A good knife?

[Bijoink]

What is an ideal chef knife for you a commercial forscher or something like wusthof, ceramic, global etc?

[Cook-Jetto]

It depends.

I like ones made from germany. Because the're stainless steel. DOnt buy the wooden ones.

Emerils knives are ok. but a brand named wolf something is decent

[Mezzaluna]

Huge question, so many factors to consider.

First, start by using the search button to find earlier conversations here on the subject; there've been MANY.

Second, don't ever buy a knife until you've held it in your hand. What fits Emeril's or Rachel Ray's hands may not fit yours at all. Example: Wusthof knives are very good, but they don't fit my hands. Therefore, they'd be a waste of money for me.

You get the idea. Have fun searching!

[kuan]

No argument here with me. Wusthof Trident all the way. If I had only one knife, it would be a Wusthof chef's 8" white handle.

[haolegirltatu]

I have used knifes from Sabatier to Wusthof and I have to say my all time fave is the Shun by Kershaw...I love the handle. ( if you can forget that alton brown pinps them out)-

The santoku I use as my chefs knife. The handles are D shaped and are wood - but have a water proof resin coating - making them safe for commercial use. They look like samuri swords- the blades are thin and 16 folded steel - and have a awesome ability to keep veg from sticking....spendy- but worth it- dont get sucked into the Ken Onion knife though- I have it and do not like it.

[Dutch7]

What is everyone's thoughts on ceramic knifes? I have been debating on getting one, are they worth it? I heard they are just mostly good for cutting veg's...

[Mikeb]

I'm a big fan of Victorinox/Forschner knives. For the price you pay, you can't beat em. They're easy to sharpen and comfortable to use. Most of my knives are Victorinox.

My chef knife is a brand called Kasumi - made in Japan and has similar folded steel pattern to the Shun. The Kasumi is quite pricey though (quite a bit more than Shun or Global). Globals are also nice.

[OperIvy]

I think any reputable company would make a fine knife. Personally i use a 7 inch Wusthof Culinar for pretty much any job. I have really large hands(i can palm a basketball with extreme ease) and the handle still is large enough for my hand. Ultimately just find one that is comfy. I do however disagree with the thinking "a comfortable 20 dollar knife is better than an uncomfortable 100 dollar knife" Im sorry it just isnt.

[vondy]

Love my Shuns, would have nothing else.

[Botanique]

Bijoink,

I am a Henckels girl all the way. 8". It fits in my hand like it was meant to be there.

HOWEVER, my interest is peaked with the ceramic. I think I'll check out Kyocera.

Botanique

[hipjoint]

TRADITIONAL "wisdom" tells you "forged german steel", "full tang construction", "full bolster for heft and balance", and "three full riveted
handles". That's tradition. some people like tradition. some people would rather have a sharp, straight knife.

forschner fibrox knives have STAMPED blades, no bolsters, no full tang construction, no rivets in the handle and are test rated equal to or
superior to the german blades at 1/3 the cost.

MAC knives (superior series) have STAMPED blades, and no bolsters and their santoku beat out the henckles and wusthof blades in the last cook's illustrated testing. i own all three knives and i have to agree with their opinion .... the MAC is a superior knife at 1/2 the cost.

the kai shun knives have STAMPED blades, only a partial bolster, no full tang construction, and no rivets in their handle and yet i can't believe that anyone who has used one can ever say that it isn't a sharper blade than anything german. edges stay sharp longer than anything german as well. you may not like the handle, the heft, or the balance, but you can't say that the germans make a sharper knife.

as for the ceramic knives, yes they are sharp, but they don't take the abuse good ol' steel can withstand, and they are also a thicker blade. try slicing a cucumber into slices so thin that you can read thru them ... a cinch with either the forschner, MAC, or shun ... hard to do with a ceramic. the blade just isn't thin enough.

my two cents ... and change.

[leftychef]

ive been using a Cutco 10" Chef's knife for 5 years and i would agree that it all debends on how it fits your hand because i remember trying out a wusthof and it gave me palm cramps after a while. The best thing to do is try them all! fun stuff!

[briangig]

Personaly, I use a 8" Wusthof chef's knife.

After I saw the tang snap on a cheap knife the head prep guy was using, and almost lost a few fingers, I got him a 8" Henckels Chef knife, the international series. Cheapest of the line, but I hear its the same blade as all the other ones. Anyway. It is basically a clone of mine, impossible to tell apart! I sharpened both mine and his the same day a few weeks ago, I checked his blade today and it was razor sharp, while mine needed a few swipes on the stone to get it razor sharp again. Go figure. Mine was $90, his was $35 or something like that.

[hipjoint]

Originally Posted by briangig

Personaly, I use a 8" Wusthof chef's knife.

After I saw the tang snap on a cheap knife the head prep guy was using, and almost lost a few fingers, I got him a 8" Henckels Chef knife, the international series. Cheapest of the line, but I hear its the same blade as all the other ones. Anyway. It is basically a clone of mine, impossible to tell apart! I sharpened both mine and his the same day a few weeks ago, I checked his blade today and it was razor sharp, while mine needed a few swipes on the stone to get it razor sharp again. Go figure. Mine was $90, his was $35 or something like that.

snapping knives are not the exclusive right of cheap knives. i have seen lots of pricey knives snap and for lots of weird reasons. a friend of mine at a cutlery shop tells me he had to deal with about thirty snapped wusthofs last year. i had a friend show me an ittosai sashimi knife he snapped a while back ... it had set him back $900!! seems that pricey knives snap more often because they have harder, stiffer steel so they are less likely to flex and bend under pressure and are more likely to snap.

for reference, i bought a 10" "forged" chef's knife from mervyn's "home" collection for cheaps (regularly #14.99 but it was on a 50% sale!!) and i have beaten the poor thing up ... chopping and hacking and whacking with it like i don't care and it has actually stood up to all that abuse. i would be scared of treating my shuns and messermeisters and macs and sugimotos like that. they might be able to withstand such abuse but at those prices, why risk it?

[Lifter 69]

Originally Posted by Bijoink

What is an ideal chef knife for you a commercial forscher or something like wusthof, ceramic, global etc?

I am extremely happy with my Global. Its crazy sharp! I would like to try a ceramic though...