Scotch
Head Chef
Nah, you don't' NEED it, you just LIKE it -- and believe me, as a knife collector, I fully understand.No, "you" don't need..... etc. I do.
But in the kitchen, I've come to believe that knives can be TOO sharp.
Nah, you don't' NEED it, you just LIKE it -- and believe me, as a knife collector, I fully understand.No, "you" don't need..... etc. I do.
Buzz you do only because you can sharpen it your self. I can sharpen Wustof, but cuoldn't sharpen the Shun, it is a completely different ball game. I only wish I could, I would love them all fancy Japanise knives. In the mean time my wustof's are razor sharp, unfortunately they do not stay sharp as long as Shun. But unfortunately I cannot afford to pay somebody like you to Sharpen it. Well, some day G-d willing, ok?
Nah, you don't' NEED it, you just LIKE it -- and believe me, as a knife collector, I fully understand.
But in the kitchen, I've come to believe that knives can be TOO sharp.
Ok point taken but out of interest what knifes would you of gone for and would they been more money than the Wusthof?
Wow! That's certainly an unusual approach, sort of like saying if I didn't love my brushes, I wouldn't paint, or if I didn't like my camera, I wouldn't take photos!...If I didn't find the enjoyment in my knives that I do I probably wouldn't cook at all....
Maybe for some people it is.Cooking is not just a reason to play with one's knives.
I see the Japanese steel fanboys have weighed in, and I think you do need to hear the counter arguments.
Without going into chapter and verse about ergonomics and metallurgy these designs have different functions.
Japanese knives are all about precision. They are made from high hardness steels and have thin blades.
German knives are all about practicality. They are easy to handle, have soft steel which is easy to maintain.
French knives are about volume. They are designed to make short work of big jobs.
Wow! That's certainly an unusual approach, sort of like saying if I didn't love my brushes, I wouldn't paint, or if I didn't like my camera, I wouldn't take photos!
In my view, knives are merely tools, the means to an end, which is good food. Cooking is not just a reason to play with one's knives.
OK I know I was generalising but I think that it isn't controversial to say that Japanese knives are precision instruments designed for specific tasks.
With german style knives, which includes quite a few non-German manufacturers as well, there is an emphasis on practicality and ergonomics. Yes they have steel that is generally geared to high chrome content, but that is a deliberate decision aimed at keeping the knives rust free and looking good. But for example you also have Goldhamster and Scanpan Damastahl knives made in the German pattern but using much better quality steel than one normally associates with German knives.
The ergonomics of handling come into it with the wide belly and more curved edge that German knives carry compared to Japanese or French knives. This makes using the rotary cutting technique easier (your wrist has to travel in smaller circles) and safer (its very hard to get the fingers of your guide hand under the edge). You see a lot of Wusthofs in commercial kitchens precisely for their ergonomic factors.
Sabatiers have much thicker blades than German or French knives. This creates a wedge effect when cutting, most noticable on root vegetables. With the smaller belly your wrist has to perform much larger circles than with a german knife to get the same elevation. This makes the downstroke cut of the Sabatier a much longer stroke with more lateral movement relative to vertical movement than with a German knife. With a French style knife you use more of the edge with your cuts.
You won't notice much of a difference between an 11" Sabatier and 300mm Hiromoto gyuto if you're processing 2 potatoes. You will if you process 200.
Right on. I would not want to take a picture with an inferior camera. You got it Scotch, even if you didn't mean it that way.
Yes, knives are tools, and the best tools produce the best works in accomplished hands. No argument there. There is more to cooking than blindly following the recipe....
There is a great amount of pleasure using a tool, in this case a knife, that does its job better than others. You may not agree, but don't tell me that my "unusual approach" is wrong.
What sort of knives do you collect, and, more importantly, why?
Edit: you didn't answer my question re "too sharp". Please explain that to me.
Buzz
But I'll bet I can take a better photo with an "inferior camera" such as my old Pentax Spotmatic 35mm, than you can with they latest Nikon or Canon digital DSL. The true art is in the photographer's eye, not the lens on his camera (e.g., Ansel Adams). As they say, it's not the gun, it's the gunner, and in my experience, the guy who's all hung up on his gun generally ain't much of a hunter.
As for "too sharp," I have at least one Japanese Santuko that was so sharp when I got it that it routine caught in the cutting board, damaging the surface of the board but not doing any better job of slicing carrots. It's dangerous when a knife catches like than and then slips, so I've taken it down a notch or two.
But if really sharp knives and slicing up stuff is what you like about cooking, more power to you -- just don't put down others who fail to see the need to buy such exotic toys to dice their onions.
I have 100s of knives in my collection, which is worth a great deal of money. I specialize in folding knives, but I have many others, including the 15" dagger of handmade Damascus steel below. I collect them because I like them, and I know a thing or two about sharpening them -- but that has little to do with cooking.
I just been and got myself 3 different Wusthof Knifes in the Classic Range.. Are these good knifes?
I must admit that I have never chopped up more than a half dozen potatoes. I do know that the less wedging, the smoother and easier the cut - friction. I also don't know much about how the wrist comes into play. My wrists feel fine. However, I would absolutely love to see what comments would be observed if you would copy and paste your above post here , for better or worse, to see what some pros have to say about it.
Hi All
I am new to this forum but I have been into cooking for a while now and I love cooking and taking my time and making fancy foods...
I just been and got myself 3 different Wusthof Knifes in the Classic Range.. Are these good knifes? Alot of people told me to get them, as I was going to go for global but after borrowing one on the Global I just did not like it gave me blisters and the handle I did not like at all..
I am hoping you guys who knows about these things are going to say what I have got are Great
...betcha got more than you bargained for, huh? GB put the whammy on it but I think one can learn a lot from passionate discussion, even from the original subject. I have had the Wusthof knives for thirty years and for common use they are fine. I can shave my arm with them. However, they don't hold that edge that long. Which brings me to the question, directly after use I cleaned the knife, then went directly to the steel. It almost seems to have dulled the edge. Discussted, put it in the block and, to my surprise the next day, it is razor sharp. How'd that happen?Hi All
I am new to this forum but I have been into cooking for a while now and I love cooking and taking my time and making fancy foods...
I just been and got myself 3 different Wusthof Knifes in the Classic Range.. Are these good knifes? Alot of people told me to get them, as I was going to go for global but after borrowing one on the Global I just did not like it gave me blisters and the handle I did not like at all..
I am hoping you guys who knows about these things are going to say what I have got are Great