Looking to replace my kitchen knife. Question for the Chefs onboard

[rci2950]

I currently use a Santoku that I ordered online. It came from china. Very middle of the road in quality. soft metal etc. I am looking to replace it very soon. As for getting a German style chef knife, I visited a few commercial kitchen stores that cater to the restraunts. They have a Henckles Twin master with a yellow handle that really appealed to me at first but the salesmen told me it was a piece of crap and that I should get the Victorinox fibrox knife they also had for sale. The fibrox was $20 more then the Twinmaster. I also noticed a Russel Dexter model that looked appealing that was priced in between the other two.

I am looking to buy one chef knife that is not too long. I would choose the 8 inch model of either of the three brands.

Now to complicate it. I have been using this santoku knife and am quite use to it and the way to actually use it in how it differs from the german style. I have done a lot of googling and i have not put my finger on any particular brand that tickles my fancy.

Lastly I talked about it to one of my buddies and he suggested getting a chinese chefs knife. The one that looks like a cleaver because it is more a do everything tool. I am very interested in this. I have been googling a number of models and may try this.

Reason i am posting here is that i know there is at least one chef on here and you guys collectively seem to know a lot about knife brands.

Whats your model suggestions and what do you think about the santoku or even going as far out as the Chinese cleaver? Or should I just stick with a German style commercial model?

I am looking for a working model. Not a fancy decorated one that i will be afraid to use.

Would like to keep the price under $150 for the one knife.

Thanks

[5.56NATO]

GINSU!

[ltorlo64]

My wife and I bought a set of knives from Cutco about 10 years ago. Very happy with them. Not sure if that is what you are looking for. You can get single knives or sets. I just looked and Cutco kitchen knives are owned by the parent company that makes K-bar knives. In the 10 years we have had these knives we have not had to get them sharpened. My wife says they are starting to get dull, not sure I agree with her, but Cutco offers free lifetime sharpening. The company is in NY and has been around since 1949. Here is there website http://www.cutco.com/home.jsp.

[sevlex]

My wife has a set of Cutco and swears by them.

The handles don't fit my hand well. They will easily twist in my grip if I get grease on my hands. So I avoid them and use my wood-handled Chicago Cutlery knives instead.

[Partisan1983]

We have a bunch of Cutco products as well. So do my parents and a few friends of ours.

Never heard a complaint from anyone.

My wife has started to complain about them getting dull (been almost 10 years now) but then she just loves her glass cutting boards...

[Altarboy]

I just bought an Alaskan ulu knife. I like it a lot. But you are looking for something different. Oh, and I have a Cutco hunter (Buck 119 equ) that is the bomb.

[Sherman]

Buy anything that has a Forged Ice hardened blade. They are superior in quality. A blade that makes a bright "ting" sound when tapped on a hard surface is usually a well made blade.

[davepool]

I bought my wife a set of ceramic knives from harbor freight a year ago, still sharp as a razor, i think about $45 for all three, she never uses her metal knives anymore.

[El Duce]

Well, I might have some input on this one. When you want to buy a quality kitchen knife. The sky is the limit. I work with a guy that has Japanese knives that some are over 1k each. Plus I also work with ones that have Chicago cutlery knives. I am not currently up on all the different styles/types of Japanese knives at the moment. But I can tell you that I have been using the same Henckle Knife (10 inch) for 25 years. Not daily mind you, but I do own some knives that I have had for close to 30 years. I still have the 8 inch Henckle chef knife that I bought when I was 18. Though it isn't 8 inches anymore!

My 10 inch was my daily user at work. I think that I paid around 150.00 for it that long ago. It is the 5 star series. I retired it to home use as it became to sentimental to me and I didn't want to lose it. I used almost daily Connesour (sp?) set, ones that were my wife's from before we met. She graduated Culinary School in 1986 and I used some of them up to 7 years ago. Retired for the same reason.

Currently I use EVERY day Mercer Knives. They are German steel knives that are made in Taiwan. I use pretty much every day the same 10 inch knife. Only had to sharpen it once or twice a year. It keeps a great edge and even the younger kids at work like to use them. Most of the kids these days forget that the knife does not make the chef. And they tend to go out and buy the latest trend out there.

Gerber and Wustof knives are really good too. I have some of those as well. Bottom line is pick what you like, what feels good in your hand. When I lived around bigger cities I could go to kitchen stores and handle knives. Now I know what I like and tend to stay with the same line/brand.

People at work always ask me why I use the knives that I use. And truthfully I use what currently own because I have met some really cool kitchen food reps and they tend to send me stuff. Perks of the trade. Plus I know the Mercer rep pretty well. One of the guys that I went to school with is now the Culinary/Demo chef for Henckle and he likes to send me stuff as well.

[El Duce]

Buy quality and it will last you. I know that my kids will be able to use some of my knives. Like I said, I have been using some of the same ones for 25 years plus and they have never failed me. Get a good steel as well. It doesn't sharpen the knife but keeps the edge straight. For me the basic would be.

10 inch French Knife.
3-4 inch paring
Good bread knife.
Slicing knife.
Boning knife.
Steel.
Kitchen shears.

Yes there is a knife for every application out there. Can't go wrong with the list above. My work drawer has the back ups that I can retrieve when I need it. I keep the REALLY sharp knives for the fine work. Precision cuts, herbs, greens etc. A former Chef once told me that a chef/cook is only as sharp as his knife. Hope that this helps. My wife and I both have our favorite home knives. The kids refer to some of them as the Scary knives (the really sharp ones).

Funny, I mentioned that reps like to send me things. One good friend of mine would visit me at the Hotel, I would always make sure that her and her husband got the royal treatment. In return, I would get stuff in the mail. At one point, my daughter asked me..."Dad, does she know that you are married?"
A couple of years ago, my wife accidently burned the handle of my 10 inch Henckle. Still useable, but not as pretty as it used to be. She acted as if it were no big deal. My response was. Honey I have had that knife longer than I have had you!

Gave my buddy a call. Next week had it replaced. Though I accidently told him that it was a 12 inch knife. (No longer in production). Nice to have friends!

Back to the question. I don't use the cleaver. I have one that a co-worker got me from China town in NY. It is 8 inches long. Two inches wide? Just never got used to it. Some swear by it. Call me old fashioned. But I like the traditional French knife. Check out the Mercer.
http://www.mercercutlery.com/

I use both the Genesis and Renaissance line.

Just looked them up on amazon. (didn't really ever price them) but was surprised at how economical they are. Good knife for the money. Like I said. I use mine every day, hours on end. Never had a problem with them, they don't dull easily.

[El Laton Caliente]

I have used Henkel, a Japanese cleaver (the steel is harder than hell and holds an edge forever) and other high end knives, but always seem to go back to the white handled commercial knives and use a chef's steel to keep them sharp. Right now I have "Bakers and Chefs" made in Brazil and "First Street" made in China. Both are made from German high carbon stainless steel. Bakers and Chefs is Sam's Club house brand and First Street is Smart and Finals house brand. They are a fraction of the price of high end knives and last years. The oversize plastic handles are easier for me to control even with wet and greasy hands.

I have boners, slicers, filet, cleaver, paring, bread and about any shape you can think of, but 99% of the time end up with a 10" or 12" chef's knife in my hand unless using the specialty knife for the intended purpose. If my Chef's knife is dirty I sometimes pick up the Santoku...

One reason for me going this way is I have three sets. One at the house, one in the RV and a third for when I travel without the RV.

The wife likes her Henkels because the smaller handle fits her hand better. She uses a 6" or 8" chef's knife most of the time.

[El Laton Caliente]

El Duce, I'm curious what you use for Kitchen shears. I've bought different cheap ones and some fair expensive poultry shears and they all suck... The ones that will cut poultry (poorly) won't cut parchment or wax paper and the reverse is true also. Some won't cut warm butter...

[5.56NATO]

No love for ginsu?

[El Duce]

El Duce, I'm curious what you use for Kitchen shears. I've bought different cheap ones and some fair expensive poultry shears and they all suck... The ones that will cut poultry (poorly) won't cut parchment or wax paper and the reverse is true also. Some won't cut warm butter...

You never know when you might need them. For us mostly it is to cut the blue painters tape that we label EVERYTHING with. But, you never know when you might need a good pair. I use my shears for opening boxes and just about everything else where something sharp is needed and you don't want to ruin the edge of your knife.

[El Laton Caliente]

Has anyone tried the new ceramics?

[Richard Simmons]

I've had ceramics for years and they have done well. I also have a mish-mash of Buck, Sabatier, Henckles, etc. All tend to do well if you remember a few things. Never cut on surfaces like marble, granite or glass, always hand wash and always store knives in a block or on a magnetic strip, never just tossed in a drawer. If you follow those three things I believe you will be happy with most any cutlery you purchase. I also do not buy serrated blades for anything but slicing bread. Everything else is a plain edge. Buy what feels good in your hand and treat it well, it should return the favor for many years.

[El Laton Caliente]

Women, for some reason, find those damn glass cutting board irresistible... My mother and my wife both had/have one. The they complain about dull knives... I loath the damn things...

Here in Kali, I'm using a bamboo board and at home I use the white polypropylene. The latter I think best because they are easy to keep sterile.

[El Duce]

My wife liked to use a very thin flexible "cutting board". So that it was easier for her to put the prep into the pot so to speak. I hated it because you were basically using the knife on the bare counter top. Not good for the knife.

[davepool]

Women, for some reason, find those damn glass cutting board irresistible... My mother and my wife both had/have one. The they complain about dull knives... I loath the damn things...

Here in Kali, I'm using a bamboo board and at home I use the white polypropylene. The latter I think best because they are easy to keep sterile.

That white polypropylene is what my wife uses, just sprays it down with a bleach solution. I've sanded it down a couple times when it gets kinda fuzzy from knife cuts.

[rci2950]

That white polypropylene is what my wife uses, just sprays it down with a bleach solution. I've sanded it down a couple times when it gets kinda fuzzy from knife cuts.

we use the same thing. Never thought about sanding it down. we just replace it when it gets too bad. How does it turn out, after you sand it?