Chef's Knife...

[MoeFOH]

*** Update: Thanks for all the advice - Knife Secured! *** See my post towards the end of this thread. 

My youngest lad has for a while now shown a talent for cooking and seems set to head down that career path, and I'm keen to get him a good quality chef's knife that he'll have and hold on to for the foreseeable future. 

I've looked at a couple of brands in Wusthof and Shun but I really have no idea about the best way to go. 

Anyone in the industry with some advice? Or anyone with a knife or brand/set of their own that they'd recommend?

Appreciate any help. Cheers! 

[Ken Gargett]

3 minutes ago, MoeFOH said:

My youngest lad has for a while now shown a talent for cooking and seems set to head down that career path, and I'm keen to get him a good quality chef's knife that he'll have and hold on to for the foreseeable future. 

I've looked at a couple of brands in Wusthof and Shun but I really have no idea about the best way to go. 

Anyone in the industry with some advice? Or anyone with a knife or brand/set of their own that they'd recommend?

Appreciate any help. Cheers! 

happy to ask a couple of chefs. 

[Cigar Surgeon]

Not a chef, but have been cooking since I was 5 years old, and a decade in the restaurant industry.

My understanding is that Shun has lost popularity due to inferior workmanship in the last few years. If you're looking for a good starter knife, because knives are a personal thing (weight, edge, grip) and it's difficult to know what he'll want, the Misono 440 is a great option. It's a workhorse, holds a very good edge, rivetted handle, and a fairly typical grip design.

You can go down the rabbit hole of https://www.reddit.com/r/chefknives/, there's some solid advice to be found there. 

I just picked up a Wüsthof Classic Vegetable Knife and 7" Hollow-Edge Santoku Knife a few months ago because they were on clearance and I've been happy with both. 

[oneizzzz]

https://www.zwilling.com/us/miyabi-kaizen-ii-8-inch-chefs-knife--34681-203/34681-201-0.html?cgid=our-brands_miyabi_cutlery_kaizen-2-5000fcd#start=1

I've had this knife for 3-4 years and I absolutely love it.  Great steel, very comfortable to hold.

Ran a commercial kitchen in Colorado for a year and this was my go-to knife.  Have chopped with it many hours on many days.  I prefer Japanese knives as the blades are generally thinner, which allows for more precision and agility as opposed to a german style.  It's strong and sharp enough to handle big jobs too, like prepping a thick-skinned butternut squash or something.

Having said that, knives are personal.  If you're willing to forego the element of surprise, go with him to a shop and let him try out knives.  They'll likely have a sack of potatoes or something that he can slice and dice in order to find what he likes.

[MoeFOH]

3 minutes ago, Cigar Surgeon said:

Not a chef, but have been cooking since I was 5 years old, and a decade in the restaurant industry.

My understanding is that Shun has lost popularity due to inferior workmanship in the last few years. If you're looking for a good starter knife, because knives are a personal thing (weight, edge, grip) and it's difficult to know what he'll want, the Misono 440 is a great option. It's a workhorse, holds a very good edge, rivetted handle, and a fairly typical grip design.

You can go down the rabbit hole of https://www.reddit.com/r/chefknives/, there's some solid advice to be found there. 

I just picked up a Wüsthof Classic Vegetable Knife and 7" Hollow-Edge Santoku Knife a few months ago because they were on clearance and I've been happy with both. 

Brilliant. Thanks! I assumed personal preference to weight, feel, etc., would be a thing but I'll likely have to forego that as we're currently in different locations and it's kind of a surprise. Thus I'm hoping to aim at the best all-round quality option. Good to know about Shun. And I was favouring Wusthof at the time of posting this. 

Cheers! 

[Ken Gargett]

dropped a few chefs i know a note. so far one has come back and recommended shun. so presumably a different experience. personally, no idea. will come back if more suggestions. 

[MoeFOH]

14 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

happy to ask a couple of chefs. 

If you happen to get the chance to, Ken, that would be great. Apparently there is a cheapie range called Kiwi which are held in high regard by chefs. Not sure if that's true or not. And I'm not at all looking to go cheap but it's an option if they're good and perhaps allow me to buy a set rather than one expensive knife.

Got all that? Good. 

Look forward to your report. 

[MoeFOH]

18 minutes ago, oneizzzz said:

https://www.zwilling.com/us/miyabi-kaizen-ii-8-inch-chefs-knife--34681-203/34681-201-0.html?cgid=our-brands_miyabi_cutlery_kaizen-2-5000fcd#start=1

I've had this knife for 3-4 years and I absolutely love it.  Great steel, very comfortable to hold.

Ran a commercial kitchen in Colorado for a year and this was my go-to knife.  Have chopped with it many hours on many days.  I prefer Japanese knives as the blades are generally thinner, which allows for more precision and agility as opposed to a german style.  It's strong and sharp enough to handle big jobs too, like prepping a thick-skinned butternut squash or something.

Having said that, knives are personal.  If you're willing to forego the element of surprise, go with him to a shop and let him try out knives.  They'll likely have a sack of potatoes or something that he can slice and dice in order to find what he likes.

Fantastic advice. Thanks. And yep, Zwilling/Miyabi did pop-up on the radar during searches, too. They look like a great option as well. It'll likely have to be a blind purchase at this stage. I'm ok with that. If I get good advice such as this, I'm happy in the knowledge that it should still be a quality asset for him, even if personal preference is not 100% on the money. 

Cheers! 

[MrBirdman]

21 minutes ago, MoeFOH said:

Brilliant. Thanks! I assumed personal preference to weight, feel, etc., would be a thing but I'll likely have to forego that as we're currently in different locations and it's kind of a surprise. Thus I'm hoping to aim at the best all-round quality option. Good to know about Shun. And I was favouring Wusthof at the time of posting this. 

Cheers! 

FYI, all Japanese recommendations get turned on their head if your son is left-handed. As a lefty I’m limited in what I can buy because traditionally Japanese blades are ground sharp at only a RH-angle. 

[99call]

Zwilling Henckels Four Star. really nice, robust, not hugely expensive.    Try to find the original all black handled ones, not the second release

[Nevrknow]

Any of those brands will work well for a beginning Chef. Hold an OK edge for awhile. Plus not detrimental when you forget to wipe it properly or one of your sou's opens a can with it or worse runs it through the washer. ( YIKES!).

Stepping up is where I shine. :).  Japanese steel all the way. Incredible edges that stay sharper when sharpened on natural stones. They do however demand respect when you care for them. No wiping on an apron and laid on a counter. White #2 takes a sharper edge while aogami ( blue) steel takes almost as sharp an edge but holds it longer. Lots of nuanaces in steel types.

Prices are all over the place. I have had some nice ones @ $150 ish up to Takedas ( for example, there are others ) to $400 and up. Personally Im not about to fork over $4000 for ANY blade. But that's just me.

Let me jump on the phone and post some pics @MoeFOH

[Nevrknow]

1 minute ago, MrBirdman said:

FYI, all Japanese recommendations get turned on their head if your son is left-handed. As a lefty I’m limited in what I can buy because traditionally Japanese blades are ground sharp at only a RH-angle. 

Not all. Most,but not all.

[MoeFOH]

3 minutes ago, MrBirdman said:

FYI, all Japanese recommendations get turned on their head if your son is left-handed. As a lefty I’m limited in what I can buy because traditionally Japanese blades are ground sharp at only a RH-angle. 

He's a righty. 

[MoeFOH]

6 minutes ago, 99call said:

Zwilling Henckels Four Star. really nice, robust, not hugely expensive.    Try to find the original all black handled ones, not the second release

Cheers! Having a look at these now. 

[Nevrknow]

[Nevrknow]

Need to know exactly what he’s looking for. Chef knife? Fish knife? All around? 
 

Ease of care? Food release?

[MoeFOH]

6 minutes ago, Nevrknow said:

Any of those brands will work well for a beginning Chef. Hold an OK edge for awhile. Plus not detrimental when you forget to wipe it properly or one of your sou's opens a can with it or worse runs it through the washer. ( YIKES!).

Stepping up is where I shine. :).  Japanese steel all the way. Incredible edges that stay sharper when sharpened on natural stones. They do however demand respect when you care for them. No wiping on an apron and laid on a counter. White #2 takes a sharper edge while aogami ( blue) steel takes almost as sharp an edge but holds it longer. Lots of nuanaces in steel types.

Prices are all over the place. I have had some nice ones @ $150 ish up to Takedas ( for example, there are others ) to $400 and up. Personally Im not about to fork over $4000 for ANY blade. But that's just me.

Let me jump on the phone and post some pics @MoeFOH

Thanks! Yep, I'm not going to outlay a fortune. Would never see the value in that. But I'm happy to pay in approx the $150-250 range. Japanese steel seems to be the majority pick at the moment. Great stuff - thanks for the advice and the pics! 

[MoeFOH]

1 minute ago, Nevrknow said:

Need to know exactly what he’s looking for. Chef knife? Fish knife? All around? 
 

Ease of care? Food release?

Chef's knife. 

[MoeFOH]

6 minutes ago, Nevrknow said:

These look great. What's the info? Brand, cost, etc...? Or are they in the high-end bracket?

[Nevrknow]

If I started all over again? Harakuze AS 210mm Gyuto. No doubt.

$150ish. Blue steel core that holds an incredible edge. Wrapped in stainless so only need to fuss about keeping the edge dry. Beat it up/ someone else does, you're only out a couple bucks.

These things can be like cigars tho. A whole different rabbit hole.    I'm sitting on about 120 blades and 75 stones now.

[Nevrknow]

Most are 200 ish up to 400. Most also come with a plain handle. I re-handle all of mine tho. 

[oneizzzz]

5 minutes ago, Nevrknow said:

These things can be like cigars tho. A whole different rabbit hole.    I'm sitting on about 120 blades and 75 stones now.

3 minutes ago, Nevrknow said:

Most are 200 ish up to 400. Most also come with a plain handle. I re-handle all of mine tho. 

Beautiful knives.  Was admiring the handles.

[RedLantern]

1 hour ago, MoeFOH said:

My youngest lad has for a while now shown a talent for cooking and seems set to head down that career path, and I'm keen to get him a good quality chef's knife that he'll have and hold on to for the foreseeable future. 

I've looked at a couple of brands in Wusthof and Shun but I really have no idea about the best way to go. 

Anyone in the industry with some advice? Or anyone with a knife or brand/set of their own that they'd recommend?

Appreciate any help. Cheers! 

How old is the kid? 

[MoeFOH]

19 minutes ago, RedLantern said:

How old is the kid? 

16.

[RedLantern]

If he’s anything like the 16 year olds I know, I would probably go with some used wusthof classics. Pretty bulletproof knives and easily available. Find someone local to put a new edge on them.