Chef’s knives?

[climberevan]

Cmon now. A razor blade with 8 oz on it won’t fall through a tomato. You still have to slice it.

Right--yes, you have to move it horizontally a tiny bit to get it started but no vertical weight is required. I didn't mean to exaggerate.

I'm glad to see so many sensible recommendations here. Kitchen knives are one of those things where spending extra only gets bling, not better functionality. I and others actually prefer the no bolster design of cheaper blades anyway.

[The Tortoise]

The Torjiro DP seems to be the best value in the "fancy knife" category. I like that it has a western style handle, I have a low-mid range Japanese chef's knife (A Miyabi) with a rounded handle and don't love it when I am doing lots of cutting.

[californiagrown]

I'm not much into those knives but I'm digging the countertop you have there, california.

Not mine, just a google image. If those were my countertops id be extra pissed about my wife using the countertop as a cutting board haha.

[riser4]

Not mine, just a google image. If those were my countertops id be extra pissed about my wife using the countertop as a cutting board haha.

This.

[muted]

Otherwise, get a Victorinox.

Since I am a newb and have no idea to parse everyone recommending everything they have ever bought and what bevels do what, I'm gonna start here. Thanks.

The knives my wife have flex a huge amount without much pressure, even the short 3" one.

[Neil Fiedler (Not Neil Armstrong)]

My wife and I are adulting particularity hard these days and it’s time to upgrade to a decent chef’s knife.

I don’t want to spend a ton of money, but she’s an excellent cook and I want to get her something nice.

What brands?


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If I was to pretend I was a dentist I would get a set of Blenheim Forge's knives or some how get my hands on one of Adam Perry Lang's cutlery. Otherwise Shun makes good mass produced knives.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Not mine, just a google image. If those were my countertops id be extra pissed about my wife using the countertop as a cutting board haha.

Why, that’s what wood countertops are for.



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[ötzi]

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[riser4]

Why, that’s what wood countertops are for.



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WTFF??? That grounds for divorce.

[climberevan]

Why, that’s what wood countertops are for.

Exactly--why is this not more common? I built our kitchen island around a 48"x22" section of maple glue-up which we use as a cutting surface. I've belt sanded it once in 3 years to renew it. The rest of the top is concrete, and the maple can come out to be replaced if it gets too bad. The stainless tray to the right is for compost, and sweeping cut-offs off of the edge into there makes prep really fun.

[bagtagley]

Since I am a newb and have no idea to parse everyone recommending everything they have ever bought and what bevels do what, I'm gonna start here. Thanks.

The knives my wife have flex a huge amount without much pressure, even the short 3" one.

Fair point. Here are some solid, inexpensive, entry-level Japanese knives.

Mac Pro: https://www.chefknivestogo.com/macchse8gy.html
Fujiwara FKM: https://japanesechefsknife.com/colle...hefsknife-com/
Misono 440: https://japanesechefsknife.com/colle...es-gyuto-knife

Also, to echo Austin's suggestion, Chinese cleavers are badass, and are nothing like the bone hammers we have here.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/ccksmstcl.html

[Conundrum]

I was looking at spending some cash on knives to get a nice block going but I ended up with old German stuff from my great uncle who passed and lived over there in the 60s and 70s. Eberhard Schaaf (Golden Hamster), Gloria, some old Henkel/Zwillings, etc. Didn't like most of them until I got a Worksharp and some diamond stones. Now they are all rad. Now pursuing thrift stores, I see a lot of the same logos probably from other dead peoples' kitchens. Might be a cheap way to get some old German steel. Watch the bevels and keep them sharp.

For American bling, I've been checking out the Benchmade Table knife set. I use Benchmades for my pocket knives, hunting and processing and they hold an edge for a long time. Only one blade shape option for the kitchen and they come in a set of four but they look utilitarian and versatile, and you can customize handle scales to match your kitchen or dinnerware if you're into that sort of thing. Might put a set into the kitchen remodel as a splurge if we come in under budget but I know that will not be the case.

https://www.benchmade.com/table-knife-set.html

[GiBo]

The Shun Classic is a damascus folded over VG-MAX for $108 on Amazon right now.

Attachment 348702

Acktually....pretty much all new German knives ( in the last 10-15 years) are sharpened around 15 degrees and pretty much all commercially available Japanese knives are double beveled now too.

I bought one of these 6 months ago. Love it. Huge upgrade from Target knife I had.

Just get this bad boy and call it a day: https://shun.kaiusa.com/classic-vege...cleaver-7.html
It's my go-to for just about everything these days. Also called a "Chinese Cleaver" as in many Asian kitchen's it's kind of used for everything. SO versatile:
https://www.seriouseats.com/2019/12/...hen-knife.html

Now I want one of these!

[Conundrum]

Exactly--why is this not more common? I built our kitchen island around a 48"x22" section of maple glue-up which we use as a cutting surface. I've belt sanded it once in 3 years to renew it. The rest of the top is concrete, and the maple can come out to be replaced if it gets too bad. The stainless tray to the right is for compost, and sweeping cut-offs off of the edge into there makes prep really fun.

Nice. I have a smaller version in my counter. Once a year I heat a mineral/beeswax mix to wipe on it and it really freshens it up.

Edit-because my memory sucks.

[XXX-er]

Probably kitchen sacrilage, a couple of cheaper kitchen knives & 1/2 doz steak knives for paring with handles that all can be thrown in the dishwasher

[Timberridge]

There's a difference between a maple cutting board and a figured walnut countertop... sheesh, what are you people, troglodytes?

[BCMtnHound]

Probably kitchen sacrilage, a couple of cheaper kitchen knives & 1/2 doz steak knives for paring with handles that all can be thrown in the dishwasher

Growing up without that particular kitchen appliance, keeping mom's knives sharp was never an issue. Wife's family would remark how nice and sharp our knives are, and would ask me to bring my stones when visiting, until I saw them put their knives in the dishwasher. If clues were shoes and all that...

[Dantheman]

America's Test Kitchen likes the Victorinox Chef's knife. $40. I don't know how reliable or unbiased their recommendations are. I haven't used it.

I've used one, it's a good knife. ATK/Cooks usually won't hesitate to recommend expensive products when they're legitimately worth it. All Clad and Le Creuset always win when they test pots/pans and enameled cast iron, for instance. In their sharpener testing they found that a $10 AccuSharp beat every electric sharpener they tested except one, and said the AccuSharp was 95% as good as that one for 5% of the cost.

[house]

I bought victorinox after reading the previous iteration of this thread 5 or 6 years ago. They’re still going strong, and often when others use them they say “wow these are nice”. In reality, they’re just sharp. They definitely don’t feel “nice” or instill a sense of pride. They’re just tools that work well. I just use a chefs choice about once a year to reestablish the edge, and use a honing steel often. Hone often! Not just when they start to feel dull.

This is a set that covers all your basic needs. I never use the bread knife though. The best bread knife I’ve found is a cutco serrated. The hollow grind seems to get started in crusty bread without crushing the loaf much better than the victorinox.

Victorinox Swiss Army Cutlery Fibrox Pro Knife Set, 4-Piece https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004IEBTZ4...ing=UTF8&psc=1


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[MagnificentUnicorn]

Nice. I have a smaller version in my counter. Once a year I heat a linseed/beeswax mix to wipe on it and it really freshens it up.

Uh, the only thing that should be used on wood countertops used for food prep is mineral oil. My entire kitchen has Boos Block Rock Maple tops and they specifically state this. Further research confirms.


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[Conundrum]

Uh, the only thing that should be used on wood countertops used for food prep is mineral oil. My entire kitchen has Boos Block Rock Maple tops and they specifically state this. Further research confirms.


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Good catch...not sure what I was thinking. Mineral and beeswax. I just did a chair with boiled linseed and had that on my mind. I'm editing so no one does what I said.

[dan_pdx]

I have a cheap cleaver (maybe $10?) from an Asian grocery store that I use for cutting up chicken carcasses etc. Nice to have something that you don't worry about at all. It doesn't necessarily work all that well, but for how often I use a cleaver, it's perfect. Using a cleaver as your daily driver seems like it would be a chore to me, but maybe I haven't used the right cleaver.

As far as cutting on a granite countertop, definitely grounds for divorce. The judge will give you the cutlery when dividing assets.

[oftpiste]

Kitchen knives are one of those things where spending extra only gets bling, not better functionality.

Respectfully disagree, though you're correct in that you certainly can get bling for $. I've had lots of different kitchen knives from thrift store no-name carbon to fancy-ish stainless Germans to big ass Damascus thunkers ordered from Pakistan on Etsy as an experiment.

The Zwilling Kramers have been a game changer in terms of usefulness as long as they're hit on the steel routinely.

Whatever you end up choosing, consider good carbon steel vs. stainless. A lot of the highly rated knives from the big companies are highly rated so often because they're decent and require little care compared to carbon. There's a lowest-common-denominator factor there as the reviewers know most people won't like the upkeep of carbon steel. Decent carbon doesn't come cheap and that difference IMHO can't be reduced to bling.

[Conundrum]

As far as cutting on a granite countertop, definitely grounds for divorce. The judge will give you the cutlery when dividing assets.

Make the ex take the knives and get a new set.

[bagtagley]

Uh, the only thing that should be used on wood countertops used for food prep is mineral oil. My entire kitchen has Boos Block Rock Maple tops and they specifically state this. Further research confirms.

You sported for Boos Block counters and didn't get end grain? Pshaw!

I've always used a mix of beeswax and mineral oil. Easier to apply than straight beeswax, and more durable than just mineral oil.