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A good knife?

post #1 of 50
9/20/05 at 11:22am
Thread Starter 
What is an ideal chef knife for you a commercial forscher or something like wusthof, ceramic, global etc?
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post #2 of 50
9/20/05 at 7:28pm
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
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post #3 of 50
9/20/05 at 7:54pm
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!
Moderator Emerita, Welcome Forum
***It is better to ask forgiveness than beg permission.***
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post #4 of 50
9/21/05 at 4:20am
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.
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post #5 of 50
9/21/05 at 9:19am

knifes

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.
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post #6 of 50
9/25/05 at 7:46am
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...
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post #7 of 50
9/25/05 at 12:48pm
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.
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post #8 of 50
10/4/05 at 7:09pm
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.
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post #9 of 50
10/4/05 at 9:02pm

Shun

Love my Shuns, would have nothing else.
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post #10 of 50
10/5/05 at 4:00am
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
Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death! Auntie Mame
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post #11 of 50
10/8/05 at 12:11am

knives knives knives

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.
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post #12 of 50
10/8/05 at 9:32am
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!
when life gives u lemons...
Squirt them over shrip
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post #13 of 50
10/8/05 at 11:23am
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.
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post #14 of 50
10/16/05 at 12:26am

snapping knives

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?
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post #15 of 50
10/21/05 at 5:53pm
I am extremely happy with my Global. Its crazy sharp! :lol: I would like to try a ceramic though...
DC
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post #16 of 50
10/21/05 at 11:19pm
Shun knives here.
I take my knives personally. I love the beauty, originality, top rated sharpness, elegance, traditional, and feel of the Shun knives.
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post #17 of 50
2/8/06 at 2:11pm
I just got a Kyocera 3" paring knife from a friend ;). It's surgically sharp, a little scary, but definitely a new standard in my kitchen.

I have a Global 5" cook's knife I love also. But for big jobs I love my Henkel's 8" chef's knife. I have a 7" Henkel's santoku on order.
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***It is better to ask forgiveness than beg permission.***
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post #18 of 50
2/9/06 at 4:19pm
I have a kyocera prep knife, about 5" blade... I used it for some time, and then it got dull. Needs to go back to the factory for sharpening... Haven't used it since. No place in my kitchen for a knife I can't sharpen. too bad, because it was a great knife. If they come out with a ceramic-knife sharpening tool for "home" use, then I may try it again.
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post #19 of 50
2/11/06 at 8:33am
i love almost anything that is japanese steel, hatorri, misono, shun...they are all nice..i have a shun
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post #20 of 50
2/17/06 at 2:22pm
Just put this up on the other knife thread- take a look at

http://www.japanwoodworker.com/produ...&dept_id=13173

for fun browsing a variety of oriental-style knives of a wide range of materials.

Nice descriptions and background details, too.

Mike :cool:
travelling gourmand
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post #21 of 50
2/17/06 at 3:40pm

An extension of my hand

I have many knives that I use for diferent tasks, but if I had to carry only three with me, they would be these three: 12 inch Henkles four star-super sharp, hardened steele, holds an edge better than Lynn Swann holds a football. Next, the Forschner "sandwhich knife". Eight inches of serration and two inches of flat heel, this knife is excellent for cleaning fish, breaking down veggies, and slicing the cheese. Finally, anything German that calls itself a boning knife. Preferbly at least six inches and flexible. Get to it!
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post #22 of 50
4/13/06 at 4:21am
Kyocera knives are incredible - you expect some resistance when you cut - but there is none! It is a bit like going throu clear air.
However it is just a gizmo not a knife really. The edge will get chipped (i mean small invisible chips) unavoidably especially in commercial kitchen. The blade is very fragile if dropped and I cannot see any practical use if these ceramic knives really. Maybe once a month at home cooking your favourit meal ;-)
http://www.cookware-uk.co.uk
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post #23 of 50
5/19/06 at 7:13am
here's a thread in the chef's forum regarding Gunter Willham knives. The wood isn't quite as nice as it appears on the website...but I really like this knife! I'd easily take it over my Henckles twin select series.


I would have to echo blueschef's statements. I just love this 10" Chefs Knife. For $55.00...the look, feel and blade...I think it makes easy work of much of the competition.





dan

Enjoy the Food!

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post #24 of 50
5/21/06 at 4:54pm
hi there.
i am a chef at a resort in CO. all we use is wusthof knives. they stay very sharp with the use of a steel and have the best warranty out there.

i have a wusthof classic wide 8 inch cooks knife for sale. never used still in the package.

make an offer. they retail for around $115

email me with any questions: pughjr@comcast.net
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post #25 of 50
5/27/06 at 8:48pm

shun!

I've used victorinox when I first started cooking, since then, I've bought a shun knife and I absolutely love it! It fits my hand perfectly, and is incredibly sharp.
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post #26 of 50
5/28/06 at 12:07pm
When I got my first serious cook job at a hotel, I ditched my cheapo knives and dropped nearly a grand on top of the line Henckels. If I had it all to do over again, I would not buy another German knife, my Global knives are much easier to maintain.

Perhaps my sharpening skills could use some honing, but I can't get any of my German knives to hold an edge to save my life. Last year with a global though, I took 1/2 of my fingernail off along with all of the meat behind it. A couple weeks after the last sharpening, and I didn't feel a thing until several moments later. :lol: I just grabbed my side towel and said, "Oh, I think this is a bad one." Had I been using any one of my Henkels, it would have taken some serious sawing to draw blood.

As for bread knives, I won't buy anything under 12". I like my big green Sanelli, it is too ugly to sprout feet, and cheap enough to toss when it needs sharpening.

I also always have a loaner knife in my toolbox for whenever somebody asks, "You have a knife I can use?" Of course I do, it's a 50+ year old knife/ machete hybrid, 15" long and curved like a sword.
Will work for a bed and shower... I want to find a place to live that isn't Vermont. I am interested in seeing a few sites.
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post #27 of 50
6/20/06 at 7:02pm
Only people who buy **** knives is dumb yups with gold visor cards. The pros all use Forschner Victornox. Click this link and tell em uncle bigwheel sent ya. The boy will treat you right. Get the firebox handles like the fella say. Dont forget the 6" curved boner either (no snickering please) it be the most versatile knife in your drawer. Free shipping when you break a hundred or used to be anyway. Leaves just enough leeway for the paring knife and the steel to keep em sharp. Forschners aint like the kraut knives you do not have to hire a tinker or buy a grinding wheel to keep em sharp.

http://www.justknives101.com

bigwheel
Chili:http://www.geocities.com/texaschiliassociation
BBQ:http://www.geocities.com/uncleshiloh69
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post #28 of 50
6/20/06 at 7:42pm
The current issue of "Cook's Illustrated" features a Knife comparison. Victorinox cleaned up in most categories.

The first Victorinox I ever got was back in '85, a real Swiss soldier's pocket knife--free too! (along with a free gas mask, a free sleeping bag, free green fatigues...) Ever since then I've been using Victorinox and never hestitate to convince others too.
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post #29 of 50
6/21/06 at 7:16am
I have a Culinar chef knife and bread knife. Also a Grand Prix III sutoku and paring knife. Although they are German, mine don't fail to cut wonderfully. I sharpen them myself and keep them honed with my steel. They also feel so natural in my hand.
Dale Angelo Iannello
Wanna be Pastry Chef
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post #30 of 50
6/21/06 at 8:53am
heh, and a few more freebies too i'm sure.
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