Kitchen Knives

[ama]

I'll toss another recommendation in for the Misono UX-10. Great feel, holds an edge extremely well and very well constructed. I have no complaints. Been using mine for about the last two years. http://korin.com/UX10-Gyutou?sc=7&category=17345

 

[foodguy]

Originally Posted by Hombre Secreto

brett, is that you? how's Jemaine?

 

[Dmax]

Originally Posted by gomestar

thinking about eventually upgrading my chef's knife. Any insight on the pros/cons of something like this?.

Originally Posted by gomestar

all reasons (except ease of cleaning, I don't care) to consider. I'm not a tremendous fan of the hammered look, but I find it to be generally attractive. Shape is fine, I enjoyed it in the store. 50/50 balance is something I'm considering, I am R while gf is L, unless somebody tells me this doesn't matter in Japanese knives. also like
I own both of these knives. The Togiharu hammered in 7.0" Santoku and the Ittosai in 9.4" Guytou. The hammered finish on Togiharu is no harder to clean than my other knives. If you don't care for the hammered finish you can look at the Togiharu Molybdenum line which should perform similar but costs less. The Ittosai supposedly uses harder steel which should translate into longer edge retention but in home use it shouldn't be a big deal. Korin's web site lists the Ittosai as having 50/50 grind but my knife came with 70/30 edge. Not sure how much of a problem the asymmetric edge is for lefties.

 

[foodguy]

do you prefer either knife?

 

[Dmax]

Originally Posted by foodguy

do you prefer either knife?
I like them both equally. I tend to use the larger knife when I have the larger cutting board out and the smaller knife when I just need to chop a couple of things on one of the smaller boards. I have a decently sized kitchen by NYC standards but usable space is still at a premium.

 

[gomestar]

thank you for this. I'm going to give the Ittosai another look sometime

 

[medwards]

I spent a wonderul hour slicing and dicing with Harold Arimoto, the president of MAC knives yesterday, and I must say I was very impressed by these knives. They are a bit different than most of the other knives discussed here in that they are stamped (yes, stamped) rather than forged. The bevil is about 15 degrees (60-40) and it extends all the way up the knife...generating very thin and even cuts. I spent most of the time cutting with the 9 1/2 inch chef's knife from the Ultimate series, which was beautifully balanced for my touch, though it is slightly heavier than some of MAC's other lines. However, the most intriguing aspect was the suggested cutting technique. While you can use any cutting technique, MAC recommends an approach that is a bit different than many of us are accustomed to...using an exceptionally light touch with the movement coming from the elbow not the wrist and fully allowing the knife to do the work. First, the knife is held parallel to the cutting board. For softer items (such as tomatoes), one starts just inside the heel and lightly pulls back letting the knife do the work. For harder items such as carrots, one starts at the tip and pushes forward, again allowing the knife do the work. I'll confess that overcoming my ingrained rocking style took some concentration, but it did produce beautiful, effortless, precise cuts...and once you get used to it, you can employ some very fast knifework. The knife just seems to glide. I can certainly see why these knives rank so highly in so many comparison tests and why Ripert and Keller might favor them.

One more bit of a surprise. MAC recommends using a Rollsharp for honing and sharpening their blades...

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by medwards

I spent a wonderul hour slicing and dicing with Harold Arimoto, the president of MAC knives yesterday, and I must say I was very impressed by these knives. They are a bit different than most of the other knives discussed here in that they are stamped (yes, stamped) rather than forged. The bevil is about 15 degrees (60-40) and it extends all the way up the knife...generating very thin and even cuts. I spent most of the time cutting with the 9 1/2 inch chef's knife from the Ultimate series, which was beautifully balanced for my touch, though it is slightly heavier than some of MAC's other lines. However, the most intriguing aspect was the suggested cutting technique. While you can use any cutting technique, MAC recommends an approach that is a bit different than many of us are accustomed to...using an exceptionally light touch with the movement coming from the elbow not the wrist and fully allowing the knife to do the work. First, the knife is held parallel to the cutting board. For softer items (such as tomatoes), one starts just inside the heel and lightly pulls back letting the knife do the work. For harder items such as carrots, one starts at the tip and pushes forward, again allowing the knife do the work. I'll confess that overcoming my ingrained rocking style took some concentration, but it did produce beautiful, effortless, precise cuts...and once you get used to it, you can employ some very fast knifework. The knife just seems to glide. I can certainly see why these knives rank so highly in so many comparison tests and why Ripert and Keller might favor them. One more bit of a surprise. MAC recommends using a Rollsharp for honing and sharpening their blades...
This is standard French technique, and what you are likely to see from people trained in French kitchens. It goes with the traditional shape of their knives, which are not particularly conducive to rocking, and with the fact that they often use narrower (eminceur) knives for vegetable prep. The constant rocking seems to be an American and German technique and is consistent with the traditional knives of these two cultures.

 

[medwards]

Originally Posted by iammatt

If you don't mind spending a little more, check out the Mac Ultimate line. The shape is a nice combination of German and Gyoto, and the quality is absolutely fantastic.

Having spent a couple of days now working with this knife, I can see why you are partial to it.

 

[Milpool]

I'm interested in hearing suggestions for a new chef's knife. I want to get a 10" knife. It should be durable enough to handle breaking down whole birds, cracking open winter squashes, cutting melons, etc. It should also be able to handle other routine chef knife tasks. I can sharpen it myself easily enough. I have large hands, so it needs a pretty good sized handle.

Any thoughts?

 

[philosophe]

I just bought a Messermeister 9" chef's knife. You might consider their 10". To me, it felt a little less sword-like than the Wusthof 10". Try knifemerchant.com for a good deal.

Others here may differ, but I don't use my good chef's knives for cracking hard squashes and other rough tasks. Something much cruder works just fine.

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by iammatt

This is standard French technique, and what you are likely to see from people trained in French kitchens. It goes with the traditional shape of their knives, which are not particularly conducive to rocking, and with the fact that they often use narrower (eminceur) knives for vegetable prep. The constant rocking seems to be an American and German technique and is consistent with the traditional knives of these two cultures.

This is how I was taught.

 

[happy hooligan]

I'm actually in the market for a new to me set of knives.

maybe you guys can help.

I'm looking for a vintage set. No Stainless... must be carbon. Must be full tangs, and must be built really well.

Basically I'm looking for the best of the best that was 50+ years ago.

I don't want new. I want old, but solid carbon goodness.

 

[Huntsman]

Old Sabatiers in carbon are fairly universally praised.

~ H

 

[foodguy]

Originally Posted by Huntsman

Old Sabatiers in carbon are fairly universally praised.

~ H

there used to be a guy on ebay who specialized in antique carbon steel. he had gorgeous stuff. doesn't seem to have anything up at the moment.