Comments on: Kitchen Fundamentals: The 6 Knives Every Man Should Have in His Kitchen (And How to Hone Them)

By: J. Green

J. Green — Sun, 12 May 2013 11:46:57 +0000

It is a good article as a primer for those out there who know very little. From the comment there are lots of opinions on the matter but he has a set which would be okay for someone starting out. I would challenge that there is little need for the meat clever in the set because most men today do not go out and buy sides of beef or large sections that require much in the way of breaking down with that level of force.

Yes, as many of you have pointed out the post shows a hollow ground Santoku instead of a chefs knife.

I only use 3-4 knives regularly A 8in chef, 8in Santoku (I use to cut veg for when I am working on a meal that requires meat and veg. Different boards, Different knives), 6 in serrated utility and a paring knife. I do break down a chicken every week with my paring knife so I will attest to the fact that in a pinch it can be used to bone something.

Still it is a good article as a primer. If you wanted to really discuss knives it could take dozens of posts and you still would make people mad that you didn’t explain it well enough. You should invest in your knives and keep them sharp by honing frequently and sharpening regularly.

By: Erik

Erik — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 02:50:29 +0000

Good article, except for one thing that everyone seems to make a mistake with: that paring knife is really a boning knife. The difference is that a boning knife is stiff, while a paring knife uses thinner, more flexible metal.

By: Tim

Tim — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 21:03:42 +0000

@ Daniel

A chef and a Santoku don’t do the same thing. The lack of a pointed tip on a santoku can make it challenging to get around corners. Chef knives have more of a belly which helps them with slicing. The santoku is a combination of three knives, (San meaning three in Japan). It is meant to do an okay job with meat, fish and veg. Chefs knives with more of a drop point vs sheepsfoot shape are more versatile.

By: Tim Tanguay

Tim Tanguay — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 22:43:40 +0000

Forget the German style knives. Japanese Knives are the way to go. Better steel, way sharper, nicer to use, lighter weight (easier on your joints and wrists). They are sharpened to 20 degrees inclusive, so you’d steel at 10 degrees.

8-12″ Gyuto
4″ Paring knife or Petty
8″-10″ Western style Deba (light butchery)
A nakiri.
A pair of kitchen shears (Tojiro makes a nice pair)
Those knives will do 99% of anything you could ever want to do. I used to cook in a professional kitchen as a prep chef. I’d use my nakiri 90% of the time for veg, and deba for fish and chicken prep. The shears are for cutting bones and carcasses.

Ditch the santoku. It’s a compromise between a gyuto, a nakiri and a honesuki. It doesn’t do anything particularly well.

By: Saxon

Saxon — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 17:34:53 +0000

The honing iron might be a bad idea, at least according to the guys at http://japanesechefsknife.com/ (which is where I get my knives). As for the cleaver, you might want to invest in an axe or a boning knife instead. Depends what you are up to, of course.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:46:31 +0000

The knife pictured is a hollow-ground Santoku.

Chef’s vs Santoku is strictly a matter of preference, as they do the same tasks.

I employ an 8″ chefs, 3″ paring, 6″ serrated utility and a honing steel. I’ve never wished for a cleaver enough to get one and I rarely need a filet of anything so I’ve never felt like I needed a filet knife.

A small preference of mine is some manufacturers allow the bulk of the bolster to find it’s way down the heel of the blade and I hate this. Wusthof does this on some of their models, but not all.

Cough up the dough for a good, grain out, Teak cutting board and make sure you properly apply mineral oil before you begin using (grain out makes sure the board stays in good shape as well as keeps the knife sharper for longer). I also have about 5 different polyurethane boards in assorted sizes as they are cheap and clean well.

Happy carving.

By: Mannyclouds

Mannyclouds — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:54:59 +0000

i’d actually recommend sharpening with a stone, but unlike other i beleive you should sharpen both sides and applying less pressure with each stroke, also by swapping out that santoku for a standard western chef’s knife you’ll be able to get rid of that cleaver and the bread knife as a truly sharp knife should be able to cut trough bread with minimal pressure and the chefs knife has the weight to go through the bone

By: Randy

Randy — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 19:45:41 +0000

There’s no need to have your knives professionally sharpened. Anyone (even my wife & daughter) can do it themselves. The critical thing is to keep the blade at exactly the same angle to the stone.

Precision kits like http://smithsedge.com/products/default.asp?cid=21 let anyone get a fantastic edge with minimal effort.

By: Chris M

Chris M — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 03:23:38 +0000

I work as a meat cutter full-time. It’s a good idea to invest in a mesh cutting glove to be on the safe side. I have a tendency to sharpen my knives backward, that is, holding the steel and moving the knife toward me. Bad habit, I know, but it works better, and the cutting glove keeps me from adding my hand to the meal. :)

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:17:14 +0000

Another great tip from a chef I know is to use a coffee cup for honing a blade. It works just as well as any of the ceramic honing rods you find in stores.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi2gzCrS-fE