Knife to get stuff done

[SharpestToolintheShed]

What’s your go to knife when you have a pile of stuff to cut and your go to knife when you want to flex in front of friends? Are they the same?

This weekend I was my GF’s cooking some soup. I had a stack of onions to dice and various other foods to break down. I brought my newest knife - a ZKramer Carbon 2.0. It did the job marvelously but more than once I wished I had forgone the flashy knife and brought my TF Denka instead.

When it came to breaking down chicken thighs, I gave up on the 8” chefs knife and used her semi sharp Global utility knife. No, I did not bring my sharpening gear.

 

[mengwong]

I wished I had forgone the flashy knife and brought my TF Denka instead.

 

[Jovidah]

I generally don't bother acquiring or using stuff to 'flex'; my self-worth is not tied to material goods or other people's appreciation for them.

Generally speaking I'm a 'utility first' kind of person. So if a knife isn't really suitable to get stuff done (for me) it tends to eventually get sold. When I'm travelling I like to stick to more affordable utilitarian stuff that won't make me worry about whether it gets lost or damaged. It's not like you need a 400 dollar knife to do proper cooking anyway, and the star of a meal should be the food, not the knife it's cut with.

If I'm doing bigger dinners or more complicated sutff I tend to gravitate towards somewhat more forgivable knives that cant take a beating and where there's no concerns about reactivity, wiping blades or trying to keep a good looking knife or handle clean. That's really where (semi-)stainless yo-knives shine IMO.

 

[Cliff]

I would distinguish between knives I use when I have time to focus and the knives I use when I'm in the weeds. If I need to blast through a bag of onions, nothing works better than my big Takeda cleaver. If I want something more versatile, maybe my 270 Wat Kurouchi gyuto. I don't break out fancy knives to cook in front of people. If anything, when there are other people in the kitchen, that's when I reach for stainless or my Misono Dragon.

ETA - it's not that the stainless or Western carbons are lesser knives, far from it. But they're the ones I reach for when I'm pushing to get things done fast.

 

[Jville]

I would distinguish between knives I use when I have time to focus and the knives I use when I'm in the weeds. If I need to blast through a bag of onions, nothing works better than my big Takeda cleaver. If I want something more versatile, maybe my 270 Wat Kurouchi gyuto. I don't break out fancy knives to cook in front of people. If anything, when there are other people in the kitchen, that's when I reach for stainless or my Misono Dragon.

Takeda cleavers are shiznit for bulk onions and great all rounders imho, but absolute champions of bulk onion prep. I have 3 my favorite for bulk onions is my small curvy profile AS classic.

 

[iimi]

My Tanaka ginsan 270 is my prep rockstar, so easy to fly through everything. Flex? I've done carving stations for fancy caterings and open kitchen stuff before, and I usually just use a Kanehide PS60 suji for carving and a Matsubara with a nice carbon and silver handle on it for open kitchen, or maybe my Msicard magnacut petty.

 

[SwampDonkey]

My Munetoshi 240 was (is) my travel knife when I go to family houses for Thanksgiving/Christmas/whatever cook-heavy holiday. Can hold up to abuse on any cutting board or if someone else picks it up and rockchops with poor, torque-y technique it won't chip like some thinner knives, and is minimally reactive. Still thin tip for fine work and confident workhorse body. I took that knife, and the Mazaki profile that I actually like better (Munetoshi grind is better) and pestered the hell out of @eddworks to build me the perfect quiver-killer knife that I could prep an entire holiday meal with and never have to set down or swap out.
He did just that, but then plunked a lovely koa handle so it also looks like my flashiest knife. 2 birds and such. The AEB-L is tough as hell, holds a fine edge under more abuse than I expected it to, and adds the stainless peace of mind even though I'm a carbon lover. Nakiri at the heel, drastic distal taper to fine point for detail work, convex work-laser grind.

253x60 mm, 257 g. 5 mm at heel.

 

[SwampDonkey]

My Tanaka ginsan 270 is my prep rockstar, so easy to fly through everything.

+1 for Tanaka ginsan. I love my 240 and it would happily fit this role for me too, such a good generalist and his ginsan holds edge better than several other makers I've tried. I've been leaning towards swapping out my 240 for a 270 of his since I have too many 240s.

 

[Cliff]

That @eddworks is beautiful! Can't wait for my turn to come up.

 

[Hualicopter]

I really wanna get my hands on an eddworks. I think my favorite right now is my Shindo Nakuru but I think it’s because @TokushuKnife sharpened it so it’s way sharper than all my other knives haha

 

[iimi]

+1 for Tanaka ginsan. I love my 240 and it would happily fit this role for me too, such a good generalist and his ginsan holds edge better than several other makers I've tried. I've been leaning towards swapping out my 240 for a 270 of his since I have too many 240s.

I can highly recommend the 270, the heel height on mine is like 56-57 mm, nice edge profile too, makes prep so much more automatic.

 

[Qapla']

For getting stuff done, Kanehide TK.
My knives and knife skills so far aren't nearly worth "flexing" over yet.

 

[Just a DK]

What’s your go to knife when you have a pile of stuff to cut and your go to knife when you want to flex in front of friends? Are they the same?

My friends thought my Komorembi dammy was my most expensive knife and Yanick the cheapest.... so def not the same knife haha....

 

[jakuda]

most of my friends and family don't know anything about knives, so in front of them i'd use something I wouldn't care too much if it got accidentally dropped or if it got left sitting out for a while. Still a nice, sharp, comfortable knife. Something like an Ashi AEB-L gyuto.

Pile of stuff to cut at home? I cycle through several knives depending on the type and time I have and my mood
Pile of stuff to cut at work? probably the Ashi AEBL gyuto.

 

[SharpestToolintheShed]

That @eddworks is beautiful! Can't wait for my turn to come up.

Same. Sometime next year. 50th birthday gift to me.

 

[SharpestToolintheShed]

I generally don't bother acquiring or using stuff to 'flex'; my self-worth is not tied to material goods or other people's appreciation for them.

Generally speaking I'm a 'utility first' kind of person. So if a knife isn't really suitable to get stuff done (for me) it tends to eventually get sold. When I'm travelling I like to stick to more affordable utilitarian stuff that won't make me worry about whether it gets lost or damaged. It's not like you need a 400 dollar knife to do proper cooking anyway, and the star of a meal should be the food, not the knife it's cut with.

If I'm doing bigger dinners or more complicated sutff I tend to gravitate towards somewhat more forgivable knives that cant take a beating and where there's no concerns about reactivity, wiping blades or trying to keep a good looking knife or handle clean. That's really where (semi-)stainless yo-knives shine IMO.

I made such a big deal raving about Bob Kramer and took us on a detour to visit him while on vacation. I bought my zKramer at his workshop. I had to use it in front of her.

Plus she was cooking, I was prepping.

 

[Vertigo]

What’s your go to knife when you have a pile of stuff to cut and your go to knife when you want to flex in front of friends? Are they the same?

This weekend I was my GF’s cooking some soup. I had a stack of onions to dice and various other foods to break down. I brought my newest knife - a ZKramer Carbon 2.0. It did the job marvelously but more than once I wished I had forgone the flashy knife and brought my TF Denka instead.

When it came to breaking down chicken thighs, I gave up on the 8” chefs knife and used her semi sharp Global utility knife. No, I did not bring my sharpening gear.

240mm Misono Swedish Dragon is my gyuto goto. Patina so good I can leave it in pineapple juice for 5 minutes and nothing happens. Sharpens in about 2 minutes. Wish it was a touch longer (shoulda bought a 270), but it's my no worry no fuss actual bang it around the kitchen for 12 hours and never stress knife. There's nothing it can't do.

That said, I recently got a 270 KS back from JKI after a bit of a tuneup, and have yet to try it out. Feels good in the hand, but I see myself fussing over it / babying it more than I do the Misono.

No flex knives at the moment. The few times I've owned flex knives, I've always ended up selling them off. Though if an 11" Carter Funy ended up in my stable again somehow, I'd definitely rethink my "minimalist" stance.

 

[Genghis_F]

My Munetoshi 240 was (is) my travel knife when I go to family houses for Thanksgiving/Christmas/whatever cook-heavy holiday. Can hold up to abuse on any cutting board or if someone else picks it up and rockchops with poor, torque-y technique it won't chip like some thinner knives, and is minimally reactive. Still thin tip for fine work and confident workhorse body. I took that knife, and the Mazaki profile that I actually like better (Munetoshi grind is better) and pestered the hell out of @eddworks to build me the perfect quiver-killer knife that I could prep an entire holiday meal with and never have to set down or swap out.
He did just that, but then plunked a lovely koa handle so it also looks like my flashiest knife. 2 birds and such. The AEB-L is tough as hell, holds a fine edge under more abuse than I expected it to, and adds the stainless peace of mind even though I'm a carbon lover. Nakiri at the heel, drastic distal taper to fine point for detail work, convex work-laser grind.

253x60 mm, 257 g. 5 mm at heel.

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I think your Shindos are jealous
You should sell that “ugly duckling” to me

 

[sumis]

i don't make a distinction other than that one of my knives in rotation usually is a vic chef knife. that's what i hand to guests, cut through bones with, and still would be ’happy-ish’ to use as my only knife.

i don't buy knives with ornamental aesthetics, since i find most non-functional stuff fugly. i do appreciate and recognise the handicraft, skill and cfraftmanship that go into it. but not for me, in use. i would never make a 'display' for the sake of displaying knives. i try to tell myself i'm a user and not a collector.

if i unconsciously wants to flex a knife, to show someone what i use, it would be a a functional monster like (currently) Nihei SLD, Konosuke MM, or perhaps masashi nakiri.

.

 

[SwampDonkey]

I think your Shindos are jealous
You should sell that “ugly duckling” to me

Lol my Shindos ARE jealous. The Mazaki is probably the only one I'd part with.