Kitchen Knives

Actually, just pulled the trigger on a Togiharu Gyutou. I was looking at the Tojiro but the Togiharu seemed to be more highly recommended and the price was right. Korin has a 15% off sale on their knives (no affiliation). I'll have more to post once it comes in and I get to using it.

So, I've been using my MAC santoku for the past two weeks and it is a good knife, very sharp. My friend who just got into cooking with me got a MAC chef's knife and I have to say I like the chef's knife much more than the santoku.

I tried out the Messermeister ME chef's knife at the store and the rocking action on it was quite nice. I'm thinking about picking up an 8" version, however, I do find something endearing about an old school K-Sabatier Au Carbone as well, though. I'm leaning towards the K-Sabatier, even though it requires a bit more maintenance keeping it dry and all that.

Would anyone strongly advise not getting the K-Sabatier?

I'm looking at this Ittosai Shiro-ko Honyaki Gyutou: http://www.korin.com/models.php?cat=...nyaki%20Gyutou

Originally Posted by Thomas

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Actually, just pulled the trigger on a Togiharu Gyutou. I was looking at the Tojiro but the Togiharu seemed to be more highly recommended and the price was right. Korin has a 15% off sale on their knives (no affiliation). I'll have more to post once it comes in and I get to using it.
I think the relatively small price premium of Togiharu Molybdenum or Inox lines over Tojiro DP is worth it, if only for better fit and finish.

Originally Posted by amerikajinda

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I'm looking at this Ittosai Shiro-ko Honyaki Gyutou: http://www.korin.com/models.php?cat=...nyaki%20Gyutou
That's an extraordinary knife, having a 300mm blade, non-stain resistant steel and being rather pricey. At that price point you have a bunch of choices, including customs, as you are probably aware. Do you own other japanese knives?

Originally Posted by Dmax

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That's an extraordinary knife, having a 300mm blade, non-stain resistant steel and being rather pricey. At that price point you have a bunch of choices, including customs, as you are probably aware. Do you own other japanese knives?
I don't currently own any Japanese knives -- what I've been using for the past few years is a made in China set that I bought at Ikea... but now that I'm getting more into cooking, I know I have to step it up a bit, and my reasoning is that I might as well get something that I can grow into as my kitchen skills increase... is this a good start? I'd shy away from custom, as I have no idea what I want/need...

Originally Posted by amerikajinda

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is this a good start?
No. Unless you're running your own Michelin-starred kitchen, why would you buy one of these to start? A set of decent Henckels or Wusthof would take care of 99% of your needs--for less $$$ this single knife. Seriously, who needs a $700 chef's knife?

Originally Posted by amerikajinda

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I don't currently own any Japanese knives -- what I've been using for the past few years is a made in China set that I bought at Ikea... but now that I'm getting more into cooking, I know I have to step it up a bit, and my reasoning is that I might as well get something that I can grow into as my kitchen skills increase... is this a good start? I'd shy away from custom, as I have no idea what I want/need...

Jinda, my first knives - and current mainstays - are Victorinox/Forschners. I highly recommend them for their price and versatility. I've also got a couple of Wusthofs, but no chef's knife which is my primary knife. Not sure I'd use a Wusthof more than the Forschner. And at $25, nothing beats a Forschner.

Funny enough, Dmax - the Tojiro DP and The Togiharu Moly were only a few cents' different. Not even a dollar, so I pulled the trigger on the Togiharu and hoped for the best. I went for the 240 mm and that will be my biggest knife in the kitchen. I am slightly worried since the Tojiro is a 50/50 bevel while the Togiharu is a 70/30 bevel, but then again it's not like I switch hands with the knife.

C'mon guys, this is Jinda afterall -- it has to be Pure Asian Steel for him.

Originally Posted by amerikajinda

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I don't currently own any Japanese knives -- what I've been using for the past few years is a made in China set that I bought at Ikea... but now that I'm getting more into cooking, I know I have to step it up a bit, and my reasoning is that I might as well get something that I can grow into as my kitchen skills increase... is this a good start? I'd shy away from custom, as I have no idea what I want/need...
Price aside, I would recommend against your choice for a couple of other reasons. 300mm is a really large chef's knife. Most European type chef's knife have an 8" blade (which is roughly 200mm). Most people are used to using an 8" chef's knife so a good step up would be 210mm or 240mm. Some knife enthusiasts certainly own 300mm chef's knives but I can assure you they bought several smaller sized knives first. You would also need a special place to store the knife, as most knife blocks would not accommodate a knife with a blade larger than 240mm. You would also need a large cutting surface made from proper material like polyethylene or wood. Rule of thumb is that your chef's knife should fit diagonally across your cutting surface in order to be used comfortably. The Ittosai Honyaki Guyto appears to be made from Hitachi white label steel (shiro-ko) which is not stain resistant. The steel will most likely discolor shortly after you begin to use it. This will not affect performance of the knife, only the appearance, but non-stain resistant steel will require you to wash and dry the knife right after cutting acidic foods to prevent corrosion and rust. I would recommend a knife similar to the Togiharu Molybdenum 240mm Guyto Thomas just got as an ideal first Japanese chef's knife. It is stain resistant, the size is substantial but not overwhelming and the price is right. There may be a difference in performance but you need to have a lot of experience with other knives to fully take advantage of it and provide the knife with the proper maintenance.

My main issue with base/regular knives dreizach etc. are the "guards" at the end of the blade, where it meets the handle. If you wish to hoon the knife and maintain a propper edge throughout the life. I did that for my first couple of knifes, something im regertting to this day.

Originally Posted by speedster.8

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My main issue with base/regular knives dreizach etc. are the "guards" at the end of the blade, where it meets the handle. If you wish to hoon the knife and maintain a propper edge throughout the life.
I did that for my first couple of knifes, something im regertting to this day.

Sorry, something got lost in translation there. Some of my previous knives had the heavy bolster at the end of the blade, and I just filed it down until it fit the blade's profile. None of my current knives have the heavy bolster, though.

I hear this from people but I don't get why a bolster would get in the way that much. All of my knives so far are bolsterless.

The bolster gets in the way of an electric sharpener, or most guided systems for that matter. When I went back to waterstones, it wasn't nearly so much an issue.

I have a question about pitting an avocado. Is it bad for the knife to strike the seed so that the knife sticks and then twisting the knife gently counterclockwise to extract the seed?

Originally Posted by tiecollector

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I have a question about pitting an avocado. Is it bad for the knife to strike the seed so that the knife sticks and then twisting the knife gently counterclockwise to extract the seed?

The short answer is that it depends. If your knife was forged in the northern hemisphere, then you're probably fine with twisting counter-clockwise since that's the normal rotational motion of the earth, and the counter-clockwise motion follows the alignment of the steel molecules as they've been forged under this rotational motion. If your knife was forged south of the equator, though, you're better off twisting gently clockwise, or your knife's forgings will unwind and it will delaminate, and your knife will break into a million pieces.

Oh, and be gentle about striking/slicing into the seed.