Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Except if you cook a lot, then there’s an issue of back and neck aches, hand cramping, repetitive motion injury, slippage – which can lead to wicked blade injuries. I have found that a well weighted and balanced and edged knife can help prevent unwanted miseries.
Not to mention that a cheap knife, especially one with handles molded around the tang, versus riveted through the tang, poses a big safety risk. The ex- bought me a set of cheapie knives as a gift once, because I’d said that I needed new knives. Out of politeness, I used those knives until one literally came apart in my hand, at which point I threw them away and went out and bought my own. (Chicago Cutlery, for the record. I bought a set because I needed some pretty ASAP, but they’ve been good. For about $150, I got a chef’s knife, bread knife, paring, utility knife, a steel, and four steak knives. I’ve been using these for about 15 years, and they’re great.)
Admittedly, I’m a bit paranoid about knives, ever since my mother injured her thumb very badly when her knife slipped - a skilled surgeon was able to save some use, but there’s still major nerve and muscular damage from the cut. Believe me, the cost of the surgery was far more than the cost of a good knife!
A Nakiri?
90% of all of my kitchen knife work is done with one of two knives - a large traditional chef’s knife made by Sabatier and a tiny little inexpensive tomato knife made by Victorinox.
I loved the latter one so much that I bought two more the same (so I wouldn’t have to hunt for it when I needed it) - and when the handle got accidentally melted, I made a new one (I could have just bought a replacement, I know)
Whatever works for you, but IMO, it’s not snobbery to want to use a decent tool for the job. Have you ever tried using a shitty cheap screwdriver vs a professional quality one? - it’s the same thing - a decent quality tool is suddenly on the same side as you - if you use a cheap one, you’re fighting against it at least some of the time.
With all due respect, if I got back or neck injuries simply because I’m chopping food, I’d have to look in the mirror and ask myself when I became such an absolute marshmallow of a human being.
No idea what it was. I bought it in a knife shop in Yokosuka. There were some Kanji figures on the blade, but I have no idea what they said: “knife”, probably. The only problem with that knife is that it didn’t have a full tang, so occasionally the blade would fall out of the handle. Still, I never had to sharpen the thing and it was a real multi-purpose tool.
I was going to suggest a Chinese cleaver as well. I got one that was inexpensive and, like yours, versatile.
You don’t need do drop big money.
Dexter Russel knives are found in professional kitchens across the country.
I always recommend these without reservation. They don’t have pretty wooden handles but the sharpen well, hold an edge, and don’t break the bank.
Another vote for a magnetic knife bar, especially with limited counter space.
Thirded. Very affordable, excellent quality. I agree with others who support magnetic bars over counter top blocks.
No, I don’t see any respect there. But I suppose when you’re a God in human form it really is difficult to respect the marshmallows around you.
I would be in favor, but I think my wife’s going to veto that.
By the way, sharpening a knife and using the steel to hone a knife aren’t the same thing.
Why?
- It’s honestly way better for the blades
- Knives look cool hanging on a wall
- Knives on a wall are easier to grab and use than retrieving from a block
What’s her objection?
If there are children or clumsy old people who insist on helping, #3 is a huge objection.
I read through a bunch of reviews and tested several of the recommended knives before I chose a MAC MTH-80. Global was recommended, but I hated the handles.
There’s a site that gives recommendations for a top choice on a product, Sweethome. Their recommendation for price is Victorinox. I second their recommendation; my bread knife is a Victorinox.
Their set recommendation is no surprise, since the same two names always come up as being quality knives: Wusthof’s Ikon and Henckel’s Twin Professional. Again, based on testing in person, Wusthof is slightly better balanced, at least in my opinion.
You don’t need a santoku if you buy a chef’s knife, or vise versa.
I got a Kyocera ceramic paring knife as a gift years ago and was so impressed I started using it for everything. Even though I abused it (dishwasher, glass board, dropped many times), it is still pretty sharp.
I’d recommend ceramic for the paring and bread knives–possibly the chef’s and Santoku too, depending on how you use them. If you tend to use them as a cleaver and cut lots of frozen or hard foods, stick with steel. Personally, I’d prefer a good ceramic chef’s ($50-$250) and some Ginsus ($19.99 + SH if you order in the next 10 min) to having a full set of good steel, but my chef’s is on the short side so its very maneuverable and quite often it is the only knife I need.
The complaints I’ve heard about ceramics range from the ridiculous, “I’m in the habit of honing every time, you can’t do that with ceramic”, to the more practical, “I cut lots of bone” or “Too sharp and I’m clumsy”. My friend who hated her ceramic paring had a cheap one, when she got a Kyocera she changed her mind. Ceramics clean easily, and fruits/veggies don’t brown as fast IME.
I use the chef’s knife. My wife uses the santoku.