Cooking For Engineers

[Soop]

First of all hello, and thanks to evryone for this great site. I'm getting a chef knife for xmas, and I stumbled across this site a while ago - it's exactly what I'd look for in a site.

Well, due to the unavailability of Global Pro outside Japan, I decided that I liked the look of the GF series - nicer handle, better (for me) weight. I'd be interested to hear from someone who owns this, or a similar knife. I'd say my hands are pretty average size - would the handle fit me ok?

However I just found out that Heston Blumenthal has recently chosen Tojiro knives as his favorite and begun endorsing them. Well, you know what he's like. His attention to detail and perfection is legendary.

Does anyone know what tests he used to decide that this was the best knife? Also it's HCL is 62, which I'd be concerned is a little high.

This is for home use, by the way, and it's probably going to be the only expensive knife I buy (I currently use a chefs knive for nearly everything anyway).

[Soop]

Oops, I meant GF-33, not GS.

[Soop]

I guess you're all in America huh. Well, I've got a few more questions.

I took a look at these: http://www.thebestthings.com/knives/yoshikane.htm and they're cheaper than the Global I want, they look great, but they might be a little light for me. I like a bit of heft. Also, I'm not too keen on the handle.

I'm really looking forward to this, but I'm also kind of nervous; what if I can't sharpen it?
Do I need to steel it before every use?
Do I have to wash it after I steel it?
Should I spend $$$ on a ceramic steel for my one knife (Global warn against using a 'regular' steel) AND 2 whetstones, just for the upkeep of this one knife?

Maybe i shouldn't spend so much on a knife. I want it to be perfect, but £100 for one knife, then possibly £100 more to keep it sharp is asking a lot.

[GaryProtein]

[Dilbert]

Soop -

welcome to the wonderful world of knife-nuts <g>

as I see it, there's a couple of major camps in the "I have this knife" universe

the use it, chuck it in the dishwasher, toss it back in the drawer crowd. for their own reasons, they have no need of a sharp cutting tool.
how sharp does a knife have to be to cut pizza?

there's the fanatics. if the knife does not cleanly slice through a tissue thrown in the air, it ain't no good.

I'm in the "reality" camp - I cook, I prep stuff at home, I buy whole chickens and cut them up, I just finished dicing up a roast into stewing cubes.
I want my knives to perform, I want them sharp. I want to be able to slice thin, I also want a knife sharp enough to remove the skin from a fish filet.
I don't really anticipate shaving with them, so there's 'sharp' and there's 'sharp'

....what if I can't sharpen it?
this is possible if you have regrettable broken both arms at the same time. otherwise, it is simply a skill you learn through research / reading / practice.
like dude, how did the professional learn?
if you stay away from motorized stuff, it's pretty difficult to completely ruin / junk a knife by hand sharpening.
you'll very likely realize in short order you're doing something wrong - step back and think if things aren't "going to plan"

the various stones, etc., are a necessary bit of gear to sharpen a knife. by and large, they work on all knives, so you do need to invest in the basics.

steels: you must have a steel that is harder than the knife. otherwise the knife wears the steel, the steel does not do anything to the (softer) knife.
the high end super hard knives do require a ceramic / diamond steel. it's best to follow the manufacturer's recommendations in that regard. the good news is, there's hard, and there's harder. you do not need a specific hardness steel for every different knife in the block.

routine steeling: well, whether it's after _every_ use is open to question. when I pull a knife out of the block I give the cutting edge a gander.
if I see flat, shiny spots on the edge, I steel it.
if I'm fixing to butterfly shrimp, I don't bother to look - it gets a steeling because I want a sharp cut.
if I'm peeling an orange, I probably don't even look . . .

also be aware there are different approaches to creating the cutting edge geometry -
symmetrical sharpening, a-symmetrical sharpening, one sided edges.
attempting to sharpen to an incorrect geometry can cause (short term) grief - you will have to re-establish the basic / intended profile.

this is a good primer: http://users.ameritech.net/knives/ward.htm

[Soop]

Thanks a lot guys - any experience with GF- series Globals? I'm off home now, but don't let up on the advice/knowledge! I'll be back tomorrow!

[GaryProtein]

Great, informative, realistic and useful post, Dilbert!

[GaryProtein]

[Soop]

I found a review of the knife: http://www.zknives.com/knives/kitchen/ktknv/glogf33.shtml

Might be useful for others.

[SirShazar]

The Global G2 was my first Japanese chef's knife. It was a nice starting knife, but if I had to do it all over again I would get a Tojiro DP instead. I have both a Global and a Tojiro, and after sharpening the Tojiro is an all around better knife for half the price of the Global.

I would recommend you check out the following sites:
Japanese Chefs Knife - An extremely reliable vendor with four day $7 flat rate shipping anywhere in the world.
Korin - Another great vendor in New York which carries the Tojiro DPs

If you like the Damascus look you might want to try one of these:
http://www.eknifeworks.com/webapp/eCommerce/prodlist.jsp?Mode=Text&SearchText=kanetsune

I've heard some great things about Yoshikane, but never tried one myself.

[Soop]

Thanks. The Global I was interested in is drop forged instead of stamped, so it's heavier than the G2, and also has a different (and more comfortable looking) handle. It also costs twice as much. Looking at around £90 (I'm in England).

If the Tojiro is truly better all-round than the GF-33, I would be saving about £60-70 by getting that. I would also let my girlfriend use it occasionally

[Soop]

Found this place - seems fairly reasonable:
http://nipponkitchen.com/acatalog/Tojiro_DP_Range.html

Is the DP pro worth the extra money? Can't say the handles look particularly attractive.

[Soop]

Ah, the blades are exactly the same!