Knife questions


 
J

Jim R.

TVWBB Member
Looked at many threads here and have learned alot about knives. Went to some stores and tried some out for feel and have decided to go with Shun (Alton Brown never steers me wrong
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). I do have a few questions that I could not find addressed and I'd like some opinions as y'all always have great input.

First, I aim to keep them out of the dishwasher but I know there will be times I get plum lazy and times the wife will throw them in there. Shun's classic line is "dishwasher safe" and I would assume stainless steel handles would be as well. I've never had any steel handled knives. Has anyone had any experiences with them? Or does anyone have the Shun classics and have you put them in the dishwasher? Trying to decide between the two handles.

Second, all of my old knives are shot. I prefer a santoku to a chef's knife. I need to start fresh. If you could only have 4 knives, which knives would you have? I am thinking paring, santoku, bread, and chefs? Or maybe a boning knife? Cleaver?

Lastly, anyone have any recommendations on where to purchase them from?

Thanks!
 
If it were me, I would get chef/santako (your choice), meat slicing(briskets/hams), somthing that would cut through bones like ribs (I call it a butcher knife) and a 4" paring. As far as purchase places, check the internet as there are lots of choices. If you want to touch what you buy, I have gotten some deals at William&Sonoma when they are on sale. But check the internet 1st.
 
Jim--

Some of my knives are steel-handled. I really like them. I have seen the odd review or two that says that they might be more slippery if one's hands are wet. (Who'd use any knife with wet hands? Other materials are slippery when wet too.) For me, handle shape is more important, and the balance.

Do not put knives in a dishwasher. Really, dont. They don't need the banging around nor the harsh chemicals, 'dishwasher safe' or not. Your knives are better off left on the counter dirty (not in the sink!) than put in the dishwasher. There they'll be, reminding you by their presence to wash them and put them away. I think you'll find, though, that using quality, sharp knives is such a joy that it's a pleasure to wash, dry, and put them away immediately after use.
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A santoko--for me--is not long enough to replace a chef's knife or gyotou. My four-only would be a chef/gyotou, short chef/vegetable/santoku, flexible filet, paring. A sharp chef's will handle bread and tomatoes. It, a short chef's, or even a paring, can handle much rigid filet knife work, but my fifth knife would be a rigid filet, then a slicer, bread, specialty paring, meat cleaver.

My two cents. Enjoy your knives.
 
I got a Tojiro 240 mm Western Deba and am very happy with it. It's a very sturdy knife and is great for cutting up chickens, St. Louising ribs, etc. You can see it here. If you want a santuko, you might want to consider the Tojiro one, it's only $45. The gyutous are like chef knives for chopping veggies, etc. You can't beat these Tojiro knives for bang for the buck.

Here's a picture of the Western Deba I got.
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Here's another picture that looks kind of crazy (it was on Saturday morning at a BBQ contest, so I was tired) of me holding the Deba and a slicer (sujibiki).
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I bought my 2 Forschner and some of my Wusthof knives here. They are a great company and fast shipping. Very pleased with them.
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Knives 101
On EDIT: Looks like the prices are better on the site Kevin posted.
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But the one i posted has free shipping. I'll leave the math up to you.
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Bigger does not mean better, handles are all different in people's hands, so get your butt off the couch and go feel them, no one on earth can tell YOU what you need, how you cook or anyting else with the knives you need for whatever you are using them for.

For fear of getting reprimanded on this board, oh dear G-_, I can only say this will be my last post for a whiile. Do us all a favor and do a search for previous threads on your subjects, trust me they are all here. Wouldn't want to cost too much money to the powers that be. Continue on.....
 
I got my santoku at Williams-Sonoma on sale. I didn't know Shuns were that pricy...but I like that paring knife. Def worth the money.
 
Well, as I mentioned, I have been off the couch and to stores to try different models for feel. That is how I decided on Shun as it fits my hands best. And, as I also mentioned, I did search these forums and learned alot from previous threads. I was just looking for a little more specific information on steel handles, knife selection, and vendors.
 
I'm glad you did the asking and not me, I have a short fuse for smart talk. I have been looking at the knife questions too. This has been very informative. I am in dire need of a couple of GOOD knives. This will help me out greatly. Thanks again Jim, for your inquiry.
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I just ordered some Forschners this week from Cutlery and More and was very pleased. Ordered on Thursday about 2pm (central time) and had them here the next day. They provide free UPS ground shipping on orders over $59, and only a one day ship to Indy. Noticed they have a 10% off coupon code for this weekend as well.
Not trying to change your mind on knives, but for those that will wind up reading this thread when researching knives (like I did prior to my purchase) I got the 3 piece set (4 inch paring, 8 inch slicing, 10 inch chef), a 12 inch granton slicer, a 12 inch steel, and a 11.5 inch Henckels magnet bar for $132.80 with free shipping and a free Swiss Army knife. Happy with the knives, and happy with the service.
I'm sure we'll add more knives in the future, but at least we can throw away the old knife block of el-cheapo knives.
 
Jim I have also been looking for a good knife myself. Today I found a vendor who sells Shun Kershaw knives and the second I picked up the santoku knife I new it was the one for me. It almost felt like an extension of my hand. I just have to find a cheaper place to buy one now as it was on SALE for $167.00 Canadian!! Keep me posted on your quest as I am very interested in what you find out.
 
ok I guess I will chime in here and state MY opinion. which is worth the price of a cup of cheap coffee
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I worked for o bit over 5 years as a butcher and I used many different brands of nkives and styles. in fact I still have all the knives I used....well not ALL of them. gave about half of them away as gifts to others. but what I was trying to say is that I used Dexter-Russell, Forschners, as well as some really cheap P.O.S.es and I hve never had a problem with either the forschners or the Dexter-Russells. I had a set of chicago cutlery at home and got RID of them cus they were a piece of junk.

Bottom line here is pick a knife that feels like it is a part of your hand and not like you are holding a knife. keep in mind that better grades of steel require less mantainance as well. So you kinda get what you pay for.
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Greg, that is why I like Shun knives...as James said - it feels like an extension of my hand.

As someone experienced in the cutting of meat, what kind of knife would you recommend for going through, say, chicken bones?
 
I too have been doing a bit of research on knives. I think I've got it down to either Furi or Wusthof Culinar. Tried both and the Culinar seems to handle well. So, I'm leaning more towards the Wusthof. Anyway...I was told that one of the reasons NOT to put "good" knives in a dishwasher is that the blades are so sharp that they can cut the plastic coating on the dishwasher rack, cause water to get between the plastic and the metal frame and rust the rack out. I guess it depends on the dishwasher. Our utensile rack is made entirely of plastic even then, I intend on NOT putting them in the dishwasher when I do get them.
 
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