- Thread starter
- #41
I see no one has suggested ceramic knives. Any reason?
I see no one has suggested ceramic knives. Any reason?
chicago cutlery is one of the worst brands one can buy. I still cant sharpen mine to even be decent. My Japanese knives can shave on the other hand.
That's not a gyuto. That's a wa-gyuto.
I see no one has suggested ceramic knives. Any reason?
While I've never used them, I've never trusted them; they are reportedly very brittle. For example, I use the flat side of the blade to crush garlic, can ceramic do that without breaking? I don't know. Also, no sharpness lasts forever; how can you sharpen something that's harder than you're sharpenning tool?
One thing to keep in mind is that despite the vociferously opinionated replies a thread like this will generate, there is more than one way to skin a cat. If I had never discovered Japanese knives, I would have been perfectly happy using my drawer full of Henckels, which served me well for close to two decades. It was not until I tried the thinner, harder, and sharper gyutos that I had any complaint whatsoever with my German knives. Now they feel like shovels, but not everyone is going to go off the deep end with knives. Find something you like, learn how to use and maintain them, and you'll do just fine.
Fair enough, but I thought it best to refer to it the same way the maker does, so from Watanabe:
Kuro-uchi Gyuto knife Blade: 180mm
Total length: 320mm Width: 45mm Thickness: taper spine 3.5 - 1.5mm
Limited 10 pieces in every months
Double bevel, Blade: Yasuki blue steel core with stainless outer, Handle: burnt chestnut wood
Otherwise, a few people mentioned Korin (www.korin.com). Look at the western style knives. They have expensive knives and very reasonably priced ones. If you're in NY you should visit their store. They're very helpful and knowledgeable and you can try out the knives. They also have a japanese knife master sharpening knives which is cool to watch.
I don't think the Chicago Cutlery of today is what it once was. IIRC, my light research showed current production is in China, and the vintage stuff was made in the USA and pretty state of the art at the time.
And while we are on the subject of knives, one cannot fail to mention the ying to their yang the cutting board.
If you have a glass or granite one, get rid of it. Plastic or wood are your best options. Cook's Illustrated says bamboo or composite is good too.
My main board is a large end-grain deal that gives me room to work and is nice to my knives. The only real drawback is it's a pain to clean.
I know nothing about knives but I recently bought some Cutco knives. A colleague of mine told me his son was home from college for the summer and was working for Cutco selling knives and asked me if he could set up an appointment with me at my home.
His son appeared at the appointed hour, did a very nice presentation of Cutco's wares and I purchased several items. They seem to be very nice and I am happy with them.
Not up to Jay's standard but they can cut through a loaf of Italian bread like nobody's business.
Is that a litteral translation?!? DAMN, I've been using a girl's knife?
Actually, I don't think I'd buy the santoku shape again. Coming from a chef's style a couple of years ago, I think I prefer that shape. The sharper point seems to provide a little more precision for me.
+1
Japanese knives, are superior in nearly all aspects of cutting.
The only thing that they lack, is durability when cleaving bone.
My ideal setup is Global knives for everything, with a Henkles of Wusthof 10" chefs for the brutal chopping work.