My current knife selection leaves a lot to be desired and as a National Supermarket is currently offering a "70% off Professional Knives" promotional offer I thought I'd take advantage of it. I started reading up yesterday on which of the blades available would be of most use to me, leading me to this forum and ultimately to the conclusion that aforementioned supermarket can take their no-name "Professional" knives and park them somewhere dark and uncomfortable whilst I go buy a Great Knife. Unfortunately I'm now a little over-whelmed by choice and options (and inexperience).
How much should I be looking to spend in order to get the highest quality/best steel? (Also, I am willing to bet "highest quality steel" is a subjective question, so what are the choices? I've heard terms like VG-10 and er NDP189 or something, but these terms are meaningless to me.)
Blade profiles; what should I look for? Or is it best to pick a length of blade and budget and ask you folks for specific suggestions?
I think I want something somewhere in the region of 160-180mm (+/- 30mm). I don't rock the blade, so a straighter edge is preferable. I'm a total novice when it comes to maintenance so I think I should be aiming for stainless?
What type of knife(s) do you think you want?
Something for chopping Veg and the odd cut of meat. From what I can tell, any of the 3 main Japanese "types" would do it for me, but 10" (Over 210mm) is too long for me. I'm having trouble working out the differences in use and capabilities between the Nakiri, Santoku and Gyuto
Why is it being purchased? What, if anything, are you replacing?
I currently have one sharp knife. It's about 2.5" and used for everything from chopping veg to carving last Sunday's roast chicken.
What do you like and dislike about these qualities of your knives already?
If pushed, I guess I could say I like that they match? I think it was a £6.99 set of 6 from IKEA...
Aesthetics-
I first saw Damascus steel yesterday and I think I have a problem.
Edge Quality/Retention-
Unless I'm missing something (and I hope I am) all knifes should be able to take and retain a good edge? Ease of Use-
I'm not sure I understand this question. As long as it's sharp, not too long to handle or too short to do the job then aren't most blades easy to use?
Comfort-
I'll be using this in the kitchen, not cuddling up to it at night, therefore this isn't a primary concern of mine.
What grip do you use?
A variant on the Hammer that I call The Woodsaw.
What kind of cutting motion do you use?
I naturally tend towards a push or pull. Never had any success trying to Rock out, but that could be as much due to my blades as anything else.
Where do you store them?
I believe if I answer this truthfully I should get banned from this site (Hint: Don't open my top drawer). A better question would be "Where *will* you store them?" to which I'll reply I'll probably look into a nice wooden block or a mag strip once the kitchen has been decorated.
Have you ever oiled a handle?
Nope, but then I've never had a wooden handle.
What kind of cutting board(s) do you use?
Glass. Is that good or bad?
For edge maintenance, do you use a strop, honing rod, pull through/other, or nothing?
I've used pull throughs in the past, but generally nothing. Learning how to sharpen and maintain a decent blade will form part of the buying process.
Have they ever been sharpened?
If I was posting this from home I'd post a close-up of the edge of what should be passing for my chef's knife. In short; I've seen sharper spoons (I used the previously mentioned 2.5" blade to carve last Sundays roast because the chefs/carving knife wasn't up to the task).
What is your budget?
I'm going to struggle with this until I get the answer to my question about how much I'd have to pay to get the best quality steel. To be honest I have 2 budgets. There's one for the ideal functional knife and then there's another budget for the ideal damascus steel knife. However it seems as though my tastes in damascus steel are hard to cater for. I have developed a love at first sight unhealthy infactuation with the more regular patterned steel (Devin Thomas, Del Ealy, some others). I've not been as taken with what seems to be the Japanese style of patterning i.e. the blobs turning into wavy lines (with the exception of Hattori KD ~drools~) but I have seen exceptions on http://japanesechefsknife.com/SPECIALS.html such as the those headed "VG-10 Multi Color Damascus Custom Line" (but I dislike the handles immensely), "Core-Less Special Damascus Series From Echizen Japan" but I don't know if Core-Less is a good thing or a bad thing (I guess gives more flex in the blade?) and "JCK Exclusive !! ZDP-189 Damascus Custom Line
" (Mostly sold out or over budget). Also not as fond of the handles as others I've seen (but the pattern in the damascus is real nice). However the price of those seem to be round the price of some of the custom manufacturers I've seen (unfortunately always sold out)
What do you cook and how often?
No sushi, but just about anything else is fair game.
Special requests(Country of origin/type of wood/etc)?
No Ivory handles!
If I've been too vague or non-specific please say or push me in the right direction for working out the answer.
How much should I be looking to spend in order to get the highest quality/best steel? (Also, I am willing to bet "highest quality steel" is a subjective question, so what are the choices? I've heard terms like VG-10 and er NDP189 or something, but these terms are meaningless to me.)
Blade profiles; what should I look for? Or is it best to pick a length of blade and budget and ask you folks for specific suggestions?
I think I want something somewhere in the region of 160-180mm (+/- 30mm). I don't rock the blade, so a straighter edge is preferable. I'm a total novice when it comes to maintenance so I think I should be aiming for stainless?
What type of knife(s) do you think you want?
Something for chopping Veg and the odd cut of meat. From what I can tell, any of the 3 main Japanese "types" would do it for me, but 10" (Over 210mm) is too long for me. I'm having trouble working out the differences in use and capabilities between the Nakiri, Santoku and Gyuto
Why is it being purchased? What, if anything, are you replacing?
I currently have one sharp knife. It's about 2.5" and used for everything from chopping veg to carving last Sunday's roast chicken.
What do you like and dislike about these qualities of your knives already?
If pushed, I guess I could say I like that they match? I think it was a £6.99 set of 6 from IKEA...
Aesthetics-
I first saw Damascus steel yesterday and I think I have a problem.
Edge Quality/Retention-
Unless I'm missing something (and I hope I am) all knifes should be able to take and retain a good edge? Ease of Use-
I'm not sure I understand this question. As long as it's sharp, not too long to handle or too short to do the job then aren't most blades easy to use?
Comfort-
I'll be using this in the kitchen, not cuddling up to it at night, therefore this isn't a primary concern of mine.
What grip do you use?
A variant on the Hammer that I call The Woodsaw.
What kind of cutting motion do you use?
I naturally tend towards a push or pull. Never had any success trying to Rock out, but that could be as much due to my blades as anything else.
Where do you store them?
I believe if I answer this truthfully I should get banned from this site (Hint: Don't open my top drawer). A better question would be "Where *will* you store them?" to which I'll reply I'll probably look into a nice wooden block or a mag strip once the kitchen has been decorated.
Have you ever oiled a handle?
Nope, but then I've never had a wooden handle.
What kind of cutting board(s) do you use?
Glass. Is that good or bad?
For edge maintenance, do you use a strop, honing rod, pull through/other, or nothing?
I've used pull throughs in the past, but generally nothing. Learning how to sharpen and maintain a decent blade will form part of the buying process.
Have they ever been sharpened?
If I was posting this from home I'd post a close-up of the edge of what should be passing for my chef's knife. In short; I've seen sharper spoons (I used the previously mentioned 2.5" blade to carve last Sundays roast because the chefs/carving knife wasn't up to the task).
What is your budget?
I'm going to struggle with this until I get the answer to my question about how much I'd have to pay to get the best quality steel. To be honest I have 2 budgets. There's one for the ideal functional knife and then there's another budget for the ideal damascus steel knife. However it seems as though my tastes in damascus steel are hard to cater for. I have developed a love at first sight unhealthy infactuation with the more regular patterned steel (Devin Thomas, Del Ealy, some others). I've not been as taken with what seems to be the Japanese style of patterning i.e. the blobs turning into wavy lines (with the exception of Hattori KD ~drools~) but I have seen exceptions on http://japanesechefsknife.com/SPECIALS.html such as the those headed "VG-10 Multi Color Damascus Custom Line" (but I dislike the handles immensely), "Core-Less Special Damascus Series From Echizen Japan" but I don't know if Core-Less is a good thing or a bad thing (I guess gives more flex in the blade?) and "JCK Exclusive !! ZDP-189 Damascus Custom Line
" (Mostly sold out or over budget). Also not as fond of the handles as others I've seen (but the pattern in the damascus is real nice). However the price of those seem to be round the price of some of the custom manufacturers I've seen (unfortunately always sold out)
What do you cook and how often?
No sushi, but just about anything else is fair game.
Special requests(Country of origin/type of wood/etc)?
No Ivory handles!
If I've been too vague or non-specific please say or push me in the right direction for working out the answer.