Thread: recommended kitchen knives?

I saw a Japanese chef at Bennihana in SF and he was using a Japanese knife and a Henkels.
We have Henkels and I love them. Sharpened on my belt sander with progressive grits they are awesome.

Originally Posted by broger

Hirlau,

First, I'm not going to apologize that you took offense. I said thank you to everyone twice, stated that my response was to clear up the type of things I know about knives so that people could make their answers more specific to my question, and also stated that my response had zero negative intentions behind it.

I obviously don't know everything about knives, but your analogy was "swing and a miss" in my opinion. Are you going to tell an astrologist that he's full of sh** because he knows a lot about Neptune but needs help to get there? If so, you must be a very intellectually blessed individual.

I posted the above response to this thread to restate the answer I was hoping to get, and while I really enjoy new information about knives (kitchen in particular), maybe another thread could be used for that and this one could stay to sources of good kitchen knives. Seeing as how that's why I started it. However, your above post was laced with negative intentions to "put me in my place." Very mentor-ish.

I think you mean astronomer.

Neil, why not let sleeping dogs lie?
You're replying to a post that is half a year old. Nothing is to be gained from stirring up the fire again.

Originally Posted by Bruno

Neil, why not let sleeping dogs lie?
You're replying to a post that is half a year old. Nothing is to be gained from stirring up the fire again.

Only because of another, more recent post that brought this one up - didn't even notice the date - whats half a year between pals, anyway?

Point taken, though - will look at the date next time.

If someone does not want to break the bank on a new J Knife or custom, I recommend vintage carbon (not stainless) steel chef knives. Many can be rehabbed just like a straight razor. I have gone as far as to post wanted ads on craigslist with success.

John

I always like to go through flea markets. Last year I bought a vintage solingen kitchen knife that was rusted for 2 euros.
I restored it and now it is a fantastic knife.

Since someone stuck the defibrillator on this thread: has anyone used ceramic knives much in his/her kitchen? I am having a hard time building an opinion about them solely based on research due to such mixed reviews. I have, up to this point, chosen not to purchase any without having some info on their quality and usefulness in the kitchen. I do not wish to stifle my RAD for KGAD (Kitchen Gadgetry Acquisition Disorder) if not worth it. I have found some that are kind of cheap. However, that would be like establishing an opinion on straight razors based on a Krieger. Know what I mean?

I have heard the maximum level of sharpness for a ceramic knife is supposed to be quite good, and due to high hardness, should not dull as quickly as standard knives. I would just be worried about chipping and what it would take to fix a chipped edge.

Any opinions, good or bad?

Thanks.

Originally Posted by broger

Since someone stuck the defibrillator on this thread: has anyone used ceramic knives much in his/her kitchen? I am having a hard time building an opinion about them solely based on research due to such mixed reviews. I have, up to this point, chosen not to purchase any without having some info on their quality and usefulness in the kitchen. I do not wish to stifle my RAD for KGAD (Kitchen Gadgetry Acquisition Disorder) if not worth it. I have found some that are kind of cheap. However, that would be like establishing an opinion on straight razors based on a Krieger. Know what I mean?

I have heard the maximum level of sharpness for a ceramic knife is supposed to be quite good, and due to high hardness, should not dull as quickly as standard knives. I would just be worried about chipping and what it would take to fix a chipped edge.

Any opinions, good or bad?

Thanks.

How I feel about ceramic knives;

Pros; the material is inert, it wont rust or have any chemical reactions with food, good for vegetables and fruit.
It's harder than steel so theoretically the edge lasts longer, at least that's what the cutting tests show, tests when they cut paper.

I use ceramics in my peeler and a mandolin, there the blade is supported better than in a knife and since I peel lots of dirty food like carrots with sand on the toughness of the ceramic really comes handy.



Cons; It's brittle, you can not thin it out like you can a good Japanese knife, remember the profile of the blade is as important as the edge for good cutting ability.

As it's very easy to lose the tip when cutting I would never use it in a professional kitchen, a lost tip can result in a kitchen lock down, you can't serve any food until you found that tip or you have to throw away all food you made.
Yes, the same goes for any knife but it's most common with a ceramic blade.

Sharpening is harder, if you want a knife to be sharp as a "razor" you better go with steel, the steel you can quickly touch up on a stone.
I always have a hard suita Jnat by the kitchen sink for touch ups, it only takes seconds.
When I sharpen ceramics I find it harder to do it free hand, no feed back from the ceramic blade, so I usually make a jig to hold it.


So, I don't feel the need for a ceramic blade in the kitchen, never seen one sharper than my steel knives.
It might be the sharpest knife in some folks homes but that's only becourse they don't sharpen their knives and then the ceramic last longer.

Originally Posted by Lemur

It might be the sharpest knife in some folks homes but that's only becourse they don't sharpen their knives and then the ceramic last longer.

Yup, that pretty much sums it up imo!

Sharpening ceramics is a lot of fun. They can be made to be very sharp but it takes a lot of skill.