Help about sharpening / honing kitchen knives

Thank you. That was very helpful.

Can you recommend good Japanese brands which manufacture quality knives? And from the European brands, which ones are worth purchasing? Why would you prefer Japanese over the European or vice versa?
Thanks
 
luste said:
Thank you. That was very helpful.

Can you recommend good Japanese brands which manufacture quality knives? And from the European brands, which ones are worth purchasing? Why would you prefer Japanese over the European or vice versa?
Thanks
Click to expand...

I'll answer in reverse. The Japanese vs European debate mostly comes down to users preference. IMO the only Euro brands worth seeking out are K-sabatier and Theirs Issard (French brands). Thats not to say the German and Spanish brands are bad, but I don't think they offer anything in terms of materials or design (that being said, the older stuff is good). The French style knives have a "classic" feel, and their carbon tends to be very light for the size. If you look at the shape of a Wusthof chef knife and a Sabatier you'll see theirs less belly on a Sabatier. This style of knife benefits someone with a "good" (Western) technique. The "german" profile is what you'll see on when someone on food network "rock and chops". The main reason I like sabatier is for the "classic" feel and for the value: you can get a 10 inch carbon for about $110.

Luckily Japanese Gyutos tend towards the french shape. There are lots of good brands to check out and I recommend perusing chefknivestogo.com. To name a few entry level (good value) brands: Tojiro, Richmond, Fujiwara, MAC, and Misono. There are tons of other great brands to look for but these are some affordable brands I have had personal experience with. Both stainless and carbon is good, depends on your preference.

Hope this helps!
Good luck.
 
Thanks.

Is high carbon stainless steel of knives somewhere between stainless and carbon quality?
Sorry for this stupidly simple question.
 
All cutlery-grade steels are high carbon, whether or not they are stainless. People use "high carbon" somewhat misleadingly to refer to cutlery-grade non-stainless steels.

- Chris
 
If you ever want to master freehand get some Shapton Stones. They cut better than any stone available. They are what I consider a high tech Japanese Water stone, but they are splash and go, no soaking required and they don't clog and I much prefer them over diamond stones. I sharpen very acute angle Japanese Chef knives and prefer Hitachi White number 2, which is one of the purest, finest grained steels in existence with virtually no sulphur or other impurities in it. Of course this all a matter of taste. I also like the Naniwa Chosera water stones. The only thing about a Japanese knife is that if you are breaking down a carcass, ie: boning a hog shoulder, you must be careful when using a Japanese knife and never chop on bone, but go through joints and carefully remove meat from bone. I love Japanese knives, but you must get used to the fact that they have special knives for special purposes. Western knives can be considered more general purpose and more forgiving, because their edges are not as acute.
 
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