Knife questions for the semi experts!

Greetings,
I am an avid cook. I do not mind spending money for quality. I would like a few suggestions on what I should add to my current knife setup to make it more useful and well rounded in the kitchen. I am active duty Army.. and the reason for going with all Shun below be because that is what they stock at my PX and I was impressed with it.


Here is my current setup.
1. Shun Classic 7 3/4" Vegetable Cleaver
2. Shun Classic 7" Hollow Ground Santoku Knife
3. Shun DM0705 Classic 9-Inch Bread Knife
4. Shun DM0750 Sharpening Steel
5. Ken Onion by Shun DM0500 8-Inch Chef's Knife
6. Shun DM0722 Classic 6-Inch Serrated Utility Knife


What should I add next to my setup?

here are a few tidbits about me.

1. I use a butcher block (end grain) on wheels.
2. I cook every day. Where I am living at there are few restaurants and over the past two years it has become an extreme hobby.
3. I don't eat meat that often. When i do it's chicken and fish.
4. I am right handed
5. The knives are stored on a magnetic strip. I want to add a custom butcherblock if I can decide on a few more items
6. I am open to any brands. I like shun, but I am also curious to what else is out there. I only have Japanese knives, but I am open to something new as well.
7. I do not have a budget. I am open to spending whatever it takes, but would like to spend 1000 or so for 3-4 knives.


Thanks in advance,

Greetings! Have you used a nakiri?

Welcome to KKF!

Have you thought about a knife from a custom maker? You can dip your toe inexpensively by getting one that is already made (sort of like a house "on spec") to see if you want to continue to go that route. At the moment, Sharp and Shiny Shop has a very reasonable 150 mm utility by Butch Harner:



Here's the link:

http://sharpandshinyshop.com/collections/knives/products/butch-harner-170-petty-knives

Tom McLean, who runs Sharp and Shiny Shop, is a forum member and very easy to deal with. He has a sub forum here:

http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/forumdisplay.php/89-Sharp-and-Shiny-Shop

Search the forum for Butch's knives, and opinions about them. I have more than a few, and every one is top notch.

Or, you can look into some other custom makers, like Pierre Rodrigue, Devin Thomas, Mike Davis, Bill Burke, Del Ealy, Marko Tsourkan, Will Catcheside, Mario Ingoglia, Randy Haas (HHH Knives) and, of course, Dave Martell, who owns KKF. The only catch is that most of them are backlogged.

Rick

Either get an Edge Pro or learn how to free hand sharpen. That should be the next step. New shiny things are fun too! Just much better sharp.

Shuns are quality knives, though the design of the Ken Onions is... questionable. i would suggest picking up a 1000/6000 combo stone. this is the one i started on, and it was quality (i just passed it on to my brother-in-law, as a wedding party gift [i've given him knives and knife sharpening stuff over the years, but i thought the very first waterstone i ever used would be meaningful] and he loves it too). and practicing sharpening on some cheap-o knives. check out Jon's videos. once you have that down, get your current knives sharpened up. if you still want more, then come back. i wasted a lot of steel because i went out and bought knives before i was ready to take care of them. it's a common mistake, i think.

my dad was in the 101 in Viet Nam. Is nos mos vallo.

A PX with shuns! Your a lucky man. Not that shun makes great knives but it shows the quality of your exchange. I would also recommend a couple knives from custom makers here or at least top quality knives from some of the vendors that participate here. Jon at JKI is supposed to be a pleasure to purchase from, it would definitely be worth giving him a call and seeing if he can point you in the direction of some knives that would best suit your needs.

No budget is a bad plan around here haha. Do you know how to sharpen? If not I'd start there before spending mega cash on a knife.

chinacats said:

Greetings! Have you used a nakiri?

Click to expand...

Yes I have. I do not have one but I think that it would be a great addition.

Guys, I know how to sharpen.
I am looking for any suggestions for additions to what I currently have.
Thanks so very much!

Nakiris are some of the most fun knives around. What about a Carter SFGZ-RH nakiri. I wouldn't be surprised if he gives guys on active duty a discount too.

He needs a proper gyuto.

I would suggest a 240mm gyuto, a 150mm honesuki and a pairing knife to fill in the voids. Also a proper sharpening stone setup.

Good call, No Chop. I missed that "hole".

Kochi, maybe?

ThEoRy said:

I would suggest a 240mm gyuto, a 150mm honesuki and a pairing knife to fill in the voids. Also a proper sharpening stone setup.

Click to expand...

Yes, especially the good gyuto.

Of course I could also suggest a 150mm petty instead of the honesuki for versatility's sake. Eh, just get all of em.