Knives - what do you think essential and why?
Discussion
As the main knife, a Santoku or big-bellied chef's knife, at least 6 inches long. I don't get on with classic French chef's knives as my knuckles hit the board before the blade does, unless using the very tip.
A decent paring knife for the little jobs, kept sharp. The one I reach for most is a cheapo plastic handle Victorinox.
And a recent addition was a ceramic sharpening steel, that plus a regular steel keeps the blades tomato-sharp.
A decent paring knife for the little jobs, kept sharp. The one I reach for most is a cheapo plastic handle Victorinox.
And a recent addition was a ceramic sharpening steel, that plus a regular steel keeps the blades tomato-sharp.
shirt said:
craigjm said:
I have:
8 inch chefs knife
8 inch carving knife
8 inch bread knife
7.5 inch nakiri knife
7 inch santoku knife
3.5 inch paring knife
yes but do you use them?8 inch chefs knife
8 inch carving knife
8 inch bread knife
7.5 inch nakiri knife
7 inch santoku knife
3.5 inch paring knife
i have a 9in , 7in and 5in santoku profiled knives, a 9in filleting knife, a 3.5in paring, a bread knife and a cleaver. mostly damascus blades, and i have the matching carving set and sharpener [oooOOOOooo]
i would say the 7in santoku does 90% of the work [i'm also a slider]. the paring now and again, and then the bread knife for toast. rare to use the others. they look nice i guess.
i was thinking whether to reduce the number as i saw a droolworthy 3 knife combo the other day. pretty and frivolous as mine are thoroughly decent, but then looked at the individual prices and reckon i would be best suited to a pair of schmancy 7in santoku's and an ikea bread knife.
Edited by shirt on Thursday 2nd May 14:29
craigjm said:
I use the paring knife most of all and then the chefs, carving and bread knife. The two Japanese style knives get used less often depending on what I am making.
I agree with mobile chicane you don’t need a set and keep them sharp. Mine are all Japanese so 16 degrees on the sharpener
I agree with mobile chicane you don’t need a set and keep them sharp. Mine are all Japanese so 16 degrees on the sharpener
I like Global. Have three of them, the largest one (which looks like something from one of those Korean revenge films to slice someones head off) cuts through onions like marshmallows.
Middle one is around 7 inches, has a very small chip but still great.
The small one (around 5 inches) is still very sharp but doesn't have the weight.
I think having the whole knife made of metal is handy for the dishwasher, wood handles and dishwashers don't go well!
I sharpen them with a minosharp, perhaps once every 6 months
I find other knives feel cheap and too light now, those are mainly used for menial tasks (opening packets etc.)
If I want to cut meat, veggies, cheese always use the Globals
Middle one is around 7 inches, has a very small chip but still great.
The small one (around 5 inches) is still very sharp but doesn't have the weight.
I think having the whole knife made of metal is handy for the dishwasher, wood handles and dishwashers don't go well!
I sharpen them with a minosharp, perhaps once every 6 months
I find other knives feel cheap and too light now, those are mainly used for menial tasks (opening packets etc.)
If I want to cut meat, veggies, cheese always use the Globals
Pit Pony said:
Whatever knife you chose. Just keep it sharp.
It's safer that way.
I used to think this, but following the infamous Thomas the Tank Engine dinner set debacle of 2019 I can use all seven of my toddler's fingers to count the number of knives in our house we've decided not to keep sharp in future. It's safer that way.
I've got an eclectic mix of 12 knives I've gathered over the years! Some from my gran (so possibly 50s vintage), a set I bought my mum and took when we cleared her house out and a few presents. Two of the presents are Globals but I don't like the handles, less important for the cheese knife but the cooks knife is rarely used.
The main knife I use is a 10" Lion Sabatier that's starting to lose its rocker and I could manage with that, a bread knife (I have 3 IIRC
) and a boning/filleting knife. The kids and my wife use the others though so I'm not ready for a clear out yet not least because they'll grab whatever's closest and the more knives there are, the less likely they are to hunt out my boning knife that is hidden away.
The main knife I use is a 10" Lion Sabatier that's starting to lose its rocker and I could manage with that, a bread knife (I have 3 IIRC
) and a boning/filleting knife. The kids and my wife use the others though so I'm not ready for a clear out yet not least because they'll grab whatever's closest and the more knives there are, the less likely they are to hunt out my boning knife that is hidden away. Kermit power said:
Pit Pony said:
Whatever knife you chose. Just keep it sharp.
It's safer that way.
I used to think this, but following the infamous Thomas the Tank Engine dinner set debacle of 2019 I can use all seven of my toddler's fingers to count the number of knives in our house we've decided not to keep sharp in future. It's safer that way.
12cm Japanese Misono petty
https://japanesechefsknife.com/collections/misono-...
Jamie Oliver set:
11cm paring
15cm utility
19cm chef's
20cm carving
22cm bread
Victorinox
11cm serrated tomato and table X2
17cm Santoku Fluted edge
16cm Classic chef's
7cm pairing
I mainly use the Victorinox knives and the bread knife from the JO set. As for essential I would go for Classic chef's, Bread knife and a serrated tomato and table knive. As for why, they are the ones I use on a regular basis. I could lose the rest and be fine.
Thats what is left, I got rid of some really crappy cheap knives.
https://japanesechefsknife.com/collections/misono-...
Jamie Oliver set:
11cm paring
15cm utility
19cm chef's
20cm carving
22cm bread
Victorinox
11cm serrated tomato and table X2
17cm Santoku Fluted edge
16cm Classic chef's
7cm pairing
I mainly use the Victorinox knives and the bread knife from the JO set. As for essential I would go for Classic chef's, Bread knife and a serrated tomato and table knive. As for why, they are the ones I use on a regular basis. I could lose the rest and be fine.
Thats what is left, I got rid of some really crappy cheap knives.
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