My new kitchen knife - forged Japanese

I'm sure they're worth the money - very inexpensive. I have sent my own kitchen knives through the dishwasher to purposely abuse them. The man-made handle materials have all passed. But I still don't recommend it for regular use.
 
Shappa, What other styles/ brands of kitchen knives do you like? I'd really be interested. ( so would my wife- I've never completely dispelled the rumor I could be a good cook hiding in a slob's body)

I was going to mention scapels don't have seperate handles - one peice steel. Funny thing- all the med surg nurses, and almost all the physicians I ever knew hated cutting boards. They saw them as the Enemy!

For years consumers were told to use plastic and stay away from wood. Then it was found wood could be cleaned and plastic more resistant to real deep cleaning.

I noticed Butchers use bleach all the time. Meat is always considered dangerous.

When you clean a kitchen knife you've broken the chain- that is clean procedure, and theoretically the germs can't jump ship to the next station. Unfortunately, the germs form bedding areas and quickly repopulate under knife handles and other protected and hard to reach surfaces.

Pen mentioned paranoia- we wouldn't eat very comfortably if we knew everything about what was entering our mouths.


This thread has sold me on getting one of these knives. All I have is old Chicago cutlery.

One thing I'd really like- a single decent spatula. I'm tired of bending spatulas.


munk
 
actually, I do have a good idea what goes in my mouth, and I'm OK with it.....that said....I'm not OK with the fact the some virus entered my mouth and now I have a terrible head cold!


I subscribe to that new mode of thought that says "let the kids eat dirt" - they'll build up resistance now, and be stronger later.

A perfectly sanitary environment has now been determined to be harmful to children, keeping them from building the proper antibodies, making them instead more dependent on man-made antibodies....:(
 
munk said:
What other styles/ brands of kitchen knives do you like?

munk
Click to expand...
Barbie and I really like the Two Oxen or Due Buoi kitchen knives from Italy that I got for her, us actually but they do belong to Barbie.;) :D
 
Munk, I'll try to get a list of brands/ styles and what they are used for later tonight when I go to work. You'd be suprised at what gets used for different purposes. I was using a long serrated slicer (used primarily for Prime Rib) to peel onions. The boss see's me whipping that long blade around and said " Isn't that a little long for that" ...I replied "yep, it's a little long but it gets the job done" He just walked off shaking his head. He'd would of freaked if he'd seen me doing it with my eyes closed. I hate onion eyes and I have that knife in my hand for most of the night so I know where the edge is.
Most dr.s dislike cutting boards because they know most people don't clean them properly.
 
Japanesecutlery is a good company. I bought the #A gift set for a friend, wannabe chef. He loves them. I checked out the quality before I gave them to him and they are very nice. And at a decent price too. The only problem I had with the was they had to order the set from Japan and forgot to notify me. It arrived quickly from japan...but I wish I had known.
 
I don't worry too much about bacteria. I keep my knives and cutting surfaces clean, but one of the knives I use the most in the kitchen is my Victorinox Rucksack. I know it must have bacteria hiding in the pivot, etc. I don't get sick, so I don't really worry about it. Exposure builds tolerance. All the germophobes I know tend to get sick more often than regular people in spite of, or perhaps because of, their attempted avoidance of microbes.

As to plastic vs. wood cutting boards, I've read several articles that suggest wooden cutting boards are less likely to harbor bacteria than plastic boards. No one is really sure why--naturally occuring substances in wood perhaps. Makes sense--plants have had to defend themselves from bacteria for a good long while now. I've also heard that that score marks and scratches in plastic are perfect breeding grounds for bacteria.
--Josh
 
Spyderco makes a nice santoku. Rubber handle, little over 7" blade. I have a Lamson-Sharp stamped version also, that I never use (blade flexes too much).
 
I'm a big proponent of germs- I'm with Pen on kids and dirt. I don't encourage them around the dinner table though, in the bathrooms or kitchen.

Most secondary infections after surgery come from the Hospital. I don't think things would improve if they used Josh's kitchen knife.

I don't use antibacterial soap- for good reason. Who needs tougher germs?

munk
 
Josh Feltman said:
I don't worry too much about bacteria. I keep my knives and cutting surfaces clean, but one of the knives I use the most in the kitchen is my Victorinox Rucksack. I know it must have bacteria hiding in the pivot, etc.
--Josh
Click to expand...

Sure, I may ultimately contract some horrible, fatal disease, but I will continue to worry about bacteria about as much as always. which is to say.....not at all. I'll go on obliviously cleaning everything I own, as I've done for half a century and hope that I don't get bushwhacked by something very dangerous, but so small I can't see it. :p :p :D
 
This is a knife forum. We are talking about bacteria. We are talking about bacteria because Pen thought only the paranoid would concern themselves with such.

I am not a knife expert. I am, however, someone who knows disease vectors and clean procedure. I ventured a kitchen knife would be improved if the handle could come off for cleaning. The tang could be cleaned also. A system for detachable handle halves would be easy.

Now, let's not stop our brave stance against worry. Some of you by all means return to redesigning 500 year old designs of khukuris. The others can eat mud or lick the bolsters of your kitchen knives clean. Still others might want to take a bite out of the Steer while grazing- none of this would worry me. I have heard the hide is tough. Perhaps a khukuri might open this up.
Wash your khukuri with soap and water afterwards and dry with a clean towel.
I'm sorry my idea of improvement was of little importance. Please put me in the dishwasher. I prefer the energy saving cycle.

Thanks,


munk
 
munk said:
This is a knife forum. We are talking about bacteria. We are talking about bacteria because Pen thought only the paranoid would concern themselves with such.

I am not a knife expert. I am, however, someone who knows disease vectors and clean procedure. I ventured a kitchen knife would be improved if the handle could come off for cleaning. The tang could be cleaned also. A system for detachable handle halves would be easy.

Now, let's not stop our brave stance against worry. Some of you by all means return to redesigning 500 year old designs of khukuris. The others can eat mud or lick the bolsters of your kitchen knives clean. Still others might want to take a bite out of the Steer while grazing- none of this would worry me. I have heard the hide is tough. Perhaps a khukuri might open this up.
Wash your khukuri with soap and water afterwards and dry with a clean towel.
I'm sorry my idea of improvement was of little importance. Please put me in the dishwasher. I prefer the energy saving cycle.

Thanks,


munk
Click to expand...


Jeez, munk.....have a cow. There's nothing wrong with improvement and removable handles would be a great feature on kitchen knives. Who hasn't wished that they could get the grunge, between blade and handle, out a little bit better?? No one said your idea was of "little importance".......except for you. :p

My post wasn't a "brave stance" because I take brave stances against practically nothing, these days. I don't intend to lick my knives clean, eat any mud, nor take a bite out of a steer. And I'm not going to lose any more sleep over bacteria, "or disease vectors", than I did last night. Maybe you should take a Valium. At least cut out the coffee for a while. :D
 
I was attempting to wrap the truth around a little of my patented bizarre humor.

I'm glad someone can see the merit of this simple idea. That's all it was. That and a cup of coffee will not give me a valium, or a cow. But thanks, Ichor.


munk
 
Well, for me I must take it back to the original topic of kitchen knives although that was some interesting stuff otherwise. I've noticed that as I've become less anal (used to be obsessive compulsive) about washing my hands all the time and have switched to "natural" soap (the hand soap we have in the kitchen has olive oil in it and smells wonderful) I don't really get sick anymore *shrugs

Well I bought a japanese kitchen knife (not a santoku, I don't know the name for "normal" kitchen knives) somewhere back 5-8 years ago from Kotobuki. I don't know if it was manufactured by them or not. They're a maker of beautiful japanese dishes by the way. It's been a while but... I was a confused kid and I think I bought it thinking it woudl be a good weapon. Well... you can kill someone with almost anyone but I would not call this thing weapon at all.

At the time I got it, no one could figurethe edge out or knew how to sharpen it. I still have a lot to learn but I guess it's "zero ground" (totally flat on the right side). I only just now noticed, but I somehow ended out getting a "left handed sashimi knife" according that site posted by dean, my knife looks almost exactly like this one:
01.003.41.jpg


Only mine is somewhat longer (I also only just now noticed that this is my biggest knife next to my khukuri, oal is 16 inches blade is 11 inches). Anyway I tried to sharpen it on the water stone I bought with it, didn't know what the hell I was doing and failed. Left it in the box for a couple of years without touching it, then when I took a look it had a spot of rust. Looking at it again I think the rust has actually shrunk...

Anyway the thing that sticks out to me about japanese knives is how the handles are designed for use in the right hand primarily (I'm surprised that left handed knives are even made let alone that of all the knives for me to get, I ended out with one...). But I hate the handles. It's supposed to help your grip on the knife for cooking purposes (or rather slicing) but I find that over prolonged use it's VERY uncomfortable. I learned about this on the Shun/Kershaw knives (japanese company Shun bought out us or european maker kershaw to release a line of their knives in america, the style is a bit more like what westerners expect in knives, but still this hated handle, their handles are worse than the japanese wood ones). They're very beautiful knives those, they're folded I believe 12 times and the mark is left so it looks nice, not as good as damascus but much more practical in a cooking knife (still very expensive).

Now personally, I used to work in a kitchen store and my mother still does so I know a bit about kitchen knives. The line that I personally use and have no complaints about is J.A. Henckles stainless (high carbon stainless) four star line. I think you can find this line just about anywhere, I bought a set when I worked there and got a %40 employee discount. They seem to hold an edge well and cut well, the price is also about as much as you need to spend on kitchen knives IMO. As a side note the only difference with the five star line is the handle. I believe both lines are full tang. In three years of cooking with my six inch chef's knife (the one knife I own that I actually went smaller on... I think...) the steel that came with the set, used before and after cutting has been enough to keep it's edge the sharpest of anything I own.

So... for kitchen knives that's my reccomendation. I would try out my japanese knife but seeing as it's left handed and I'm right handed I have extreme doubts about my ability to use it properly even with my left hand. That does explain why I thought it sucked so much right handed I guess... *sigh
 
I thought Cutco was the best?!?


:eek: :eek: :eek:


:p :p :p







:footinmou
:footinmou
 
So, thanks a lot. You guys have gotten me all hopped up to buy a Japanese style kitchen knife. Santoku. Now....what about that chisel edge. Am I gonna have to learn to sharpen all over again? Can I forget about nice easily touch ups on my ancient Sharpmaker? What are the best keywords to run a forum search on this question?
 
Oh man, I agree Ichor. I hate chisels because I don't know how to sharpen them. Probably be fine once you figure it out. Seems like you'd need a grinder and a holder to run the blade through straight.



munk
 
Yvsa said:
Barbie and I really like the Two Oxen or Due Buoi kitchen knives from Italy that I got for her, us actually but they do belong to Barbie.;) :D
Click to expand...

And thanks a lot to you too, Yvsa. Now I not only want a classic Japanese Santoku, but I also have to have that Due Buoi STAG handled Santoku! Someone float me a loan. :D
 
BTW, I stopped at the fresh sushi stand in the local grocery, about 10 minutes ago, and the Asian guy that runs it uses a 9-10" slicer made by Joyce Chen. He let me handle it and it is, indeed, a fine knife but, judging by the scratch marks, he is probably a better sushi maker than he is knife sharpener. :( :D
 
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