Questions about knives (for wedding registry)
The fiancee and I spent the morning at Williams-Sonoma with a very nice woman who walked us around the store and explained to us what was what.
We got to the knives and I was like a kid in a candy store, but there are new things that I do not know about, so I have some questions for those who may know.
I love knives. Not in the nerdy sword-collector region but in the wannabe-chef region. I know a little, but not a lot. I would like to know more.
Of course I immediately wanted the JA Henckels professional 23-piece block, a nice $1500 package. But I am thinking that line might be overkill for a sub-amateur like me. They have lower-line Henckels sets in addition to Wusthof and, new to me, Japanese blades; Kyocera, Shun and Global.
The Kyocera blades are ceramic, made of porcelain. What the hell is that about? I am sure they will be sharp (and for longer than steel), but not flexible. Anyway, the 6.75" chef's knife looked beautiful.
In addition to opinions about brands, can any of the foodies here recommend which knives I will need most? I already have the Henckels Pro 8" chef's knife and bread knife (with a 6" Chicago Cutlery chef's knife that I don't like and will definitely replace, perhaps with a santoku).
We got to the knives and I was like a kid in a candy store, but there are new things that I do not know about, so I have some questions for those who may know.
I love knives. Not in the nerdy sword-collector region but in the wannabe-chef region. I know a little, but not a lot. I would like to know more.
Of course I immediately wanted the JA Henckels professional 23-piece block, a nice $1500 package. But I am thinking that line might be overkill for a sub-amateur like me. They have lower-line Henckels sets in addition to Wusthof and, new to me, Japanese blades; Kyocera, Shun and Global.
The Kyocera blades are ceramic, made of porcelain. What the hell is that about? I am sure they will be sharp (and for longer than steel), but not flexible. Anyway, the 6.75" chef's knife looked beautiful.
In addition to opinions about brands, can any of the foodies here recommend which knives I will need most? I already have the Henckels Pro 8" chef's knife and bread knife (with a 6" Chicago Cutlery chef's knife that I don't like and will definitely replace, perhaps with a santoku).
Comments
It's the difference between a quarter inch gash on a finger from a "regular" sharp steel knife and actually severing the finger tip altogether. Big difference.
Great for pros, not so great for casual users, no matter how impressive the gift might seem. If a price needs to be met, buy twice as many of the lesser knives.
Originally posted by johnq
It's the difference between a quarter inch gash on a finger from a "regular" sharp steel knife and actually severing the finger tip altogether. Big difference.
Golly, now you've peeked my interest. They don't by any chance make a ceramic straight razor?
edit:
Googled:
The Ming Tsai knives, like Kyocera?s other products, are manufactured from ceramic materials; in this case, the blades are made of zirconium oxide. Zirconium is sharp, wear-resistant and can hold its edge for years without the need for sharpening. As far as human knowledge goes, diamond is the only substance harder than zirconium. Even serrated steel blades need to be sharpened from time to time; only ceramic knives have been shown to go for five or more years without. Kyocera is so convinced of the superiority of their product that they guarantee that the knives will not dull or chip within five years of their purchase. The blades themselves are so sharp that they will slice through even the ripest tomatoes without resistance.
In addition to their incredible sharpness, Kyocera?s ceramic knives are resistant to chemical corrosion and are therefore impervious to food acids. No matter how frequently they are used, they will not become stained, discolored or corroded from the foods which they cut?not even stainless steel can boast of such permanent resistance. The zirconium also offers a naturally non-stick surface?cleaning the blades is greatly eased by this aspect of the ceramic.
Like other premium quality kitchen knives, Kyocera takes time to assure that the Ming Tsai knives are lightweight and perfectly balanced to increase usability and decrease injuries and slicing errors.
The only two disadvantages to these ceramic knives are cost (doesn?t everything nice come with a hefty price tag, though?) and their ?brittleness.? As with diamonds, the very hardness of zirconium oxide results in the possibility of chipping. When under significant stress, the ceramic will not flex to prevent breakage. Due to the risk of chipping, a ceramic knife should not be used on any meat with bones still in it. They are, however, excellent for slicing boneless meat.
Review:
Out of the box, our new ceramic knife was the sharpest knife I have ever used. Scary sharp. Laser sharp. It dulled a bit after a couple of months. Sharpening requires sending back to the factory. Hmmmm.
Six months later, the tip broke. Three months after that, another chip in the middle of the blade. And today, while cutting some squash, it broke in two. All in all, the sharpest knife ever, with a life span of about one year.
Not recommended.
Scary sharp indeed.
Not as bad as (mostly theoretical) nanofibres/"monofilament"/"monowire" perhaps. Invisible and as you walk through a taut line of it it cuts you in half. (Science fiction until recently. Not sure what the latest is with nanofibres in real life).
http://www.intercom.net/user/logan1/engfun4.htm
(Ringworld fans anyone?)
Actually ceramic knives might be "as" sharp at the edge, I'm lazy with the numbers.
Anyway, yeah weddings, love, happiness, that's it...
they are weighted just a little differently than the germans. a little less handle heavy. and price-wise they are a good value.
ming tsai's ceramic knives are real nice too, but unless they've come down in price they are pretty steep and you have to baby them.
take a knife class too, it'll make a world of difference.
if you're going to get a nice chef's knife don't get anything less than a 10".
if you take a class first, you'll want a 10".
p.s. make sure you register for a nice kitchen-aid, at least 350 watts or better.
take a knife class, did i mention that?
I'd say most of the "good" knives are good enough. You already have a chef's knife and something else - be patient, use them, get new knives if you don't yet have a specific type of knife and you think you need one immediately. Don't buy anything "just in case". In time you'll know much better what you want, then you don't need to ask AppleOutsider for opinions, and can possibly buy a bigger matching set if you're still enthusiastic at that point, or you know that you'll be happy with a certain brand.
We have several other throw away knives.
My wife says the ceramic knives are sharp and hold an edge but can break.
my chef's knife
and a utility knife
although i did just pick up a lovely cleaver the other day when i was at the
sharpeners. i've been using it a bit and it's surprisingly versatile. you don't need a scraper when you use it either.
so anyone know what kind of knife this might be, or able to read the characters on it?
I will definitely check out the knife classes.
I hadn't thought about the paring knife, I was thinking too big to realize that's something I've been missing for a while. I bought one I thought was nice but the tip broke off on an apple core. Thanks for the tip, Scott.
I figure the bread knife, 5" utility, 8" chef's, 7" santoku and a couple of paring knives will get me through anything I need to do.
Originally posted by alcimedes
i got a nice knife from a family friend for our wedding, but the day was really busy, and she ended up flying back to japan, so i never got to ask about it.
so anyone know what kind of knife this might be, or able to read the characters on it?
Don't know what the characters are but I'd take a wild guess that it might have something to do with the maker's name.
However, looking at the blade reminded me of the patterning you get on (real) samurai swords. This results from one stage in the very complicated forging process where the blade is covered in clay, fired and then plunged into cold water (from memory with samurai swords this is done several times).
Anyway, did a quick Google and lo and behold seems the same process has probably been used here. See how Japanese knives are made here:
http://www.japanese-knife.com/main.shtml
If it is anything like a samurai sword then not only is Powerdoc's translation probably pretty accurate but you could do yourself a nasty injury just by looking at it the wrong way. (I'd go to the trouble of putting in a smilie here but for some reason they're not there so bad luck).
groverat: Whoever said nothing under 10" for a chef's knife is right. And if you haven't got one make sure you include a steel and use it before each use (realigns the molecules on the blade or something like that.)
I don't knwo anything about most of the knives that have been mentioned, but I do have some Global knives, and love them. I have five in various sizes, and they are all great.
Dave.
it was sharp enough that i felt nothing, and the cut went down to the bone. but i pressed the skin back together really tight, and taped it up.
in two days it was completely healed. thing was so sharp the cut healed amazingly fast.
Very nice to use but I have had a blister from them (it's not the knife it's the way I hold it dumbass I know)
I have the wetblock to keep them sharp, they make cooking much more fun and they look FANTASTIC.
j.
Originally posted by psgamer0921
Knives for a newlywed couple?
I'm interested about this reservation of yours.. I've heard before that in some parts of the world you shouldn't give knives, but I'm not sure where. Any idea how widespread this opinion is?
Here in Finland knives are appropriate gifts in pretty much all circumstances. If anything, giving a knife symbolizes trust in the recipient and his judgement IMO.
Originally posted by Gon
I'm interested about this reservation of yours.. I've heard before that in some parts of the world you shouldn't give knives, but I'm not sure where. Any idea how widespread this opinion is?
Here in Finland knives are appropriate gifts in pretty much all circumstances. If anything, giving a knife symbolizes trust in the recipient and his judgement IMO.
I don't have anything against it, but I just thought "knives + newlywed couple + fights =" Well, you know...
Originally posted by Gon
I'm interested about this reservation of yours.. I've heard before that in some parts of the world you shouldn't give knives, but I'm not sure where. Any idea how widespread this opinion is?
Here in Finland knives are appropriate gifts in pretty much all circumstances. If anything, giving a knife symbolizes trust in the recipient and his judgement IMO.
My ex-wife apparently thought it was important. My (very) working class parents bought us an admittedly run-of-the-mill set of knives and I know for a fact that to her the whole thing symbolized some kind of assessment of where I am from (and where I can go - financially). We were together for 7 years but married only one. At the last minute, she morphed into a very materialistic person. She wasn't willing for us to work for a few years, save some money and start a family. Instead she had an affair with (then later married) her Harvard professor.
She was a converted Jew but yet she married the grandson of a Nazi art dealer. (I never found out how her parents feel about this). The money they are now living off of is money from his grand father. She is now very well off and can somehow live with herself and his (presumed) bloodmoney. Ain't life grand? I understand forgiveness and not blaming descendants for their ancestor's mistakes, but the money is literally from questionable sources. Much of the stolen Jewish art has never been recovered.
Well, the heck with her
Marrying for wealth...beyond comprehension for me.
Originally posted by johnrp
I have a set of Glabal here (UK)
Very nice to use but I have had a blister from them (it's not the knife it's the way I hold it dumbass I know)
I have the wetblock to keep them sharp, they make cooking much more fun and they look FANTASTIC.
j.
oh yeah, whippin' out the globals at a dinner gathering is really cool.