Chef Knives?

[mnoble485]

You guys are making some nice suggestions, right in my wheelhouse.

Thanks,
Mike

[ColonelJLloyd]

Thought I would post this here as it is pretty neat and the retailer is donating the profits of these to Andres' WCK in addition to making their own donations to WCK. That bog oak is very cool.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/yavgdaurwagy.html

Carbon dating on the wood.

joJ7eaHl.jpg

[rydesteel]

The local Gourmet Store in the mall has had these on sale for about 1/2 price. Finally had one of the staff take one out of the box so I could play with it a bit. Must say I was impressed balance is spot on feel weightless in the hand, cuts well and if my past experience holds I can make it really sharp. Zwiiling Pro 7" Slim Chef, nice addition to the Block.

[j44ke]

Probably goes without saying, but don't put the Zwilling knives with that handle in the dishwasher (basically, don't put any good knives in the dishwasher but these in particular.) Whatever the black material is on the handle, it will shrink from the heat and eventually crack.

[rydesteel]

Probably goes without saying, but don't put the Zwilling knives with that handle in the dishwasher (basically, don't put any good knives in the dishwasher but these in particular.) Whatever the black material is on the handle, it will shrink from the heat and eventually crack.

Oh definitely, I would never abuse a tool like that :>)my favorite question when someone tells me they have sharp knives is "Do you put them in the sink or Dishwasher? Then you don't have Sharp Knives." I'll see how it works out, the price was right, and I've used this steel before, it will take and hold a fine edge.

[j44ke]

Oh definitely, I would never abuse a tool like that :>)my favorite question when someone tells me they have sharp knives is "Do you put them in the sink or Dishwasher? Then you don't have Sharp Knives." I'll see how it works out, the price was right, and I've used this steel before, it will take and hold a fine edge.

I think the Zwilling knives are very good. They make up 30% of our knives. I just had to do a little detective work when the handles on a few started cracking. And I learned that someone who shall remain nameless considered paring and tomato knives to be silverware so they went in the dishwasher. Oh well.

A chef friend warns against Henckels even though they are owned by the same company - though I don't entirely understand the reason. Something about the steel used makes sharpening to a durable edge difficult. But she likes Zwilling knives.

[spopepro]

A chef friend warns against Henckels even though they are owned by the same company - though I don't entirely understand the reason. Something about the steel used makes sharpening to a durable edge difficult. But she likes Zwilling knives.

Yes, the henckels branded stuff is tempered very soft (by knife standards). This is so folks can hit bones, seeds, glass cutting surfaces, and even put them in the dishwasher and they will resist chipping. It also means they resist holding a keen edge. The zwilling marked blades are better made, and not for the lowest common use.

[9tubes]

Yes, everyone needs a beater knife for squash, bones, and defending against the occasional zombie apocalypse.

[Tom]

Yup. I have the knives that are in the block and the knives hidden in the drawers each in its own little case. The ones in the block, I've witnessed some really distressing usages.

[jclay]

I wouldn't argue against the Victorinox or Tojiro knives listed, though I haven't owned either. I'd add another inexpensive brand/maker to the list, though. I received this 210 gyuto as a gift and have used it every day for a year. It was sharp out of the box, but I wanted to polish the edge a bit and it's been a pleasure to use. At the same time I polished the edge on a bunka from the same maker I'd been using and gave that one as a gift.

I was tempted to get a DAO VUA nakiri just for the handle! They are very pretty. https://bernalcutlery.com/collection...36252121694360

At the end of the day an iron clad, Shirogami 2, 165mm Kaji Bei seemed preferable to me and not terribly expensive. https://bernalcutlery.com/collection...36251612872856

The edge profile needed a teeny bit of work as it had an itty bitty high spot in it; one very modest sharpening exercise got rid of that. It's thin, straight, and being shiro 2 will take and hold a very keen edge. I've finished it only as far as 4000 synthetic waterstone; my understanding (link) is that going higher is beneficial for shiro 2 but at 4000 it is very seriously sharp. I haven't touched the edge up since last fall because after essentially daily use it's still sharp as hell. I can't imagine finding a meaningful difference from a more expensive knife of this kind. http://www.zknives.com/knives/steels/shirogami_2.shtml

The 210mm Masakane gyuto, SK (I don't know which version...but it's one that works!) carbon mono-steel is pretty fantastic, too. Thin blade, light takes/holds a seriously sharp edge and the handle has grown on me; at the time I wished it had a larger handle, like the one on my Lamson 650 chef but having used it for a while I've come to appreciate it's smaller size and weight; a larger, heavier handle would just make it clunky but the one it has suits the blade and my hands well. The 210s are gone but here it is in a 270: https://bernalcutlery.com/collection...39865238913176

I'm glad to have the SS Lamson 650 chef for heavier tasks though, and if I could only have one of these three that's probably what it would be simply because it can be made sharp enough, holds it's edge well enough for this non-professional, is low maintenance, won't chip as easily as the other two, and can do anything I need it to do.

[fastupslowdown]

I just made my 2nd best kitchen investment after my Wustof Chef knife; a knife sharpener. No seriously.

https://www.wusthof.com/products/iko...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Too Tall]

I just made my 2nd best kitchen investment after my Wustof Chef knife; a knife sharpener. No seriously.

https://www.wusthof.com/products/iko...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

But but but we are elitist by design. You have crushed all of us a little. xxoo

[caleb]

For the Tiagra-level knife I'll suggest Tojiro. They make a stainless line called the DP that is made from VG10 and is great value for the money. I tried one and it's significantly better than any Henkels-Wustoff-Whatever from the department store, and less money to boot. If you are more adventuresome you can purchase their non-stainless Japanese-style model in White #2 steel for more sharpness with a bit less edge retention.

I've had a Tojiro DP for at least five years, and it's a good knife. It's not precious. I sharpen it on my bench sander without thinking twice.

I'm sure the Victorinox is good, too. Every one I've ever used has been.

There's a lot to be said for functional knives that you can sharpen using tools that get the job done in a hurry and that you won't mourn if you put a knick in the blade.

[jclay]

I've had a Tojiro DP for at least five years, and it's a good knife. It's not precious. I sharpen it on my bench sander without thinking twice.

I'm sure the Victorinox is good, too. Every one I've ever used has been.

There's a lot to be said for functional knives that you can sharpen using tools that get the job done in a hurry and that you won't mourn if you put a knick in the blade.

More info on the Tojiro DP: https://bernalcutlery.com/collection...36252882960536
That would be an excellent knife!

As much as I dig my personal little kitchen knife quiver (and the others on this thread, too!), I think it's probably a little difficult to get a kitchen knife that won't take a serviceable edge and hold it reasonably well; unless you're just looking for junk. In my experience dull knives are dull bc folks bang'em around and don't sharpen'em. My sis-in-law bought a new chef 'cause her old one was dull and she'd neither sharpen it (even with the simple, fool proof thingies) nor take it to a place that could...and was but a short walk away. One of my oldest friends just throws his in with everything else so they're dull as can be.

This would be a nice pick for anyone looking for a "nicer" chef in carbon steel without spending silly $: https://bernalcutlery.com/collection...36248507809944

[Mark Walberg]

...............
At the end of the day an iron clad, Shirogami 2, 165mm Kaji Bei seemed preferable to me and not terribly expensive. https://bernalcutlery.com/collection...36251612872856
...........

I use a Kaji Bei Nakiri most days that looks like this one. In addition to food, I even used it to cut an offending misplaced metatarsal bump from my specialized insole. Worked great for that. Very sharp, holds edge a long time, and not expensive when available, currently our of stock. Just keep it dry. I see no need to spend a lot on a knife when you can get one that works so well for this low price.

[COVRTDESIGN]

I see no need to spend a lot on a knife when you can get one that works so well for this low price.

What kind of bike do you ride? haha Kidding!

[vertical_doug]

My daughter and her boyfriend had to make a trip to Tsubaya Cutlery in Kappabashi in Tokyo.

They bought a carbon blade ...

https://tsubaya.jp/

They stock over 1,000 varieties of knives from various manufacturers.
https://tsubaya.jp/collections/japanesehandle


https://tsubaya.jp/products/white1-s...oroshi-kokutan





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[Mark Walberg]

What kind of bike do you ride? haha Kidding!

I ride a bike that I built myself.

[jclay]

I ride a bike that I built myself.

Ditto.

But I'm not interested in forging my own knives!

[echappist]

There's a lot to like about my Wüsthof Chef's Knife, except for the fact that it's more of a hassle when it comes to cutting veggies.

Having used a Chinese style chef's knife previously, I bought another Wüsthof purely on the basis of similar form and ended up buying a traditional cleaver. It's a knife completely wasted on me, as I don't trust myself to swing a sharp blade at ~30 inches away from the item to be chopped; nor does it really cut veggies. I gave the knife to my dad.

Recently, it has come to my attention that Wüsthof does indeed make an actual Chinese style chef's knife. It's probably the one I will purchase next.

My daughter and her boyfriend had to make a trip to Tsubaya Cutlery in Kappabashi in Tokyo.

They bought a carbon blade ...

https://tsubaya.jp/

They stock over 1,000 varieties of knives from various manufacturers.

I wish we went to this place when we were in Tokyo. I may or may not be able to justify the cost of this damascus nakiri over what Wüsthof charges, but my is it pretty.