A good sharp knife

For some reason, my wife has a prejudice against sharp knives. When we combined stuff after we married, I had a sharpening rod and my wife didn't even know what it was. I'm looking for a good one that I can use to do rib trimming (separating the ribs from the sternum and cartlidge). I need recommendations for the type, size and manufactuer. Also, is a good cleaver worth anything?.

Bryan,
I would look for a standard boning knife which has a blade much narrower than that of a standard knife. The blade should be around 6 inches long by about 1/2" wide. This boning kinfe is made to cut around bones, because of the narrow blade it is much more maneuverable. As for the manufacturer there are so many J.A. Henckels, Forschner, Kershaw, Wusthof just to name a few. I basically look for a knife which has a full tang ( the back end of the blade ) that has rivets in the handle. I also don't like knives which are made with 440C Surgical Stainless Steel because they don't seem to hold an edge and are very difficult to sharpen. As for sharp knives, I worked professionally in the restaurant business and the sharper the knife the less chance of cutting yourself. This is due to the fact that most accidental cutting is caused by excessive force on the knife to cut something and the blade slipping. Also a dull knife causes more effort in cutting and in turn causes fatigue in your hands and fingers which increasses the odds of an accidental cut.
Of course a lot has to do with how you are cutting. I notice that there are some fine tips on the right way to cut on the "TV Food Channel" check it out, you can pickup some fine tips. Cleaver, yea I use one but very rarely and I used to use an ax with a hammer to chop through bone, never ever use a knife to cut through bone you'll ruin the knife. Hope this helps. Aloha! mattD

[This message has been edited by mattD (edited 10-20-2000).]

I don't have any experience with cleavers. I have been very happy with two Forschner knives I bought from http://www.discountknives.com/index.html The VN-40539 is a very sharp, very substantial knife that trims those slabs like nobody's business. I also have the VN-40640 which I found works great as a slicer for brisket. Both are under $20 each and have worked well for me for the past three years. Both are extremely sharp.

Regards,
Chris

I've heard Chris's advice about the knives before, so I bought the two he's talking about and am very happy with them. They don't cost a fortune, either, so I don't feel funny using them outside or taking them to bbq competition. My wife said the long, curved knife reminds her of OJ Simpson for some reason. It makes short work of trimming spare ribs down to "Kansas City" style.

Hi all,
This thread is very interesting.

I have been a strong fan of the Wusthof Grand Prix series for a few years now. I tried other brands such as Chicago, Sabatier<sp?> and generic brands that others have sworn by and was not satisfied.

The Forschner brand seems like a good buy if it can hold an edge and arrives out of the box with a good edge. Based upon the prices at discountknives, I could buy 2 or 3 Forschners for the price of one Wusthof.

The Forschner seems like it is worth a try. Thanks Chris and Tom.

BTW, one of the reasons that I tried the Wusthof brand was a Consumer Report article that was published a few years ago and the Wusthof received a top rating.

Does anyone know of a good web site that has an unbiased analysis of the types of steel used in knives?

Thanks

Brian

Brian,

I, too, have a set of Wusthof knives that I use around the kitchen. They're great and I use a couple of the smaller ones when prepping barbecue meats, but I use the Forschner for the "heavy lifting" work like cutting the spares down to size.

I got turned on to Forschner knives when I saw Paul Kirk using them at the Pitmaster class I attended in 1997. I figured if they were good enough for him, they would be good enough for me. And the price is cheap enough that I don't feel like I have to baby them, like I do with my Wusthof knives.

The 40539 cimeter is a very scary looking knife and impresses everyone. It is extremely sharp and great care must be taken when washing it. Believe me, I know...

Regards,
Chris

Chris,

OUCH!!! I did something even more careless. In a hurry, I flicked the edge on one of my Wusthof's to see if it needed a few licks on the steel .... well it didn't and I wasn't using those two fingers on the k/b for a few days.

I ordered the Forschner 40539 from discountknives. I'll let you know how it works out with the Forschner.

Take care
Brian

[This message has been edited by Brian Patterson (edited 10-22-2000).]

Thanks, guys.
Looks like I may have found a Xmas present for this year.

Try www.cutlery.com for Professional Cutlery Direct. They have the largest selection of knives that I have found on the internet. Look in the Library section to get a couple of hints and tips. Their catalog is actually better that the web site with more comparisons and feature descriptions.

I suggest you click on the knife type word below the picture to get descriptions of the knives. If you click on the picture you get a product list without any info.

[This message has been edited by Bryan Rockoff (edited 12-01-2000).]