what kind of knife do you have?

[9ballprodigy]

hey guys,

i just signed up today and i'm very excited to be here. i'm sure a thread to this effect has been done at one point or another, but i was wondering what kind of knife you guys use in your everyday cooking. whatever knife you use the most often.

for me, right now, i have an 8" shun classic chef's

[shipscook]

I have had Wusthof forever, with a few pieces of Chicago Cutlery. Lost my knives this winter and just replaced them all. Purchased several Wusthofs and a 10" Shun chef's knife.
As soon as picked it up, knew I was a convert, used it a bit and had to have it.
Will pick up an inexpersive bread knife and couple of fillet knives. The fillet knives get "borrowed" a lot, by crew mwmbers, so just figure on replacing them.
Welcome!
Nan

[Mezzaluna]

Many of us have several brands, depending on the knife and the task. I have a Global 5" cook's knife; a set of Henckel's with a couple of knives I don't use much, a Kyocera paring knife, a Victorinox paring knife and some junky little $1 paring knives I use to open meat packages, etc. I supplemented the Henckel's set with a 7" santoku. After trying many brands, that one fit my hand best.

I recommend NOT buying sets unless every knife fits your hand, you will probably use all of them, or that you have money to waste. Buying knives as open-stock purchases means you'll buy what fits your hand, your budget and your purposes.

[dkua]

I recommend a Japanese knife like the Tojiro DP F-809 240mm Gyuto knife, Japanese knives are very shard and hard, but are also thinner and lighter than Western style knives, this could be a con for you, for me though it wasn't it's a great knife for the price.

[thetincook]

I'm using a Mundial 10" chefs knife, Mundial flexi boning knife, Victorinox paring knife, and a Forchner Slicer. I also have an offset serreted knife also by Mundial. All my mundials have the white plastic sani handles. They're a PITA because they stain.


I'm considering moving up to a forged chefs knive. I think the extra weight will make things easier on the wrist. The bolster will take some getting used to though.

[Ishbel]

I am still using 3 Sabatier knives that were part of a set I was given as a wedding present - many years ago!

[phatch]

I use some Forschner and a 10" Henkels chef's knife. I have a Santoku from a maker whose name escapes me now but whose product are in a many restaurant supplie stores. Not a great knife but a good one.

[9ballprodigy]

tincook: i think that every cook should have a knife worthy of taking care of. it's like a car. it's used everyday. if you like the heft of a german knife, then a forged henckel or wusthof might be up your alley. the down side of a forged chef's knife is the fact that the bolster gets in the way if you ever want to sharpen your knife with a stone. the quality of stamped blades are getting better and better. they are also getting more expensive. look into japanese knives if you are looking for a thinner spine on the blade. they make cutting a bit easier. globals and shuns are probably the best selling japanese knives on the US market right now.

what i really want is a Hattori knife. i just can't get over the damascus look. but at the same time, i have to say, the handle shape on a shun is probably the best thing to happen to a knife since scalloped blades.

[Frayedknot]

All my mundials have the white plastic sani handles. They're a PITA because they stain.

Tincook, We have some of those knives for anyone to use at work as well. When they stain (I dont like it either) I use "BLOCK WHITE" (the stuff to clean cutting boards and table tops) and that makes the handles look like new.

My knives are Henckles as well, I like the "hefty" feel plus I have big hands it was a toss up between Henckle and Wustoff. The Globals I used were a bit light for me. But to each his own on the knife purchase. I purchased mine on an online auction individually and I thought the price was VERY reasonable. A NEW 10" Pro "S" knife for $48.00 plus shipping I have a 2 Chef, Boning, Santuko, 2 Utility, paring, bread and a 3" Mundial birds beak. I kinda keep an "eye" on my knives after seeing a cook open a jar of Jalapenos with a 10" chef knife. Hmmm maybe that is why the point is broken off of most of the "kitchen's" knives.

[johnarmr]

I dont think I will ever go back to a non japanese knife. the steel in japanese made knives are far superior compared to german knives, which means thinner edge so it will get sharperand stay sharper longer! Also I like the shape of japanese knives not counting them dam shuns! I hat the bely shuns have as well as the other german knives out there!

[9ballprodigy]

Originally Posted by johnarmr

I hat the bely shuns have as well as the other german knives out there!

really? i really like it. i mean, it facilitates the "rocking" and "gliding" motion when you cut stuff like scallions. the traditional gyutou has a tip that looks similar to a santoku where the spine of the blade and the edge of the blade meet mid point. this concerns me because it looks like it's going to crush what ever i cut rather than "glide" through it.

but i could be wrong. many people who swore by french shaped knives ended up going traditional japanese or with the santoku.

[johnarmr]

the gyuto shape is much more like a french knife just with out the dam bolster! the santoku is a different shape than the gyuto but I keep them thin and sharp so there is no crushing i like the shuns they just missed on a few points so I wont own one besides there are better knives out there at a better price than the shuns and globals ! check out www.jck.com !

[cwshields]

I don't want my knives to feel neglected. I rotate between several Japanese knives, Chinese clevers, and Wustoff's depending on the mood I'm in and what I'm preparing.

[Blade55440]

I like my victorinox 10" chef's for nearly everything. Good grip, decent weight, and feels good in my hand.

I've yet to find a condition that will make that thing slip in my hand either, that alone would be enough for me to stick with it for awhile.

[9ballprodigy]

i hear a lot of good things about the vitrinox fibrox from forchner. mainly that it feels good in the hand, it's cheap, and dishwasher safe.

but people also tell me that it's a pain to resharpen with a stone.

cook's illustrated swears by the knife though.