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Professional Knives
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DrBiggles



Joined: 12 May 2005
Posts: 356
Location: Richmond, CA

PostPosted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 4:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Anonymous wrote:
DrBiggles wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Vintage Sab wrote:
The old carbon steel Sabatiers are scarce, but a joy to use and sharpen.


The old carbon steel Sabs are in the here and now. eBay search Sabatier Nogent and see for yourself.

Buzz


Yeah and no. That's recycled (weak) steel, it bends and snaps quite easily. I bought a 10 or 12 inch rig a few years ago. It was poorly made and bent the last few inches of the tip when smooshing garlic. The fit and finish of the finished product really shouldn't be compared to its earlier counterpart. At all.

Biggles


Biggles - These particular Sabs are made of virgin carbon steel forged prior to WWII. Like I said, search Satabier Nogent.

Anyway, if SirSpice is still aboard, check out Ray Rantanen's site: http://raysknives.netfirms.com/ The last you said I believe was a desire for a slicer. For (my guess) $100-$125 Ray will make you a 8" slicer in L6 carbon. That's the stuff band saw blades are made of and its outstanding quality is that it is extremely "tough". That is the ability to take a pounding and still maintain its edge. I own some and will swear by the steel. I can sharpen a steak knife to 10 degrees per side (razor blades are 7) and not worry when my dinner guests mash the edge into a ceramic plate. The edge will still be there, or, if they roll it, I can bring it right back with a SMOOTH steel. By smooth I mean just that. Never ever use one of the grooved steels if you want to maintain a serious edge. They will rip a great edge to mediocre shreds.

Buzz


You got me on the steel, I stand corrected. I'm still going to pass. They're far too inexpensive to have been produced in the same fashion from 60+ years ago.

Biggles
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hardsteel



Joined: 18 Feb 2010
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 4:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

may i ask your opinions if what is the best chef knives? can someone tell me please.

Last edited by hardsteel on Fri Feb 19, 2010 6:08 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Dilbert



Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 1304
Location: central PA

PostPosted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 7:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hardsteel wrote:
may i ask your opinions if what is the best chef knives? can someone tell me please.


no, there is no "one and only truth" -

"European" styles/designs tend to be a bit heavier, the "Japanese" styles a bit thinner and lighter.

and the manufacturers produce a lot of different handle styles and types.

hopefully there is a reasonably well stocked store in your area where you can visit and get your hands on type different types / brands / styles.

if you have absolutely no experience using a chef's knife, it may be difficult for you to judge - but it's a good place to start.
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Michael Chu



Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 1654
Location: Austin, TX (USA)

PostPosted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 7:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hardsteel wrote:
may i ask your opinions if what is the best chef knives? can someone tell me please.

Since you're asking for opinions, here's mine: Chef's Knives Rated (I use a MAC MTH-80, my wife uses Global, and I recommend Forschner to save money.)
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twoblink



Joined: 17 Feb 2010
Posts: 16

PostPosted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have an 8" Messermeister cleaver.. Love it.


I find the cleavers to be infinitely safer than French Chef knives, (because you can maintain knuckle contact on the knife at all times when chopping) and I find them to be superior for smashing garlic, ginger, and everything else that needs smashing. My wife finds it too big, so she has the smaller 7" (japanese style) version.

Here's my theory: The Chinese have 5000+ years of history, and they need to cook for billions of people. So what they use is probably going to be the most efficient because by default, they are required to.. The French barely break 200+ years in cooking.

One of the most important things that doesn't seem to be mentioned is that; with a french knife, you are "push cutting", where as with a cleaver, you are almost always "chopping". Now chopping is a lot more tiring, and requires a lot more handstrength, but if you are talking about high vegetables (I mean high as in height.. i.e. cabbage etc) then chopping is vastly superior as a technique. Also, with chopping, you get super uniform shapes, where as pushcutting, because you are rotating the knife usually on the radius of the knife, so you don't get super uniform cuts. But because you aren't lifting the knife on every cut, it's less fatiguing. With a cleaver, I can chop or push cut, but with a french knife, I can only push cut.

So this is something to consider. Also, how round the "belly" of the knife is, is going to determine how easily or how much effort it takes to push cut. If I'm going with a french knife, I'm going to look for a good mixture of speed and precision, so not too round but not too flat of a belly. The Wusthof's excel at this IMHO.

I use to have a chinese high carbon steel knife, super sharp, but difficult to maintain (as far as rust, not as far as edge) My messermeister dulls faster, but no need to worry about rust makes life a bit easier.

I have 2 knives: A cleaver, and a fillet knife.. THAT'S IT. There's not much I couldn't do with these.. and ironically, I use the fillet knife mostly for fruits, like a cantaloupe, where I deskin it like a fish.


BUT it doesn't matter my opinion or anybody else's.. what fits your hand and what is easy for you to work with is the ONLY IMPORTANT THING.

But a well balanced knife will make for less fatigue and more enjoyable cooking. If in the kitchen, you are going to be anal in picking an item, let it be the kitchen knife. It's what you will be using 90% of the time in your kitchen.. [/img]
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tigerhead



Joined: 26 Sep 2011
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Mon Sep 26, 2011 6:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The best knife I ever used was found in a 99 cents store. I kid you not I could use that knife for just about anything. anything but filleting. When it was stolen from me. (roommate) I tried to buy another one but it was discontinued. Laughing Out Loud
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