Preferred Knife Length?

[Baketech]

99.999% of other knives are not meant to go in the dishwasher and it has nothing to do with quality.

Quality is a subjective term of course...we all have different needs and expectations. Personally, my definition includes the ability to withstand soap and water...but fully appreciate where others would differ...

But enough threadjacking...

Ditto on what others have said about their preference for a Chef's knife, I've tried the Santoku a few times, but only end up using it to make matchsticks...

 

[Rob Babcock]

I have a 240 mm/9.4" Tojiro Gyuto that I really love. It's wicked sharp and pretty comfortable in the hand, and the size is really ideal. An 8" is a bit too short for me personally, but I don't always need or want the 10". I'd highly recommend this one, especially for $60.

 

[DrThunder88]

My knife is dishwasher safe, but given it's length, it wouldn't be an easy fit! I'm sure the manufacturer intended them for commercial dishwashers, but I still wouldn't clean it in a consumer model. Even if I had some doohickey (a registered trademark of Whatsit Corp.) to keep the knife from bashing into the glass, ceramic, and other metal items in there, I still don't trust water that hot and that laden with chemicals to dwell on my knife for that long.

Scrub scrub, rinse. Dry dry, block. Go get a donut. Not a big deal to me. Individual fates may vary. Of course, it's sometimes difficult to fit the whole flat of my blade against the side of my sink given its length, but I'll deal.

 

[CharlieD]

I just bought 12" one and love it. It is the knife I grab the most nowadays. I think it is because I am not very tall, or rather simply short and the counters are too high for me. Having big heavy knife kind of helps with the presure that I lack in the heigh.

 

[JanB]

I believe as there is a time for every purpose under heaven, there is a knife for every purpose in the kitchen. Whatever feels good and does the job works for me as long as it's SHARP.

Mostly use 8" straight edge for dicing onions and slicing potatoes, squash, cabbage... and 8" "rocker edge" for mincing/chopping herbs/garlic and slicing celery, carrots, scallions... Use a 10" straight edge for cutting through larger veggies like winter squashes.

 

[justplainbill]

I just bought 12" one and love it. It is the knife I grab the most nowadays. I think it is because I am not very tall, or rather simply short and the counters are too high for me. Having big heavy knife kind of helps with the presure that I lack in the heigh.

Are you pulling our leg Charlie? Even though I use a 12" chef's knife on ocassion, to me its weight and sharpness scares me a bit.

 

[Michael in FtW]

For everyday slicing and dicing - I use an 8" chef's knife. If I need something bigger (cutting up chickens, meat, winter squash, etc.) then I want a little more heft too - 10" and 12" old style Butcher knives - and a 7" cleaver.

 

[Rob Babcock]

All my lobster-hackin' gets done at work, unfortunately!

 

[CharlieD]

Are you pulling our leg Charlie? Even though I use a 12" chef's knife on ocassion, to me its weight and sharpness scares me a bit.

No, I'm not pulling anybody legs, I really do love that knife, actually would love to have a nicer one even, heavier. This one is Dexter-Russel. Very light.

 

[ChefJune]

I use a Wusthof 10-inch chefs knife.

Before I cooked professionally, I pretty much used whatever was handy. However, when I was being trained, I learned in knife skills that anyone taller than 5 feet 6 should use a 10-inch chefs knife. My dad bought me one, and I have never looked back. Now, it's really hard for me to see someone trying too chop with a paring knife, or any other knife, because I know how inefficent it is, and how easy it is to cut yourself using the wrong equipment.

 

[Rob Babcock]

I use a Wusthof 10-inch chefs knife.

Before I cooked professionally, I pretty much used whatever was handy. However, when I was being trained, I learned in knife skills that anyone taller than 5 feet 6 should use a 10-inch chefs knife. My dad bought me one, and I have never looked back. Now, it's really hard for me to see someone trying too chop with a paring knife, or any other knife, because I know how inefficent it is, and how easy it is to cut yourself using the wrong equipment.

Hmmm...that's interesting. I would take issue with your instructors to a degree. In my professional career I've found tailoring the knife to the job worked better than trying to match a given length to a certain physique. While a person with small hands or very small stature may have trouble using a huge knife, correct mechanics and proper technique will allow anyone to weild practically any knife effectively.

 

[AllenOK]

I've used 8" chef's knives most of my life. However, about 3 years ago, up in MI, I had started using a stamped 10" Dexter-Russell for a lot of things. I became so accustomed to that length that my 8" F. Dick started to seem small and diminutive in my hand. I ordered a stamped 10" Black Diamond (that's a Sysco brand, made by F. Dick). I've found that this length is perfect for me, at work, working on restaurant-sized cutting boards, prep tables, and for working with cuts of meat that restaurants typically have. At home, however, I use my 8" chef's knives, as they fit better with my home cutting boards, and the size of things being cut at home.

I have found that when you have to finely mince a BUNCH of parsley (12 or so bunches), that the fastest way to mince it is with two, or maybe even three, 10" knives held in the same hand (a flat-sided handle makes this easy to do).

 

[DrThunder88]

Very clever! It's like field expedient version of those twin-bladed ulus! Would you still use a pinch grip with the second and third blades between your knuckles?

 

[AllenOK]

Ok, here's a good picture of what I do:

Please note that I actually took that pic using my left hand, then mirrored the image to show what it would look like in my right hand. I'm right-handed, but had to use my right hand to capture the image, as my camera is designed for north-paws. Good thing I'm fairly ambidextrous (and no, I can't actually use a knife with my left hand).

If I'm actually chopping like this, my thumb would encircle the handle as much as possible. I can't actually fit as much of my index finger between the blades as I'd like, because of my fat fingers, but then, for safety reasons, it's not a good idea anyway.

If I'm using three knives like this, the third knife would go on the right side of the first two, and my middle finger would be in between the blades just like my index finger is. My ring and pinky fingers would encircle the handles opposite my thumb. You've got to have rather dextrous fingers for this, as well as good finger strength.

 

[Rob Babcock]

I take a few minutes more and use one knife. Or may the expo or dishwasher chop it for me!

 

[Caine]

Use whatever is most comfortable for you. I've seen Sara Moulton, who is 5 foot nothing, swingin' what looks like a 12-inch chef's knife around her kitchen, while Jacque Pepin does his best work with a little 6-inch jobbie. I use whichever I determine is best for what I am cutting, or wht mood I'm in. If I am in an "Martin Yan" mind set, or cutting up stuff for an Asian Fusion entree, I'll use the Chinese cleaver. If I have some heavy duty meat or vegetable cutting to do or I am disassembling raw poultry, I'll grab my 10-inch convential chef's knife. If I am cutting small vegetables into even smaller vegetables, I'll pull out my 8-incher. If I am carving a cooked piece of meat or poultry, I'll use the serrated knife and the carving fork. If I am opening up packaged goods, the little paring knife cuts cellophane bags or shrink wrap just fine. My Gunter Wilhelm set is quite versatile, but then that's why I bought a set rather than individual knives.

 

[buzzard767]

Use whatever is most comfortable for you. I've seen Sara Moulton, who is 5 foot nothing, swingin' what looks like a 12-inch chef's knife around her kitchen, while Jacque Pepin does his best work with a little 6-inch jobbie. I use whichever I determine is best for what I am cutting, or wht mood I'm in. If I am in an "Martin Yan" mind set, or cutting up stuff for an Asian Fusion entree, I'll use the Chinese cleaver. If I have some heavy duty meat or vegetable cutting to do or I am disassembling raw poultry, I'll grab my 10-inch convential chef's knife. If I am cutting small vegetables into even smaller vegetables, I'll pull out my 8-incher. If I am carving a cooked piece of meat or poultry, I'll use the serrated knife and the carving fork. If I am opening up packaged goods, the little paring knife cuts cellophane bags or shrink wrap just fine. My Gunter Wilhelm set is quite versatile, but then that's why I bought a set rather than individual knives.

Doesn't your set include a slicer? Why serrated on meat????

 

[ChefJune]

Doesn't your set include a slicer? Why serrated on meat????

my question, too.

 

[padre]

I currently use a 10" chef's knife for almost every knife task, although I have others handy, such as an 8" chef's knife (xmas gift from sister, KitchenAid, nothing meaningfully wrong with it) and a new 7" santoku I picked up at the restaurant supply place because it felt good in my hand and was priced attractively.

I may actually move up to a 12" chef's knife at some point, because of my massive hands.

 

[YT2095]

I`m more concerned about Weight and Balance than length per se.

I use a Chinese Cleaver for most All my food prep, it`s the perfect weight and balance for me, others say it`s too heavy? but that fine, they don`t have to use it it`s MINE!
I don`t Allow ANYONE to use it either.

I think I may have posted a Picture of it on here too, although I can`t remember for sure?