Kitchen Knives?

crisanderson27

So...I've always liked to cook. And eat. That's what got me on this site so many years ago to begin with, lol. I know many of my MFP friends are the same (some are even professional chefs), and so I'm sure many of you all are the same as well.

Years ago (long before I found MFP lol), I ended up in a situation where I learned to make knives. Last year I extended that knowledge to making high end kitchen knives for myself and others. Since then, my love of cooking has grown, literally by leaps and bounds. A good (very good) knife makes cooking into a whole new experience.

So, that said, what kind of knives do you use, and what kind of use do you put them to? Are you a home user? Professional chef? Do you just grab the first sharp knife shape object you found on a shelf at Wal Mart? Or are your tastes more discerning? Do you like shorter, or longer knives? Carbon or stainless? Laser thin or heavy bladed?

Pictures are encouraged!

I'll start, lol. This is my current 'go-to' knife for in home use. It's 185mm long (7.25") with a 50mm (2") heel height. Its incredibly thin (as you'll see in the pictures), but still stiff...it's lightweight, and made from high carbon tool steel (I'm not a fan of stainless myself, take care of your knives people!!), with a California Buckeye Burl and nickel silver handle.






And here's a picture of it with its brother just for fun .



So lets hear it...what kind of knives do you use?

_John_

I think we have a storebought set of Ginsu knives...probably from walmart.

PlanetVelma

Currently I'm in love with this ceramic chef's knife I bought at a kitchen outlet store. I can sharpen it with a nail file, but I am the only one allowed to clean it because if dropped it will shatter.

I love that you make your own knives, that's rad!

Joannah700

I'm a casual cook but I have lovely kitchen accouterments. I love my wusthof knives and probably use my santuko the most.

This will give you an idea.



Edited...because typos happen in life.

crisanderson27

I'm a casual cook but I have lovely kitchen accouterments. I love my wusthof knives and probably use my santuko the most.

This will give you an idea.



Edited...because typos happen in life.

Wusthof are great knives! A bit thick behind the edge, and semi soft (57-58HRC...Henckels are 56-57)...but very forgiving to the untrained home user.

Nice knives

ldrosophila

fun topic! I wish I knew how to sharpen. I have very poor quality knives. I'd love a new set.

wildrose53

I'm a home cook and received a set of Grohmann knives as a wedding gift many years ago. Ditched the husband, kept the knives. They are a local family owned company that make an amazing product.

Some_Watery_Tart

I have Denver Cutlery and Henckels. I prefer the Denver Cutlery, but they're hard to get unless you know someone "in the biz". My ex was my source. I want to buy a few more pieces, but not *that* bad. :laugh:

crisanderson27

fun topic! I wish I knew how to sharpen. I have very poor quality knives. I'd love a new set.

Sharpening is actually pretty easy. For about $75 you can have a sharpening setup that will last you probably the rest of your life...and your knives will NEVER be dull again.

http://www.amazon.com/King-47506-1000-Combination-Waterstone/dp/B001DT1X9O
This is the stone you want.

http://www.amazon.com/DMT-D8C-Dia-Sharp-Continuous-Diamond/dp/B0001WP1L0/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1408486336&sr=1-1&keywords=DMT+coarse
This is to keep the stone flat.

As for how to sharpen, go to youtube and search Murray Carter (a great friend of mine!), or JapaneseKnifeImports (another good friend). Both have excellent tutorials on sharpening. Murray is a firm believer in inexpensive stones (he uses the King system I linked above), and simplicity in sharpening, while Jon is very much behind proper technique and traditional methods. Between the two, you absolutely can't go wrong.

rachelg145

Favorite knife that works for literally everything (chopping herbs, cutting a bagel, slicing the most ripe tomato without leaving a dent, etc) is the Wusthof Limited Edition 200th Anniversary 9-inch Carbon Steel Chef's Knife. I cook at home for a family of four. This knife is amazing.

JessRose64

I love to cook too! I have a full set of Cutco knifes I fell in love with years ago. Red handles

00Allie00

Chris, your knives are amazing, and I stalk them on Instagram a little

I used to be a chef, years ago, and now I teach cooking classes and do a little catering as well. I've always loved the Global knives.

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I have little hands, so I like the handles, they're non-slip, they look very minimalist and they work and hone very well.

crisanderson27

Chris, your knives are amazing, and I stalk them on Instagram a little

I used to be a chef, years ago, and now I teach cooking classes and do a little catering as well. I've always loved the Global knives.

I have little hands, so I like the handles, they're non-slip, they look very minimalist and they work and hone very well.

You're just being a sweetheart .

Global makes nice knives, honestly. Easily comparable to the Wusthof and Henckels that so many love. Probably a bit better to be truthful, as their edge hardness tends to be higher in general.

Nice choice .

mathjulz

My husband and I were given a full set of Henkel knives a couple of years ago - they are second hand (about 30 years old now, I believe -black wooden handles). They are the best knives I've ever had!

I just cook at home.

crisanderson27

Bumping because all my knifes cut like butter knives and I need to sharpen them all. There's a guy in town that does it for about $10 per knife. It's ridiculous. I tried one of those auto knife sharpeners, but it really sucks.

I love using razor sharp knives. I agree that it makes the experience so much nicer. I dread cutting tomatoes these days. I use my bread knife for cutting tomatoes because it's the only one that works.

Definitely check out my post above about sharpening. It's truly not a difficult thing to do .

mathjulz

Bumping because all my knifes cut like butter knives and I need to sharpen them all. There's a guy in town that does it for about $10 per knife. It's ridiculous. I tried one of those auto knife sharpeners, but it really sucks.

I love using razor sharp knives. I agree that it makes the experience so much nicer. I dread cutting tomatoes these days. I use my bread knife for cutting tomatoes because it's the only one that works.

Have you ever looked into a good whetstone? You can make a single investment and sharpen the knives yourself. A honing steel is good for keeping them sharp, too (but I think it's best to use the whetstone first if they're currently dull)

00Allie00

Chris, your knives are amazing, and I stalk them on Instagram a little

I used to be a chef, years ago, and now I teach cooking classes and do a little catering as well. I've always loved the Global knives.

I have little hands, so I like the handles, they're non-slip, they look very minimalist and they work and hone very well.

You're just being a sweetheart .

Global makes nice knives, honestly. Easily comparable to the Wusthof and Henckels that so many love. Probably a bit better to be truthful, as their edge hardness tends to be higher in general.

Nice choice .

I'm not. Have you seen your knives? They're amazing.

I like the balance of them too. I spend at least an hour a day, sometimes 4 or 5 when I'm prepping for a class, using my knives. If they didn't keep their sharp blade, I'd be lost. I loathe a dull knife.

Chris, have you seen this guy? I love his passion for knives…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtyMrFMW3Fg

crisanderson27

Bumping because all my knifes cut like butter knives and I need to sharpen them all. There's a guy in town that does it for about $10 per knife. It's ridiculous. I tried one of those auto knife sharpeners, but it really sucks.

I love using razor sharp knives. I agree that it makes the experience so much nicer. I dread cutting tomatoes these days. I use my bread knife for cutting tomatoes because it's the only one that works.

Have you ever looked into a good whetstone? You can make a single investment and sharpen the knives yourself. A honing steel is good for keeping them sharp, too (but I think it's best to use the whetstone first if they're currently dull)

The King 1000/6000 grit stone I linked above is $35 or so, and is an amazing piece of work for sharpening.

Honing steels have their place, but I wouldn't advise using them on anything with an edge harder than 60HRC. They are designed specifically for soft edged blades, in order to keep the wire edge that these knives require to cut properly...straight. When that wire edge weakens and wears/tears off eventually...the soft edged knives require sharpening (with a stone as you mentioned). The knives I posted pictures of above will cut pieces out of a honing steel...although they might chip in the process. Very destructive all around, lol.

SaintGiff

So...I've always liked to cook. And eat. That's what got me on this site so many years ago to begin with, lol. I know many of my MFP friends are the same (some are even professional chefs), and so I'm sure many of you all are the same as well.

Years ago (long before I found MFP lol), I ended up in a situation where I learned to make knives. Last year I extended that knowledge to making high end kitchen knives for myself and others. Since then, my love of cooking has grown, literally by leaps and bounds. A good (very good) knife makes cooking into a whole new experience.

So, that said, what kind of knives do you use, and what kind of use do you put them to? Are you a home user? Professional chef? Do you just grab the first sharp knife shape object you found on a shelf at Wal Mart? Or are your tastes more discerning? Do you like shorter, or longer knives? Carbon or stainless? Laser thin or heavy bladed?

Pictures are encouraged!

I'll start, lol. This is my current 'go-to' knife for in home use. It's 185mm long (7.25") with a 50mm (2") heel height. Its incredibly thin (as you'll see in the pictures), but still stiff...it's lightweight, and made from high carbon tool steel (I'm not a fan of stainless myself, take care of your knives people!!), with a California Buckeye Burl and nickel silver handle.






And here's a picture of it with its brother just for fun .



So lets hear it...what kind of knives do you use?

For starters, that's pretty awesome. I currently use a Henkel set. But i would be more than willing to use a set of yours if you wanna send them to me. The father of one of my best friends growing up was a very high end knife maker. He sold knives for more than $10,000, and that was back in the 80s. I've always had an appreciation for the craft.

crisanderson27

Chris, your knives are amazing, and I stalk them on Instagram a little

I used to be a chef, years ago, and now I teach cooking classes and do a little catering as well. I've always loved the Global knives.

I have little hands, so I like the handles, they're non-slip, they look very minimalist and they work and hone very well.

You're just being a sweetheart .

Global makes nice knives, honestly. Easily comparable to the Wusthof and Henckels that so many love. Probably a bit better to be truthful, as their edge hardness tends to be higher in general.

Nice choice .

I'm not. Have you seen your knives? They're amazing.

I like the balance of them too. I spend at least an hour a day, sometimes 4 or 5 when I'm prepping for a class, using my knives. If they didn't keep their sharp blade, I'd be lost. I loathe a dull knife.

Chris, have you seen this guy? I love his passion for knives…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtyMrFMW3Fg

I have a passing acquaintance with my knives...yes .

You're still being incredibly sweet!

I actually do know Joel, lol. We make knives that are very similar in some ways, and very different in others. He is incredibly skilled however!