ChefTalk Knife buying, selection and care guide

[CookingAngry]

Perhaps a recomendation to small handed cooks for santokus will find its way into your book BDL?

[adamm]

i used to use all wusthofs(still have them) I have two japanese knives, guess which knives i used 95 % of the times...The Japanese. There not ever that hight qualitly. While i see where wusthofs have there place in kitchen they compare nothing to japanese steel . If you need and edge that last buy a japanse. btw i used to be a believer in wusthofs and german knives look at the begining of this post, The first time i used my sharpend japanese i changed. Im now a believer.

[boar_d_laze]

Originally Posted by CookingAngry

Perhaps a recomendation to small handed cooks for santokus will find its way into your book BDL?

Great question, to which the answer is "yes." That's why I'm asking so many questions. Santokus are selling very well with woman and the reasons are better than "Rachel Ray uses one." Rachel Ray being the usual explanation from knife geeks and men in general.

I'm still trying to find out if people with small hands who "pinch" large knives find a santoku to be as much of an improvement as people do who are more intuitive than technical. At this point I;m playing with the idea that the choice for the go-to knife for most people is between a 10" chef's and a 7" santoku rather than between a 10" and 8" chef's.

BDL

[CookingAngry]

Originally Posted by boar_d_laze

At this point I;m playing with the idea that the choice for the go-to knife for most people is between a 10" chef's and a 7" santoku rather than between a 10" and 8" chef's.

BDL

Whoa, wo, wo, wo, wo. Easy there tiger. Let's not loose perspective. A santoku would all but eliminate the proficiency that proper blade technique provides while in a pro kitchen. Maybe the suggestion could be for home cooks to consider santokus. But then again, littlechef just said she goes to work with one so anything goes.

The 8" still has its place on small boards on the line though. imho

Looking forward to reading the book, do you have a publisher?

[Littlechef0222]

Originally Posted by CookingAngry

Whoa, wo, wo, wo, wo. Easy there tiger. Let's not loose perspective. A santoku would all but eliminate the proficiency that proper blade technique provides while in a pro kitchen. Maybe the suggestion could be for home cooks to consider santokus. But then again, littlechef just said she goes to work with one so anything goes.

The 8" still has its place on small boards on the line though. imho

Looking forward to reading the book, do you have a publisher?

Ok, like I said it is a matter of personal choice. I am not a home cook, I am not Rachael Ray (frankly she really bothers me). All my knives are in my office at work but I find myself picking up my santoku ad my boning knife the most. I have not used my chef knife since March. Please boys do not imply anything that my knife choice is only because I am female or Rachael Ray, I can still cook with the best regardless of my taste in knives. Again IT IS MY CHOICE, the one that allows me to do my work the best. In the end that is the point not whose knife is bigger! So I still stand with my original comment, GET THE KNIFE that YOU FEEL is the BEST, only you can decide that.

[adamm]

The sous chef at my work uses a 5in santoku and a 6 in slicing knife pretty much the whole time, they buy ALOT of stuff precut so having a small knife isnt an issue. Right now im the only person in the kitchen that uses a knife over 10 in daily.

[crimsonmist308]

santokus are rarely found to be longer than seven inches and i am
used to having longer blades. to "cure" that "problem", i had a
an eight inch santoku made by cutting down a ten inch chef's knife
to eight inches. I bought a ten inch forschner vibrox chef's knife
and i had mike over at perfect edge cutlery in san mateo, california,
round off the tip making it into an eight inch santoku.
it is amazing how much better that extra inch feels!
i have since done the same to a ten inch MAC, a couple of ten inch
dexter sani-safes, a ten inch boker arbolito, a ten inch f.dick pro series,
and even an 8" x 3" dexter chinese cleaver, making it an extra wide
santoku ... amazing how many people i show this to want one!

[CookingAngry]

Littlechef, I didn't mean to offend. I fully believe in personal preference and you could probably cook me under the table. That said, my comments lean toward the opinion that santokus don't make for optimum output. They aren't curved enough for fast rocking on larger products. They aren't long enough for efficient slicing and they aren't balanced for rapid chopping like a usuba or nikiri.

But if an 8 inch gyuto/chef's knife is too big, a nikiri/usuba too awkward, and a slicer/yanagi not versatile enough, then the santoku is your best bet.

[boar_d_laze]

Angry,

On a personal note, I actually get fair use from a 7" (French profile) chef's which I enjoy a great deal. I use it as a petty that can chop. It sees action with small things in small quantities -- or sometimes just as a petty because I feel like it.

I agree on the 8" for small boards -- in fact, I'd say that's its highest calling. Otherwise, it's a length that's neither here nor there, as far as I'm concerned. Too long to double as a petty, too short to section the blade into sections for multiple purposes; and, in the German profile, too curved to draw a slicing motion across the board. This would all be a lot more meaningful if it weren't for the fact that tastes vary.

BDL

[boar_d_laze]

Littlechef,

You've helped a lot by letting me know how and why your santoku has become your instinctive choice for most tasks. Also, in case there is some misunderstanding, I said that "Rachel Ray" is NOT the reason santokus are so popular with women. In fact, the idea is sexist.

I believe their popularity (santokus not sexists) is a combination of belly geometry, point shape, knife length, hand size, and cook's height. To be more specific on belly geometry -- santokus are a lot flatter than the popular German profile chef's knives, especially 8" chef's knives. The sheep's foot point makes straight slicing easier, on the draw stroke, and facilitates two-handed "rock-chopping." And, to be more specific with cook's height, it relates to the angle of perspective at which you look over your knife. Also, with less experienced users I feel the raised heel makes it easier to keep knuckles off the board, and the rounded point is less intimidating. None of this relates specifically to women in any way except that women tend to be shorter than men, and have smaller palms with proportionally longer fingers. For instance, shorter cooks see a knife of given length as longer than taller cooks do.

I'd appreciate any comments you have regarding my thoughts, and still have one question if you'd care to answer it. That is, do you use the pinch grip for chopping?

Thanks for your input so far. It's golden.
BDLli

[boar_d_laze]

Crimson,

I get the point you really like the santoku shape, and you appreciate a little extra length.

The Forschner Fibrox, F. Dick, and Sani-safes would still have a fairly pronounced belly curve, wouldn't they?

The Arbolito... what a kick.

I'd really like to hear about what it is you like about the santoku shape. Is it the sheep's foot tip only? What makes you like that so much? Are there other aspects? If so, what? And more importantly, why?

Thanks in advance,
BDL

[Saltydog]

I guess to emphasize "to each his own" I'll add, after cooking professionally for over 30 years and being brought up on Greman steel I use a santoku (Japanese) as much or more than any other knife. For technical applications they're great. Currently my knife of choice is is a Carter 203 Funayaki, which is similar to a santoku. In addition to that a 180mm Togiharu and a 180 Hattori KD. Both santokus. Pretty flat with almost no belly. Great for slicing proteins or vegys. ( I'm not a rocker) I probably use my 270 gyotu the least.

Hey Angry, Have I seen you over at Knife Forums?

[CookingAngry]

Yeppers, that was me at KF. BDL pointed me that way and I am now an addict.

[Mannlicher]

These are all my kitchen knives I could fit on the table. I have several rolled sets from my reastaurant days in the closet.
I will always take a French style Chef knife, 8 or 10 inch, over any Santoku. Thats my preference.

[CookingAngry]

Man,

You must tell me what every knife on the table is. Now. Pretty Please.