Recommend knife for slicing gravlox, prociutto, etc.

[GAsburyPkNJ]

Could someone recommend a few knives for paper thin slicing of meats, i.e., gravlox and prociutto (sp?), etc. please?? I need one so bad!

[phatch]

It can be done with many different knives as long as they are SHARP. The other factor is your skill.

A chef's knife will do the job just fine. The salmon is more forgiving of a flexible blade. Prosciutto is a somewhat tougher product and a flexible knife may wander some from the force of cutting so a stiffer chef's knife is good here.

A motorized meat slicer is really ideal for the prosciutto IMHO but for small amounts, a knife is fine.

Phil

[buzzard767]

Originally Posted by GAsburyPkNJ

Could someone recommend a few knives for paper thin slicing of meats, i.e., gravlox and prociutto (sp?), etc. please?? I need one so bad!

Try this. This will do exactly what you are asking at a very reasonable price.

Buzz

[GAsburyPkNJ]

I am looking for a 12" flexible knife with the little oval divots on the blade, know what I mean? I like my chef's knife but not for this job. (the gravlox) I am not so experienced with this type of slicing so your right my knife skills not there. I need something easy to use. Any suggestions for brand? Moderate priced. Not cheapest but not most expensive.

[phatch]

Those divots really don't matter with the slicing. It's more of a gimmick.

Good knives for not much money can be had from Forschner brand. The fibrox handled line are tough and inexpensive.

[Chad Aaland]

For paper thin, you need a slicer. MAYBE a mandolin, but I doubt it.

[adamm]

I havent found a great slicing knife yet(that i like), the one i recieved from school sucks and i bought a forchner and its more fleible than i would like, im sure the have one thats not flexible but theres not too many dealers except on line and most dont give a good description. Btw I would go with a victorinox knife im sure theres one that will be what your looking for.

Btw i wouldnt slice gravloxs with a mandolin maybe the prosciutto tough.

[Jim]

Proscuitto on a mandoline? Could you ellaborate?

[foodpump]

What you want is a flexible blade with a granton edge or "Kullenschliff". What this is , as Gasbury describes, are hollow dimples. As you draw the knife through mosit, sticky items-like smoked salmon, gravad lox, ham, cheese, etc. the air trapped between the dimples is squeezed out, forming a slight airpocket around the cut, making slicing a little easier.

This is not a gimmick, nor is it anything new, smoked salmon knives have been around for at lest 80 yrs that I know of, with this design, and in my day I've sliced many a side of salmon with this kind of knife. However this kind of a design on a rigid Chef's knife or Sanktou is moot at best.

[GAsburyPkNJ]

I always knew what I was looking for. I posted to this Board to gather opinions on which BRAND of knife to consider. I ended up purchasing a 10" Forschner slicer round tip granton edge rosewood handle from Northwestern Cutlery for about $38. Thanks everyone for the feedback!

[MikeLM]

Just saw an America's Test Kitchen show where they compared about 10 8" inexpensive chef's knives, and they concluded the Forschner at $25 was the best by far. For a little more, you got Grantons, so you're probably in good shape.

Paper-thin prosciutto slices by hand is far beyond my skill level. Can't you get it sliced when you buy it? Or maybe you buy them whole?

Mike

[phatch]

Originally Posted by foodpump

This is not a gimmick, nor is it anything new, smoked salmon knives have been around for at lest 80 yrs that I know of, with this design, and in my day I've sliced many a side of salmon with this kind of knife. However this kind of a design on a rigid Chef's knife or Sanktou is moot at best.

I agree it's not new. I disagree about the gimmick. All the testing I've seen doesn't support the feature's purported benefits.

Phil

[Mannlicher]

I picked up several very nice Japanese knives when I was in Tokyo in 2005. I find that the Aritsugu 11.7 inch Yanagi slices salmon and meats paper thin.
The one I use is the second from the bottom, on the Aritsugu product page.
japanese knife "We offer fine quality professional japanese knives"