ChefTalk Knife buying, selection and care guide

[ChefTorrie]

Originally Posted by adamm

See i dont have a diamond steel, i just have a f dick sharpening steel(which just hones and doesnt sharpen. Iv always heard that you can mess up a knife with a diamond steel. Idk if its true or not though.

Like I said, I have had my Knives and Diamond Steel since I started school at JWU, actually, even before that, and my knives are in perfect condition, and I always run my diamond steel on them.

[angrybob]

ChefTorrie, how is your diamond steel holding up to all that usage? Is it a Wusthof brand? The reason I'm asking is I have Chef's Choice diamond steel maybe 7 years old and it's developed a few bald spots on one side that I find a bit annoying.

Adamm, using a diamond steel won't hurt your knives if you use it carefully. It certainly can and will scratch anything you drag across it's surface like laying the blade flat on the steel's surface. A light touch gives the best results, sometimes I follow up with a regular steel depending on the knife.

[ChefTorrie]

Originally Posted by angrybob

ChefTorrie, how is your diamond steel holding up to all that usage? Is it a Wusthof brand? The reason I'm asking is I have Chef's Choice diamond steel maybe 7 years old and it's developed a few bald spots on one side that I find a bit annoying.

Adamm, using a diamond steel won't hurt your knives if you use it carefully. It certainly can and will scratch anything you drag across it's surface like laying the blade flat on the steel's surface. A light touch gives the best results, sometimes I follow up with a regular steel depending on the knife.

I also use a regular steel on occasion.

But do answer your question, yes mine is a Wusthof, but no it does not have any bald spots. I did have to buy a new one a couple of years ago because it was stolen from the restaurant, so I dont know if I would have, had I still had the same knife. But I do not recall any deformities or anything wrong with it at the time.
Hope I helped.

[matt]

Originally Posted by 9ballprodigy

you may want to switch over to japanese ones. i recommend Shun which has a a steel called VG-10. it allows the edge to be sharpened to a much narrower angle and still be durable.

I dropped my Shun the other week, haven't sharpened it since (just used a steel before shift); it's still sharp as ****. Shun is awesome: the blade is thin, strong, and easily sharpened (because it's thin). I have the 10" chef knife, and it's amazingly comfortable.

I reccommend buying a knife by how it feels in your hand. If it's uncomfortable, it'll give you a callous, which may be considered cool, but hurts like a ***** in the making. Regardless, keeping your knife sharp is going to make more difference than anything, so I'd spend money on a tri-stone before a new knife.

I reccomend against Globals. They feel good at first, in the store; but, after a couple weeks using a Global, you'll have a ridiculous callous. Globals also suck to sharpen; I sharpen my own knives on a tri-stone, and neither I nor a former chef of mine could get my Globals as sharp as my Shun. Actually, that's not true; for one whole shift, we did. Shun > Global, 'nuff said.

[castironchef]

You have two misconceptions in your question.

The first is that you'll need or want a "set" of knives. Like cookware, no set really "does it all," and certainly not what you may eventually be wanting to do.

The second is that you won't become an incurable knife freak, spending the rest of your days on this planet (and much of your hard-earned money) seeking new just-gotta-have-it cutlery.

So, figure out what you'll need for your school and internship. Certainly your school will be a great help with this. Then, shop around and ask questions, especially of those about to graduate.

Lastly, just remember that no matter anyone tells you, there simply is no "best" knife. It all depends upon YOUR hand and YOUR skills and YOUR needs and, alas, YOUR budget.

[joebot]

Good advice! I never bought into sets of anything! lol I find that I can do just fine with a 10 inch chef, 3 in. pairing knife, 10 in. bread knife and 5.5 in. boning knife . Although there are days that I reach for a 10 inch slicer as well. Great removing the skin off salmon and nice slices for pork loins, roasts, etc.. I"m still using the one that came with culinary school knife set .


JB

[eloki]

Get the cheap ones (e.g. victorinox). They're good for a first year. Comfortable handle, and relatively good steel. Also, you can practice sharpening on them, until you get a better knife.

[angrybob]

Thanks for the information ChefTorrie.

[laxflier]

Still the best out there.... Stays sharp for weeks.....

[nickydafish]

Hello everyone! I've finally arrived at the point in my short career where I felt it was time to start getting my own knives. Until now, the few kitchens I've worked in always supplied knives. I did a little research and with the help of some of you here, I went with an 8" Mac. I went for the 8" because for me I felt like it would be good for finer cuts and if I was doing some serious prep, it wouldn't be so heavy in my hand. Next month I'll go for my own 10". For now we have plenty at work I can use, but it's been so much fun using my own knife. I also bought a knife roll. So far all I have is my new Mac, and some knives my old boss gave me. (paring, bread). I also put a quick read thermometer and poultry sheers in as well. These are all things I use every night. So what I'm wondering is what do some of you include in your knife rolls? Thanks guys! Take care all.

[GhettoRacingKid]

Chef knife
PAring knife
slicing knife
utlity knife
boning knife
steel
3 wooden spoons
tongs
fish spatula
peeler,
shark sharpener (works fast)
measuring spoons

things in it that I mean to take out but never do,

offset spatula
straight saptula
pastry brush
parign knife (extra)

[chef monganie]

Get a good knife steel to help keep them sharp.

[kuan]

Get a bench knife. It's handier than you think.

[adamm]

i carry a 8 in chef, 7 in santoku, 10 in. scimeter, clever, boning knife, filet knife, slicing knife, serrated slicer, paring, birds beak, diamond steel, sharpening steel, pastry brush, bench scraper, measuring spoons, rubber spatula, wooden spoon, channel knife, tongs, fish spatula, pizza cutter, microplane zester, melon baller. I proabaly have more but thats all i can think of right now.

[Montelago]

I agree that you should not just buy a set of knives for the name. Mix and match. A very good value for a decent knife is the Forschner line. They have everything from basic short tang plastic handled jobs to really nice blades, and they won't cost you a week's paycheck.

Also, it seems that everyone is playing up the hardness of the steel. It is true that the harder the steel the longer the edge will last, but try resharpening a Shun or other really high carbon knife on a tri-stone when you are just learning your knife craft. Remember back in the day, those old crappy looking knives that always needed polishing. Those knives had soft blades and were absolute hair splitters. A couple of licks on a steel throughout the day, and it would fall through a ripe tomato.

You have to balance the sharpenability of a knife with the durability of the edge. To simplify, if you want to to know the quality of a blade in an instant, tap it against a metal prep table. A good hard blade will have a high pitched ring, a low quality blade will make a hollow click.