ContentMostly due to the positive influence of M., I’ve been spending more and more time in the kitchen. (This coming from a man who somehow lived in the same Manhattan apartment for two years, yet never even managed to take the styrofoam packaging out of the dishwasher.) And as a result, we’re in the market for some real kitchen knives.
Kitchen knives are apparently a cultural obsession these days. The home cooking phenomenon has almost glutted the market with quality knives. This is great for the consumer, but it means that you need to do a little research before making a decision. And true to form, I’m doing a lot of research.
The plan is to first buy a single chef’s knife (8″ or longer) and then expand from there. While you may get a better deal buying a complete kit, it seems like most of those kits contain some knives of dubious value. Ultimately we’ll add a 6″ utility knife, a bread knife, a paring knife or two, a steel, and a block. If we start with an 8″ chef’s kife, then we’ll likely add a 10″ at some point as well. The hope is to find a brand we like and stick with it, so finding a company that will stay in business and offers a diverse selection will build a foundation that could last a lifetime. But no matter what, I’m not going to buy more than we need for what we do in the kitchen. (Just like buying a better guitar won’t make you a better musician, buying more knives won’t teach you how to cook.)
There seem to be two major schools of knife design for the Western kitchen — the traditional German designs and the newer Japanese-made knives, adapted to the Western styles. The blades differ insofar as the Japanese knives have a more acute angle on the knife edge, are frequently finished in the Damascus style, and are sharpened only on one side (for right-handed chefs). The Western-style Japanese knives are typically lighter, hollowed handled (balanced with sand), and lack a bolster or tang. The downside is that they are harder to sharpen, require more maintenance, can nick easier, and may not fit as well in the larger hand. Whereas the German knives are sharpened on both sides at a more traditional European angle, have a sturdier blade, weigh a bit more, and have a more familar feel to American hands.
So far I’m narrowing the field down to the major manufactures. These include the Japanese-made Kershaw Shun Stainless Line, (see also the Classic Line of more Western-style knives, and the Pro Line of traditional Japanese knives), the Global Line, or the German-made Wüsthof Culinar Line, (see also the Wüsthof Classic Line), or the J.A. Henckels Twin Select Line (see also the Pro S Line).
My preference is to start a collection of the more contemporary steel designs. Partly because I like shiny things, partly because they match well with our kitchen and appliances. But that won’t take precedence over a good knife — function over form. We both grew up using German-style Henckels, so those shapes and weights are familiar, but we are willing to try something new if the Japanese knives are better.
Since the first purchase will be a chef’s/cook’s knife, here are the current top options:
Wüsthof Culinar 8-Inch Cook’s Knife
Henckels Twin Select 8-Inch Chef’s Knife
Shun Stainless 8-Inch Chef’s Knife
Global 8-1/4-Inch Heavyweight Chef’s Knife
So, what are your recommendations? I know that a number of people who read unto.net also have pretty sophisticated home kitchens and your advice is really appreciated. Any ideas or comments will help us out significantly.
Research wise, I’ve found that the Kitchen board on Knifeforums has many knowledgable and friendly postings, and the author over at Foodie Forums is highly regarded as an expert in the field. These sites were a great help, but I’d like to hear your opinions as well. What do you use in the kitchen?
(BTW, I linked everything to Amazon with my associate ID. Feel free to use your own associate ID if you link to something in the comments. Or if you have a recommendation on where to buy the knives other than Amazon, I’d love to hear that, too!)
July 28th, 2005 at 1:32 pm
Partial to Henckels. On a purely aesthetic note, the Shun is kinda sexy.
July 28th, 2005 at 1:39 pm
I think they are all sexy. I just might come home with all four.
Can you return kitchen knives?
Oh, and does anyone know whether it is better to use a magnetic strip vs. a knife block?
July 28th, 2005 at 3:42 pm
sexy knives… yowsa! ;)
July 28th, 2005 at 3:46 pm
Okay, we now have consensus that the knives are sexy. Anything else? : )
July 28th, 2005 at 10:18 pm
and they cut.
seriously, you two are light years ahead of me. i have a coffee machine, blender and a turkey carver. all of my knives have serated blades and wooden handles. i wouldn’t even know where to begin in picking a rump slice… er… i mean, a head of lettuce cutter ; )
July 29th, 2005 at 11:39 am
And if you’ve gone to all the trouble to choose the knives, one might as well have something interesting to store them in, something that will make a splash…
http://www.viceversa.com/Dynamic/Products,intCategoryID,34,intItemID,1447.html
July 29th, 2005 at 11:41 am
Hahaha. Brilliant!
July 29th, 2005 at 1:16 pm
do that thing come with rove and bush masks?
July 30th, 2005 at 12:17 pm
I went through this process about two years ago and decided on Furi knives:
http://www.furitechnics.com.au/
We bought a cooks knife, an east/west, and a utility. We couldn’t be happier with our decision, and, though they weren’t exactly inexpensive, we did save a good deal of money.
July 31st, 2005 at 10:16 am
Global. I have two – an 8″ chef’s knive and a small paring knife, and I’ve never felt lacking for anything since. I think I picked them after hearing the “kitchen confidential” guy rave on.
But you shouldn’t just take my word for it – a lot should depend on how it feels in your hand. Some people think the Global ones are a little sharp, in that underneath area where the blade meets the handle.
Another must-have: a ceramic sharpening thingie. It looks like a skinny rolling pin with only one handle. It’s really cool. Sharp. Fun.
July 31st, 2005 at 10:17 am
PS – I store them in a drawer, but buy these great slip-on black covers for them. Keeps ‘em clean and sharp, and any kitchen store will have them in all sorts of sizes.
August 2nd, 2005 at 12:33 pm
Dude. Two words.
>>
Don’t know how I ever cooked without it.
And you can get a great one from Wusthof… so you’ve got Japan and Germany covered…
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005MEGX/
August 2nd, 2005 at 12:36 pm
Let me try that again… my dramatic two words didn’t show up.
Dude. Two words.
SANTOKU KNIFE
Don’t know how I ever cooked without it.
And you can get a great one from Wusthof… so you’ve got Japan and Germany covered…
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005MEGX/
P.S. I love my magnetic knife holder because it doesn’t get crud in it like a block (which also takes up a lot of space) and the nice expensive knives look good on the wall. You paid for ‘em, show ‘em off!
August 2nd, 2005 at 1:19 pm
I love the thought of getting a Santoku. I will probably want a more familiar Gyuto blade first, then try this out second. But I am all for mixing up the styles. But you are a fan of the Wüsthofs? Is the Wüsthof Santoku sharpened like a Western blade — i.e., is it just taking the shape of the traditional knife?
August 2nd, 2005 at 4:15 pm
If I were you, I’d look into the MAC knives. I’ve got a set of Global, and just bought a MAC santoku – seems like vastly more knife for the money.
August 2nd, 2005 at 4:18 pm
I just looked at a few MAC Gyutos (240m) at a little shop in Japantown here in San Francisco. They seemed nice, and I’ve heard good things, but I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions just from that quick impression. The second opinion helps — and they are a fair bit cheaper than the Globals.
August 3rd, 2005 at 12:01 pm
It is typical Wüsthof in terms of quality, and handle, but the blade is the same as any Santoku, with concave indentations on both sides, I believe. Sure, it is probably better to buy a Japanese-style knife from a Japanese knife maker rather than a German one, but I believe most of them are many more times expensive than the Wüsthof and as I said, I think the Wüsthof one is excellent. Josh F.’s wife who works for Smith & Wollensky and is an FCI grad (a chef, basically), uses that knife as well and loves it.
August 18th, 2005 at 8:59 am
This is one situation where all the recommendations in the world won’t help you. Find a serious kitchen store where you can try them all out (or multiple stores) and find the one that is best for you; your hands, your chopping motions, etc. It’s more than a matter of weight and blade, but how you use it. Will your hands get tired or cramp halfway into a batch of French Onion soup? Right now I’m loyal to a $9 Target Michael Graves chef knife, but that’s just me. Happy shopping!
November 10th, 2005 at 1:04 pm
So what knife did you end up getting?