I want to buy a chef knife but don't know where to start. I just want something simple, affordable and good quality.
Thinking of going to Victoria's Basement today to get one. Anyone have any recommendations?
Thanks.
Recommend me a chef's knife
idonteven on 24/12/2014 - 07:00
Comments
My wife has small hands and LOVES her Global knives. IIRC they have a lifetime warranty as well.
Spend in the vicinity of $110-$150 with a good brand (Wusthof, Global, Tojiro, etc) will serve you well for years to come, chef's knife is a sound investment and you'll thank yourself when feel the knife instead of you doing the work.
Remember, knife don't hurt people, dull blade on knife hurt people.
So true about the dull blades! One of my wife's Christmas presents was a voucher for professional knife sharpening.
Honestly the best knife i have used for quality, weight and retaining sharpness is Shun. Check them out
Best knife all Asian households use is a Kiwi (Made in Thailand) they have a wooden handle and retain their sharpness for ages - plus they aren't heavy. A decent sized chef's knife size would set you back around $10-15 and would last for quite a while. They are so good that there are imitations which say "Kiwi" but don't have the Made in Thailand stamped on the blade. You can find them at any good Asian grocer.
I'm in an Asian household and have never heard of Kiwi.
I use Global.you can find it at Indonesian grocer. I am using Kiwi as well and loving it.
They are widely used by immigrant Asian families as they are widely available in SE Asia, you'll see them used by Asian shop keepers (especially the Fruit & Veg markets). Lower SES areas such as Cabramatta (in NSW) and Footscray (In VIC) have a wide abundance of them for sale in grocers.
@dasher86 Are you whasian?
Buying a knife is a very personal choice. I can't stand Global knives as my hand is too big and the heel cuts into my finger, but two others have recommended them, so as you see, there is no one size fits all with knives. Go to a knife shop and hold knives from a number of reputable brands in your hand. See which one feels the best in YOUR hand and make your decision from there. As long as you buy a good brand that is comfortable in your hand, you can't really go wrong. Be sure to buy a good honing steel as well, and either the number of a good sharpener, or learn to sharpen! Good luck
I put up with a $2.80 knife from Daiso (www.daisostore.com.au). Probably not a chef's knife but it's very good considering the price.
+1 for Kiwi. Light, sharp, affordable.
What i dont like in Global is their steel hands. Prefer wood hand.
Go to the shop and try knives yourself. You will have a feeling telling you which knife is yours when you hold it.Just don't get knives with the rubberised handles. I've got kitchen knives that I have had for 40 years with wooden or hard plastic handles and they are still fine. The rubberised handles on Wiltshire and a another brand are coming off after only a few years of use.
Zwilling JA Henckles 4 star or Wusthof Classic, I prefer the handle and weighting of European knives.
I've been slowly replacing all my knives with Japanese blades. I highly recommend the Tojiro DP3 series which almost everyone agrees are the best value beginner's Japanese knives. They have European handles but use Japanese steel, perfect hybrid. Was the best move I ever made, ditching my wiltshire's and now I am starting to look at even better ones (Damascus)!
Look online, i think peters of Kensington and everten sell them (i had to buy mine from Japan back in the day). 21cm chef knife should only be about $70. Cheaper than Global and have a higher HRC hardness rating. However in saying that, Global are good and you can pickup a cheap knife block set on sale most of the time… just be wary of the slim handles as someone above mentioned.
http://m.petersofkensington.com.au/Product/Detail/Tojiro-DP-…
I also highly recommend the Minosharp 3 wheel ceramic sharpener. Super easy to use, works really well on Japanese blades, even though it is marketed for Global brand knives. Around $50, something i can't be without.
Goodluck!
I have a Global set and a Wusthof Classic set and I prefer the Wusthof Chef knife because I like the heft, and its easier to keep sharp with a few swipes on the steel every couple of weeks. The Global has to be run through the sharpener to keep it keen.
Funny thing is I also have a Shun chef's knife, but I havent used it yet - I might 'open' it as a Xmas present :D
RULES:
Keep even a cheap knife sharp and it will amaze you!
Learn to chop, slice 'n dice like a pro (use youtube) and PRACTICE…
Learn how to use a fillet knife, paring knife ect… they all have a place.
Thou shalt not kill but thou shall keep clean! HYGINE is very important (I only chop on a good hard wood), never underestimate a good surface to chop on!Good point re: chopping surface, if you use a surface without any give (e.g tempered glass) it's going to dull / misalign your knife edge
Btw, u know that any porcelaine dish (bowl in particular) can be used as knife sharpener? Sharpens perfectly! U do that onthe bottom of the bowl, where they dont have glossy cover. I use porcelaine quite often to sharpen knives)))
would not let you borrow my knife even for 1 second
I have enough knives, dont u worry))
Porcelaine sharpeners are one of the best
kiwi brand for veggies, Japanese steel for anything with bone.
Learn how to sharpen with a stone.
Raco i believe use japanese steel in their knives and are cheap.kiwi for veg because they are thinner then most and glide through but you have to be careful with them because they chip if you abuse them on bones n stuff. Japanese steel blades i find are harder and thicker so wont chip when doing harder bones.
But it won't mean anything if you don't know how to sharpen you knife.
i usually sharpen the kiwi after 3kg of veggies and 9kg of meat.
sharpening involves <1min on the stone.
Yup, Raco professional choice and premium series use a mid range Japanese stainless steel compound. Slightly better than all the regular kitchen brands, good first-home value if you buy a block set on sale from somewhere like Harris Scarfe. Probably not the hardest wearing but like any knife, keep them continually sharp and clean and you'll love using them for ages.
I recommend Global. They are very sharp and light weight. I'd recommend getting the sharpener too. I think My home depot had cheap ones?