Hi All,
Thank you in advance for all your help with this!
US
Chef, slicer, bread for sure. Not sure what makes more sense - a utility or paring. A rec for a cleaver would be a nice bonus. A rec for steak knives would be a super bonus.
Right
Japanese
The typical size for each? Unsure.
Unsure, whatever is best
~$200 per knife. Unsure how much great Japanese steak knives cost and sharpening supplies.
Home as I cook a lot.
All of the above given I'm looking for multiple knives.
Zwillings Twin Signature Series block set. I'm okay with it, but would like a killer new setup for our soon to be remodeled kitchen.
Not really, I sometimes use finger point, hammer.
You will get efficient and thoughtful service from Eastsign.
Push
Rocking
Something that stays sharper, longer
Lighter with better handle
Prefer a lighter (color) handle
Something that has great edge retention
Usable out of the box
Bamboo, walnut and synthetic. Am interested in purchasing anything recommended.
No
Yes
Yes
I'm female with not the biggest hands, preferably nothing too thick in the handle. Lighter colored handle. In a perfect world, I wouldn't want to upgrade any of these knives in the next 5 years, so perhaps knives I would grow into as I learn how to use them. The options on here are so overwhelming, my brain is spread thin looking at them all. Also looking to get a nice magnetic wall piece for the knives.If you could make me a perfect set of knives and stones (that ill hopefully eventually learn to use), what would they be? Any links to where I could find your suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much everyone!
What country are you in?What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?Are you right or left handed?Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.)What knife, if any, are you replacing?Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.)What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.)Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
Just about any of the knives that will be recommended here will be a major jump in performance compared to what you are using. Most of them are made of much harder steel than the knives that you are probably used to. This allows them to have a sharper (more acute angled) edge and be thinner just behind the edge, so they go through vegetables and boneless meat more easily. The edge also in general retains its sharpness longer. The downside is that if you use them on bones, frozen food or (heaven forbid) cans, they will chip much more easily. This will also be an issue if you put them in the dishwasher (not to mention the effect of the dishwasher detergent on the steel).
I would not use a gyuto/ chef knife for breaking down poultry. I use a Victorinox boning knife for jointing (because the soft steel rolls rather than chips when it hits the bone, then I can straighten it by running over a smooth honing steel). A honesuke would also fit well in this role. I use a Western meat cleaver for going THROUGH bone (especially if chopping thighs). A microbevelled deba could be used gently for chicken ribs and maybe spine. Also consider kitchen shears for this.
A chef knife/ gyuto is a great knife for vegetables and boneless meat and is the mainstay knife for the majority of members here (including me). Be aware that the knives that will be recommeded here are generally very good push cutters and slices but you need to be very careful rock chopping because if you torque the thin edge while it is in contact with the board, you can easily chip it. A santoku performs a similar function but is smaller (good if you don't have the space) but less versatile.
There is a tradeoff between thinness/ sharpness (goes easily through hard foods like sweet potato) and food release (goes easily through wet foods like potato). So there is no one perfect knife but a good knife will likely be much better than what you are used to in both food release and thinness.
I would suggest that you start with a good gyuto in the 210-240mm range. A petty around 150mm would be next, then a slicer in 240-270.
If you use the gyuto (or santoku if you must) as yout mainstay, it makes sense to invest most heavily in it, as this is where you will see the most benefit.
I'm a little hesitant to make specific recommendations because I don't want to recommed a gyuto with a thin edge if you are mainly going to be breaking down chickens with it, only to be disappionted with poor edge retention because of chipping.
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