addition, keep in mind that the coarse plain edge is much easier to sharpen than the serrated edge. Just grab your file or extra coarse stone, take a few swipes, and you're ready to go. With the serrated blade, you'll need to find a sharpening rig with the special serrated blade sharpener. Balancing this is the fact that serrated blades need to be sharpened less often. Thoughts On The Partially-Serrated Blade (Combo Edge): Another option is the combination plain/serrated edge. This format appears to have overtaken the all-serrated format. Typically, the 50%-60% of the blade nearest the tip is plain, while the back 40%-50% is serrated. There are mixed feelings on this format. Many people swear by this format, and feel that it is a good compromise, giving the user the choice of precise push cuts from the plain edge, and the advantage of the serrated edge for tougher

I don't have a set. I just have a couple of petty knives by Fujiwara. I got them from here. http://japanesechefsknife.com/FKMSeries.html#FKM They see almost daily use and the edge lasts a few months at which point I take it to a store (my local sur la table) for sharpening. They do a good job sharpening it, but also scratch the blade in the process. I have been too lazy to look for alternatives. I've also heard good things about Tojiro DP. http://www.chefknivestogo.com/tojirodpseries.html There's also articles like this: http://kitchenknifeguru.com/knives/best-chef-knives-six-recommendations/ http://thesweethome.com/reviews/the-best-chefs-knife-for-most-cooks/ (Many more by googling "best chef knives".) Finally, there's a nice long discussion here: http://www.cheftalk.com/t/62387/best-knives Hope this helps. :)