Cooking Knives thread

[7ontheline]

Anyone else use a 10" chef's knife, or is everyone else using an 8" (or santoku)? 8" always kinda felt small in my hands. (Insert gay joke here) I'm no expert, but I'm really happy with my Wusthof 10" chef's knife.

[jzpiano]

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Anyone else use a 10" chef's knife, or is everyone else using an 8" (or santoku)? 8" always kinda felt small in my hands. (Insert gay joke here) I'm no expert, but I'm really happy with my Wusthof 10" chef's knife.

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I'm getting married in Oct. I have a 10" on the registry, but we are also getting a 8" for the future mrs. The 8" also felt to light and too small in my hands.

[M2d]

I'm not, in any way, saying that the name brand knives aren't worth the money, but the two best knives i own are no-name type knives i bought at a japanese market in berkeley. one's a vegetable knife and the other a fish knife. both are very sharp and hold their edges well.

has anyone tried ceramic?

[Nelson]

I was initially skeptical, but these sharpening systems come highly regarded. Priced approximately $80-150 I believe.

http://www.chefschoice.com/page2a.html

They have different models, the one I am looking at has 3 passes...1) grinding stone 2) diamond hone 3) very fine diamond hone. Apparently it gives a very sharp edge in about 30 secs with no training. Over a lifetime, it will pay itself off easily. I have not purchased one yet, so I do not have any first-hand experience. I have read so many bad experiences of people having their knives "professionally sharpened" - that is why I was looking for alternative methods.

[dylan's alias]

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I have an excellent set of knives (2 actually) unfortunately my sharpening skills start and end with the steel and they are showing for their neglect. What are people's thoughts about buying a whetstone/other sharpening device vs. sending them out to be professionally sharpened?

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Every few months, Sur La Table will sharpen 3 knives per customer for free.

Based on Cooks Illustrated magazine reviews, I bought this sharpener:

http://www.accusharp.com/

It cost about $12 at Ace Hardware, and it does a very good job. I don't think a > $100 electric knife sharpener is worth it for the average home cook.

[ReDeYES88]

Hattori Hanzo steel, obviously

[slamdunkpro]

[ QUOTE ]
I was initially skeptical, but these sharpening systems come highly regarded. Priced approximately $80-150 I believe.

http://www.chefschoice.com/page2a.html

They have different models, the one I am looking at has 3 passes...1) grinding stone 2) diamond hone 3) very fine diamond hone. Apparently it gives a very sharp edge in about 30 secs with no training. Over a lifetime, it will pay itself off easily. I have not purchased one yet, so I do not have any first-hand experience. I have read so many bad experiences of people having their knives "professionally sharpened" - that is why I was looking for alternative methods.

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The Chef’s Choice sharpeners are OK but it is difficult to keep certain blades flat against the holder. The other issue with the CC system is that the grind angle is fixed at 33 degrees which is OK for most chef’s/utility knives. Shuns and certain other Japanese knives use a blade grind of 22 degrees so if you use a CC on one if these you’ll ruin it. In addition Gratons (slicers) and boning knives usually have a shallower grind.

[slamdunkpro]

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I love cooking, but i've never had the opportunity (or been forced to) live out of a place i hadn't already had furnished.

Now it is time to buy some knives; I have money, but i am very about 'value for money'. I am probably looking to spend max 800 on a set of serious cooking knives to keep for life.

Any recommendations? Obviously lower than that price is great. What companies should i be looking at etc? Should I be looking at those knives that sharpen when you put them in the block? Etc etc.

EDF COOKS, HELP ME!!! (OR I WILL BE FORCED TO EAT EGGS FOREVER!).

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Count me in the don’t buy a set club.

You really only need 2 knives in the kitchen: A good 8 inch Chef’s (Start with an 8, go bigger when you’re more comfortable) and a 4 inch paring knife. Everything else is optional. If you want to add, I’d suggest a flexible boning knife (great for fish and butchering beef tenderloins) and a serrated slicer. My favorite slicer is the Wusthof Classic 10 inch Super slicer.

It has a wavy serration that is softer than a typical bread knife so it is excellent for breads, meats, cakes and even soft cheeses. When looking at a bread knife get one that’s curved not flat like the Henkel show earlier in the tread. I had one of these for years and was always barking my knuckles on the cutting board. BTW forged bread/slicer/boning knives are a waste of money. First a boning knife needs to be flexible and you’re not going to pry /split beef bones with a bread knife so you don’t keen the strength of a forged knife here

Best advice as to which one. Go buy bag of carrots and visit a store that will allow you to try various chef’s knives. Cut/slice/dice with each knife and buy the one that feels best in your hand regardless of manufacturer.

The other useful cutting tool needed in the kitchen: a good pair of kitchen scissors not shears- big difference. A knife steel for keeping you blades sharp and in true.

[MrMon]

[ QUOTE ]
I was initially skeptical, but these sharpening systems come highly regarded. Priced approximately $80-150 I believe.

http://www.chefschoice.com/page2a.html

They have different models, the one I am looking at has 3 passes...1) grinding stone 2) diamond hone 3) very fine diamond hone. Apparently it gives a very sharp edge in about 30 secs with no training. Over a lifetime, it will pay itself off easily. I have not purchased one yet, so I do not have any first-hand experience. I have read so many bad experiences of people having their knives "professionally sharpened" - that is why I was looking for alternative methods.

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I've used one of those on my Henckels for the 10 years I've had them and think it works great on nonserrated Henckels, but after 10 years, I think I do need them professionally sharpened by someone reputable. After many years, they just get too many nicks that can't be taken out by the Chef's Choice. But in between professional sharpenings, it does great.

[SamIAm]

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I've been thinking about getting some Global knives. I've never actually used Global, but my friend (a sous chef) loves them. Any thoughts on this or any other knife brand not mentioned would be much appreciated.

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I have a few Global knives and really like them. I have to admit that part of it is the aesthetic of the handles. I felt silly for this for a while, but they're good knives that I like using, and they cut stuff into smaller pieces. Done.



I'm in the no-set camp from personal experience. I was given the Global set that had a Chef's knife, a paring knife, and a vegetable knife. Cool; those are all useful knives. The thing is, their 4" paring knife sucks.



I have no idea why they made that blade so wide; I only use the paring knife when I want a thin blade. I ended-up replacing it with a Wustoff that I tried in the store and liked a lot.