Am I the only home cook to prefer a larger chef's knife??

[Benuser]

Thanks for all your contributions, guys! Couldn't imagine my simple question would lead to such a great thread.

 

[jamaster14]

There are very few if any absolutes when it comes to knives. That there is a best length for everyone in a given situation is definitely NOT an absolute.

I agree with this, and id say in general the best length for a home chef is the length the chef feels most comfortable with. I personally prefer something in the 240mm-250mm range, but have often used longer and felt comfortable with it... especially when butchering and cleaning whole larger fish or animals in which doing things in 1 long stroke is beneficial.

 

[jamaster14]

....

 

[TurdMuffin]

i barely have the counter space to use 240

 

[jamaster14]

i barely have the counter space to use 240

i've seen a few people mention this... but do you really need more counter space to use a 240mm vs say a 210 or 180?

 

[XooMG]

i've seen a few people mention this... but do you really need more counter space to use a 240mm vs say a 210 or 180?

Yes. When I first got my Itinomon 210, I had to adjust a bit to use it. Part of that was just heft and height, but I had to be careful about the tip because of its length compared to my Yusuke 210. To be honest, beyond 180 my kitchen feels a bit cramped, and I only really appreciate the bigger knives on cabbage and other larger items. 30mm can be quite a difference when trying to be mindful of the tip.

 

[toddnmd]

Well, you typically need more board space to use a longer knife effectively--you don't want to worry about being too close to the edge. I've seen the diagonal of the board at least as long as the overall knife length as a general guideline. So, you can cut a single lemon with a paring knife on a little bar board, but that combination isn't effective with a longer knife on the same board. Sure, it's possible to use your gyuto in this situation, but it would get old pretty fast.

 

[Chef Doom]

WOW! There was some fire behind this thread. Very enjoyable. Keep the fire coming people. Never a dull moment on KKF.

In regards to the original question.....

Although I don't have a 270 at the moment, I will say that I get a better feel and better mobility with a 240 over a 210. I seem to work better with a 240. Funny thing is I get the same feeling and ease of use with a nakiri as I do with a 240 when cutting fruits and vegetables which is shorter than my 210 gyuto. I actually a rotate between a nakiri and 240 gyuto regularly. The length and taper of a 210 actually makes preparing food at home a little cumbersome.

The biggest factor I believe is the size of your cutting board and cooking area. If you have a nice sized kitchen and a cutting board the size of a dining table, then I could see a 270 being a valuable tool for the situation. But if you're elbow is 2 inches away from hitting the wall, and you are on a 10" by 10" cutting surface, then even a 210 might seem a little long for the situation.

 

[Sharbuckle]

Love love love 270mm, my workhorse

 

[TurdMuffin]

i've seen a few people mention this... but do you really need more counter space to use a 240mm vs say a 210 or 180?

In my opinion main issue is cutting board. If you don't have the room for a big cutting board you can't use a big knife. It also depends on how much clutter you have on your counters too with things like toasters and coffeemakers and fruit baskets and paper towels and all that jazz

 

[jackslimpson]

I've enjoyed this thread, also. I'm a home cook. I mostly cook for 2, or enough to feed one or two people for a week. The most people I've cooked for at once was 28. The knives I use the most often are my 6 inch Carter Funayuki, my 210 Tojiro Shirogami gyuto, my 240mm Yoshikane SKD's (one hammer finished, one Zensho kasumi), and my 270mm Hattori HD. Experience teaches me to reach for the 240mm most times. I consciously try to use one knife for everything, so that I can learn the strengths and weaknesses of the knives and my skills. For example, I once chose the 6 inch Carter Funayuki to get through an entire Thanksgiving dinner for 14 people. It worked, but I won't try it again -- sometimes it's just more efficient to use a different knife, smaller or larger. I'm always surprised at how nimble the 270mm Hattori is: I can slice eggplants as easily as I can little shallots. The only downside is that the Hattori seems to be more in-the-way than my smaller knives when I'm not actively using it. If I had room for a rack on the wall nearby this problem would go away.

Cheers,

Jack

 

[jazzybadger]

I've got a 270mm Gyuto and I'm seriously considering going for a 300mm the next time I upgrade from this one. I was unsure how I would adapt to using this one compared to the 210, but it made my life so much easier.

 

[stevenStefano]

I've got a 270mm Gyuto and I'm seriously considering going for a 300mm the next time I upgrade from this one. I was unsure how I would adapt to using this one compared to the 210, but it made my life so much easier.

If I ever get another wa handled knife I might try a 300 out of curiosity. I've got 3 that are 270 on the edge and it's fine

 

[jamaster14]

I've got a 270mm Gyuto and I'm seriously considering going for a 300mm the next time I upgrade from this one. I was unsure how I would adapt to using this one compared to the 210, but it made my life so much easier.

Im a home chef(trained classically but no longer work in restaraunts). I dont have a huge kitchen, yet space has never really been an issue for me as far as knives are concerned. I use a 240mm/270mm chef knife for almost all of my tasks. Honestly im quite suprised that so many here mention tight quarters as a sticking point to going with a shorter blade. I'm not sure i could go with anything smaller then a 240 or 210 and feel comfortable

 

[ChiliPepper]

Awesome thread that shows different opinions from different typical users.
For a home cook I'd say that:
1. If you are already experienced with knives lenghts and cutting motions, then go with your heart's desire and buy whatever length you fancy
2. If you're unsure, probably a gyuto in the 210-250 range is a good starting point and go from there

 

[TaJ]

As a home cook i reach for a 270 mm Gyuto more often instead of the 240 mm. One reason how that developed was that i was too lazy to get the Sujihiki for slicing meat, which works better with the longer blade. Thus, using the 270 mm more often than the 240 mm might have made me more comfortable and better skilled using it. The versatility made me prefer the longer knife.