Kitchen Knives

[NOBD]

Wake up, thread.

Not a single mention of Zwilling in this thread. Is there a reason for that? Or are they called Henckels in the US?

 

[foodguy]



Wake up, thread.

Not a single mention of Zwilling in this thread. Is there a reason for that?

over here, zwilling is henckels. for years the two big kitchen knives sold in the us were henckels and wusthoff (and a trickle of the various sabatier brands). for me, wusthoff was a much better knife. and then along came all the japanese knives, etc. henckels (zwilling) is a decent supermarket knife, but that's pretty much it. is it different in the EU?

 

[NOBD]



over here, zwilling is henckels. for years the two big kitchen knives sold in the us were henckels and wusthoff (and a trickle of the various sabatier brands). for me, wusthoff was a much better knife. and then along came all the japanese knives, etc. henckels (zwilling) is a decent supermarket knife, but that's pretty much it. is it different in the EU?

I realized it might be Henckels when I saw the full name of Zwilling (Zwilling J.A. Henckels)...

I'm not sure what a supermarket brand is, but I don't think they're sold in supermarkets over here. You can buy them in kitchen stores that also sell brands like Sabatier, Global and Wusthoff as well.

Here's the site, to give you an idea:

http://www.zwilling.com/en/knife-series.1206.html

 

[otc]



I realized it might be Henckels when I saw the full name of Zwilling (Zwilling J.A. Henckels)...

I'm not sure what a supermarket brand is, but I don't think they're sold in supermarkets over here. You can buy them in kitchen stores that also sell brands like Sabatier, Global and Wusthoff as well.

Here's the site, to give you an idea:

http://www.zwilling.com/en/knife-series.1206.html

I have a Henckels that I like. It's not one of their top end lines, but it works fine.

Unfortunately, I can honestly say that I wouldn't buy it again since the $23 Victorinox knife is better in most ways. The Victorinox/Forschner was also better than another knife I recently compared it directly against (can't remember if it was the 8" henckels Twin Pro-S or the Wustoff Classic since they both look alike).

 

[foodguy]



I'm not sure what a supermarket brand is, but I don't think they're sold in supermarkets over here.

aaargh! i meant to say department store brand.

 

[NOBD]

Ah, yes they're also sold in (the more expensive) department stores over here, foodguy (again like Global and Sabatier).

Thanks, otc. What does a simple Henckels chef's knife approximately cost in the US?

 

[foodguy]



Thanks, otc. What does a simple Henckels chef's knife approximately cost in the US?

they're usually around $100. Wusthoff and Global are roughly the same.

 

[NOBD]



they're usually around $100. Wusthoff and Global are roughly the same.

I guess that's about the same as here. I bought mine in my student years, and thought I had a really, really good one. (Could have bought many beers instead.)

Anyway, I've grown used to it, it feels good in my hand and I only do simple cooking. Next step is learning how to sharpen it (been reading the knife sharpening thread).

 

[foodguy]



Anyway, I've grown used to it, it feels good in my hand and I only do simple cooking. Next step is learning how to sharpen it (been reading the knife sharpening thread).

you're way ahead of most. every time someone starts going on about the newest single-bevel gyuto, I want to ask: "but how does it feel in your hand?" (no ****) and "but do you know how to use it and keep it sharp?" (come to think about it ...). some of the best cooks i learned from did most of their work with restaurant supply knives (like forschner).

 

[NOBD]

Yes, I like how it feels, and I'm going to stick with it and see if I can learn to sharpen it myself with a stone; I think that could be a rewarding task. Was thinking about this one:

http://www.knivesandtools.nl/nl/pt/-naniwa-watersteen-korrel-1000-3000.htm

Anyway, sleeping time over here... Thanks for the info!

 

[countdemoney]

Reviving this one.

Williams Sonoma has started carrying E. Dehillerin knives (freedom steel) and I picked one up to try it out. I quite like it (so far) over my shun for a chef's knife.

 

[Manton]

Ancient thread.

I still love my Takamura Pro 240 but it's got a chip that many sessions on the stones have not been able to remove. So I have to send it out.

As a backup, I picked up a Masamoto VG. Korin had a pretty good discount, and I don't know if it's the currency or what, but this knife is a lot cheaper than it was even five years ago. Well under $200. Korin sharpened it 70/30 for free. It's crazy sharp.

Supposedly these have finish problems. If that is true, then I either lucked out or else Korin deliberately sent me a good one. The finish is perfect. Very nice handle.

This is a stamped knife, single alloy, unlike the Takamura which is forged with two alloys. With Takamura prices up and Masamoto down, with the discount, the new knife was less than half the Takamura. Although Takamura includes a saya and Masamoto does not, so that's an extra ~$25.

Anyway, the Masamoto is highly recommended. If I didn't already have the Takamura and just had this, I would probably be very happy and never know what I was missing.

I almost bought carbon but chickened out. I have a strange yearning for a carbon honyaki, but I fear I will not be able to sharpen one. Plus, I really do not need one ...

 

[braised]

Manton, I bought a blue steel honyaki gyuto a few years ago and there is no issue sharpening. It is way harder than my trusty Sabatier 62 and not a chipper. Can't say the same for a usuba which seems to throw a chip in its says. But for a chefs knife, go for it.

 

[venividivicibj]

Ancient thread.

I still love my Takamura Pro 240 but it's got a chip that many sessions on the stones have not been able to remove. So I have to send it out.

I seem to remember (maybe foo's knife thread)-you used to use an edge pro- do you still use it/would recommend?

 

[Manton]

I do not use the Edge Pro much any more. I need it for my bird's beak paring knife, which I cannot sharpen any other way. But I have found that freehand on the stones is both faster and more effective. It took some trial and error (and many youtube videos) to learn how, but I can put a pretty keen edge on freehand now in 10-15 minutes.

The Masamoto will be a new challenge because the Takamura takes 50/50. I will have to learn 70/30 now.