Looking for knife info. Be gentle

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Of the videos on youtube, this is the one that I think is best for learning from. Not that I necessarily agree with everything the guy says but it conveys a lot of the ideas I was getting at:
YouTube - Mastering Knife Skills - Dicing Technique

Just be very careful looking for knife stuff on youtube as there are some completely deluded people who are posting vids of how good their skills are and want you to be just like them.:(
 
Thanks. What I usually do is look for someone to post a vid on one of the knife forums, then read what others have to say to see if it's credible.
 
If you're telling me that I can't use my knife to cut open a package of Lit'l Smokies, or to cut the plastic wrap off of a package of chicken, when I'm using the same knife on a less than choice cutting board..... well, I just don't buy it. That's not the level of knife ownership I want to be at. I'm just trying to be honest. I want to pick up one knife to do most of my kitchen needs and if that means touching it up more, then I'll accept that.

Cardboard and paper products are very tough on edges so it's a good habit to not use good knives to open things, I know we all do it but if you get into the habit of avoiding it you'll keep your edges sharper for longer. What tissue paper does to eyeglasses is what cardboard does to a knife edge.

The easy way around it is to have a small "junk" knife handy that gets used for all those jobs. I have a paring knife specifically for opening boxes and plastic wraps, it also helps reduce cross contamination.
 
Hey. They knocked over eight bucks off that knife I just bought. I think I'm going to browse for sales and pick up another Japanese blade. Maybe something around 10 inches.
 
Getting a 10" or 12" blade would be interesting. I use a 6" Nakiri and a 9" chef's knife, which do 95% of my cutting without issues. Every now and again there are some jobs which I'd prefer a longer blade.

For me personally I'd step up to a 12" blade, probably a Carbon Steel Sabatier, but I can't justify the expense and don't have any more room in my knife case.
 
I have an 11.5" Sabatier chef's knife and find it's thick blade an asset. Comparing it to an 8 incher is like comparing a 22 inch chainsaw bar to a 14 incher.
My biggest problem with the long knife is not having a board big enough to complement it.
 
That's an interesting point, Bill, especially with my limited food prep area.....

I was using my new knife the other night to cut onions like in the vid and it seemed a longer blade would have been nice to have, especially when making the horizontal cuts. And it looked like the demonstrator was using a long bladed knife.

And I picked up one of my old chefs knives a couple days ago, too, and boy did it feel clunky, but sometimes I think I would like a little more mass to the Tojiro. I was thinking a slightly longer blade might give me the feel I'm looking for. I would like to keep to the same chefs style though and not get something totally different. I still want it to be a mulitasker.
 
Sabatier style blades feel longer than German or Japanese blades because they have less belly and curve, so a 11.5" Sabatier would feel like using a 13" German style knife. If I pick up someone elses 8" Wusthof or Messermeister at work that it feels like I'm using a toothpick after using my 9" Sabatier.
 
Sabatier style blades feel longer than German or Japanese blades because they have less belly and curve, so a 11.5" Sabatier would feel like using a 13" German style knife. If I pick up someone elses 8" Wusthof or Messermeister at work that it feels like I'm using a toothpick after using my 9" Sabatier.

Is the length measured straight line from quillon to tip, or along the edge's curve?
 
visit a professional kitchen, a restaurant kitchen, talk to a few chefs on the line. In so many food service applications today you will find the pros working with NFS certified equipment because it can be properly sanitized.

In the days of sword making hand forging was necessary for a durable product. We well into and moving beyond the machine age of manufacture. Even "forged knives" are "machined " to a pretty great extent. (That $200 Wustoff would be $2000+ if it were hand made)

Many chefs don't care for the bolster at the handle as it interferes with stone sharpening their knives. You can get a fine edge on a thick steel knife meeting NFS standards and costing $30. You can keep that edge sharp for a year with a diamond hone.

What is important is value/quality, usefulness to you, and price you can afford. Sets with 40 knives are suspect IMO. I use a chef knife, a paring knife, a bread knife, a filet knife and a boning knife. (not all from the same company either) If you aren't fileting your own fish or boning your own meat, how useful are those two? Oh I also have a cleaver ... great for cutting up whole chickens etc.
 

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