Hey guys,
been a home cook for years and decided to make it a career so im about to start an apprenticeship and im looking to get some better quality knives. I've been checking out some of the knife stores in my area and i like the feel of Japanese over German. I've been doing a lot of research to learn more about knives in general and could really use some guidance in deciding what to do.
unfortunately the variety of Japanese knives in my local stores seems to be limited, at the moment im looking at Miyabi or maybe Yaxell Ran brand mainly because they are the ones I've liked the most from what the stores stock. After looking online I've seen that there is a lot of other brands of Japanese knives out there and im wondering how they compare to those two. i get the feeling that they are the main stream brands that most stores stock and that there is much better brands out there. i worry about buying a knife without getting my hands on it first so i feel somewhat limited to what my local stores have.
the idea of carbon intrigues me however im not sure how practical it would be in my work place to have to wash/dry it after every use so i not sure about those for now however im definitely open to suggestions if you think there is something that would suit my situation.
From what i understand the higher the HRC the more vulnerable they are to chipping, I've read that Japanese knives are more likely to chip if not used correctly and that you should only use them on timber boards because they are softer however my work place(and every professional kitchen i've seen) uses plastic boards so im curious to get some thoughts on that, i think i also read somewhere that they are more likely to damage from doing a rocking motion.
I worry about cutting through bones with a Japanese knife because once again they seem to chip easily so im wondering do i need to keep a German knife on hand for that sort of work.
I wouldn't consider my sharpening skills to be very good, i've never used a whetstone and i doubt im even using a Steel properly. i intend to learn how to use whetstones so i can properly care for my knives but i worry that at first my lack of experience will just end up doing more harm then good until i get the hang of it. i do have my current knife that i could practice on while i learn but i cant go around with a blunt knife so I'd have to sharpen my Japanese one at some point.
The place im working in is Italian but i intend to do a variety of cuisines over my career so i don't feel that should play a huge role
in my knife decision.
Im not too worried about price as long as its something that will last me for a long time however im also open to the idea of buying something a bit cheaper (still good quality) to start with until i learn how to properly sharpen and care for my knife.
Im thinking ill just get a Gyuto to start and go from there.
here are the knives im currently looking at:
Miyabi 5000MCD https://www.miyabi-knives.com/uk/en/series/knives/miyabi_5000mcd.html
Miyabi 500MCD 67 https://www.miyabi-knives.com/uk/en/series/knives/miyabi_5000mcd_67.html
Yaxell Ran http://www.hocho-knife.com/yaxell-ran-69-layers-vg-10-damascus-chef-knife-gyuto-255mm/
like i said this is just going off of what the stores in my area stock so id like to know what you guys suggest and also your thoughts on buying a knife off the internet without handling it first.
as keen as i am to get a new knife im not in any rush because i have my current knife which will do the job for the time being.
so let me know what your thoughts are, cheers
been a home cook for years and decided to make it a career so im about to start an apprenticeship and im looking to get some better quality knives. I've been checking out some of the knife stores in my area and i like the feel of Japanese over German. I've been doing a lot of research to learn more about knives in general and could really use some guidance in deciding what to do.
unfortunately the variety of Japanese knives in my local stores seems to be limited, at the moment im looking at Miyabi or maybe Yaxell Ran brand mainly because they are the ones I've liked the most from what the stores stock. After looking online I've seen that there is a lot of other brands of Japanese knives out there and im wondering how they compare to those two. i get the feeling that they are the main stream brands that most stores stock and that there is much better brands out there. i worry about buying a knife without getting my hands on it first so i feel somewhat limited to what my local stores have.
the idea of carbon intrigues me however im not sure how practical it would be in my work place to have to wash/dry it after every use so i not sure about those for now however im definitely open to suggestions if you think there is something that would suit my situation.
From what i understand the higher the HRC the more vulnerable they are to chipping, I've read that Japanese knives are more likely to chip if not used correctly and that you should only use them on timber boards because they are softer however my work place(and every professional kitchen i've seen) uses plastic boards so im curious to get some thoughts on that, i think i also read somewhere that they are more likely to damage from doing a rocking motion.
I worry about cutting through bones with a Japanese knife because once again they seem to chip easily so im wondering do i need to keep a German knife on hand for that sort of work.
I wouldn't consider my sharpening skills to be very good, i've never used a whetstone and i doubt im even using a Steel properly. i intend to learn how to use whetstones so i can properly care for my knives but i worry that at first my lack of experience will just end up doing more harm then good until i get the hang of it. i do have my current knife that i could practice on while i learn but i cant go around with a blunt knife so I'd have to sharpen my Japanese one at some point.
The place im working in is Italian but i intend to do a variety of cuisines over my career so i don't feel that should play a huge role
in my knife decision.
Im not too worried about price as long as its something that will last me for a long time however im also open to the idea of buying something a bit cheaper (still good quality) to start with until i learn how to properly sharpen and care for my knife.
Im thinking ill just get a Gyuto to start and go from there.
here are the knives im currently looking at:
Miyabi 5000MCD https://www.miyabi-knives.com/uk/en/series/knives/miyabi_5000mcd.html
Miyabi 500MCD 67 https://www.miyabi-knives.com/uk/en/series/knives/miyabi_5000mcd_67.html
Yaxell Ran http://www.hocho-knife.com/yaxell-ran-69-layers-vg-10-damascus-chef-knife-gyuto-255mm/
like i said this is just going off of what the stores in my area stock so id like to know what you guys suggest and also your thoughts on buying a knife off the internet without handling it first.
as keen as i am to get a new knife im not in any rush because i have my current knife which will do the job for the time being.
so let me know what your thoughts are, cheers