Can I just heart this whole thread? Srsly, you guys are the best.
6 Likes
I was having mixed results trying to resharpen my kitchen knives (from a 12" Mac down to an El Cheapo supermarket parer) every time I thought they were getting dull. I finally bought a secondhand honing steel, and that has made a significant difference. Now I just whisk the knives for a few seconds over the steel whenever I am going to do a bit of chopping, and the change is notable; I only want to resharpen every few months now.
I prefer a Nakiri or Gyuto chef knife over the Santoku. I actually don’t understand why the Santoku is popular. Actually a Chinese vegetable cleaver is excellent. For the big veg I use a Chinese cleaver. For finer vegetable cuts I use the a Nakiri. For everything else the Gyuto, utility knife and paring knife.
Nakiri - Shun (Great! Razor sharp. Wear your cut resistant gloves)
Gyuto - Miyabi (OK. Well balanced. Spent too much. I should have bought the Vicotorinox)
Chinese Vegetable Cleaver - Vicotorinox (Great! Razor sharp. Beautify utility. Great price.)
Utility - Nothing special
Parring - Nothing special
Bread Knife - Nothing special. I’m planning to by the Mercer Culinary Millennia 10".
Member of the Scarred Hand Club.
1 Like
And Henckels scissors.
I have a ceramic 5" Cuisinart santoku that’s been my regular vegetable slicer for many years. It can be a bit tricky on soft, thick-skinned vegetables (tomatoes, mostly) since it doesn’t have the roughness of a steel blade to break the skin.
My big knife purchase this year:
The cut-resistant gloves, not the knife.
(I also bought a couple of waterstones, which were a little more expensive than the $3.50 I paid for the gloves, but the gloves were especially useful the day I learned that you can, in fact, break Arcoroc dishes.)
1 Like
It’s not too often the bottom of a pro range performs so far above it’s price. Quality steel, great balance and safest handles.
Nice to hear though. In a moment of synchronicity my (other) mum just called tonight to thank me for surprising her with their 8 inch chefs knife.
She said she had chased down the courier to tell them she hadn’t ordered it and then remembered me complaining about her dodgy flexible workhorse on my last visit!
The two best lessons I learned at the meat works:
- A shit knife is the biggest hazard.
- If you’re going to cut someone, cut the person next to you.
1 Like
I usually try to refrain from promoting specific brands, but:
Check out Windmühlen-Messer from Solingen. Not the stainless ones, mind. Not exactly cheap, but my Grandmother had one. For as long as my mother knew her. One. Sharp as hell, honed every now and then until the blade looked like a scimitar. I guess she took it to her grave, since I don’t think anyone inherited it…
1 Like
I found a Soligen gravity knife in the street when I was a teenager and carried it for about ten years. I think it was an Anton Wingen? But anyway the Solingen reputation for quality steel seems well deserved!
1 Like
The Miyabi was my first higher end knife and I didn’t know what I was doing when I bought it. I thought, “This feels and cuts good.” It’s about equal in performance as a Victorinox with better balance. It’s forged verses rolled steel.
The Miyabi has an interesting history and design. The metal is Swedish FC61 steel from Sandvic and is similar to Victorinox Steel. FC61 carbon count is a little bit higher and Chromium lower. Miyabi is owned by Zwilling JA Henkels but the knife is made in Japan. It is a very good knife. I just got it sharpened and it cuts like a laser. It doesn’t compare to my Shun which core uses SG-2 but it is an excellent performer.
1 Like
Not familiar with those knifes. Besides the steel, which other products can possibly match with ease, Herder and some others from Solingen are still using a very work-intensive type of honing (called pließen) which results in bloody sharp and bloody schnitthaltige (edge retaining) blades. It’s skills, not materials, I am here willing to pay for.
That said, I still don’t own many of their products. When I make some money, some day, some of their knifes are definitely on my list.
1 Like
That’s to indicate it’s sharpened on both sides of the blade. The more traditional Japanese approach used a “chisel” bevel. It’s sharpened only in one side, The other side is minimally ground flat. Makes for a much narrower edge angle, And a much sharper knife. But it tends to cause the blade to angle towards your off hand as it cuts. And it’s a bit weird to use if your dominant hand is opposite to the sharped edge of the blade. So single bevel knives are right or left hand only. Like guitars.
I’m always suspect of “grandma had one” with knives. We have my great grandfather’s Chicago cutlery butcher set. They’re pretty damn good. Especially for what were not fancy knives at the time. Modern Chicago cutlery? Some of the worst knives I’ve ever encountered. Barely take an edge and straight up crack into pieces.
2 Likes
True. Herder went trough some lack of QC phase in the past, but as far as I can tell, they are up to high standards again. (Their Spaltmaß used to suck for some time. Holy fuck, how many special terms are there in the knife world?)
1 Like
So you’re saying Japanese knives are typically chisel-ground, even though Japanese chisels typically aren’t? 
(At least mine isn’t, it’s hollow-backed).
some Japanese knives. And chisel ground is a western term. No clue what the Japanese call it.
1 Like
Wicked sharp /s
2 Likes
It is a well-earned reputation.
http://www.klingenmuseum.de/_english/dkm/museum.html
If you should ever happen to be in the area (hey, you never know), give me a buzz for a tour. I also know a couple of decent pubs just around the corner.
1 Like
Thanks! If I ever manage to get there, I will surely do that!
Deal!
1 Like
