Good Kitchen Knives

[Ntense_SpecV]

Originally posted by szw
Do you have to oil; wooden cutting boards? How about bamboo?

I read a site once that said you should use some oil sealant on your wooden board once a week but that seems like so much work.

I bought some plastic ones from costco that supposedly have some antibacterial properties plus they feel quite nice compared to plastic ones I've had in the past. I like it but they are ugly compared to the wood ones.

I'll rub some oil onto the boards probably once a month. I just use regular canola oil - it's not too hard to do. Helps with appearance and might stop the bamboo from drying out...don't really know if it does much more than that but the packaging did say to oil it.

[redline]

this is a sweet deal

http://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-Henck...combo_pack_i_2

[sputnik]

Use food grade mineral oil on cutting boards. You can get it at IKEA for $4 bottle.

If you use a cooking oil you run the risk of the oil going rancid on the board.

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by sputnik
Use food grade mineral oil on cutting boards. You can get it at IKEA for $4 bottle.

If you use a cooking oil you run the risk of the oil going rancid on the board.

this.

I use the danish oil "tried and true" finish from Lee Valley. It's FDA approved for food prep surfaces.
I've used the IKEA mneral oil in the past, with good results.

[redline]

Originally posted by 89coupe
I throw my Wusthof knives in the dishwasher, they come out just fine.

I also cut on plastic cutting boards, what fool would cut meat on a wooden cutting board?

I sharpen my knives about once a year.

you never put good knives in the dishwasher.... it will dull the knife, use it, wash it by hand then put it away.

These are the only cutting boards to use...

http://www.epicureancs.com/#welcome.php

not really the brand but this type...

plastic and wood are both hard to clean "properly" and will get bacteria and crap

[89coupe]

Originally posted by redline


you never put good knives in the dishwasher.... it was dull the knife, use it, wash it by hand then put it away.

These are the only cutting boards to use...

http://www.epicureancs.com/#welcome.php

not really the brand but this type...

plastic and wood are both hard to clean "properly" and will get bacteria and crap

Meh, I use to do that, now I just throw them in the dishwasher...lol. Doesn't seem to hurt them at all.

[szw]

Originally posted by sputnik
Use food grade mineral oil on cutting boards. You can get it at IKEA for $4 bottle.

If you use a cooking oil you run the risk of the oil going rancid on the board.

How often do you do it? Is it simply a matter of cleaning the board then rubbing oil into it?

[Ntense_SpecV]

Originally posted by sputnik
Use food grade mineral oil on cutting boards. You can get it at IKEA for $4 bottle.

If you use a cooking oil you run the risk of the oil going rancid on the board.

Thanks for the advice...I didn't know about that. I will go get some this week.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by redline
this is a sweet deal

http://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-Henck...combo_pack_i_2

Amazon never seems to ship anything to Canada though, unfortunately. They wouldn't even ship me a coffee press. You go to the VERY end of the purchase process then it tells you that you can't buy it

EDIT: It appears they will indeed ship those to Canada, but hey want $55 USD for shipping, and another $54 USD for import duties & taxes.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I went to Knifewear and bought a knife today. Extremely educational experience, and you get to try out all the knives. I wasn't in there 2 min and he put a knife in my hand and gave me tomatoes &potatoes to cut. I ended up with the Santoku knife from this knife maker:

http://www.knifewear.com/knife-family.asp?family=12

Unfortunately its the only knife without a picture, but its not hard to imagine what it will look like. I can take a pic of it later. The knife is hilariously sharp, you simply place it gently atop a tomato, and the weight of the knife slices all the way through by itself. They are entirely hand made, and each one is a little different. I liked this one because of the particular material it's made of, the way it was made, the way it looks, and how comfortable the handle was (I have very large hands and these had a larger handle). A bit more than I wanted to spend on 1 knife ($200), but after trying them, using anything else would suck lol.

Anyways thanks for all the help, and especially those who suggested Knifewear as I may not have heard of it otherwise. I HIGHLY recommend that place

[ExtraSlow]

if anyone wants an in-home demo of the Cutco knives, PM me. I don't sell them, but a friends daughter does.
No pics of daughter, but she's in university, so she might be hot.

[logix]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
I went to Knifewear and bought a knife today. Extremely educational experience, and you get to try out all the knives. I wasn't in there 2 min and he put a knife in my hand and gave me tomatoes &potatoes to cut. I ended up with the Santoku knife from this knife maker:

http://www.knifewear.com/knife-family.asp?family=12

Unfortunately its the only knife without a picture, but its not hard to imagine what it will look like. I can take a pic of it later. The knife is hilariously sharp, you simply place it gently atop a tomato, and the weight of the knife slices all the way through by itself. They are entirely hand made, and each one is a little different. I liked this one because of the particular material it's made of, the way it was made, the way it looks, and how comfortable the handle was (I have very large hands and these had a larger handle). A bit more than I wanted to spend on 1 knife ($200), but after trying them, using anything else would suck lol.

Anyways thanks for all the help, and especially those who suggested Knifewear as I may not have heard of it otherwise. I HIGHLY recommend that place

Here's an article about knifewear. Some tips at the bottom too.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article1137567.ece

Kevins got a booth at the Home & Interior Design show at the roundup if you want to check out some knives.
The knives he carries are sooo sharp and lightweight

[Euro838]

Originally posted by redline
this is a sweet deal

http://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-Henck...combo_pack_i_2

Yeah, that's a sweet deal, it's their double man set too!

[szw]

Originally posted by logix



The knives he carries are sooo sharp and lightweight

I like knives with a good weight to it. I don't think I could use a really light one.

[bawlls]

I personally would choose no other knife then a Shun knife. I have the shun elite 8' chef knife and a couple other, but nothing compares to the 8". I suggest getting one knife that you keep for cutting non-acidic things (no tomatoes, citrus) or bread, as well as one knife you cut the acidic, and dulling things. If I had to choose something else then shun I would choose Global.

DON'T BUY LOCAL! unless you have some kind of ethical reason to. You will pay at least 10% more then you would online.

Either learn to use a wet stone with a shitty knife, or wait 3 weeks for your japanese steel to be sharpened properly. but what ever you do, don't let just anyone sharpen your knife, and always have the same person sharpen it.

As far as a honing steel goes, Japanese steel is far too dense for any steel honer, you are going to need a ceramic one. Dont even use a steel one on a japanese knife, the only change to the knife you'll be making is scratches.

Shun knives are bent everso slightly to accommodate a right or left handed person, so make sure your not getting the wrong curve.

Personally, I cannot stand the lack of feel and control I have with most german and domestic steels. IN MY OPINION, because its a very opinionated topic, nothing will ever compare to a shun or a global. The only issue with some global knives is some of them become uncomfortable after using for several hours.

Go to the mall, house of knives, and try as many as you can out. BUT for the love of god, don't buy from them. ONLINE!!

[Vagabond142]

I am a huge fan of Henckels. Only knife I use when I'm serious about cooking is my 8" henckel's Twin Pollux. When it's just slice/dice/general utility, I have a Henckel's International (the henckel's cheapy brand) chef's knife and a 4" kitchen knife. I also use a Henckel's doweling too; if you're gonna put down the money for a high quality knife, might as well get the doweling designed to go with it

[Criticull]

lol @ cutco's business model. I hear they cut well though.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Shun is a decent knife. According to Kevin at Knifewear, they are the low end of the high end, as I asked him specifically how Shun knives stack up to the rest. They do not sell Shun knives in Japan, apparently. Unless they are way cheaper online (and they might be), you can get better knives than Shun for the price - ones that are hand made in Japan, better steel, etc.