knives

[Fuzz]

@Ken Gargett Did you get those Kamikoto knives? if so, how are they?

[Ken Gargett]

1 minute ago, Fuzz said:

@Ken Gargett Did you get those Kamikoto knives? if so, how are they?

fuzz, they arrived. they look great. beautifully boxed. i have not had a chance to use them. the virus closed down shopping etc etc. 

[CigarmanTim]

I love my Ginsu.   

[Kayslay]

While I am among knife enthusiasts, are CUTCO knives any good? Please take it easy on me 

[El Presidente]

52 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

fuzz, they arrived. they look great. beautifully boxed. i have not had a chance to use them. the virus closed down shopping etc etc. 

FYI  Supermarkets, butcher, fruit shop (they don't just come in tins) et al have remained open. 

The major supermarkets are doing care packages for the elderly. Call 1800NOTDEADYET. 

[Ken Gargett]

7 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

FYI  Supermarkets, butcher, fruit shop (they don't just come in tins) et al have remained open. 

The major supermarkets are doing care packages for the elderly. Call 1800NOTDEADYET. 

if only you were as funny as you think you are! 

[FatherOfPugs]

1 hour ago, Kayslay said:

While I am among knife enthusiasts, are CUTCO knives any good? Please take it easy on me 

Depends on who you talk to, but to break it down:

Steel. Cutco claims they use the highest quality steel money can buy. They call it high carbon surgical grade steel. While this is subjective Cutco uses 440A grade steel, while most top of the line knives (which is where Cutco is priced at) uses 440C, which is higher in carbon. 440C is more expensive to make, buy, and manufacture with. 440C also makes a sharper edge, and holds it better. Because of it's grain structure 440C is also more stain resistant. And while 440C steel is generally only found in top of the line kitchen knives, 440A is often found in the cheaper, run of the mill type kitchen knives.

In my Miyabi Birchwood SG-2, SG-2 is a powdered stainless steel that is well known for excellent wear resistance and is considered a super steel for high end, high quality kitchen knives. In addition, it is even more refined than VG10 or VG-MAX and it remains more ductile (less brittle) even though it is very hard. It offers superior edge retention and corrosion resistance, with less chipping.

The other blemishes I find with Cutco are the "double-D" edge they call it, really just serrated, and the handles are plastic and personally, I find them uncomfortable. 

You'll get what you pay for in knives. I would go with a nice Miyabi, Shun, Kamikoto, Wusthof, Yaxell, or other higher end steel knife, Japanese or German steel. 

In the end, it all boils down to how do you like the knife and how well can you use said knife. A very personal choice. I hope that helps. 

[Lomey]

I'm in the market for some nice knives and getting good info here.  What type of cutting boards do you guys use?  I'm assuming wood, but have read that high quality plastic is fine too.  Is this true?  I would like a nice wood cutting board so what do you look for in one and do they get cut marks?  I would also like a small plastic one for quick cutting of fruits or veggies that I could throw in the dishwasher for easy cleanup if possible.  

[RDB]

@FatherOfPugs that is a beautiful knife there, congratulations. I do love love a powder steel core: the silky feel and edge retention is amazing. My only problem with knives like these (I use Takamura R2s) is that I can’t sharpen them myself to their full potential! But they don’t need much maintenance if treated well.

@spicycorona very nice minimal set. I get by with a 210 gyuto and 150 petty for just about everything, but I’m not doing any decorative paring...

[RDB]

@Lomey I wouldn’t ever use a plastic cutting board if I could avoid it. Maybe there are good plastics out there, but my experience is they are much, much harder on the knife edge. It’s easy to find good small wooden (or bamboo) boards, and they are much more environmentally friendly too. Not so good for dishwashing admittedly. Of course pro chefs are stuck with plastic due to food service health regs.

[FatherOfPugs]

7 hours ago, Lomey said:

I'm in the market for some nice knives and getting good info here.  What type of cutting boards do you guys use?  I'm assuming wood, but have read that high quality plastic is fine too.  Is this true?  I would like a nice wood cutting board so what do you look for in one and do they get cut marks?  I would also like a small plastic one for quick cutting of fruits or veggies that I could throw in the dishwasher for easy cleanup if possible.  

I only use wood or bamboo cutting boards. Bamboo cutting boards are easy to find in many sizes and cheaper than a traditional hardwood.

[Chibearsv]

13 hours ago, Kayslay said:

While I am among knife enthusiasts, are CUTCO knives any good? Please take it easy on me 

A high school kid rings the bell and my wife answers the door.  He's selling Cutco knives.  He goes through his pitch and shows her the catalog and she decides she wants to help the kid out so she agrees to buy a bread knife since we don't have one.  She tells me that she just bought an $85 knife from a high school kid on the front porch and I start rubbing my temples.  I'll shorten this story up to say, it's a pretty damn good bread knife and we've now had it for over 10 years.  The handle is crap but the knife does it's job; it cuts bread.  As a knife in general, does it compare to my Shun western?  Not in any way whatsoever.  

[TheFullMontecristo]

[Wookie]

These are the chef knives I use...7”-10”. The 10” takes forever to sharpen and is overkill for a home chef. The carbon knife is beautiful but as you see, someone forgot to clean and oil it after a use during a party. PITA. I mostly use the German knives...dependable, strong, easy to sharpen on stones. 

[The Squiggler]

7 minutes ago, Wookie said:

These are the chef knives I use...7”-10”. The 10” takes forever to sharpen and is overkill for a home chef. The carbon knife is beautiful but as you see, someone forgot to clean and oil it after a use during a party. PITA. I mostly use the German knives...dependable, strong, easy to sharpen on stones. 

Do you have a cool vest so you can wear all of these while you cook?  I hope so ?

[spicycorona]

13 hours ago, Lomey said:

I'm in the market for some nice knives and getting good info here.  What type of cutting boards do you guys use?  I'm assuming wood, but have read that high quality plastic is fine too.  Is this true?  I would like a nice wood cutting board so what do you look for in one and do they get cut marks?  I would also like a small plastic one for quick cutting of fruits or veggies that I could throw in the dishwasher for easy cleanup if possible.  

Always wood unless I'm trimming raw meat. My main cutting board has always been wood. I have learned look for a thick app. 2" thick board that is solid. If you can find a solid piece I'd go with that. But a high quality end grain board should last and not come apart at the seems or warp. I have had a high quality end grain board warp on me so I would stick with what the call "live edge".  A solid piece of maple oak or cherry.

My current main board is a Boos solid maple live edge. It should last forever.

https://www.johnboos.com/Items_page.asp?s=r&SalesCode=&Prod=1&Page=14&Group=2&hdg="MPL-RST" Maple Rustic-Edge Design Cutting Board &nsf=False&nsfc=False&csa=False

 

You can always have your appetizer boards and a few other different sizes of plastic for meat. But the main chopping board is the most important imo.

[spicycorona]

Just now, spicycorona said:

Always wood unless I'm trimming raw meat. My main cutting board has always been wood. I have learned look for a thick app. 2" thick board that is solid. If you can find a solid piece I'd go with that. But a high quality end grain board should last and not come apart at the seems or warp. I have had a high quality end grain board warp on me so I would stick with what the call "live edge".  A solid piece of maple oak or cherry.

My current main board is a Boos solid maple live edge. It should last forever.

https://www.johnboos.com/Items_page.asp?s=r&SalesCode=&Prod=1&Page=14&Group=2&hdg="MPL-RST" Maple Rustic-Edge Design Cutting Board &nsf=False&nsfc=False&csa=False

Take a look at the pic I uploaded on the previous page. Thats mine. I used it everyday almost, chopping and using a serrated knife for cutting bread etc. Note the wear. It's about 4 years old.

You can always have your appetizer boards and a few other different sizes of plastic for meat. But the main chopping board is the most important imo.

 

[Wookie]

1 hour ago, The Squiggler said:

Do you have a cool vest so you can wear all of these while you cook?  I hope so ?

Interesting thing about chef knives is that they all have a different feel in the hand-- balance, heft, blade thickness etc.  For me the German knives tend to have the best combination of attributes and they are workhorses.  They don't chip, are low maintenance, stay sharp, and can handle serious everyday abuse.  I usually just juggle two or three when cooking...better theatrics than wearing a vest.

[Colt45]

1 hour ago, The Squiggler said:

Do you have a cool vest so you can wear all of these while you cook?  I hope so ?

Doesn't everybody?

 

[The Squiggler]

29 minutes ago, Wookie said:

Interesting thing about chef knives is that they all have a different feel in the hand-- balance, heft, blade thickness etc.  For me the German knives tend to have the best combination of attributes and they are workhorses.  They don't chip, are low maintenance, stay sharp, and can handle serious everyday abuse.  I usually just juggle two or three when cooking...better theatrics than wearing a vest.

Your kitchen sideshow act won't be complete until you can juggle 4 knives with one hand while swallowing the 10 inch knife, balancing one knife on your nose and one on your big toe, and using the last knife to chop with the other hand. 

In all seriousness though, that's certainly true.  I have 5 chef's knives (6in/7in/8in/8in/10in) and a couple santokus (5in/7.5in) and I can only really tolerate using three of them out of the whole bunch (they'll all do in a pinch, but I usually let other people use the ones I don't like as much).  My 6 inch chef's knife has a tang, which I find superfluous and kind of stupid (since you can't properly form the blade when sharpening without eventually having to take the tang itself to a grinder).  Out of the 3 I use (the 8in shun classic chef's knife, the 7in shun asian chef's knife, and the henkel 7.5in santoku), I find each of them ideal for certain tasks and not so good for others.  The 10 inch Henkel chef's knife, like you said about yours, usually seems like overkill.  Point of fact, for small projects I usually just reach for a utility or paring knife and leave the big guys on the hanger... all depends on the manner and scale of the cooking project at hand ?

[StogieSteve23]

@Ken Gargett thanks for starting this thread! Very interesting to read everyone's opinions and what knives people like.  Fiancé and I have been looking into getting new knives for the house and this is certainly helping point us in the right direction!  

[DeskSmkr]

20 hours ago, Kayslay said:

While I am among knife enthusiasts, are CUTCO knives any good? Please take it easy on me 

I love their steak knives.

[DeskSmkr]

New addition to the motley crew. Mac 10” french style made in Japan.

[jazzboypro]

I don't want to hijack the thread but since some of the posters mentioned cutting boards, i am interested in this one and i would like to know if it's a good choice or not.

 

https://www.cookstore.ca/john-boos-18-x-12-x-2-25-reversible-maple-cutting-board-ra01.html

Thanks

[Wookie]

42 minutes ago, DeskSmkr said:

New addition to the motley crew. Mac 10” french style made in Japan.

I want to love my 8" Mac. It feels great in the hand. I've had an issue with getting it really sharp on my stones without an inordinate amount of time spent....whereas other knives are much easier to get a razor blade sharpness and mirror shine. I have this issue with other knives as well. Will be interested in your experience. I do find that a 10" blade takes a lot of extra effort to get sharp.