Foo shops for a Japanese knife

[Cary Grant]



Sorry, I don't have a long strand of wire to send, but I would.

My kitchen will find a way to appreciate.

 

[otc]



I have a big box of good knives I am trying to get rid of. Not even looking to sell, just get out of my house. Maybe I will accept essays from members as to why they should be the recipients.

Anything longer? I've been looking to try something longer than my 8"

 

[b1os]



Anything longer? I've been looking to try something longer than my 8"

That's what he said.

 

[Fred G. Unn]



if you must have Japanese, then a Deba. You won't want to risk your gyuto on anything too hard or large. Anything that requires a great deal of pressure to cut, even a large squash, could damage the knife.

I'm not sure I agree with this. I have a Deba (http://korin.com/Shiro-ko-Kasumi-Deba?sc=27&category=280024) and it's a pretty finicky knife. I've chipped it a couple of times on a bone and have then had to kill an hour on a 220 stone fixing it. I honestly use my 240mm Hattori FH for about everything and have never ever chipped it, but if I'm breaking up a chicken and need to hack through joints I usually use this Honesuki: http://korin.com/Misono-Molybdenum-Honesuki?sc=27&category=280076

FWIW, Shun was my gateway drug, but once I really got into knives I found 210 was just too short. The 240 is pretty comfortable for me and I also have a Togiharu Sujihiki which I use for proteins that is 270 I think.

 

[Manton]

I don't mean a single sided deba for fish, I mean a western style like this:

http://korin.com/Togiharu-Inox-Steel-Yo-deba

It's double bevelled but has a very thick spine and blade.

 

[Manton]

The perfect foo knife:

http://korin.com/Nenohi-Mizu-Honyaki-Sakimaru-Takobiki-with-Pheonix-Lacquer-Cover

 

[Thomas]

^ Foo might need to use both hands to wield that.

 

[TheFoo]



The perfect foo knife:

http://korin.com/Nenohi-Mizu-Honyaki-Sakimaru-Takobiki-with-Pheonix-Lacquer-Cover

Holy crap--is that a sword?!? I want it.

 

[Manton]

It's an octopus knife. Basically it's for making precise cuts in very soft, wet fish. The knife is long because you are not supposed to change direction of the cut. Doing so smashes the delicate fish. One pull, one cut, or you fucked up.

A guy at L'Ecole got a job at Morimoto and then came back on a day off to tell war stories and he described how the master cut octopus with one of those. Well not that exact knife but somethig along those lines, around 15" long.

 

[gomestar]

that reminds me, there's an octopus recipe that I've been meaning to try. Maybe this weekend.

 

[Huntsman]

 

[CBrown85]

I've been meaning to upgrade my chef's knife too- I'm using a Hampton Forge 7" santoku that our real estate agent gave us when we bought our apartment a few years ago. We cook probably 6 nights a week and it's an asshole to keep sharp. I think someone on here said to grab a Wusthof 8-inch chef's knife... is this a knife that will last 10 years?

 

[aravenel]



I've been meaning to upgrade my chef's knife too- I'm using a Hampton Forge 7" santoku that our real estate agent gave us when we bought our apartment a few years ago. We cook probably 6 nights a week and it's an asshole to keep sharp. I think someone on here said to grab a Wusthof 8-inch chef's knife... is this a knife that will last 10 years?

The Wusthof is a nice knife that should easily last 10 years if maintained. It's a European style knife though, which is a bit different from most Japanese steel.

The Wusthof is the "classic" European knife, so if that's what you want, you could definitely do worse.

 

[mcbrown]



I think someone on here said to grab a Wusthof 8-inch chef's knife... is this a knife that will last 10 years?

My Wusthof set (including 8 inch chef's knife) is 9 years old and still in fantastic shape. Obviously YMMV depending on usage and maintenance.

 

[Fred G. Unn]



I think someone on here said to grab a Wusthof 8-inch chef's knife... is this a knife that will last 10 years?

It would be a big change from a 7in Santoku. Williams Sonoma and Sur La Table are usually pretty cool with letting you "play" with the knives and will often bring out a bar of chocolate or something to cut up. I'd go try it out and see if you like it. My personal preference is for something lighter, thinner, and harder (on the Rockwell scale) but that Wusthof is one of the best selling knives in the world. I also prefer something a bit longer as well.

As far as lasting 10 years, if you take care of it you might get 50 years out of it! It all depends on how and how often you sharpen it. As you sharpen it, the steel will gradually wear away and the geometry of the knife will change accordingly. This process generally takes years though depending on how much you use it. Of course, don't throw it in the sink or the dishwasher either and it should last you a really long time.