Home (Or Professional) Chefs - Lets Talk Knives.

[BarrelProof]

I don't cook much but when I do I prefer a Victorinox. It is inexpensive and works well.

These are an incredible value. Anyone else looking for a decent and surprisingly underpriced knife can look at the Zwilling kids’ knife. I’m not sure what they call it, but I got one for my daughter because she has an interest in cooking. It’s a sure enough Zwilling blade with a rounded tip and a plastic sheath that doubles as a finger guard. I got it for like $20 and I reach for it occasionally because it has (and holds) an incredible edge and the shape is insanely versatile.

 

[UB 40]

When it comes to knives I appreciate the sharpness of carbon steel knives in the kitchen. Of course I use a stone get them to razor blade like qualities. Most of the time I use the Japanese Hocho with folded steel and the Mühlenmesser “Made in Solingen”.

 

[john19]

I love my Tojiro DP VG10 Santoku. I am not professional, but i like to cook sometimes.

I bought it, because i like it.

 

[bassbug]

I've always been surprised that whenever talk of kitchen knives comes around, no one mentions comfort and ergonomics. There's tons of great steel out there, both carbon and stainless, but for me the more important thing is, does the knife fit my hand well, is the weight good for me and is it balanced. The best steel in the world, sharpened/honed to a fine edge isn't much use if I can't control it or use it for more than a few minutes at a time. My go to in the kitchen is a Global 8" chef knife.

 

[JOHN72]

Since I mostly prepare Cantonese dishes I learned from my late father, I use a Chinese carbon steel cleaver:

View attachment 203711

I have some more conventional chef knives, but, I feel most comfortable using this.

Hey my dear friend TheironMonkey. Spectacular kitchen tool. Here we have a Cantonese restaurant, on the coast, a few kilometers from my house, near where I buy tobacco. It is a family, they are lovely people, and their dishes are very rich and very well elaborated, I think I have been visiting this restaurant, since the nineties.

 

[tbradsim1]

It’s not the knife, it’s the sharpener, my old German Grandfather taught me , now I can’t sharpen our knifes as wife cuts herself.

 

[bassbug]

I can’t sharpen our knifes as wife cuts herself.

All the more reason to keep them sharp. A dull knife is far more dangerous than a sharp one, as far as accidental cuts go.

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

I've always been surprised that whenever talk of kitchen knives comes around, no one mentions comfort and ergonomics. There's tons of great steel out there, both carbon and stainless, but for me the more important thing is, does the knife fit my hand well, is the weight good for me and is it balanced. The best steel in the world, sharpened/honed to a fine edge isn't much use if I can't control it or use it for more than a few minutes at a time. My go to in the kitchen is a Global 8" chef knife.

I agree about balance (which is mentioned in my post). When working 13 hour shifts, it's all about comfort (and you still end of with the knife callous on your index finger and pad of the palm).

@ashdigger also hit a great point: it's the skill set and not the blade. You can give a FNG (freaking new guy) the "best" blades in the world, but the NFG still won't know what to do with them aside from bleed.

Which brings to mind another kitchen joke: "is it normal to cry and bleed this much at first?"

 

[ashdigger]

I agree about balance (which is mentioned in my post). When working 13 hour shifts, it's all about comfort (and you still end of with the knife callous on your index finger and pad of the palm).

@ashdigger also hit a great point: it's the skill set and not the blade. You can give a FNG (freaking new guy) the "best" blades in the world, but the NFG still won't know what to do with them aside from bleed.

Which brings to mind another kitchen joke: "is it normal to cry and bleed this much at first?"

When I was first learning to use my knives, at the time I had the basic set, a 10 inch French, a boning knife and a 6 inch utility knife (all Trident), my boss walked over as I was peeling carrots (I peeled and diced 25 pounds of carrots, 25 pounds of onions and a case of celery every day) and told me I was cutting like old people f@$cked.

I was 17. Didn’t know what he meant. Lol.

Then he explained that I could be careful and nothing would get done or I could learn how to use my knives and be productive.

I cut myself 7 times one day. BUT, I learned how to use my steel.

I haven’t used my knives professionally since 1992 but it’s like riding a bike. Or f@$&#%g.

 

[otm]

I own several, but my favorites for work (chef/restaurateur) are, Takeda Hamono, Takada No Hamono, and Yoshikane. The first two makers are hard to come by, and rightfully so. I also have a Fujiwara that gets out from time to time.

 

[JOHN72]

I have a razor, Extrema Ratio, cuts like a scalpel. I once cut my knuckles with this demon of a tool, it scares me just looking at it. I use it to read my favorite books in the bedroom, while having a few shots of whiskey. Afterwards, I don't remember anything I read.

 

[agnosticpipe]

When I was a kid my dad was always telling me about Henkel knifes and how good they were. He even carried a Henkel pocket knife all the time. As an adult I always used what was on hand because Henkel knifes were so expensive. Finally, for my 40th birthday my wife said go buy some. So I went to a cutlery store and bought a small block set of their professional knifes, an 8" chefs knife, a 4" paring knife, a 8" serrated bread knife and a 7" filet/boning knife. That was 1986 and I'm still using them. I never found I needed any other shape of knife, even though I've bought a few other knifes over the years but nothing to replace the Henkels. I'm sure there are better knifes to be had, but I've grown used to these and know how to sharpen them and properly handle them. (plus, I still have all my fingers)

 

[anotherbob]

When cooking professionals the knife isn't as important as just being faster and more agile then them. Though honestly it's really not that hard to catch professionals you just have to stay up on what their new jargon of the day is. And just find a dark alleyway and keep repeating the jargon over and over. To be honest most of them are so out of shape you could use an old rusty screwdriver.

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

Another Shun fan here. I've talked to many who don't like them, but it seems they expect something different. Japanese knives tend to be thin and that's the complaint I see most with Shun. With proper technique and maintenance, I find Japanese knives superior to many. Yoshihiro and Miyabi right there with em.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

I am, but I don’t buy boutique ones because I’m not that serious about it, just a serious hobbyist in the kitchen at home.

I run Shun’s Premier line and love them.

My first personal chefs knife was a 10" Shun - I'm sure it was VG10.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

I was a professional chef for over 10 years -Here’s a pro tip: it’s not the knife, it’s the skill set.

Man you said it. In the recent interim I've been using the chunky rubber handled Mercers that we keep for general cutting duties. Most of the ignoramuses that use them totally abuse them and couldn't slice pads of butter if they had to.
It had been years since I had even picked one up, BUT lately I found myself thinking "should I even invest in personal knives again". My end product wasnt suffering for having used the poor knives.


So, at the end of the day, it's much like PAD. Sure I could be smoking this same tobacco out of a Missouri Meer hardwood, but damn I'm a sucker for aesthetics and this old amber stemmed beauty sure heightens my smoking experience.
Besides, I'm a zen stropper/sharpener and I do still cook at home.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

I've always been surprised that whenever talk of kitchen knives comes around, no one mentions comfort and ergonomics. There's tons of great steel out there, both carbon and stainless, but for me the more important thing is, does the knife fit my hand well, is the weight good for me and is it balanced. The best steel in the world, sharpened/honed to a fine edge isn't much use if I can't control it or use it for more than a few minutes at a time. My go to in the kitchen is a Global 8" chef knife.

I never loved the traditional Western style knife handle.. a rounded or octagonal Japanese style just feels so much more natural and controllable to me. That said, for most chef knife or even petty knife work, I'm pinching at the hilt and letting the handle rest against my palm.
I'm most picky about the handles of paring knives. Paring/peeling takes the most time and will be the leading cause for hand fatigue (read: early onset arthritis ) - so just today when i decided on a Miyabi Koh in AEB-L, I gladly accepted the lower grade steel (95% sarcasm) for what I fully expect to be a much better hand feel for me. I also implement an "alternative" paring style than most.


Browsing through retailers the last few days I was honestly surprised to still be seeing Global products. Full disclosure, I've never used or even held one of their knives - but they always seemed so gimmicky to me. I'm glad to know they actually do work for some out there.
Maybe one day I'll even pick one up?!

 

[Briar Tuck]

For myself, I have some good Chicago brand kitchen cutlery that I enjoy using and feel more at ease using. It's sturdy, and I maintain it, so they are durable friends.

Chicago Cutlery makes some high quality knives. I've had a couple of their boning knives for years and they take and hold an edge very well.

 

[Briar Tuck]

I’m a Cutco fan when I’m looking to spend the money. They are like the zippo of knives, for me. American founded and owned along with free product service for the life of the knife.

I have a very old cutco hunting knife I inherited from my Nan. It’s still sharp but does need a good servicing that I haven’t gotten around to contacting them about. It’s what got me into the company.

Cutco knives are excellent, as is their warranty. As a fisherman I've owned their "Fisherman's Solution" fillet knife for many years and still use it often.

Kershaw also stands behind their products. I won an auction lot on eBay that included an old Kershaw flipper with a broken torsion bar. I sent Kershaw an email and they sent me a new torsion bar and set of washers free of charge.

 

[Zeno Marx]

From my limited research, I kept getting these recommendations. On the low end, Victorinox Fibrox series, and on the high end (for me), it was J.A. Henckels Four Star II series. If I was splurging, I like how some of the Roselli kitchen knives look, and I've heard they have good steel. Take any of this was a grain of salt, because while I think knives are super cool, I'm not one to dispense the element of value. They aren't worth THAT much to me to go into the upper levels. If I needed one tomorrow, I'd be perfectly content with Fibrox, and at that price, I'd also enjoy throwing them in the dishwasher without hesitation or guilt.