4 questions regarding knives?

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Mr. Personality

Assistant Cook
Joined
May 21, 2006
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I've read through this section and have noticed that many of you recommend purchasing a couple "key" knives so I was wondering if you answer 4 questions for me.
  1. What you define as "key" knives?
  2. Why you recommend those knives?
  3. What brand of knives?
  4. Why you recommend such brand?
Thanks everyone! :chef:
 
Key knives are those that are the most versatile, giving you a lot of different from uses from one tool.

The French or chef's knife is considered the first to get by most people. Whether you get a 6", 8", 10" or 12" blade is up to you. This knife will perform all your slicing and dicing needs. It will chop through small bones such as those in a chicken. You can use it to mince garlic.

Along with that, a 3" or 4" paring knife is handy to have around. This knife is a whiz with small pieces of food an close work.

Next, I'd recommend a 8" to 10" serrated bread knife.

Which brand to recommend is a different story. You should visit a cutlery or kitchen store and handle a variety of knives to determine which feel the most comfortable to use for you. I recommend you buy a top quality knife. It will last a lifetime if cared for properly and they are a joy to use.

There are different styles of knives within the types I described above. Some are heavier, others are lightweight. That can be an important point for some users.

I have a set of Henckels Professional S knives. They are very good knives and they may be completely wrong for you. You should try a knife for comfort and ease of use before buying. There are so many choices you should have no problem finding the right knife for you.
 
I' m no expert in the knife department, but I agree with Andy - check out all the knives at a speciality shop - see what feels best in your hand. I prefer a lighter knife, myself - kyrocera.
 
Just reiterating what Andy said: go to a shop and put each knife into your hand. You'll know which is best!

(I love my Henckel's set)
 
  1. What you define as "key" knives?
8 in chef's knife
paring knife
santuko
slicer
microplane

2.Why you recommend those knives?
these knives will do pretty much everything you will need on a day to day basis.

3.What brand of knives?
Wusthof! best knife on the market by far. i'm a chef in a restarant and they are all we use. hold an edge longer than any knife i've used with the use of a steel. great warranty! i just sent back my 8 inch classic with a cracked handle and they sent me a new one in less than 2 weeks.
i really like kershaw knifes too. they are a little pricey, but razor sharp.
 
pughjr said:
  1. What you define as "key" knives?
8 in chef's knife
paring knife
santuko
slicer
microplane

2.Why you recommend those knives?
these knives will do pretty much everything you will need on a day to day basis.
I think there is some redundancy here. I would not say that a chefs, santoku, and slicer are all "key" knives. A chefs OR santoku would do as key knives, but no need for both (if we are just talking about key knives). If the chefs or santoku is big enough then the slicer is not needed. yes a slicer will do a better job as it is generally longer (not always though) and thinner than a chefs, but you really dont NEED it to slice meat. A chefs knife would do just fine.

I would like to echo what Andy said above.
 
"If the chefs or santoku is big enough then the slicer is not needed. yes a slicer will do a better job as it is generally longer (not always though) and thinner than a chefs, but you really dont NEED it to slice meat."

actually, the slicer could be used to correctly slice meat or bread.
you wouldn't use a chef's knife or santuko to slice bread.
 
pughjr said:
actually, the slicer could be used to correctly slice meat or bread.
you wouldn't use a chef's knife or santuko to slice bread.
Which is why for me my key knives would be a chefs knife, paring knife, and serrated bread knife.

I would not use a slicer to slice bread any more than I would use my chefs knife. That is not to say it could not be done, but a serrated knife is the best tool for that job. This is just my opinion though. Each person can find what works for them.
 
One knife that I use a lot and would have trouble doing without is my Wusthoff 5" boning knife. I use it for boning poultry and other meats, but I use it as a general utility knife too.... it's also the best thing I've found for thin slicing chicken breast halves for making Chicken Picatta, etc.

Otherwise I go along with the consensus.... Chef for slicing,dicing, and chopping, 4" paring for all sorts of good things, and the bread knife...:chef:
 
FWIW:

I would call my "key" knife (at home, anyway) my Henckel 8" chef's knife. There's no single knife, at home OR at work, that I use more often.

I've had it for maybe 12 or 15 years, and it's still just as good as it ever was. Once every 18 months or 2 years, I have it professionally sharpened---there's a guy who owns a small shop (small engine repair, knife sharpening, and taxidermy, I think) about 30 miles away from me. He does a darn fine job, and I've been a loyal customer for ages. And it costs about $15 for him to do all of my knives.

When you find a knife/series that you like, stick with it and look after it. You'll pass it on to your grandchildren.

--J
 
Michelemarie said:
I' m no expert in the knife department, but I agree with Andy - check out all the knives at a speciality shop - see what feels best in your hand. I prefer a lighter knife, myself - kyrocera.
Bwahaha, I have created another convert :).

For the record, I'm with her. I prefer my knives to be light and so razor sharp that you don't miss the added weight. If I was using a carbon steel or standard forged knife, though I would indeed go with a heavier knife.
 
Poppinfresh said:
Bwahaha, I have created another convert :).

For the record, I'm with her. I prefer my knives to be light and so razor sharp that you don't miss the added weight. If I was using a carbon steel or standard forged knife, though I would indeed go with a heavier knife.

Poppinfresh - I'm your follower now:) ! It was you that convinced me to try the ceramics - I love em!
 
My "key" knives are as follows:

Chef's knife
Serrated "Bread Knife"
Boning knife.

I do have others. A santoku, a straight paring knife, and a smaller chef's knife than my main chef's knife.

I won't go into sizes, because that's all down to you as to what feels comfortable.

The chef's knife, as Alton Brown says, is the one I will reach for almost before I know what I am going to cook. I put "Bread Knife" in quotes because it is also very good a slicing tomatoes and the like. I eat a fair amount of chicken, and these days can dismember one of those little suckers in seconds with my boning knife.

Personally, I just don't get the paring knife thing. I bought it because everyone needs a paring knife, right? And sometimes I do, but not very often. I suppose it comes down to what I like to cook, and what I like to cook rarely presents me with anything I can't do with the three knives listed.

It drives me nuts when I see a television cooking expert cutting up vegetables with a paring knife, or peeling vegetables with one using their thumb as a backstop, but I guess to each his own.

Kelly
 
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Oh, and that got me to thinking; ever see that Ronco ad for the "Three easy payments of..." gargantuan knife set? Quality issues aside, what would anyone do with that many knives?

Kelly
 
I have one good knife - a 8" chef knife. I also have a decent bread knife. I've had others over the years but never used them.
 
eh, like what they all said, try you knife, its a tool that you will be using for hours so it HAS to be comfortable. Spend money on either the sanoku or chefs knife, the longer the blade holds its edge the less down time you will need to sharpen them. Get a thin bladed boning knife, the messermister is fantastic. Dont stick to a particular range of knives spread you money get the knife that does the job best and easiest for you.
 
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