You guys are so old school.

I have owned quite a few high end knifes over the years but a year or so ago I got a set of these Kyocera ceramics for the old lady. They are SCARY sharp and I've yet to have to sharpen them. The only downside? They can be brittle do don't drop them on a tile floor. Be careful, they are truly razor sharp.

Welcome to Kyocera - Ceramic Consumer Products

 

I have a full Homemaker plus 8 from Cutco. They have always cut well and stayed sharp. I had a faberware set before this, so my opinion may be skewed since they were such shitty knives. I cut myself so many times with those and not once with my cutco ones.

 

What knives do you regularly use? Iuse a chef, paring, bread, and utility knife frequenly. I don't see the need for a huge set of knives.

 

My 2 cents.

1. Grandfather was a butcher. He swore by mild steel for meat cutting but it's almost impossible to find now.

2. A sharp knife can make you a better cook. The sharper the blade the less cells tear meaning less moisture is released when cutting, cooking or storing. World of difference? No, but it does exist. Any micro edge/eversharp/fine serration type blade tears the crap out of cells and are really only good for cutting bread.

3. A chef's knife can and will be used for 90% of your kitchen cutting chores. Buy the best you can. Steak knives and bread knives can be Ginsu's or Chicago Cutlery for all they really matter.

 

I love having shitty steak knives around that I can throw in the dishwasher. I use them for non-critical kitchen cutting like opening bags of raw meat and such. Plus they come in sets of a billion so you dont ever run out.

nothing sucks worse than having to wash your good chef's knife all the time.

 

They work great for scraping wood, scraping paint, turning tiny slotted screws, as a sharp prying edge and on and on. I have a couple in all my tool boxes, at work, in junk drawers, etc. Cheap steak knives rule as a tool fool.

 

Bought my mother these last x-mas... She loves them. Amazon.com: Shun Classic 3-Piece Boxed Flat Set: Home & Garden

 

What do I use mostly? The petty gets the most action. I've got two cheap bread knives that cut bread, pineapple, or anything with tough skin, or that I want a rough cut on. The Gyuto for cutting most meats. Santuko for most veggies and some finer meat slicing. A regular cheap chicago cutlary chefs knife for utility cutting. A standard cleaver if I need to power through some bone, or frozen things. We use our kitchen shears alot. But every knife has it's purpose, and I like having various types, and grades of blades. I'm not going to use my good steel on frozen beef, but I'm not going to use anything but my good knives for onions, 0 eye irritation.

I like ceramic, they're sharp and cheap, but you can't really ever sharpen them.

 

Yup, it is.

 

I guess I use more knives than I thought too...but I HATE Santoku blades.

 

I took a basic knife skills class at a local community college.


From that class:

-Stay away from sushi knives. The blade is made at a special angle designed for cutting sushi which will absolutely suck at everything else.

-If you want to look trendy and ignorant, go for a santoku. The only difference between one and a chef's knife is that a santoku is made with the tip removed because it is considered impolite to "point" the blade at your guests when making food. Otherwise it is a chef's knife.

-My first choice would be whichever chef's knife feels best in your hand and feels like it has the best balance. If the blade has a scalloped edge that is a bonus.

-Don't forget to pinch grip and make sure the cutting board is larger than the knife. Steel the blade after each use and save sharpening for professionals.

 

We got a synthetic handled Victorinox block set, and then filled in the 2 open slots on the block with a Spyderco Santoku and a $12 Henckels utility knife. Been very pleased with the Victorinox set. The grind is a bit thicker than I prefer, but my wife is a little hard on knives and didn't want to worry about chipping an edge.

 

The angle on the "Sushi knives" is more in the handle and not as much in the blade. Not to say that the blade angle isn't different, but most of the high end japaneese knives, regardless of type, have at least a 60/40 angle rather than a 50/50 angle of most western knives. This along with the grade of steel used produces a thinner, lighter, and sharper edge. It will also let most professional sharpeners ruin the blade because they tend to use a machine to sharpen the knives, and try to force a 50/50 edge on them. Yes a traditional sushi knife is a poor choice for vegetables, some meats and utility cutting, you don't use a screw driver when the FSM calls for a 12mm socket do you?


A santuko was designed as a sort of bastard blade somewhere between a chef's knife and a chineese cleaver. Not because it's impolite to point, but for more of a multipurpose aspect.

 

I've got a Henckel set we bought about 8 years ago from Bloomingdale's when my wife worked there. I really like them (black handle) and have taken good care of them over the years. I personally don't throw them in the dishwasher b/c I hate to see the black handles fade, but that's personal preference. The chef's knife and the paring knife are the only ones that I've needed to sharpen. The bread knife is amazing at slicing bread, tomatoes, etc. The paring knife is great for tight things such as working a whole chicken, fruits/veggies, etc.

I'm sure that some people can get the job done with one or two knives, but a good set is like having a great toolbox. Sure, you could probably tighten every screw in the house with one flat-headed screwdriver, but wouldn't a mix of flat/phillip's head in different sizes make more sense?

Chopping garlic with that one serrated knife must be fun.


Regarding cutting boards - I love wood, but typically use the plastic ones. Don't use granite/stone/hard surfaced ones unless you're cutting cheese with a dull, flat blade.

Oh yeah, these are middle-of-the-road Henckels. Not their high end stuff. We paid $50 for the set and block w/ sharpening stick.

 

we have both wood and plastic cutting boards. you shouldn't use the plastic one for raw meats.

 

I like Alton Brown's suggestions, here's the transcript from the episode:
American Slicer Transcript

Some of his tips:
-don't buy a set b/c you probably won't need all of the knives.
-test fit the knives, see how you like the feel and balance in your hand
-always handwash and dry

These are my favorite cutting boards, a wood pulp that you can put in the dishwasher:
Amazon.com: Epicurean Cutting Surfaces 15-by-11-Inch Kitchen Cutting Board, Natural: Home & Garden


Also, I suggest checking out the local restaurant supply store as they are usually considerably cheaper than the other outlets.

Chris

 

I have the same thing but it's a pizza peel and you can use it as a cutting board. great stuff.

dishwashers ruin knives. too hot for the steel.

 

I've also heard the abrasive soaps (especially powdered) will dull a knife, bad for wooden handles as well obviously.

+1 on the restaurant supply stores, they should be much cheaper.

 

**** you! I love my knife. No I don't use it for chopping garlic. Chopped garlic sucks recipes. Smashing it with a mortar and pestle esnures maximum garlic flavor!

 

At least I know how to spell "ensure".