Has Culinary Cutlery Skewed my Sense of Blade Lengths?

[SanLuisObispo]

Oops, that might have been my fault to go off topic a little. I was responding to eveled's comment about longer blade = more fatigue.

That's interesting that you started out with a 7" cleaver. Perception wise, if you started out with a fairly large knife, most knives will likely feel shorter or smaller.

I think you'll find that most nakiris are smaller than you'd expect (most are around a 7" blade length).

When I was a kid, one of the first TV cooks (after Julia Child) was a guy named Jeff Smith, the "Frugal Gourmet." While he turned out to be a hardcore degenerate (he was a pedophile), he did have some decent chops as a cook. He used, and pushed the use of a Chinese cleaver early on. I found one at the local restaurant supply for very little $$$. It was inexpensive, easy to keep sharp, and easier to use than a chef's knife.

 

[marcinek]

When I was a kid, one of the first TV cooks (after Julia Child) was a guy named Jeff Smith, the "Frugal Gourmet." While he turned out to be a hardcore degenerate (he was a pedophile), he did have some decent chops as a cook. He used, and pushed the use of a Chinese cleaver early on. I found one at the local restaurant supply for very little $$$. It was inexpensive, easy to keep sharp, and easier to use than a chef's knife.

What does any of this have to do with your original question?

 

[NapalmCheese]

Has my perception/feel of non-culinary knife blade lengths been influenced by the culinary knives I regularly use?

No, you just like big knives.

I use a 10 inch blade carbon K Sabatier every single day in the kitchen. I use it to open plastic wrap, dice veg, slice meat, cut steaks from sub primals, etc. If I'm not using that it's either a 5 or 6 inch boning knife or a 3 inch paring knife.

When I handle a Kabar, or my Buck 119, or the 8 inch Leuku I made I think "these aren't too big at all!"

When I get down to field dressing a deer I take out my 3.75 inch bladed Buck 110 and think "This 110 is just a little too big, I should get a 112".

Different tasks call for different knives, that big knives don't feel awkward means little to being the right tool for the job.

 

[Sergeua]

It does skew your sense as you get used to a certain perception. After using spyderco delica for couple of days, I find my other knives start to look bigger.
What are using the knife for though that's the real question that determines length. It would be physically awkward to use that CS in some applications.

 

[MarkN86]

Some years ago I threw a Legend of Zelda themed birthday party for my wife. She's a gamer. When the cake came out I also brought out a replica Master Sword that she cut it up with.

Just one question.. is all of your pottery still intact?

 

[CWL]

Doesn't skew anything. I use the right tool for the task.

Popping tape on a box only requires a small blade so a folder makes sense.

Slicing that 7-lb prime rib for a holiday dinner requires a long carving knife.

 

[Ebbtide]

I’m the opposite. I use pairing knives for food prep, hardly ever use my chefs knives. It’s made me appreciate shorter blades for field use.

The longer the knife is, the more leverage it has on your wrist and grip. Making it more fatiguing with no added benefit. I notice a difference after dicing a bag of peppers and onions.

It may be technique I tend to slice rather than chop, but if you think about it that is closer to how you would use a knife outside of the kitchen.

Big knives for the kitchen, like the French chef's knife, are meant to be used with the point staying on the table/cutting board. This actually makes it less fatiguing over the long run since you are not lifting the entire weight of the knife for each cut, chop or slice.
Personally I like my Old Hickory kitchen knife for everything but slicing bread.

Best of both worlds light as a feather but long and thin enough to sliver garlic and thin cut chicken cutlets (I usually get 4 from a breast).
I had high hopes for the Victorinox but it mainly sits.

 

[Hackenslash]

Just one question.. is all of your pottery still intact?

The pottery is ok but we just can’t seem to grow grass!

 

[SanLuisObispo]

Big knives for the kitchen, like the French chef's knife, are meant to be used with the point staying on the table/cutting board. This actually makes it less fatiguing over the long run since you are not lifting the entire weight of the knife for each cut, chop or slice.
Personally I like my Old Hickory kitchen knife for everything but slicing bread.

Best of both worlds light as a feather but long and thin enough to sliver garlic and thin cut chicken cutlets (I usually get 4 from a breast).
I had high hopes for the Victorinox but it mainly sits.

Big blades provide big benefits as you point out. I can't imagine attacking a case of (or even just one) onions, tomatoes, heads of lettuce, etc. with a paring knife. That would be torture, and it would take forever.

Old Hickory remains perhaps the very best value in terms of domestically produced high-carbon cutlery. A few summers ago I went on this camping event where I was part of the BBQ crew. Sadly I had forgotten my knife roll! We stopped for gas and there was a little hardware store in an adjacent strip mall. They had 14" Old Hickory butcher knives for $19.99. What great value! It performed magnificently.

I realize we're in a thin/super hard steel/Asian knives for the kitchen these days. But there are also big benefits, depending on the job at hand for a blade with a bit more mass. Something also easier to resharpen/hone. The French and Germans were no dummies when it came to culinary cutlery.

 

[jc57]

Has my perception/feel of non-culinary knife blade lengths been influenced by the culinary knives I regularly use? Anyone else come across this?

1. Possibly. I don't know what might have affected your perceptions.

2. Somewhat, in a different context. I used to judge the size of folding knives by an old Buck 110 I have had for over 40 years. To me it seemed to be a "big" knife. As I got into knives as a hobby, and have become more accustomed to a variety of knives of different sizes, it no longer seems to be particularly large. Just heavy, compared to newer knives made of lighter materials.

As others have mentioned, we have a Kitchen knife sub-forum if you want to talk about kitchen knives. I like a variety of kitchen knives from 3" parers to 10" gyutos, and a number in between.

 

[FOG2]

Recently I went to buy a Cold Steel Magnum Tanto. I struggled with what blade length (5.5"-12") to order as I couldn't fondle one locally. I gripped my Buck 120 and my KA-BAR Combat Knife for some perspective, but they both felt rather short. However, I was cautioned by a few people not to buy too long of a blade.

Later while cooking dinner, I was still pondering the question and it hit me. By far my most common use of fixed blade knives (daily) is in the kitchen preparing meals. I took out the tape measure and the two knives I was using -- a chef's and a yanagi, both have 12" blades, and neither feel "long." Further measuring showed that my butchering knife has a 14.25" blade, while my bread knife has a 16.5" blade.

I went and ordered the 12" CS Magnum Tanto XII. It's great and it in no way feels even close to being too long, or even long at all. Has my perception/feel of non-culinary knife blade lengths been influenced by the culinary knives I regularly use? Anyone else come across this? Thanks.

Is the top knife a Mundial ? It very much resembles my 10 inch bladed Cooks knife from Mundial.
I work as a cook and thats the best 30 bux ive2 ever spent.

 

[SanLuisObispo]

Is the top knife a Mundial ? It very much resembles my 10 inch bladed Cooks knife from Mundial.
I work as a cook and thats the best 30 bux ive2 ever spent.

It's an Arcos 2900 Range Cleaver made in Spain. Its blade is 14.5" long and it weighs 32 ounces. I paid $22.25 for it via Amazon. I just looked and it's now $85.87. It's a remarkable knife for cutting meat and watermelons.

 

[USMCPOP]

Swords make it very easy to slice-up a large sheet cake. People grin when I pull an old sword out, and then nod approvingly when I'm able to perfectly dice-up the cake in a few minutes.

Please, please, puhleeeeeeezzzzeeee...Make a video of you doing that!

Reminds me of the Samurai Deli skit on Saturday Night Live.

 

[Mecha]

Swords make it very easy to slice-up a large sheet cake. People grin when I pull an old sword out, and then nod approvingly when I'm able to perfectly dice-up the cake in a few minutes.

Post pic of the cake sword please.

 

[tiguy7]

When doing prep cook work in my daughter’s restaurant, I would use a 10” chef knife all day long with no fatigue.

 

[NapalmCheese]

It's exactly that "appreciation" that I wonder about? There was something that was making a KA-BAR combat feel small to me. It must be the regular use of food knives.

Nope, you just like/want big knives.

I use a 10 inch Sabatier every day in the kitchen (and sometimes wish I had a 12). My main machete is 20 inches. I pick up a KA-BAR and think "holy hell, this is a big knife". The difference being, I don't need a 7 inch bladed field knife. None of the things I do camping or hunting requires a 7 inch knife. The KA-BAR, being a field knife, seems like a "too big" field knife. I need a 10 inch bladed chef knife, it's more efficient at food prep. The Sabatier being a 10 inch knife seems just about right for my board, my hands, and the way I cook/prep.

 

[chevyrulez1]

I have noticed a trend in recent years on shorter blades becoming more "Mainstream" I hear the mantra repeated over and over, especially among hunters, that you only want a blade between 3 and 4 inches for control, etc. This has led to what I have noticed recently as a disdain for larger blades. A friend of mine asked me what knife I used for hunting, and when I told him it was a Buck 119 he scowled and said "thats a big knife!"
Many years ago it would have been considered a normal hunting knife, but now people act like if you like larger or longer blades then you are a weirdo or something.
Personally I like a 119 or a standard Kbar, etc. for a general purpose blade. People will say "you don't need anything that big!" But in reality it isn't about need, we use what we like and enjoy.

 

[Wharn]

What ever happened to that guy who cut bananas apart with a tanto?

 

[Smaug]

Well, I guess it's down to the question: What are you going to use the tanto for? It's a fighting knife by design, and bigger knives give longer reach in a fight as well as faster tip speed and as a result, more cutting power.

Do you also carry huge knives for daily type stuff?

I started with a SAK with maybe a 2.5" blade. Wanted something bigger for the occasional cutting up of fruit, but found that is too big for all of my other uses. Now, I tend to favor a 3" blade for a pocket knife.

Kitchen knifes, I like a 10" chef's knife and then a 3-4" parer. That's about all I need, most times. Serrated bread knife and steak knives of course. 5" chef's knife for my wife, who doen't like the big one.