Knives

[ViridianAsp]

So, I recently went from baking over to the dark side, prep and pantry in a kitchen for Banquets for a large catering company. That being said I don't own a set of knives, the chef let's me use his but he's not exactly like most everyone else, he doesn't have a case, he keeps them in a hotel pan in the office. Which is cool with me, everyone uses his knives, he keeps them in good shape, ect.

But I'm looking to work for this catering company for like the next 20, 30 years and I want to get my own set of knives, I'm even thinking about going to school after I move. Price isn't so much an issue as quality I'm looking for a good brand, but not something ridiculously expensive.

My SO works at Lowes and showed me their kitchenAid knives but they were too flimsy for the work I do.

So quality brands that will last me forever.

[Moist Happenings]

This might be a good resource for ya:

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/129/Chefs-Knives-Rated

[ViridianAsp]

This might be a good resource for ya:

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/129/Chefs-Knives-Rated

They seriously need a "peeling watermelons" test. Thank you for the link Neff.

[Mighty Nikkisaurus]

One issue with the link that was posted-- he used the knives as supplied by the factory. Straight from the factory, the edges are almost never honed as well as they could be. Most people, myself included, hone and clean a new knife before use.

I have a set of Wusthof knives and they are amazing, I would recommend them to anyone. They stay sharp for a really long time and extremely quick to hone back to a razor sharp edge. I've had my 20cm chef knife for two years and it can still split a hair even after day in, day out constant use and abuse.

Make sure you get to a store and test out the weights and handle feel as well, which is the second part I really love about my Wusthof knives. The handles are incredibly comfortable and the weighting is perfect for me. I prefer a slightly heavier knife (it helps me to chop more rapidly) and you just don't get that kind of weight with stamped blades, so I do prefer a forged blade. IMO you won't really know until you hold the knife in your hand and mimic the motion, whether it feels comfortable or not. I also use a knife roll-up for transportation/storage.

[BriarFox]

Henckels is a traditionally good brand. Cutco's actually quite good, too.

[thefarmer]

I have a set of Wusthof knives and they are amazing, I would recommend them to anyone.

^


Henckels is a traditionally good brand. Cutco's actually quite good, too.

We use Cutco knives for the table and such, and they work great. I haven't tried anything else of their's though.

[AnticorRifling]

Gerber.

[Xeromist]

Henckels is a traditionally good brand. Cutco's actually quite good, too.

I sold Cutco knives for a brief period during the whole "what do I want to be when I grow up" phase of my life.

The sales tactics the managers have their salespeople use are pretty dishonest and inappropriate...but goddamn, that cutlery is pretty high quality.

[Ignot]

Make your choice between Japanese or German knives. The Shun knives are great Japanese knives and the Wusthof is a great German knife. Henckels and Globals are good but a bit outdated. All these knives are expensive. Why I know this stuff I have no idea.

[Mighty Nikkisaurus]

Make your choice between Japanese or German knives. The Shun knives are great Japanese knives and the Wusthof is a great German knife. Henckels and Globals are good but a bit outdated. All these knives are expensive. Why I know this stuff I have no idea.

Misono and Shun are easily the best Japanese knife brands, IMO (I have two Shun knives and a Misono sashimi blade).

When it comes to getting a full set, I am still a proponent of personally testing how the handle and weight feels. I like Japanese knives but they're too light for my own taste. It's not something that can really be "recommended" but rather you have to feel out for yourself.

I did think of another knife I have and use often but isn't easily found or sold with most knife sets, and that's my Ulu. Basically it's a rounded blade that you rock back and forth to quickly chop and mince when equal precision cuts aren't necessary. I use my ulu all the time and would recommend to anyone (home cook or professional chef) to get one.

[Athgo]

Misono and Shun are easily the best Japanese knife brands, IMO (I have two Shun knives and a Misono sashimi blade).

When it comes to getting a full set, I am still a proponent of personally testing how the handle and weight feels. I like Japanese knives but they're too light for my own taste. It's not something that can really be "recommended" but rather you have to feel out for yourself.

I did think of another knife I have and use often but isn't easily found or sold with most knife sets, and that's my Ulu. Basically it's a rounded blade that you rock back and forth to quickly chop and mince when equal precision cuts aren't necessary. I use my ulu all the time and would recommend to anyone (home cook or professional chef) to get one.

I went to Alaska this summer and it seems like every souvenir shop we went in was selling ulus. I figured they were just a gimmick, so its funny to find out they are actually useful.

[Mighty Nikkisaurus]

I went to Alaska this summer and it seems like every souvenir shop we went in was selling ulus. I figured they were just a gimmick, so its funny to find out they are actually useful.

I think if you don't know how to use them (most people don't) then they're just a gimmick.

But mine is totally irreplaceable. It really is the ultimate all-purpose knife.

[thefarmer]

It really is the ultimate all-purpose knife.

Lies.

These are the best!

http://www.seenontv.com/prod-pages/images1/ronco_clssc_flatware_thumb.jpg


But wait! There's MORE!

http://www.as-seen-on-tv-compare.com/images/products/ronco-six-star-knives.jpg

[Kuyuk]

<<I've had my 20" chef knife for two years and it can still split a hair even after day in, day out constant use and abuse.>>

20" knife? wtf.. That's a damn machete.

maybe you mean 20 cm knife...


Anyway - It doesnt matter so much the brand of knife, as it matters how good you are at keeping it sharp.

There are different quality steel knives out there, each has a different density that makes it dull/keep sharp longer.

Lrn2sharpenknife > costofknife

K.

[ViridianAsp]

Thank you for all the info guys, I'm thinking about getting Wusthof knives, global would be great if I liked the handle on them, but I just don't.

[TheRunt]

For a cheaper knife Calpahlon makes a decent one. I got one as a bonus when we bought a set of the pans and it does do a pretty good job. I bought and 8" chef knife from them and its help up pretty well. Not quite hair splitting after two years but still pretty sharp. And Narc you hone or steel your knifes? I use a steel every time well I try to but I leave the actual sharpening to the pros.

[Ardwen]

Heh I use Kyocera ceramic knives, guess I'm just odd

[Kuyuk]

ceramics are nice, but for daily use in a catering kitchen, they'd get chipped or broken pretty quick.

Longest I've seen one last in any industrial kitchen was abo ut 3 months

[BigWorm]

Agree with the Shun and Wusthof recommendations. I never liked the cut, cost, or maintenance factor of Japanese knives but my roommate who cut sashimi loved them more than anythng else in the kitchen and t hey are excellently crafted.

I also strongly recommend trying a knife out to get a feel for its balance before you buy it. Depending on what you end up doing, you could end up making thousands of cuts in a day so its really important to have a knife that feels comfortable.

Keep your knife sharp and clean. This sounds really simple but is really important to your experience with the knife. Also, don't be afraid of it, but do have a healthy respect of the knife. Always pay attention to what you are doing, and especially to where the sharp part of the knife is.

[Mighty Nikkisaurus]

<<I've had my 20" chef knife for two years and it can still split a hair even after day in, day out constant use and abuse.>>

20" knife? wtf.. That's a damn machete.

maybe you mean 20 cm knife...

Hahaha, wow, sorry, I was tired when I posted that. 20 cm is correct.



And Narc you hone or steel your knifes? I use a steel every time well I try to but I leave the actual sharpening to the pros.
Both.

Obviously I use a steel a majority of the time, but straight from the factory, I always hone with a whetstone before using the knife.

[Clove]

You can shave with my kitchen cutlery and I've had my current set for about 8 years; but I cheat my uncle is a professional sharpener so he cleans them up for me every couple months.

You need good tools to do good work.

And I use steel too. Ceramic hold an edge a long time, they're light and non-reactive, but I find that they chip far too easily and that lack of durabillity outweighs their other advantages. But again, I've always had access to a professional sharpening service, my priorities might be different if I had to keep my blades sharp myself.