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Old 09-19-2020, 07:00 AM
Cellar Hound Cellar Hound is offline
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Default Pass me the Chef’s Knife.....

After I recently started a thread on cast iron skillets, I began to feel guilty that I was ignoring my other kitchen equipment. As a result, I feel I need to give some attention to the venerable Chef’s knife. Although I have many knives, here are a few of my favorites....

1. Doghouse Forge (Lakeland, FL) with burl & walnut.

2. Nafzger Forge (Clifton Forge, VA) with dye-stabilized maple and brass and purple charoite accents. The charoite is from Siberia.

3. Weige Knives (Austin, TX) with black ash and purple composite resin.

4. Two matching custom Damascus blades made in Australia. I had a custom woodworker in the U.S. add burl wood scales and brass rivets.
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Old 09-19-2020, 09:00 AM
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My favorite Chef's knife is my Chicago Cutlery 42S which I've used since the 1970s.

I have a hard time choosing my J.A. Henckel International chef over my old reliable Chicago 42S because it just seems to fit my hand best with its boxy handle. It is a sharp knife with good geometry and the profile provides better rocking action. The edge retention is good too.
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Old 09-19-2020, 09:48 AM
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Those are some good lookin’ knives, Cellar Hound!

Here’s my favorite, a Japanese-made western style chef’s knife. Guy I bought it from has his own shop, and is a sword sharpener by trade. He puts a terrific edge on it.



I bring this knife with me when I travel between my residences in the US and Japan. Stuck over here with the pandemic, the knife needed sharpening. I mailed it to a Japanese knife dealer over here who advertised traditional Japanese hand sharpening with stones. Came back nowhere near as sharp as my guy in Japan produces. I was disappointed, but even more impressed by my regular guy.

Last edited by Onomea; 09-19-2020 at 11:24 AM.
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Old 09-19-2020, 09:58 AM
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I've got a cheap Faberware chef's knife. $7-8, I think. It gets the job done. Probably needs a sharpening, though.
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Old 09-19-2020, 11:10 AM
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I have 2 medium sized Old Hickory Chef's knives and a big Old Hickory #509 Chef's knife. Keep them clean and keep them sharp, they have lasted forever.
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Old 09-19-2020, 11:21 AM
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Mine are famous Solingen brands ,Wusthof and Henckels.
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Old 09-19-2020, 12:13 PM
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I have other good knives, but the chef's knife I habitually reach for is the Messermeister. It does not seem to have the name recognition of others, but has been amazingly durable. Regular use of a good steel and careful sharpening when the steel doesn't yield a return to razor sharpness has been a recipe for success.
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Old 09-19-2020, 01:46 PM
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My Henckles Mikado main knives and a Cutco. Cleaver is a gun-show find and a beast that will take a razor’s edge.

I am especially proud of the hand made steak knife set I picked up from a maker. The deer antlers were taken from his farm up in the mountains of Northern Arkansas.
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Old 09-19-2020, 01:54 PM
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Friend of mine is a maker.....I mentioned I wanted a nice chef's knife to him and he showed up at my door a few weeks later with this one....absolutely love it. 1/4" thick makes her a bit heavy to use for an extended time but the Ram's horn grip is nice because it gets grippier when it gets wet.

Thanks for letting me share.
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Old 09-19-2020, 03:40 PM
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My wife is a Chef and this is just a few of her favorites.
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Old 09-19-2020, 04:42 PM
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I really don't use my standard chef knives much anymore, I find a Santoku to be a better all around knife for most food prep jobs.
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Old 09-19-2020, 05:06 PM
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Don’t put those in the dishwasher!
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Old 09-20-2020, 06:03 AM
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Default Awesome!!

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Originally Posted by Leatherhead23 View Post
Friend of mine is a maker.....I mentioned I wanted a nice chef's knife to him and he showed up at my door a few weeks later with this one....absolutely love it. 1/4" thick makes her a bit heavy to use for an extended time but the Ram's horn grip is nice because it gets grippier when it gets wet.

Thanks for letting me share.
That is beautiful!
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Old 09-20-2020, 06:05 AM
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Default Nice!

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My wife is a Chef and this is just a few of her favorites.

Nice set of tools...
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Old 09-20-2020, 06:40 PM
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I don’t use a chefs knife very often, I prefer using a pairing knife for almost everything. I guess it’s necessary if you want to do that hold against the knuckles trick. But I don’t bother.

Last edited by eveled; 09-20-2020 at 06:41 PM.
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Old 09-20-2020, 08:13 PM
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Default Love my knives...

I live alone and never eat out (except an occasional trip to KFC when I get lazy) so I cook a lot and enjoy trying new recipes. Do a lot of Asian stir-fry so veggie prep and thin sliced protiens call for sharp knives.

Bottom row is a mix of MAC and Shun brands. Top row is Henckels, Hiromoto and Victorinox.
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Old 09-20-2020, 08:26 PM
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I have a nice Case but the one I use is a old butcher's knife with a great blade and a ugly handle. It is big and blade gets sharp and holds a great edge. It is great for cutting up a chicken or rack of ribs or pretty much anything I want to cut on. Never worry about causing it some kind of damage.
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Old 09-20-2020, 08:37 PM
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In my profession I get to handle an extreme amount of knives so daily I can compare between brands. In my kitchen? Herself favors the Wusthof Icon with a blackwood handle. The blackwood is a dense wood, not unlike ebony, that shifts the balance of the blade subtly and makes it more responsive in your hand. My preference is a Sabatier chefs knife that has seen better days. It came to us damaged and without handles. I reconditioned the blade and rehandled it.

Kevin
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Last edited by StrawHat; 09-21-2020 at 06:01 AM.
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Old 09-20-2020, 08:49 PM
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Several years ago I bought a Cutco set, I really liked them so I gave away my favored chef knife.

The Cutco set remains very nice but I regret giving away that chef knife. It was cheap and looked like a mud fence but it was a very good knife.
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Old 09-20-2020, 08:54 PM
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Default Wusthof

Quote:
Originally Posted by StrawHat View Post
In my profession I get to handle an extreme amount of knives so daily I can compare between brands. In my kitchen? Herself favors the Wusthof Icon with a blackwood handle. The blackwood is a dense wood, not unlike ebony, that shifts the balance of the blade subtly and makes it more responsive in your hand. My preference is a Sabatier chefs knife that has seen better days. It came to us damaged and without handles. I reconditioned the blade and rehandlednit.

Kevin
Although I have never used a Sabatier, I have had many hours working with Wusthof knives. I prefer the Classic with full tang. They are great knives with thick spines. Great for heavy work like fall squash, whole chickens, and any meat with bones.
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Old 09-20-2020, 08:57 PM
Cellar Hound Cellar Hound is offline
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Default Cool

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Originally Posted by 6518John View Post
My Henckles Mikado main knives and a Cutco. Cleaver is a gun-show find and a beast that will take a razor’s edge.

I am especially proud of the hand made steak knife set I picked up from a maker. The deer antlers were taken from his farm up in the mountains of Northern Arkansas.
All very nice cutlery but I must say I absolutely love the cleaver and the steak knives. Very cool...
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Old 09-20-2020, 09:01 PM
Cellar Hound Cellar Hound is offline
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Default Serious knife

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Originally Posted by Golphin View Post
I have a nice Case but the one I use is a old butcher's knife with a great blade and a ugly handle. It is big and blade gets sharp and holds a great edge. It is great for cutting up a chicken or rack of ribs or pretty much anything I want to cut on. Never worry about causing it some kind of damage.
That Butcher’s Knife is all business.... I have a meat cleaver that looks similar to that. She ain’t pretty but she gets the job done in short order.... very nice!
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Old 09-20-2020, 09:12 PM
Cellar Hound Cellar Hound is offline
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Default More Knives

Here are a few more knives from the board...

I like the Wusthof’s for heavy work and the Shun Hiro for fine handling (it’s like a scalpel). I prefer the serrated edge on a Global. The Globals probably have the best balance of all of my knives. The one in the center is a Ken Onion knife, another workhorse fur a busy kitchen.
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Old 09-21-2020, 06:30 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cellar Hound View Post
Although I have never used a Sabatier, I have had many hours working with Wusthof knives. I prefer the Classic with full tang. They are great knives with thick spines. Great for heavy work like fall squash, whole chickens, and any meat with bones.
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Originally Posted by Cellar Hound View Post
Although I have never used a Sabatier, I have had many hours working with Wusthof knives. I prefer the Classic with full tang. They are great knives with thick spines.t Great for heavy work like fall squash, whole chickens, and any meat with bones.
The classic is a good heavy duty knife. The Icon is a bit lighter, not for heavy work like the fall squashes or bones. I have a cleaver for those. The Icon is thinner and without a bolster. It is also sharpened at a bit less angle. It is a good GP blade.

The Sabatier came to us damaged and the owner asked if it could be repaired. When we quoted him a price, he declined and said throw it out. There was about a 5/16” or a little less nick in the edge and a broken scale. I removed to nick by taking metal from the edge and the sides. From the sides, I increased the angle a bit to leave the spine full width. You can see the change in the photo. The handle got replaced with some buckeye.

Sabatier has an interesting history. Not one individual company but dozens working under the same name. Some high quality, some not so much. Most are French but other companies got involved and usually produce junk.

(edited to add. In the photo the Sabatier appears to have a swale in the edge by the bolster. I assure you it is merely an illusion!)

Kevin
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Old 09-21-2020, 09:45 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Golphin View Post
I have a nice Case but the one I use is a old butcher's knife with a great blade and a ugly handle. It is big and blade gets sharp and holds a great edge. It is great for cutting up a chicken or rack of ribs or pretty much anything I want to cut on. Never worry about causing it some kind of damage.
That looks like ONC "Old Hickory" brand. I have one also.
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Old 09-21-2020, 10:47 AM
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I become a big fan of old Sabatier knives, both Carbon and Stainless steel - if you find the right ones:



You do have to be careful as there are plenty of mediocre ones out there too. Keep away from the stainless steel ones with aluminum bolsters.

Wustof and Messermeister make some great German knives too. I actually prefer the handles on them, but I've come to like the French style blade better.
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Old 09-21-2020, 06:54 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LostintheOzone View Post
That looks like ONC "Old Hickory" brand. I have one also.
I have a set of these I acquired over the years. They are great for cubing roasts at the chili cookoffs.
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Old 09-21-2020, 07:08 PM
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Henkel 6" and 9"do all the slicing, an old flea market US steel cleaver that sharpens to a razor does the serious work. Standing order in our kitchen, "honey, when the cleaver comes out, all conversations are on hold."
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Old 09-21-2020, 08:22 PM
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Default Nice!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by StrawHat View Post
The classic is a good heavy duty knife. The Icon is a bit lighter, not for heavy work like the fall squashes or bones. I have a cleaver for those. The Icon is thinner and without a bolster. It is also sharpened at a bit less angle. It is a good GP blade.

The Sabatier came to us damaged and the owner asked if it could be repaired. When we quoted him a price, he declined and said throw it out. There was about a 5/16” or a little less nick in the edge and a broken scale. I removed to nick by taking metal from the edge and the sides. From the sides, I increased the angle a bit to leave the spine full width. You can see the change in the photo. The handle got replaced with some buckeye.

Sabatier has an interesting history. Not one individual company but dozens working under the same name. Some high quality, some not so much. Most are French but other companies got involved and usually produce junk.

(edited to add. In the photo the Sabatier appears to have a swale in the edge by the bolster. I assure you it is merely an illusion!)

Kevin
Both are great looking knives! Nice job with the Sabatier.... Looks like you gave it a whole new lease on life.....
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Old 09-21-2020, 08:28 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clang444 View Post
I become a big fan of old Sabatier knives, both Carbon and Stainless steel - if you find the right ones:



You do have to be careful as there are plenty of mediocre ones out there too. Keep away from the stainless steel ones with aluminum bolsters.

Wustof and Messermeister make some great German knives too. I actually prefer the handles on them, but I've come to like the French style blade better.
Love the carbon one on the right. I have some carbon steel knives as well. When the patina sets in, it makes me feel like I’m preparing food back in an old classic French kitchen.... which is kinda awesome!!
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Old 09-22-2020, 12:53 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cellar Hound View Post
Love the carbon one on the right. I have some carbon steel knives as well. When the patina sets in, it makes me feel like I’m preparing food back in an old classic French kitchen.... which is kinda awesome!!
Thanks, me too. I had to replace the handles on this one. Not knowing any better, I used hickory. A softer wood would have been more forgiving when fitting the scales.
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Old 09-22-2020, 07:50 AM
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Chicago Cutlery has always been our favorite. I do a lot of cooking and have tried other "higher end" knives over the years, but I like the way CC takes an edge.
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Last edited by OLDSTER; 09-22-2020 at 07:52 AM.
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Old 09-22-2020, 10:02 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oracle View Post
Several years ago I bought a Cutco set, I really liked them so I gave away my favored chef knife.

The Cutco set remains very nice but I regret giving away that chef knife. It was cheap and looked like a mud fence but it was a very good knife.
I have a Cutco chef's knife. No idea how I ended up with it, unless my ex bought it.

I call it my Halloween knife, because all the crazies use them in the slasher movies.

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