/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Sets are silly for most cooks. Concentrate on a chef's knife and a tool to sharpen it with. That will handle 95% of the cutting you need to do in the kitchen.

Beyond that, maybe a cheap serrated knife for bread & whatnot. But I can't think of anything else that a home cook would need.

>>6480213
>on
do you have any recommendations for a good chef's knife then? I've looked at a few but everyone seems to disagree on which one is better. Would Wusthof still be a good brand to look at or should i look at maybe masakage. A lot of people on here seem to like them

>>6480238

>>6480238
>I've looked at a few but everyone seems to disagree on which one is better

Yep, just like sports teams, car brands, music, etc, nobody can agree on what's the best and everyone has personal favorites. Don't worry so much about the details.

>>6480328
Is good advice.
The only thing I'd add to it would be:

1) I don't think the average cook needs a paring knife. They are for carving little intricate garnishes and so on, which isn't something that a home cook needs to do.

2) It leaves out the German brands like Wusthof, etc.

Those are good knives but it's generally a trade off vs. the Japanese brands. The Japanese brands tend to be thinner and slightly harder steel. They hold and edge better but are more prone to chipping if you misuse the knife. The german brands like wusthof and henckels are softer. That means they don't keep their edge as well, but on the other hand they are more forgiving of abuse.

Finally, you should try and handle the knife you are thinking of buying. The brand name and the fancy steel is meaningless if the knife is not comfortable in your hand. Don't blindly buy a knife because someone recommended it online. Buy it because it fits your budget, cooking requirements, and is comfortable to handle.

>>6480341
Okay I'll keep all this in mind! Thank you so much!

>>6480341
Actually one last question, where would I go to actually try out the knives, particularly the japanese ones? I've been checking around online and it seems no one in my area seems to carry them. Is there any particular store other than the obvious restaurant supply store that might carry them or I am just out of luck?

>>6480441

Restaurant supply stores usually carry what is marked as an "industrial knife" in the infographic above: Dexter, Victorinox, Forschner, etc. Some might carry the big German brands like F. Dick, Wusthof, or Henckels but in my experience most do not. It would be very unlikely to find a Japanese knife there (again, in my experience).

>>6480441

I just realized I didn't answer all of your questions:

Handing the other knives you might consider is simple. Restaurant supply stores will have the victorinox & dexter knives. I have no idea where you live so these stores might not even exist in your country, but: department stores like Macy's or Dillard's, etc, will have the big name brands. So will kitchen/bath shops like Bed Bath & Beyond (or whatever your local equivalent is). Of course if you have a kitchen-specific store like Williams-Sonoma nearby that would be a good place too, and they may have some of the Japanese brands too. Those kinds of shops tend to be expensive but you can always handle the knives there and then buy online.

>>6480341
My god! A rational, carefully thought out, clearly presented answer to the OPs question.

A rarity indeed.

>>6480341
Paring knives are also useful for other things
Coring apples, tomatoes, pears, and the like
Peeling small fruits and vegetables with odd nooks and crannies
Removing the eyes on pineapples, stem bases of various things, pulling out sinew and veins and all sorts of general delicate prepping tasks like that
That's not to say most can be done with other tools, but many are easier and faster with a paring knife and a little practice, and not having 30 other tools made specifically for each of those other tasks will keep clutter down and make prepping more simple.
I don't think a high quality paring is as beneficial as a high quality chef knife by a long shot, but I keep a paring around when I'm cooking.

get a ~$30 victorinox chefs knife, its decent enough and cheap enough so you can hone your skills and just toss it when youre ready for anything fancier.

Never buy one of those knife block sets, they may look nice on the counter but they normally are sub-par at everything.

>>6480926

Why not use the tip of your chef's knife for those purposes?

>>6480951
if youre comfortable with your knife skills you can but for a novice cook it might be difficult and potentially dangerous.

>>6480951
I personally find a chefs knife too bulky for smaller tasks, I regularly use a paring knife for slicing fruits. I'd recommend to have it in a capsule knife collection.

>>6480951
For myself, I don't because I keep the paring knife around and it's easier. My chefs knife is large, which adds to the benefit of the paring, but even if it wasn't, it's still easier most of the time with a paring, especially for things like peeling broccoli stems without removing the florets, peeling small potatoes, and so forth. I also have several drop point gyutos, and those tips can be terrible for those sorts of tasks.

>>6481007
>>6481003
This. Much easier and faster.which also means safer.

>>6481082

But it's not easier or faster. You just have poor knife skills.

>>6481090
except it is and you're just an idiot

>>6481090
Its easier, faster and safer to have proper knife technique with a chefs knife.
The same goes for a pairing knife.

>>6480203
Don't buy a fancy-ass 10pc. knife set. Just don't. Not worth it at all.

Talking from experience, here. Buy once, cry once. Buy a couple REALLY nice knives, learn how to maintain them, and never look back. Depending on the shape of your hand, how much counter space you have, etc, etc., a different knife may be better.

You need three. A chef's knife, a bread knife, and a paring knife. The white-handled, sold-for-bulk ones at Sam's Club are good enough for paring knife purposes but if you insist, get something nicer. I don't find much use for one as a home cook past peeling an apple though.

As for the bread knife, mostly any will do; as long as it has deep serrations and a full tang, you're good.

Also NEVER, EVER PUT A KNIFE IN THE FUCKING DISHWASHER. I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND STRANGLE YOU WITH A DILDO IF YOU DO.

>>6481815
>peeling apples

>>6481818
What? You can peel an apple/orange/whatever with a paring knife, it's not a cardinal sin.

>>6480328
part 2 pls

>>6480203
you don't need to buy a set. I only use the chefs knife, the santoku knife, a steak knife and the scissors. i bought a peeler for the carrots and potatoes, instead of peeling with a paring knife.

>>6480238
I like wusthof

>>6480203
Victorinox Fibrox 8inch, $35 i think on amazon, this is pretty much everyones starting knife and for a good reason

add in a honing steel too. then maybe down the line add in a sharpening stone.

also you might aswell grab a super cheap victorinox paring knife for like $5 because its good for doing smaller things

Also any cheap ass bread knife if you're into bread

>>6482939
I own two Vic Fibroxes and I think the Wüsthof Silverpoints are better knives, especially if your hands are on the smaller side. But I am 6'3'' and still prefer the Silverpoint handles. The blade has a better profile and geometry, too.

>>6481090
I'm a master swordsman, should I just use my sword instead ?