Chef Forum banner

what kind of knife do you have?

113K views 428 replies 183 participants last post by  Iceman 
#1 ·
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
 
#2 ·
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
 
#3 ·
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.
 
#5 ·
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.
 
#8 ·
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.
 
#9 ·
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 :smoking: 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. :eek:
 
#10 ·
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!
 
#11 ·
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.
 
#12 ·
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 !
 
#20 ·
For 20 years, I was inseparable from my 11 1/2" Henckels chef knife. About 3 years ago, I decided to investigate Japanese knives as a possible addition to my collection. I went to MAC USA and talked with owner Harold Arimoto. For about an hour, we talked, held, and used knives from their different lines. We even cut and peeled fruit and veg. I now use my 8" MAC professional series dimpled chef knife almost exclusively.
 
#21 ·
i do enjoy using the japanese knives over european ones. the lack of bolster makes sharpening easier and the lightweight feel is really helpful in reducing fatigue when i have to slice 15 cups of scallions or something like that. however, i do recommend a 10 inch knife over an 8 in. if your workplace gives you a lot of room at your station. an 8 in. knife gets tricky when you have to bisect a whole taro root or melon. alas, my station gives me about 6-8 inches on each side of me and about a foot of space in front of my board... so 10 in blade is a liability to my co workers. i just got jabbed with someone's 11 in. global "sword" the other day.
 
#22 ·
Have used Forschner for many years but broke tip [not me] of my favorite chefs knife, so looking for a replacement. Found Forschner but am thinking of Wusthof or Henckels, although there are some interesting ones mentioned on this forum! Have read that the Henckels has soft steel compared to Wusthof. Do many folks have the same impression? Some fine Japanese cutlery out there but want to stay with the German steels, particularly because I can see and feel them before buying. Do wish I could do a hardness test first, but expect that would be asking too much to put three little impressions in two of their knives! Am considering an 8-inch chefs knife, but the 10-inch felt so good I might buy a 12-incher.
 
#23 ·
I have never used Wusthof, so I can't comment on them, but my Henckels chef knife experienced 20 years of constant professional use and is still a great knife. During that time I found it to keep an edge well and easy to keep that way with a stone and steel. I think they are great knives. As for a Rockwell comparison number between Henckels and Wusthof, I have no idea.
 
#24 ·
Wusthof and my parents also just got us a Ceramic for a wedding gift. I love that thing! Cuts everything like butter! I'm just scared to use it; I might break it.
 
#26 ·
I have an 8" Henckle that I use all the time and an 11-1/2" Henckle that I use only sparingly.

I got a set of Victorinox/Forschner knives for a Christmas present about 2 years ago and I'm so surprised at how much I love all of them. I have no idea of the price on them but the little 6" chef is one of my all time favorites for summer veggies and so lightweight. And the paring knife fits my hand so well that I don't know why I ever used other paring knives before.

They take a stone nicely and tend to hold their edge as well as my Henckles and my one Wusthof (which I almost never use - boy is it a beast).
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top