New Chef's knife I just wanted my peers to see.

ERdept

ERdept

Banned
Joined
May 17, 2005
Messages
757
My friends know that I like to cook as a hobby. The fun part about cooking is the equipment if you're a gearhead like me.

Well, here's a new knife. I got tired of the Henckels and Forschners that I have to keep sharpening (I cook and cut a lot/it's all about the prep as well).

So I got the Ken Onion Shun in VG-10. For a thin knife it's got the heft of a larger knife. This one has a blade that's about 8 inches and nice rocker on it. Used it today extensively and retains an edge through the more fiberous veggies better than the above.

http://erdept.smugmug.com/gallery/2143042
 
Congrats. It is a great knife. It is different than your standard knife and take a little getting used to, but then it works very well.
 
Yep, you're right on that. Whereas a regular knife allows many hand positions, this knife is essentially a two position. You either hold it according to the handle swells or you grip it with finger on the blade for more control.

I'll enjoy the work of getting used to it though as it is really a cutter. This thing is like a lazer. Everything it touches just separates like the cross your heart bra.

Soon, i'm getting the Burt Foster Bolo bowie for outdoors game work.
 
Yes, it is a very striking knife. I have a Kai Shun Santoku which I have been using professionally for about 4 years. I love it, and it keeps its edge really well. I have sharpened it on stones about once every 6 months or so and the last time it got dull I took it to a custom knife maker to sharpen it. The edge was shaving sharp and still is over 6 months later!
 
Do you folks use a steel on your kitchen knives each time that you use them? Before or after if you do? Thanks. John
 
Nice knife. Thought about getting one myself, just haven't yet. Looks like the sweet part for chopping is slightly back of the center of the blade. A real carrot chopper, if you could keep them from rolling/flying off onto the ground I bet.:thumbup:
 
jvan said:
Do you folks use a steel on your kitchen knives each time that you use them? Before or after if you do? Thanks. John
Click to expand...

I steel mine after every use, so they are honed and sharp when I pick them up next. The Global Diamond and Ceramic Steel is excellent albeit expensive.

If you hold you blade up towards you and slope the knife away from you about 15 degrees down towards light and you can _see_ the edge, then it needs sharpening of honing. When the burr rolls over, it shows as a glint of silver. When honed, the glint disappears.
 
The KO Chef's knife has been around for a while. New are the other knives of the spectrum that are now coming out in a block.
The single Chef's knife has the advantage of a nice bamboo stand or rather hanger that keeps it hung up and displayed very nicely. I mean, it's an Onion of typical striking beauty as well as ergonomy (though some find the style strikingly ugly, to me it's the best thing in the world).
I used to like the older damascus pattern that twirled more into actual onion-like figures.
I wouldn't call it a thin knife. It's very solid and quite big. The blade remains relatively thick until the edge takes over in a strongly curved hollow-grind. The ergonomically curved and set-off handle has one disadvantage for me - my hand is not so big that I could comfortably use the knife for peeling something with the lower end of the blade working against my thumb; something for which one should use a petty of course, but I like to work with just one chef's knife, and most of them are not so broad as to make this particular task a problem.
The back of the blade not being straight means it's not as easy to shove cut food off the board into the pan with it. On the other side, the strongly bent arc of the edge makes it a great chopper (with the tip of the blade on the board, of course: it's not a cleaver).
The Kershaw VG-10 comes scary sharp as usual, and is not difficult to keep sharp and shiny. Even the wood handle seems well-sealed and durable.
I use a custom made Japanese Gyoto now that is less broad and a little longer and whose thinner and more finely-ground blade has probably a better steel; but I keep the Ken's Chef's knife for its good looks among my Onion collection.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top