Cooking Knives

Skinnyneo · Post by **Skinnyneo** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 9:08 am

Recently our cutting knife broke (but it was free!) and I am looking to buy the last cutting knife I'll ever need. We do some pretty heavy duty cooking at home so any suggestions on cutting knives that will never break and that I can learn to sharpen myself would really be helpful. Thank you.

riparian · Post by **riparian** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 9:42 am

Old Hickory. I have one that's at least sixty years old and still holds it's sharp.

Skinnyneo · Post by **Skinnyneo** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 10:39 am

@riparian Thanks! I'll have to check those out.
I should also mention I really like sushi! Does anybody know what kind of knives sushi chefs usually use?

secretwealth · Post by **secretwealth** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 12:40 pm

I got some serrated steak knives that I use to cut almost everything--they work great, and were a buck a piece. I don't know why anyone needs any other kind of knife.

Rob A. · Post by **Rob A.** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 12:40 pm

Carbon steel, non-stainless (like the Old Hickory mentioned) probably is where it's at for holding an edge and lasting a long time, but it does require more attention and upkeep. For most interested in ERE, I'd guess that's a fair tradeoff.
Did come across this article: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/arti ... conclusion (link goes directly to the conclusion, though there's plenty of detail above about how the author tested the knives. The final recommendation is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000KXBSRQ/ At ~$130, it's steep, but if it performs as expected, it may be worth it. Has 27 reviews, 25 five star and 2 four star on Amazon.
Anyone have experience with it? When I settle down again, I'd consider buying this one.

funkju · Post by **funkju** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 6:57 pm

I would recommend Alton Brown's "Good Eats" Episode on Knives.
You can watch it on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Qzz8R_J1c

Post by **jacob** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 8:36 pm

I still have the $5 3" utility/vegetable "laser" knife I bought when I moved away from home. It can't be sharpened and it saws more than it cuts. It works well for vegetables and terribly for meat [but we rarely eat meat]. I don't use a cutting board but draw the tip directly on the dinner plate. Saves doing more dishes.

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 10:07 pm

Victorinox/Forschner kitchen knives are both inexpensive and of good quality; they have everything from ~$5 paring knives up to $300+ kitchen knife sets. Their fibrox line is great.

chilly · Post by **chilly** » Sun Nov 20, 2011 12:30 am

I have a pretty good quality $100+ Wusthof cooking knife, and I also have a set of $10 cheap serrated steak knives. In my experience, the only thing the good knife does much better is cutting raw meat. I bought it years ago when I was less frugal, and probably wouldn't do it again (no complaints about it - just too much $).

Mirwen · Post by **Mirwen** » Sun Nov 20, 2011 3:37 am

I have two Shun knives a 10" chef and a 6" utility. These two and a paring do everything we need and we do some serious cooking around here. One of the advantages of the Shun is that they have the high carbon steel core which keeps that great edge and Shun will sharpen them for you. (It used to be free, but they charge a nominal fee now.) Shun has gone up significantly in price since we received these.
If I had to buy now I'd find a good carbon steel blade. Yes, carbon steel is traditionally what sushi chefs use. Old Hickory seems like a fine option. Learn how to sharpen them yourself and clean and dry them immediately after each use (not when you are done in the kitchen). Get a good honing steel and use regularly. Do not use the "sharpening" ones.
Oh, and I should mention that carbon steel tends to be brittle, so you can break the knife if you use it improperly. No large force from the side.

nz · Post by nz » Sun Nov 20, 2011 6:04 am

Like Firefighterjeff said, Japan is THE place to source quality knives. I bought a kitchen knife there 22 years ago and its still going strong.

Skinnyneo · Post by **Skinnyneo** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 5:21 am

@firefighterjeff and nz
I am in Japan and I have heard that the quality and craftsmanship here is unmatched (I believe it) but I know next to nothing about brands, kinds of knives, etc. What brand of knife did you buy 22 years ago?
I'm starting the research on what to get based on the brands people have mentioned here. The next time I'm in a high end sushi place to I'll make sure to ask the Master-san what he uses or recommends and report back.

nz · Post by nz » Mon Nov 21, 2011 8:24 am

I seem to remember going to an up market kitchenware store and having quite a selection. I have no idea of the brand it's all in kanji. I don't think you'll have to look too hard.

sky · Post by **sky** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 4:05 pm

A standard steak knife works fine for everything except cutting loaves of bread, than a longer, serrated knife is needed.

JasonR · Post by **JasonR** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 4:15 pm

Maus · Post by **Maus** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 8:42 pm

I have a Henckels chef's knife (approx. $50 new) and a Kuhn Rikon paring knife ($10). These stay sharp and fit the hand well. They are the only knives I use daily, and I can think of only three or four occasions in the past five years when anything else was required. I keep a 10" serrated knife that I used to cut bread with (back in the days when I ate bread).

dragoncar · Post by **dragoncar** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 1:39 am

I've got Wusthof and they are great, but probably not worth the price. I hear you can find pretty good knives pretty cheap at estate sales (and cast-iron stuff)

crazn · Post by **crazn** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 2:24 am

I have a stone, oil, and Chicago cutlery knives (not expensive). I can make any of my knives as sharp as a razor in 45 seconds. Practice makes perfect.

dragoncar · Post by **dragoncar** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 3:31 am

crazn, how long does a knife typically last when you sharpen it regularly? Are we talking years or decades?
Does the answer change when you sharpen it "professionally" (i.e. with a machine) vs. by hand on a stone?

Skinnyneo · Post by **Skinnyneo** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:15 am

I ended up going with these. It was set at Costco for about 40 bucks. It included santoku, chef, bread, paring, and vegetable knife. They are PureKomachi brand, but it seems this company also makes the "Shun" brand of knife. This is probably their lower model. I liked the color coding, and boy are they sharp! I guess that's a no brainier as they are new but I'm pretty impressed.
I am still going to ask around to Sushi chefs to see what they use in case these knives end up not fitting the bill.