General knife talk

[Yorky]

I have two chef's knives, both with 200mm (8" blades).

A "Tramontina" made in Brazil from German steel (?).

A Villeroy and Boch "Vivo" made in Germany.

I use the former for everything from carving meat to slicing tiny cloves of garlic. It cost in the region of US$ 60.00.

The latter was "free" as part of a promotion by a local supermarket (collect stickers for prizes) and hardly ever gets used. It's still in the box. I probably wouldn't own this one had it not been for the promotion.

Chefs knives s.jpg

• Yorky
• 25 Jan 2021

As the "Vivo" is hardly ever used I can't remember if I've ever sharpened it since new. The "Tramontina" is generally sharpened (edge restored) prior to cutting meat, maybe twice per week.

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[Mountain Cat]

I desperately need some new knives - my current ones are really cheap ones I bought about 15 years ago and they don't hold a sharp edge very well at all. I've been considering the best thing to do for a couple of years because I'm quite fussy. I don't like knives with separate handles, I want them to be all-in-one (like the top knife in the initial post). If money was no object then I'd buy a set of Global GS series knives....I find the handles a very comfortable shape and I like the style (style is as important to me as function because I have a magnetic knife rack on the wall so they're always on display). But Global knives are just too expensive

I do like the look of WMF's Chef's Edition knives though and I almost bought a set a couple of years ago (at the time couldn't justify the expenditure). I was hoping to have another look back in December on our annual trip to Köln, but sadly Covid prevented that trip. Maybe if we are allowed to travel this year.....

 

[Mountain Cat]

This is the knife collection. The two little ones to the left have no name attached, but I collect a couple of their items every year at the local county fair (excluding for some reason the 2020 one). They're not high powered, but they work (ie the pizza cutter and the cheese sliverer, not depicted). Then, 6 Wusthof knives and one carving fork to go with the carving knife. I like these the best! That little curving knife is actually a peeling knife, which I didn't realize early on.

Then we have a small and not really good Pampered Chef chef's knife, followed by a Cutco serrated knife. Then my two Dalstrong Shugun series Japanese-style knives, a boner and a mini-chopper.

Somewhere is a genuinely made in Japan sushi knife, and my set of 6 steak knives that go with my flatware. Haven't been entertaining much lately, so no need to remember where I put the latter!

PS: that Wusthof Chef's knife, around the center, is the one that drew First Blood. Quick and painless, too. I handle it carefully....

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

The knife is Lock & Lock Cookplus Rainbow. The best cheap knife you will ever find but unfortunately they are out of stock everywhere. It cost only around 20 USD. Now there are knife "sets" by them but that's different from this one. But if anyone can find one, buy it, it's worth.

I found it on amazon.com, which apparently does ship to 100 countries. This whole set is still a heck of a deal - including the block! - for $60:

 

[caseydog]

As the "Vivo" is hardly ever used I can't remember if I've ever sharpened it since new. The "Tramontina" is generally sharpened (edge restored) prior to cutting meat, maybe twice per week.

View attachment 55770​

I have a sharpener very similar to that in my knife drawer. Like you, I use it like a knife steel right before I use the knife, just to hone the edge.

I rarely need to sharpen my knives because of this simple practice, because it prevents them from getting dull.

CD

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I have a sharpener very similar to that in my knife drawer. Like you, I use it like a knife steel right before I use the knife, just to hone the edge.

I rarely need to sharpen my knives because of this simple practice, because it prevents them from getting dull.

CD

I do exactly the same thing.

And, I’m giving in to peer pressure: if using your sharpest knife all the time doesn’t dull the edge for all of you talented home cooks, then I’ll start doing it, too.

 

[lastmanstanding]

I found it on amazon.com, which apparently does ship to 100 countries. This whole set is still a heck of a deal - including the block! - for $60:

View attachment 55811

It's not the same model as I said, from the look of the handle, but if this set is 60USD and of same quality, then this is a steal.

 

[PabloLerntKochen]

Today I etched my name into my cheapest knife, now I feel very proud of myself. I also have a new whetstone, low quality 4€ but it's doing alright so far, doesn't feels bad.

Stay healthy

 

[TastyReuben]

Today I etched my name into my cheapest knife, now I feel very proud of myself. I also have a new whetstone, low quality 4€ but it's doing alright so far, doesn't feels bad.
View attachment 58458
Stay healthy

If I worked in your kitchen, that's the knife I'd handle the head chef with:

"Well, I don't know, officer, but it sure looks like that's Pablo's knife...

 

[GadgetGuy]

I have a set of knives, but my Chinese cleaver has been very versatile in the kitchen!! I use it for slicing & chopping, mainly for chopping! Its rocking motion helps provide great chopping motion!!

 

[GadgetGuy]

If I worked in your kitchen, that's the knife I'd handle the head chef with:

"Well, I don't know, officer, but it sure looks like that's Pablo's knife...

His name is written on it. Hah!!

 

[flyinglentris]

I finally got 'round to photographing my Chicago Cutlery set which I have had for what seems, forever.

The big problem with having a knife set for what seems, forever, is that the newer knives from the same vendor do not match the style of the older set and so, you can't add special purpose knives and expect them to match the style.

 

[moedas20]

I've searched for a general thread just for knives and couldn't find one, so I opened one for nice conversations and exchange of informations about knives.

Here is my small collection
View attachment 55586
Thomas bread knife~ 40€, Tramontina bread knife?, Wüsthof chef knife ~65€, very cheap chef-knife knife~5€, Zwilling petty-knife~45€, WMF Santoku~75€, Fiskars deboner ~30€, Wüsthof office knife 5€, Tucan office knife 9€, from top to bottom.

As a german, I'm very proud of our knives, but in my opinion every knife is a good knife and every knife maker is a good knife maker. There are some cool knives out there, but they are to expensive for me, right now I'm looking for an office knife with a length of 12cm.

What knives do you have, are you sharpening them by yourself, what kind of knife would you like to buy in the future?
Stay healthy

I love German knives too. I have one wustoff knife and it's a horsework but I want to buy one Japanese knife because for slicing it's better than German blade.

 

[PabloLerntKochen]

I heard the biggest difference is the used steel, japanese knifes are more sturdy and can hold the edge longer. Most german knifes are stainless steel and are constructed as soft knifes, who need to be sharpen way more often. What kind of japanese knife are you gonna buy?

 

[CookieMonster]

stop believing everything posted on the Internet.

many Japanese knives/styles are made from harder steel. most are not corrosion resistant.
being harder, the edge - if properly cared for - may last longer.
downside: harder=easier to chip : harder=more difficult to sharpen.

there's a whole raft of non-Japanese knives made from hard/harder/hardest carbon (rust prone) steels.
e.g. the French Sabatiers are 'the stuff of (unwarranted) legend'

stainless knives are not "soft" - they are less hard than some carbon steel knives - but that does not mean "soft."
the upside: don't stain or rust, easier to sharpen.

I have a bunch of Wuesthof from the mid-1980's. I used a tri-stone, then an Edge Pro. the Edge Pro is a very good tool - it allows you to maintain and angle and also set the angle you want. my slicers are a more acute anglr than the chef's style - and I can control that quite exactly with the jig.

I use the steel pretty much every time out of the block.
the edges stay slicing-paper-in-thin-air sharp for months.

some 35 years later I did notice a dip in the flat of my 8" chef - took me +/- 40 minutes to re-taper the bolster, flatten the knife, and resharpen.
my 10" chef is getting close to needing some bolster & flattening work.... now 40 years in use.

there's an enormous amount to total BS published by people who are sharpening freaks.
the ones who insist it isn't proper until you can read the reflected newspaper on your bevel.....

all that said, there are indeed tasks that require a knife sharpened to half-a-razor's edge.
but note, not many of those tasks occur in the home kitchen.