Well, just like Chief 38....

[walkin jack]

....When I stumble over something good I like to spread the joy. This time I wanna talk about kitchen cutlery.

I do a lot of cooking. Have for years. But a constant "rub" has always been that despite my love/need for really sharp knives I'm just too cheap to pop for top of the line cutlery and too lazy to keep the cheap-o junk I have with a respectable edge on it.

On a visit to my Daughter in Boca a while back I got volunteered to fix dinner one night. Her chef's knife blew me away. Never seen or handled or used anything like it. Very sharp. Very heavy. Beautiful.

I, been jonesing for some of them ever since. I dropped a hint recently and she came across with the goods. Got the chef's knife, the heavy cleaver, the utility knife and the paring knife.

They are awesome! I've laid in a goodly supply of band-aids 'cause I know I'll be cutting myself some with these.

I'm talking about Gunter Wilhelm knives. I'd post up pics but all of a sudden
I'm unable to down load pics from my tablet. Just Google Gunter Wilhelm and check them out. Not cheap but definitely worth the money.

Yer welcome.

 

[kwselke]

Very nice! 8" and 10" Chef Knives - Gunter Wilhelm
The prices really do not seem out of line for that quality level. From what I read on Amazon they are made from 440C steel, which is an excellent grade of stainless. Whatever you do, do not use one of the cheap pull thru carbide sharpeners on those knives.

 

[walkin jack]

Very nice! 8" and 10" Chef Knives - Gunter Wilhelm
Whatever you do, do not use one of the cheap pull thru carbide sharpeners on those knives.

If/when they need to be sharpened I will have it done professionally. Like my pal Clint, I know my limitations.

 

[doublesharp]

Very nice knives! I'll bet the balance is just right.

Now buy a Worksharp sharpener and you can keep them that way. I can turn a cheap knife into a razor edge in just a few strokes and good knives will hold an edge a long time when used properly. Jim Shugart turned me on to the WS and I will be forever indebted to him.

[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Work-Sharp-Knife-Tool-Sharpener/dp/B003IT5F14/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_469_bs_t_1/134-4270465-2991818?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=QSBPRTFNRVFJSEGY3DG2[/ame]

 

[Onomea]

I have my good knives sharpened professionally. I find many people don't know what a sharp knife is.

Can you slice up an onion without it stinging your eyes? (With a dull knife, the reason it stings is the onion is being crushed, in part, not cut.) Can you slice tomatoes without leaving juice on the board?

(Don't mean you, Jack. My questions are rhetorical.)

 

[susieqz]

you know, last year i finally broke down n bot a wusthof carving knife for $130.
it was worth the money.
i can get paper thin slices of the cheap cuts i roast, making them tender.
when i cure a ham, dismantling it is now not such a pain.
good tools are worth it.
i'm kinda irritated tho. i see the same knife can now be had for #110.

 

[Doug M.]

Which specific models did you get?

 

[chief38]

If/when they need to be sharpened I will have it done professionally. Like my pal Clint, I know my limitations.

Sharpening professionally is fine, but certainly inconvenient. Learning how to sharpen a knife by hand is definitely a learning curve but the reward it tremendously gratifying. Once you get the concept and develop the muscle memory to do it, you will be able to bring a relatively dull knife very sharp in just a few minutes.

The key is not to let the knife get so dull it needs a complete profile regrind. Once Steeling the knife no longer restores a workably sharp edge, it's only a matter of a few strokes on a fine Arkansas Stone to resharpen it. I find as long as I keep up with my sharpening routine about 3 times a year, the Steel on a bi-weekly basis is all that it needs.

PS: I've never found any worth while short cuts, machines, jigs or gadgets that work as well, as fast and as easy as a set of high quality Arkansas Stones once I figured out how to use them. I'm also not ashamed to admit that the first 10 years I owned the stones I really was a horrible knife sharpener but I was absolutely determined to keep at it until proficient. Finally one day it clicked in and now I am a happy camper!! I should have been persistent sooner and it wouldn't have taken that long!

PS: Some of the "knife sharpening systems" do a good job on some knives however different shapes & sizes require fiddle-futzing to get them mounted and adjusted in the jig - which I find a bit too time consuming. Many of the "systems" require that you purchase their stones so they fit properly into their jigs. While the Arkansas Stones require the learning curve (so do the "systems"), once you "get it" there are no other items to buy, no mounting of the knives required and easy to do.

NOTE: You want kitchen knives sharp enough to easily slice through a ripe Tomato but not such a super thin and super sharp edge that it doesn't hold up well with daily use. Always use a cutting board and that will help preserve the edge.

ENJOY your new knives! Please post some pic's.

 

[Onomea]

I think one mistake people make with knives is using their sharp chef knives to cut bone.

Maybe it's a Japanese thing? My good knives are Japanese. Super sharp. My knife dealer, and sharpener, told me don't use the kitchen knives he sold me for cutting bone because they will chip. Said he'd fix 'em if they did chip. Grind out the notch. But the steel of the knives is not super hard. It is not meant to be. It is meant to be very sharp for cutting soft stuff like meat, fish, and vegetables. And readily sharpenable.

When I want to cut bone I use shears, or, if a big, tough bone, my Cattaraugus 225Q and a rubber mallet on top of a cutting board. Whack!

Best to always use a wooden cutting board for your good knives as it protects the edge.

Interestingly, in Japan, they don't use a steel. Only stones. I use a steel though. Handy.

Randall has an admonition not to try to cut through metal with their knives. I think the admonition is similar. Sure, you can do it. But you'll wreck the edge.

No knife, no tool, is perfect for every job. A kitchen knife is not a survival knife. A skinning knife is not a chef's knife. Etc. (Great excuse to have lots of knives!)

 

[chief38]

For those who are wondering...... ALL a Steel really does is re-align or straighten out the thin wire edge on the knife's cutting surface as it gets bent to one side with use. If the Stone were to be used it would remove the bent wire edge and a new surface would need to be sharpened and exposed each time - a waste of a knife's metal and a waste of time for the most part. If the wire edge is straight, the knife usually won't need resharpening for months. If a knife gets dull to too fast, the angle may not be suited towards the task at hand. The sharper and thinner the edge - the better it will cut and the shorter it's usable life will be. The wider angles are not as sharp but will stand up to use a lot better. There is a happy medium angle that one needs to find for the job it will be doing.

I have different knives in my Wusthof Kitchen set for different tasks. If I could get my Wife to use the proper ones for the proper task, they would rarely need resharpening - but that's a job in it self. Mrs. Chief38 is my "built-in knife tester".

 

[perryhd]

Like me my kitchen knives are old and cheap. I don't do a lot of cooking but my go knife when I need a sharp one is an old eight inch Case that I got years ago at a thrift store.

 

[chief38]

I grew up in a household that used the free Gas Station give-a-way knives at dinner time to cut meat. The Turkey carving knives were Stainless Steel and even though my Dad tried his best to keep them sharp they were barely usable. I think the sharpest knife we had (growing up) was the Hamilton-Beach electric carving knife my parents got as a gift! Very impractical!!

After years of the head of my own household and always having cheap dull knives, so I did my research, did my shopping and decided on the 23 piece set of Wusthof Classic knives. I believe that was over 20 years ago and have never regretted it since! Don't remember wha I paid for it, but I know they were not cheap. Still, not only do I have an awesome set of knives, but they will last a few lifetimes.

As you can see in the picture they have been used so much most of the Wusthof brand logo labels have worn off BUT they worked just fine on last nights Fathers Day Prime Steaks!!

 

[Golddollar]

I have a set and a half of Old Hickory knives by Ontario Cutlery. My mom had some and I was so impressed I bought my own set. They got a lot of use cubing up partially frozen roasts on the spot for chili cookoffs. What makes them extra special to me is that when she passed, along with the knives I got the knife block with her name stamped on it, which had been made by her father, my maternal grandfather.

 

[chief38]

Some of the sharpening stuff I have in one of my tool box draws. I also use a Canvas and Leather Strop for the touch up in between honing. The three Arkansas Stones ar eactually very old and used frequently. I keep them clean and flat and use the Norton Honing Oil which is non toxic for kitchen knives.

 

[walkin jack]

As per the above request For Pics and models, I'm having problems downloading pics off my phone and tablet...can't do it. All was good until the last Microsoft upgrade. I went into "settings" and it all looked ok. Soooo till I can sort that out y'all will just have to take my word for it.

The ones I got were: the 10" chef, 8" cleaver, 4 1/2" paring, and 5 1/2" utility. They are the ones with the red in the handles, not the black (the ones with red are the more expensive ones). They are well weighted and balanced. That cleaver is a beast. If I ever drop that one on my foot I'll be needing some new toes.

 

[pharmer]

I do most cooking around here. Been using this knife 40 years. My grandparents before that. 11" hilt to tip. It belonged to the butcher at the Italian-American Family Association (COOP, not the other one) before that. Story is that after WWI sometime a local ground it out of a leaf spring and added the scale out of some hardwood. Drag it across a steel 6X on each side and it will cut you looking at it wrong. I'll replace it when it wears out. Joe

 

[chief38]

I have a set and a half of Old Hickory knives by Ontario Cutlery. My mom had some and I was so impressed I bought my own set. They got a lot of use cubing up partially frozen roasts on the spot for chili cookoffs. What makes them extra special to me is that when she passed, along with the knives I got the knife block with her name stamped on it, which had been made by her father, my maternal grandfather.

I've never had, seen or used an Old Hickory knife but have heard only good things about them. They are super affordable (from what I've seen on line) and made of Carbon Steel which is IMHO the best for a super sharp long wearing knife edge. I need another knife like I need a "hernia", but I might just buy one anyway. If nothing else, I can always use it around the garage or work shop. this particular brand has always intrigued me.

 

[Golddollar]

I've never had, seen or used an Old Hickory knife but have heard only good things about them. They are super affordable (from what I've seen on line) and made of Carbon Steel which is IMHO the best for a super sharp long wearing knife edge. I need another knife like I need a "hernia", but I might just buy one anyway. If nothing else, I can always use it around the garage or work shop. this particular brand has always intrigued me.

You are in luck. Ontario Knife Company has a web site and shows the Old Hickory Line. I was going to mention the store in Roanoke, VA where I bought my last one but this should be a lot easier. The web site mentions Smoky Mountain Knife Works as one of its retail outlets. Sorry about my previous error in the company name. I should have looked at a knife instead of trying to go by memory.

 

[chaparrito]

Those look like nice knives. Congratulations!!
She Who Must Be Obeyed won't let me put up more Magnabars or I'd show you my whole collection. I rotate them in and out of these two racks. I tend, as you can see, to favor carbon steel but do have a number of older stainless knives from various, mostly German makers. Pretty sure I don't own a knife made after about 1975 and several in the picture are closing in on a hundred years. That big butcher 2nd from the right on the lower rack is one, and there is a long curved slicer 2nd or 3rd from the left on the top rack that's nearly that old. They were my grandfather's as were some of the Russell Green River Works pieces scattered around. I love old Henkels and Sabatiers as well.
I have every sharpener in the known universe and am not very good with most of them, especially the stones. I can get the cheapest junk knife hair-popping sharp on a slack-belt sander with 600 and then 1200 grit silicone carbide and then a few swipes on a notched paper wheel with jeweler's rouge. Very little material is removed and it takes literally about 5 minutes on the most abused knife with no appreciable heating.
Some tips:
Always cut on wood or plastic. I use those flexible mats on top of my board.
NEVER get your knives anywhere near a dishwasher.
Use a good steel in between sharpenings to straighten the edge. A steel, as stated above, does not sharpen, even though when properly used it'll seem like it. Look for an older used German F. Dick steel on Ebay. They are far and away the best. The new ones, sadly, are not.

 

[chief38]

The only Steel I've ever owned is the one that came in my Wusthof set. I don't know what the longevity of a Steel is supposed to be, but the 20 year old one I have has been used 2 times a week for 20+ years. So far so good.