Chef KNives?

[chef8489]

Just currious if anyone else loves high end chef knives. I currently ahve a set of Hattori HD's and love them for work. I purchased a Harroti KD and it is on its way. I am not sure I will like it a much as the HD's and would be selling it or trading for something else( maybe ue-11 pro) Here is a link of the different knives.
KD
HD

 

[dj_mocok]

One mistake and there goes your finger...

But seriously, that's the only worry I got for high end knives. Although I know blunt knifes are more dangerous than sharp ones. Maybe I like sharp but not deadly sharp.

 

[Spareribs]

Knife fi is an excellent hobby.

At Barclay Prime steak house in Philadelphia, they give you a selection of about 5 different high end steak knives before your dinner. I loved the sleek Japanese knife. Other very cool knives were from other countries. The knives were very impressive. A great knife is important and a true work of art.

 

[Davesrose]

I don't have "hi end" knives as of yet. Since I do have some extra money after buying a house.......getting a better knife set is something I'm thinking about. I do like cooking and will doing a lot more now that I have a decent gas stove top. So a Wüsthof or Shun would be better then my current Kitchen Aid piece mill set?

Well buying cheap knives helped me figure out the preferences I have when cooking. I definitely prefer a good chef's knife over a santoku....choping seems easier with the rocking motion you can have with a chef's.

 

[chef8489]

My issues with Wusthof is could not keep them sharp as long as i can a Japanese knife. I gave away my whole wusthof set to my baker when I got my Hattori's. You should check out japanesechefsknife.com Wusthof are great knives if you are not using them all the time as I do in a professional kitchen.

 

[Ichinichi]

question: how do pro chefs cut so fast without the object ingredent flying everywhere?? sharpness?

 

[kramer5150]

I have a Henkel 5-star set that I like a lot. Not sure if thats truly high end though. One of the most useful knives I have ever used is the cutco butter-paddle.

 

[dj_mocok]

Can those hattori be sharpened using "regular" sharpener like the one I use for other knives?

I have the - forgot what it's called - something that has the diamond surface in it. I use it for my Mundial, but according to the knife shop woman, Mundial's steel is a bit soft, therefore you need constant sharpening.

I might actually get a Hattori if I have some spare money. Great delivery price too, that website.

 

[chef8489]

I use waterstones to sharpen. I am sure you can use whatever but the best results on any sharpening i have experienced is with waterstones.
As far as chefs cutting so fast without the food going everywher it is mostly technique and then knife sharpness has somehting ro do with it also.

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Oh man this is interesting stuff. What would be a good set of knifes for normal people like me? I'm looking for function only... is there a ksc-75 equivalent in the knife world?

 

[chef8489]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dept_of_Alchemy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh man this is interesting stuff. What would be a good set of knifes for normal people like me? I'm looking for function only... is there a ksc-75 equivalent in the knife world?

Well if function is all you are looking for I would go carbon steel. Stays sharper and longer than stainless steel. Here is a good example of carbon steel knives.
Hiromoto High carbon steel

 

[warubozu]

Those are some beautiful chef's knives. The Damascus blade really holds an edge very well. Currently I own a set of Henckels Twin Cuisine knives that I've been happy with so far. Last kitchen knife I've purchased was a 7" Santoku by Al Mar.

 

[zkn]

ftw. matches DAC-1.

 

[grawk]

ksc75 equivalent: nsf knives from local kitchen stores. High carbon steel, dishwasher safe handle. Work well, last a long time, easy to hone.

 

[velogreg]

If you have a very high carbon content knife one of the trade offs for a hard long lasting edge is that you have to use great care to dry the knife thoroughly after washing otherwise it will stain. The "stainless" knives represent a nice compromise for the average kitchen chef who needs to perform a lot of tasks in a limited amount of time and does not like to be bothered with the extra care required of a high carbon content chef knife. Make sure you dry the knife throughly after washing to keep it looking pretty.

Chef8489, try an internet search for the website of a Mr. Shinichi Watanabe. He makes a broad range of hand made chef knives. One of his specialties is hand forged, hand "polished" chef knives using Mitsubishi white or blue paper steel. They posses a very high Rockwell rating (62) and his "hand polishing" using 6000 and 8000 grit water stones provide a super, and I mean super sharp edge. When we have one of our summer BBQ, I like to pull some of the guys aside, pull out my Watanabe and shave the hair off my arm to demo the knife. Of course I wash it before carving up the roast, but the demo usually impresses, the guys anyway. He doesn't have the name recognition but his workmanship is superb IMHO.