/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.20152029]

Anyone have recs on a great chef’s knife? I’m ready to splurge on a really nice one, but I’ve never had a nice one. Pic related, I’m considering a moritaka

If possible, I’d really like it to have some flair, but of course the top priority is that it’s a well-made knife that functions beautifully

[Anonymous No.20152035]

>>20152029
Dexter brand.

[Anonymous No.20152036]

>>20152029
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/new-design-67-layers-kitchen-knives_1600308934966.html

[Anonymous No.20152044]

Just get a cheap bread knife and a steak knife. They are like shitty but effective versions of chef and paring knives, and as a bonus, as they start to degrade, they will impart iron into your food, which has some nutritional value

[Anonymous No.20152047]

I have a Shibafi F208 and I like it a lot
CCK is probably better but I cannot justify that kind of price

[Anonymous No.20152312]

>>20152029
I've been using a Wusthof Classic 10" for about 4 years
It's pretty tight
Looking into a 7" Zwilling JA Henckels Santoku because I hate how veg gets stuck to my Wusthof :(

But I'm a well off dude who can afford to throw money away on stupid shit like knives

[Anonymous No.20152315]

>>20152312
>a 7" Zwilling JA Henckels *Hollow Edge* Santoku
whoops me drunk

[Anonymous No.20152379]

>>20152029
>I’ve never had a nice one
get VG10, or SG2 if you won't beat the shit out of it
don't go for carbon steel if you don't know what you're doing
>recs on a great chef’s knife?
Takamura R2 if you can find it on stock
if not, anything from well known japanese blacksmiths will be good, but expensive
>I’d really like it to have some flair
Yu Kurosaki is the GOAT imo and the look of his knifes is the only reason I use them the most

anyway, invest in sharpening stones and learn to use them before buying a knife
if you suck at it, your knife will always suck (unless you have someone to sharpen them for you)

[Anonymous No.20152386]

Redpill me on Japanese knives. Aren't they meme? Japan had poor quality iron, so they had to do a lot of smithing to unfuck that? Doesn't it mean it's better to get knife made in German, for example, rather than Japan?

[Anonymous No.20152406]

>>20152029
I have a Miyabi 5000MCD Santoku knife and I absolutely love it. It's a masterpiece that is joy to use.

[Anonymous No.20152412]

>>20152386
German steel is generally the gold standard.

[Anonymous No.20152413]

>>20152386
>Aren't they meme?
No. Japan is the only country who kept improving knifes after WWII. Germans still do it the same way as before.
>Japan had poor quality iron, so they had to do a lot of smithing to unfuck that?
No idea about iron desu.
>Doesn't it mean it's better to get knife made in German, for example, rather than Japan?
Yes, if you want a beater (Victorinox is my go to for these). A Western knife is like a hammer. In fact, it can be used as a hammer. Japanese knives are more delicate, but they also perform way better in the kitchen.
The main difference is probably steel hardness. Western knives are usually made with a softer steel, which makes them more durable, but they lose their edge pretty fast. Japanese knives on the other hand are usually made with harder steel, so they're prone to chipping. But in exchange, they hold their edge for much longer.
There are other differences, like shapes, guards, handles and manufacturing techniques, but that's the most important one for me.

[Anonymous No.20152416]

>>20152412
that's why they make the premium knives in Japan, like >>20152406

[Anonymous No.20152419]

>>20152386
Nah Germany is a meme
It used to be significant in the past when other countries only had shit steel but for the past 70+ years it's been a meme
If anyone advertises themselves as being 'German steel', it's a shit knife
Now Swedish steel, that's another story
Swedish steel is the best

[Anonymous No.20152440]

>>20152419
>Swedish steel is the best
And the best knives made out of it are Japanese anyway.

[Anonymous No.20152653]

>>20152029
Wusthof classics are great knives. Go for Shun if you're a weeb.

[Anonymous No.20152657]

>>20152312
>I've been using a Wusthof Classic 10" for about 4 years
based

[Anonymous No.20152792]

Buy a cheap $17 knife from walmart and a $6 sharpener. Works better than anything else. If you manage to wear down the knife just buy another one in a decade.

[Anonymous No.20152807]

>>20152029
How much do you want to spend? Do you like a thicker knife or thinner knife? How do you feel about a knife that can rust?

[Anonymous No.20152849]

>>20152807
Anyways to add, I have this knife as a kiristuke, it's super versatile, and probably my most use knife. It's super sharp out of the box and I've had to touch it up once on a 6000 grit stone in 8 months of owning it.
https://sharpknifeshop.com/products/nigara-hamono-tsuchime-migaki-gyuto-240-mm

Anything made by Yu Kurosaki or Moritaka is going to be a really really good knife, and if you want something made from carbon steel I'd recommend one of these.
https://knifewear.com/collections/gyuto/products/masakage-shimo-gyuto-240mm
https://knifewear.com/collections/gyuto/products/moritaka-ishime-gyuto-240mm

If you have tiny hands, get a 210mm instead of a 240mm, and if you're not in NA, I know some other knife nerd anons here know some good EU based shops.

[Anonymous No.20152875]

>>20152849

can you put these in the dishwasher

[Anonymous No.20152896]

>>20152875
No. You shouldn't put your knives in the dishwasher regardless even if they're stainless with plastic handles. Best case scenario the handle gets stained or has a residue on it, worst case scenario it knocks into something and it gets chipped.

[Anonymous No.20152931]

>>20152875
Why would you ever need to? My knives never even need soap

[Anonymous No.20153106]

>>20152931

meat

[Anonymous No.20153116]

>>20152416
Japanese steel sucks.
They have to import it from Germany as their natural resources are terrible quality.

[Anonymous No.20153169]

>>20153116
"""German steel""" knives suck for expensive knives. Soft steel, thick behind the edge, worse edge retention. Everything you'd want in a cheap knife you can beat the shit out of, nothing you want in a nice knife you'd prefer to do 95% of your kitchen tasks with.

[Anonymous No.20153194]

>>20152029
Shigefusa or yoshiaki fujiwara

[Anonymous No.20154087]

People say the Tojiro is too thick behind the edge but if I'm used to Western style knives is that a problem?

[Anonymous No.20154104]

>>20152029
I have a moritaka and I love it. Good knife. But,
>I’ve never had a nice one
You're not ready. Learn to sharpen first on a shitty knife before fucking up your expensive one.

[Anonymous No.20154187]

>>20152386
>Japan had poor quality iron, so they had to do a lot of smithing to unfuck that?
>>20153116
>Japanese steel sucks.
Negroids, are you talking about their early efforts making firearms where the guns would blow up because the steel wasn't hardened properly? That was in like the 1500s. These people have been refining their steel and techniques nonstop for the past 500 years. I don't even know what someone would be referring to in modern times if they say "Japanese steel sucks." You are beyond clueless because you've convinced yourself that a fiction is reality. There is no fixing you without unfucking your brain first. Japanese knives are some of the best in the world, and are used by all discerning chefs.

[Anonymous No.20154253]

>>20152029
Maybe look into boutique/local smiths if you are splurging.
Those are really nice, but pricey. Cheapest here is $300+ CAD.

[Anonymous No.20154266]

I bought a Mercer Renaissance chef knife on sale and the thing cannot cut carrot
It wedges and breaks the carrot rather than cuts through it

[Anonymous No.20154269]

>>20154266
Specifically I'm talking about doing vertical cuts along the length of the carrot

[Anonymous No.20154354]

>>20154269
This is not necessarily a sign of a bad knife. There are advantages to thin "lasers" and there are advantages to broadish convex grinds. A knife that's thicker and more convex is going to promote food release of softer foods, like cucumbers, for example, but will wedge in hard foods like carrots. Lasers will slice through hard foods easily, but at the cost of food being a little more prone to sticking to the knife. Unfortunately, a lot of western knives just have a full flat grind that also somehow manages to be thick behind the edge--the worst of both worlds.

I'm a big fan of Japanese knives because, as an end user, you're allowed some degree of understanding and control over how your knife will likely perform on a board before you even buy it.

For example, here's a knife that many describe as "too thick behind the edge," but in reality it has a very convex grind to promote food release. People who realize the advantage of this know not to cut a butternut squash with it, but rather will use it to process pretty much anything else.

[Anonymous No.20154359]

>>20154269
By contrast, a "laser," which can glide through hard foods without wedging, doesn't have much of a convex surface, so soft foods will be more prone to sticking on it.

[Anonymous No.20154367]

>>20154359
>>20154354
Having used both, I definitely prefer knives that are on the laser end of the spectrum. They're just so satisfying to cut with.

[Anonymous No.20154421]

>>20154367
One of my favorite knives to cut with was also my least expensive, an Ikenami 180mm bannou that only cost me $75 a few years ago. It's super thin behind the edge, and then becomes convex about a half inch up the blade. Pic related is my knife.

[Anonymous No.20154558]

I'm looking for a first Japanese kitchen knife, I already have a pocket knife collection. I want a ~180mm white steel knife but don't know if I should be picky about white #1 or white #2, or if the price point and prestige of the maker are really most important. Was trying to keep my budget within $150. Hinokuni knives caught my eye, the maker is young but seems experienced. Any suggestions? Is a bunka the new santoku?

[Anonymous No.20154627]

>>20154558
Munetoshi kurouchi gyuto!

[Anonymous No.20154728]

>>20154558
Ikenami 180mm bannou. You can get it from Rakuten for 6000 yen, or KnifeJapan has them for about $110.

[Anonymous No.20154791]

>>20154728
>¥6000 = $40
>$110
So you're saying these knives are a rip off...

[Anonymous No.20154802]

>>20154791
Rakuten sellers don't all ship internationally, so you may have to set up forwarding, which is a pain in the ass, and will bring the price up quite a bit.

[Anonymous No.20154932]

>>20152875
Most knives cannot be put in the dishwasher, either due to the handle materials or the knife metal itself lacking corrosion resistance.

If it isn't some form of stainless steel with corrosion resistance, that knife needs to be babied like cast iron does. Meaning you have to autistically follow rules to the T or you get rust and pitting and other shit on your knife. No lazy shit or you just destroyed your $$$ knife. And that isn't even including the expensive ass sharpening stone kit.

There are a few set of knives out there that can be dishwashed though. But you have to hunt for them, usually they are solid stainless steel, no handle material.

[Anonymous No.20155092]

>>20154932
This victorinox shill is greatly over exaggerating the maintenance required for CS knives.

It is extremely easy to remove rust from a carbon steel knife, and rust will not destroy your knife for a very long time. Only an idiot or scoundrel would assert such stupidity.

HE HAS NEVER HEARD OF A RUST ERASER! WHAT A DELINQUENT IGNORAMUS! LMFAO! 15 BUCKS IS EXPENSIVE TO HIM! LOLOLOLOL!

[Anonymous No.20155302]

>>20152386
The steel is perfectly good. Japanese knives tend to have a different shape than western style chef’s knives. The blade edges are usually different too. Japanese ones tend to be single bevel.

I’ve heard some people say lefties can’t use a standard single bevel Japanese knife because of the one-sided bevel. I have no idea if that’s actually true.

[Anonymous No.20155398]

>>20155302
They make left handed single bevel jap knives. They're more expensive.

Most traditional jap knives are single bevel, but they make double bevel knives that are pretty unique compared to western double bevels.

[Anonymous No.20156123]

>>20153106
what has meat to do with the dishwasher?

[Anonymous No.20156132]

>>20154558
>Any suggestions?
Matsubara works mostly with white #1

[Anonymous No.20156162]

Thinking of getting a set of these badboys. Anyone used one before? The local knife sharpener man has a bunch of reviews for things like wusthof, victorinox, shun, global etc. and these are the only ones he has no complaints at all for. Im inclined to go with his advice since he has the same complaints I do about the global handle being too small and shun being prone to chipping

https://www.koiknives.com/collections/seki-knives-by-koi/products/full-damascus-collection-6-knives

[Anonymous No.20156165]

>>20155092
I dunno, I’m pretty sure there’s a good reason one of the biggest sellers of ultra-high end knives has so many warnings about potential issues with carbon steel on its product pages.

https://www.korin.com/HMA-CWAGY-210?quantity=1&custcol_korin_addon_items=%257B%2522leftHanded%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522saya%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522freegift%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522premiumgift%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522engraving%2522%253A%2522%2522%257D&custcol_sca_line_id=mainItem%253Adhzhckutr

[Anonymous No.20156177]

>>20156162
i personally find those very ugly and they're all sub 60 HRC which is a matter of personal taste
i would instead spend 2/3rds that on two knives, a 240 gyuto and a petty and get some that are actually high quality and not made with garish retarded handles, because you'll genuinely not use half of those with any frequency

[Anonymous No.20156257]

>>20156162
>AUS-10
Get a petty and a gyuto for half that cost with better steel.

[Anonymous No.20156293]

>>20156177
Yeah that's the wrong picture. I was just after the gyuto and petty since those 2 types make up 90% of my current knife use and I've got a victorinox boning knife for the rest. The HRC is 58-60 which seems perfect for me since I'm not super experienced with sharpening. I also love the garish retarded handles. It'll match my beautiful red enamelled pot I cook everything in. Thanks for the feedback boss

[Anonymous No.20156294]

>>20155302
>Japanese ones tend to be single bevel.
There are a small subset of specialty knives which are single bevel. Most Japanese knives are double bevel.

>I’ve heard some people say lefties can’t use a standard single bevel Japanese knife because of the one-sided bevel. I have no idea if that’s actually true.
Basically, a curved blade makes a curved cut, and using your right hand with a right-handed single bevel knife will give a lot more control. There are left-handed knives, though. You just pay a lefty tax to get one.

[Anonymous No.20156352]

>>20156293
>The HRC is 58-60 which seems perfect for me since I'm not super experienced with sharpening
Not him, but I have an SG2 kiritsuke which clocks in at 63-65 HRC and I have an easier time sharpening it than my wusthof classic Ikon that's 56-58 HRC. I don't know how easy AUS-10 is to sharpen but I imagine it's about the same as VG-10 which is for me, noticably more difficult than SG2.

[Anonymous No.20156717]

>>20152029
Magefesa knives work wonders for me. They're $30 for 3 knives of varying sizes, though so far I've only used the small one to chop vegetables and meat. I really should use the bigger one, but even then the small one works wonders.

I doubt they're truly as good as the Damascus steel stuff, but I don't want to lose the whole damn knife because I didn't clean it quickly enough.

Try here:
https://www.allthingskitchen.net/product-page/magefesa-prisma-3-pcs-knives-set

[Anonymous No.20156765]

>>20156352
Yeah, I know what you mean. I have a GBE 42 bakabusu with a ET-410 taper and it definitely scores higher on the Wurlitzer test (classic scoring), even compared to the full-tang ST09/11 models from before the factory left Kyōtō. When I was doing my knifemaker's apprenticeship, we all had to sing a little song at the forge:
>ニコカード!
>アボカド!
>ぽっかりろくでなし!
>管理人の喜び!
which most of you will recognize as a mnemonic for the steel grading table in the Chikushou manual. Rule of thumb, if you have to choose between 8390 and 1045, then you've already lost! (lol, knifemaker's joke) What an adventure, those 2 years flew by in an instant. Unfortunately I am no longer allowed to enter Nippon but those lessons will last a lifetime.

[Anonymous No.20156832]

>>20153106
Hot water and drying is enough

[Anonymous No.20156850]

>>20156765
>No longer allowed to enter Nippon
Tf you do?

Or is it because Japan is highly xenophobic...

[Anonymous No.20156907]

>>20154187
You should look up Japan iron ore quality, it's really shit. I think it would make sense to buy steel products from a country that have much higher quality iron ores.

[Anonymous No.20156922]

>>20152029
I wish I could have gotten mine with the nice octagon handle but D shape handles aren't bad either.

Anyways I paid 150 for this a few years back, it's kept an edge pretty well. I made sure I got blue 2 steel which is why it was so expensive. Shit was worth it but I'm dreading when I have to sharpen it.

[Anonymous No.20156937]

>>20156907
This is extremely retarded and shows an enormous amount of ignorance about MODERN steel refinement. Try thinking for once.

Look up hitachi paper steel purity, you dumb bitch.

[Anonymous No.20156951]

my two main knives for work are ao#2 and ao super. i don't find them to be all that difficult to sharpen. just focus on technique and take your time, you'll be fine.

[Anonymous No.20157082]

>>20156937
>muh steel refinement from shit iron ore
Ah, you just want to pay extra for the refinement process. You do you, pal, but it won't make you better at cooking or Japanese.

[Anonymous No.20157100]

>>20157082
Retard cope post. Haha.

[Anonymous No.20157164]

>>20157100
>paying extra for Japanese big iron ore refinement companies just because he wants Japanese knives in his kitchen
I bet you watch anime too while in your 30s.

[Anonymous No.20157212]

>>20157164
Seething poorfag, lmao. Stay on topic, bub. Next time try not changing the goalposts so quickly after getting btfo that badly.

[Anonymous No.20157226]

>>20157164
>>20157082
>>20156907
It's sad to watch this.

[Anonymous No.20157239]

>>20157226
Think it's a 12 year that heard about katanas needing to be folded 1000 times to purify the bad iron ore, and didn't realize that iron refinement technology has improved since then. Truly hilarious.

[Anonymous No.20157240]

>>20157212
you rustled some tranny jimmies. keep it up

[Anonymous No.20157241]

>>20156162
>>20156293
58-60 seems dodgy
I wouldn't buy those knives if I were you, likely they came straight out of China
Searching the brand on google reinforces my suspicions

[Anonymous No.20157252]

>>20157212
>btfo so badly
How exactly you did that? All I did was doubting Japan's knive quakity because they don't have access to high quality iron ore.
Where was I btfo? Did you prove me wrong about iron ore quality or did you answer my question about knife quality? Because if the latter then you answered my question.
However, in a very hostile tone. As if you took personally that someone could doubt Japanese.
>>20157226
Pic related

[Anonymous No.20157258]

>>20157252
Why don't they have access to high quality iron?

[Anonymous No.20157284]

>>20157252
>You should look up Japan iron ore quality, it's really shit. I think it would make sense to buy steel products from a country that have much higher quality iron ores.

You clearly implied that the low quality iron ore is still a factor in modern steel quality. If you did even the slightest bit of research you would see that Japan produces extremely high quality steel.

And then you changed the goalposts immediately, and then proceeded to become a Japan obsessed npc for some reason.

[Anonymous No.20157305]

>>20157284

[Anonymous No.20157325]

Yeah anon, don't you know that you can't shipped raw or unfinished materials? There's no way you could mine iron ore in one country and send it to another, or do the same with steel or any other unfinished goods that could be used to craft knives. Fucking idiot.

[Anonymous No.20157347]

>>20152029
Hey OP, I have 2 Moritaka's myself. A gyuto and pairing knife.

Great knives if you make sure to keep them clean and sharp. The metal is Aogami Super Steel except for the part near the handle which is a standard stainless steel to prevent any corrosion from getting underneath the handle.

The kurouchi finish will wear off over time (as you can see, my pairing knife is much newer) so don't expect it to last forever. I'd recommend cleaning it with some vinegar, lemon juice, or some other acid to force an initial patina and remove any residual oils from when it was shipped.

Carbon steel knives are great for keeping their sharpness for much longer than stainless steel, but you need to make sure you keep them clean and dry, otherwise they can begin to corrode. That's also why it's important to keep a clean patina on them. If you can't do this, then stick with stainless steel.

And just stay away from any "damascus steel" knives. They're made for looks, and aren't especially great at all.

[Anonymous No.20157398]

>>20157325
That only works for the unfinished materials though. The knife must be made in japan.

[Anonymous No.20157491]

>can get to the middle notch on my belt for the first time in a year
Not comfortable yet, but soon I shall be not far (not Blobby btw)

[Anonymous No.20157507]

>>20157491
Nice. Keep up the good work fatty.

[Anonymous No.20157509]

>>20156162
Damn the more I read about these knives the more I am convinced that this is a huge scam
Please don't buy them anon

[Anonymous No.20157517]

>>20157507
That was meant for my boys on /plg/ :(

[Anonymous No.20157539]

Yes

[Anonymous No.20157558]

>>20157539
Based.

[Anonymous No.20157568]

>>20157558
Based K-tip enjoyer.

[Anonymous No.20157808]

>>20157509
Pretty much all damascus-style knives are a scam unless you are getting them purely for aesthetic reasons. Their heterogeneous grain sizes mean that it's impossible to control for quality compared to a well-made regular stainless steel or carbon steel knife.

[Anonymous No.20157851]

>>20157808
>Pretty much all damascus-style knives are a scam unless you are getting them purely for aesthetic reasons. Their heterogeneous grain sizes mean that it's impossible to control for quality compared to a well-made regular stainless steel or carbon steel knife.

Most forged Japanese knives utilize at least two types of steel in their construction, a core steel and a cladding steel. Even many fully stainless knives are made like this, which I suspect has partly to do with cost saving and partly to do with the ease of grinding the desired bevel in a slightly softer cladding steel rather than working with a monosteel of all the same hardness and toughness as the edge. There are many high end monosteel knives, but 100% of damascus knives utilize the damascus metal for the cladding steel ONLY. It is almost purely used for aesthetic purposes. You could argue that the etched surface has a slightly ribbed texture with reduced surface contact to the food, and this might promote food release, but you can not (with any clue as to what you're talking about) argue that "heterogenous grain sizes" have any relevance to the knife's cutting qualities.

[Anonymous No.20157864]

I have seen too many cheap Damascus knives to see Damascus as being something that is aesthetically pleasing

[Anonymous No.20157933]

>>20157241
Thanks anon. Like I said i was going off the recommendation of a good knife sharpener guy but after seeing they intentionally don't list their workshop address i'm hesitant now. If you know anything that's high quality and gaudy I'd love to hear it. Just really want something pretty to look at while I prep and I have more money than sense

[Anonymous No.20157972]

>>20157933
https://www.chefs-edge.com.au/
I've never purchased a knife from this store but the prices seem reasonable to me and unlike koi knives you won't be paying ridiculous prices for chinese made knives
If you want to spend stupid money then I'm sure you can find something

[Anonymous No.20157988]

Teaching midwits how to spell "aesthetic" was a mistake.

[Anonymous No.20158003]

>>20157988
Only mistake here was your parents not teaching you kindness and humility

[Anonymous No.20158058]

>>20158003
At least I'm white.

[Anonymous No.20158067]

>>20157851
>but 100% of damascus knives utilize the damascus metal for the cladding steel ONLY
Heh, nuthin' personnel, kiddo.
https://knifewear.com/collections/bunka/products/sakai-takayuki-coreless-damascus-tall-bunka-195mm

[Anonymous No.20158091]

>>20158067
>b-b-but muh exception!!

Ok, idiot. *99.99%, happy now?

[Anonymous No.20158124]

>>20156162
>korin
Unless you already do a lot of cooking and have a good idea of what you'd use all those different knives for, I don't think you should buy a six knife set. If you're new to cooking, just get a chef's knife and a paring knife.

[Anonymous No.20158145]

I've found people rehandling kiwi knives, sanding down the logo and selling them as 'vintage japanese knives'
I don't know why Australia is full of scumbags

[Anonymous No.20158162]

>>20158124
Who are you quoting?

[Anonymous No.20158164]

>>20158091
Sorry anon, I couldn't help it. Yes I am happy.

[Anonymous No.20158376]

>>20156907
Post industrial Japan has actually made an art out of refining that crappy ore into a high quality end product. I work in a rail yard that has a large amount of CWR that was forged in Japan, and the amount of abuse it can handle even through derailments is impressive.

[Anonymous No.20158441]

>>20157808
>>20157851
You are correct generally speaking. Western makers will often times have non clad pattern welded knives. 1095 and 15n20 are not too disparate in qualities to matter all that much. They are both more than good enough for the home cook, and very easy to sharpen.

There is one actualy practical feature of pattern welded steel on clad/san-mai knives. It reduces or stops single bevels knives from warping after sharpening.

[Anonymous No.20158450]

If I get a tojiro what would be worth getting afterwards if I wanted a 'laser'?

[Anonymous No.20158455]

>>20158450
What's your budget?

[Anonymous No.20158461]

>>20158441
Is this one of those $1200 knives?

[Anonymous No.20158470]

>>20158455
I am comfortable spending $200 but I'm willing to go higher
My problem is when I'm getting into serious diminishing returns territory

[Anonymous No.20158487]

>>20158470
JKI Ikazuchi. I saw yesterday that they had the 210mm Aogami Super model in stock.

[Anonymous No.20158502]

>>20158461
Yes, more. House made damascus, natural stone polish, complex grind that is perfectly executed, perfection. Every single slice through fish is a joyous occasion.

Pic is a very affordable munetoshi petty that I hand polished with natural stones. One of my most used knives.
His knives come with vertical grind marks still on the blade road, which means you get to have the fun of polishing it up!

[Anonymous No.20158532]

>>20158487
Oh fuck that reminds me, I was thinking about whether I wanted a workhorse with a wa handle last night
Thanks for the rec though
It is really quite difficult to get a sense of the relative value of these knives desu

[Anonymous No.20158550]

>>20158532
Munetoshi kurouchi gyuto or petty(>>20158502)
. Great value, really nice grind, the petty is a laser, and they're tougher than usual white #1 steel because munetoshi makes hatchets and hammers.

Remember that you pay for a polished blade, so a kurouchi that isn't polished is almost always going to be a better value if don't care about looks.

[Anonymous No.20158577]

>>20158550
Thanks for the suggestions
I'll go read about them on forums to see if it's right for me

[Anonymous No.20159183]

>>20155302
So is single bevel superior? Just looking for the sharpest edge, don't care about more sharpening

[Anonymous No.20159244]

>>20158550
You seem pretty up to date on this maker... Do you know what the deal is with the Munetoshi nakiri? I see it out of stock at various European knife websites, but it has a different handle as well as a different maker's mark than the Munetoshi knives Maksim sells. Is Maksim just special ordering that handle and maker's mark, or is this a different knife maker?

[Anonymous No.20159402]

>>20158550
Aren't munetoshi white #2?

[Anonymous No.20159449]

>>20159244
Maksim only orders the knife and handles them himself. He also requests him to focus on heat treat and grind only to keep prices down.

Idk if you saw on jns he was selling a bunch of the blooming iron gyutos made by munetoshi. Very cool.

>>20159402
Maybe. I could be wrong about it being white 1.

[Anonymous No.20159643]

>>20156162
>800€
what the actual fuck
get them from AliExpress for 20€ if you really like how they look, just search for amber knife

[Anonymous No.20159652]

>>20156922
>a few years back
>when I have to sharpen it
do you even use it?

[Anonymous No.20159653]

>>20159643
but the local knife sharpener man had no cooomplaints unlike the wusthof, victorinox, shun, global etc.

[Anonymous No.20159660]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJPw7c-U7SI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztFMUklSs2E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NId9we6C2DY
This 'business' is bizarre
The youtube has all the comments disabled and they've paid for local newspapers to shill them
I wonder if the original anon was a shill himself
We also have another scam going on called 'Baccarat' which sells 53 HRC knives which are perpetually on sale
https://www.house.com.au/products/baccarat-damashiro-emperor-hisa-9-piece-knife-block

[Anonymous No.20159688]

>>20159652

[Anonymous No.20159944]

>>20159449
>Idk if you saw on jns he was selling a bunch of the blooming iron gyutos made by munetoshi. Very cool.
I did, but seeing as I had no idea that iron could bloom prior to seeing this product, I still have no idea why this would be desirable in a knife.

[Anonymous No.20159968]

>>20159660
>and they've paid for local newspapers to shill them

Zoomers are so weird. That's called advertising, you child.

[Anonymous No.20160042]

>>20152029
>He doesn't know about the superior knife brand
Lurk more

[Anonymous No.20160147]

Well first off that's a santoku

[Anonymous No.20160393]

>>20160147
That's the Japanese word for "top chef"

[Anonymous No.20160438]

I use this way more than my Japanese meme knife.

[Anonymous No.20160451]

>>20160438
Vics are the biggest meme of all kitchen knives.
Disgustingly poor quality and nearly a scam with how expensive they are.

[Anonymous No.20160462]

>>20160451
£25 is expensive?

[Anonymous No.20160466]

>>20160462
yeah, better buy this $300+ nip knoife instead. can't leave it in the sink though.

[Anonymous No.20160505]

>>20160462
I'd rather buy a babish meme knife for that price. At least that has a handle that isn't designed for retards and a full tang.

[Anonymous No.20160504]

>>20160462
For your vic, yeah. Those are worth 8-12 united states dollars at most. They sell for 40+ in the states.

>>20160466
Very low IQ reply. A handmade knife that is well made can be worth more than $300+ and still retain value. The vic is overpriced trash.
There are makers that produce stainless san mai knives for those people who care so little about their tools they will surely destroy them. It's dead simple to care for a carbon steel knife. What's your excuse?

Only a cooklet/idiot would leave a knife in the sink anyways. It's super dangerous. Lmao.

[Anonymous No.20162293]

>>20160451
>>20160504
Ironically. its price inflation in NA meant I could resell my old Victorinox for almost as much as I paid for it.

[Anonymous No.20162353]

>>20159652
Yes. Only on cutting boards, then I hand wash and dry as soon as I'm done because it's not stainless. I don't hack at shit with it like a cleaver.

[Anonymous No.20162425]

>>20152413
In materials science, hardness and strength are two different things; as you said, a harder steel is prone to chipping, while a stronger steel is prone to bending. From a practical standpoint, a knife made with a steel that's stronger, if not harder, can lose its edge faster, but reset more times without damaging the material. Contrast that with a harder steel that may not be as elastic, but will retain its edge with infrequent sharpening.

[Anonymous No.20162461]

>>20162353
Even with occasional use and babying you still should sharpen every 6 months or so, that thing is duller than you by this point, you just got used to it because it's gradual.

[Anonymous No.20162542]

>>20162461
What the fuck do you do to your knives that you call "occasional use and babying" only lasting 6 months? With frequent use and "babying" (not cutting things I shouldn't, only cutting on appropriate material, only doing methods that won't damage the knife, stropping every few uses) my knives last 6-8 months between touch ups.

[Anonymous No.20162910]

>>20157568
is the big one a Nigara Hamono? how good is it?

[Anonymous No.20162942]

>>20162910
not that anon, but i have a nigara kiritsuke like anons
fuckin lovely knife, stays comedically sharp with very little maintenance needed
it is extremely thin behind the edge and you need to be careful with it, but if you're primarily cutting vegetables/boneless meat its a pleasure to use

[Anonymous No.20162945]

>>20153106
Mongo like meat!
Mongo just pawn in game of life.

[Anonymous No.20163357]

>>20162910
It is, it's wonderful. Really comfortable feeling spine and choil. Really thin behind the edge so it cuts like a dream. It's 240mm and the balance point is right where my pinch grip is. It's SG2 steel and it sharpens easier than you would expect a stainless steel to sharpen and holds the edge well. Highly recommend if you're looking for a 210-240mm in the $280-$300 range.

[Anonymous No.20163476]

>>20156907
Japan buys its iron from australia and brazil.
Swedish iron is highest quality.

[Anonymous No.20164730]

>kitchen steward touching my keijiro doi
you have committed a hate crime

[Anonymous No.20165799]

>>20162942
>>20163357
thanks Anons
I want a bunka and I'm tempted

[Anonymous No.20166099]

im looking for a knife, but i dont think it exists, maybe this thread can tell me if it does or not
you guys know chinese cleavers? im looking for one of them, about 10 inches long, maybe a quarter inch thick (very thick, very heavy) made out of some reasonably hard steel but not too hard. also, i would love if it had a hole in the top like picrel
actually, picrel is basically what i want, except very long and very wide
(this is not a murder weapon, i just want a knife that looks metal enough to hang somewhere but also that i can use)

[Anonymous No.20166113]

>>20166099
Most thick and heavy cleavers are short
Also Chinese cleavers don't typically have holes in them
Shibazi sell an 8 inch bone cleaver which weighs 1kg

[Anonymous No.20166118]

>>20166113
im really looking for a monster though, ive been considering for a while just to make it
your suggestion is pretty good though, just needs the lêngth

[Anonymous No.20166136]

>>20152029
I bought one at the local supermarket and it has served me well for many years. It was 8 dollars. You want a knife that is not heavy.

[Anonymous No.20166393]

It's more important to have a good sharpening stone. My 12 year old walmart santoku can cut through people's souls now.

[Anonymous No.20166868]

>>20166099
Sounds like you want a civil and military knife or a kau kong chopper. I've never seen them beyond like 220mm though.

[Anonymous No.20166910]

buy traditional german knives.

[Anonymous No.20166927]

>>20166910
>full integral bolster
Maybe if you're a dumb fucking idiot lol

[Anonymous No.20166949]

>>20166910
Beautiful.

[Anonymous No.20167057]

>>20166113
Look up hog splitters. They still make modern ones, but these vintage ones may be more your style.

Asians btfo?

[Anonymous No.20167391]

>>20162542
Then you don't know how to sharpen a knife and never get it very sharp to begin with. A dull knife with a nice bevel will easily last 6 months but if it's actually hair splitting sharp you'll lose that within a few months.

[Anonymous No.20167409]

>>20167391
No? My knives can shave hair without touching skin, get daily use and hold it for more than 6 months.

[Anonymous No.20168888]

>>20167391
Anon said he/she strops regularly
>>20167409
With regular stropping, right?

[Anonymous No.20169184]

>>20166868
i thought about it a bit more.
what i want is basically an anime sword (google "guts sword berserk") chopped down to about 10-15 inches above the hilt and an extra hole drilled into the top where you might see one on a normal cleaver
the sword part does kind of brake down a bit because i only want it sharp on one side.
>civil and military knife or a kau kong chopper

not the knife, a proper cleaver. the kau kong cleavers all look interesting but they are still just normal cleavers, if i wanted to get one i would get the one the other anon mentioned

>>20167057
>hog splitters
this isnt something you could reasonably cut onions with, for example. maybe getting one and modifying it would work but i think getting one would be the real challenge.

great ideas though, i still just need to keep looking

[Anonymous No.20169206]

>>20152029
First of all, never buy a knife you haven't held, preferably tried out, before. Your hand's shape is different from everyone else's. I discover that i prefer knives with "d-shaped" handles, comfort-wise. This realization does a lot. Being comfortable while cooking is half the battle won.

After that, look at what you want to use the knife for. Do you cut a lot of veggies more than other stuff? Do you find yourself cutting through or around chicken/bird bones very often? Do you find yourself constantly wishing that your chef's knife could skin your weekday dinner fish better? Figuring that out will send you to slightly different knives, even if they are all so called "chef's" knives. Past that point just avoid anything below $50, and you should be golden, honestly.

Step 2: take care of your shit, nobody else will for you.

[Anonymous No.20169912]

>>20169184
A cleaver that's 10" long using quarter inch steel is going to be quite heavy even if you really thin it out a lot. That defeats the purpose of having a thick blade, while creating a lot of work, and it's still going to suck at cutting onions because of the weight, and the thickness.

If Smash onion with side of cleaver like a giant garlic clove, and chop the smashed onion. It may not be too difficult, but it won't be a good consistent dice.

[Anonymous No.20169975]

>>20153116
>Japanese steel sucks.
>They have to import it from Germany as their natural resources are terrible quality.
How can this be true? Once it's refined how is it different?

[Anonymous No.20170008]

>>20169975
Interestingly enough, Japan is the second largest importer and exporter of steel in the world.

[Anonymous No.20170026]

>>20168888
Yeah, I strop my knives every time they're used.

[Anonymous No.20170076]

[Anonymous No.20172507]

>>20152413
So a Japanese knife for meat or delicate stuff and a German one for harder vegetables for example?

[Anonymous No.20172597]

>>20172507
Japanese knife for everything you'd be comfortable biting into, western knife for everything else. Japanese knives will do better than western knives cutting through thick or dense vegetables, as long as you don't twist or pry.

[Anonymous No.20172604]

>>20152029
Yeah, the Mercer NSF chef’s knife. $14 on Bezos’s shop rn.

This thing is sharp and you don’t feel bad abusing it

[Anonymous No.20172650]

>>20152029
Anyone falling for the Japanese knife meme is a retard. Most of them are made in China and those that aren’t are way too expensive for anything you’ll be doing in the kitchen at home. If you get in the habit of honing your knives and sharpening them occasionally, a 20-30 dollar knife will hold you for a long time.

[Anonymous No.20174574]

>>20152029
Can you actually cook? If so why do you need a meme knife? Guaranteed the dude from El Salvador working 14 hours a day in a kitchen in your city is working with some garbage that's been in his kitchen for 10 years and his chopping is better than yours will ever be.

Get some 10 dollar knife from restaurant Depot and focus on your skills over your equipment.

[Anonymous No.20174586]

>>20172650
>Most of them are made in China
That's not true lmao
Only Tojiro reigetsu are made in China
>>20174574
You have no idea what you're talking about

[Anonymous No.20174592]

>>20174586
Not him
There are a lot of knives in common kitchen stores selling themselves as 'Japanese stainless steel', except being made in China and not even from a Japanese brand.
Maybe that's what he meant.

[Anonymous No.20174666]

>>20174592
There's a lot of deceptively marketed knives out there, true. But they're basically always going to have some giveaways in how they're named or marketed as to why they're shit.

[Anonymous No.20176452]

>>20174574
>A poor fag doing prep cooking at a goy-slop restaurant should be your standard for cooking equipment.
you're brown aren't you.
I can use a rock on a stick to build houses but there is a reason a master builder buys a 300 dollar hammer and it isn't for looks.

[Anonymous No.20176460]

>>20172507
European knives evolved from daggers. The old chefs literally cooked with slightly modified daggers used for war and still look strikingly similar.

The Japanese knives were actually designed for cooking tasks.

[Anonymous No.20176526]

>>20153116
>tell me you don't know jack shit about material science without telling me you don't know jack shit about material science

[Anonymous No.20176582]

Fruit, veg and fish (soft stuff): Shun Blonde Classic 8" https://shun.kaiusa.com/classic-blonde-chef-s-8.html . Japanese, so the edge can chip on bone. Otherwise brilliant.

Not as sharp as Japanese after a few uses but won't chip German Battleaxe, Wusthof Ikon Classic Chef Knife 9": https://www.wusthof.com/products/classic-ikon-9-inch-chefs-knife?variant=Z2lkOi8vc2hvcGlmeS9Qcm9kdWN0VmFyaWFudC80Mjg3NDg5NjkwODQzOQ==&queryID=edf9cd075790231ffcfecd1bb125bea3

Majority of my other knives are Wusthof but my beaters are Mercer, which are quite excellent, just thin and too light in the hand: https://www.mercerculinary.com/

Mercer is best bang for buck lower budgets. But you should be able to find Shun and Wusthof discounted up to $100 off if you shop online for a few weeks. Amazon is not the cheapest place to find knives.

Buy blade guards, a honing steel and build a knife sharpening kit. Hone before every use and your blades can remain sharp for almost a year with regular use. Learn to sharpen, polish and strop.

Good kitchen knives are worth their price tags, you'll get the job done faster and more efficiently with less stress on your hands, arms and shoulders.

[Anonymous No.20176589]

What's with all this japanese post ww ii bullshit, nobody seems to remember what they to thier prisoners and I wont buy into it.

[Anonymous No.20176596]

>>20162461
Wow I can't shave with my chef knife anymore woe is me it's so so dull. God you sound like an obnoxious piece of shit to be around.

[Anonymous No.20176598]

It's as if you fuckers are making excuses and sucking up to the japanese for bombing Pearl.
You people need to get a grip on reality.

[Anonymous No.20176689]

To add: buy a quality cutting board! Walnut is a good material. Bamboo is not a good material. Bamboo is a grass that has considerable silica content; it will dull your knives faster. Walnut, maple and the like mid-woods, not oak, are the best because they dull knives more slowly.

Spend on your cutting board. Buy a foodgrade penetrating oil for it too. I use Walrus Oil because it incorporates beeswax. I avoid the mineral oils.

[Anonymous No.20176695]

>>20176689
Japanese rubber cutting boards are also an excellent option.

[Anonymous No.20176705]

>>20176689
>Bamboo is a grass that has considerable silica content
Isn't teak supposed to be bad for this reason too?

[Anonymous No.20176709]

>>20176689
Why do you avoid mineral oils?

>>20176705
Yeah, teak and acacia both have high silica contents.

[Anonymous No.20176729]

>>20176460
>European knives evolved from daggers. The old chefs literally cooked with slightly modified daggers used for war and still look strikingly similar.

On its face, this seems ridiculous and like a myth, considering that only a small percentage of any country's population would ever be conscripted to war, let's say 2%, and even then, for only a short period of time in their lives, and that the other 98% of people, including women, had to prepare food every single day. One would think that some design consideration would have been given to the more common task.

>The Japanese knives were actually designed for cooking tasks.
Some of the most ubiquitous Japanese knives, like the gyuto, were modeled on European knives.

[Anonymous No.20176748]

Be careful with your Japanese knives, they can lead to serious injury.

[Anonymous No.20176809]

>>20166393
Any recs for stones?

[Anonymous No.20176831]

>>20176809
Shapton 1k Kuromaku
See if you can get it for cheap on amazon

[Anonymous No.20176834]

>>20176809
Shapton pro 1.5k is a great stone that is convenient, has good feedback, and dishes slowly. It is pretty fast as well.

If you keep you don't let your knives get too dull it's the only stone you will ever need.

[Anonymous No.20176839]

>>20176831
The 1.5k is faster and slower to dish. They're both good, but the 1.5k is a better stone overall.

Also shapton kuromaku stones are splash and go. With some stones you have to wait like 10 minutes before you can use them. It is annoying.

[Anonymous No.20176845]

I like JNS for knives and reached out to them about getting one for my wife who is new to fine steel knives. He said that Kaeru Kasumi knives hold edge really well and since they're stainless are less difficult to maintain than typical high-carbon Japanese knives. I ended up getting her several Kaeru Kasumi knives because the one we got was great. Still is our main kitchen knife.

https://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/kaeru-kasumi-stainless-gyuto-240mm/

Fantastic knife, the set also has 180mm and 210mm ones as well as other knife types.

[Anonymous No.20176854]

>>20176845
Based. Maxim sells quality knives. His natural stones are a little on the pricey side, but you know you're getting a good and tested stone.

[Anonymous No.20176891]

>>20176854
He's super honest too, will recommend for you within any price range and for whatever your needs are. I'd suggest OP shoot him an email but if it's a first knife I strongly suggest one of his stainless knifemakers.

[Anonymous No.20177711]

>>20176845
I like his website, and what he carries but I never feel comfortable buying things that have to travel from EU or Asia to NA in case I want to return anything. So, I stick to NA knife shops that don't carry anything made by Dao Vua.

[Anonymous No.20177713]

>>20176729
Not him but all I know is 'kreigmesser' were swords made by knife-makers to circumvent some regulation about sword manufacturing. And that knife-makers didn't join in some peasant revolt, so the nobility granted them the ability to continue making swords and knives (and just called them knives to not fuss about making new rules).
Or something like that.

[Anonymous No.20178189]

>>20152029
Nigara are nice, I like telling people the name

[Anonymous No.20178575]

>>20176709
>Why do you avoid mineral oils?
why would you want petroleum on your food?

[Anonymous No.20179021]

>>20178575
But Walrus oil has mineral oil in it?

[Anonymous No.20179034]

>>20169184
>what i want is basically an anime sword (google "guts sword berserk")

[Anonymous No.20179198]

>>20169184
A tall bunka might be good, or one of those goofy fish knives, but they won't have a hole near the tip, and you probably won't find them more than 200mm. Here's an example for you
https://www.hocho-knife.com/brands/sakai-takayuki/sakai-takayuki-special/sakai-takayuki-tokujyo-supreme-white-2-steel-kurouchi-wide-bunka-knife-180mm-with-yew-handle/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzoeuBhDqARIsAMdH14EUY51KDH0fvXG0nj2Q-X7doMpo4GRTpc3HyEsRbdaV2F8tEUNs04MaAslSEALw_wcB

[Anonymous No.20179205]

>steel with an edge :/
>steel with an edge, Japan :O