knives, steel, keller, sacramento et. al.

[maunahaole]

Partial shout out to toots for getting me the link to the email blast that gave me the link. For the cutlery sluts out there. You know who you are.

MAC knives a top cooking secret - distributed from Sacramento - Food & Wine - The Sacramento Bee

[zetroc]

I love my MAC knives. LOVE.

[jitahs]

Do MACs still have the unrelieved heel? Got myself good once.

Use the two disc ceramic water wheel doily if you're as lazy as me.

[Chance Legstrong]

i rarely need anything other than my Hattori Hanzo blade

[maunahaole]

You could miter 6/4 titanium with a Hattori Hanzo blade.

[summilux]

I believe that having a quality sharpener is MUCH more important than any knife brand, provided that the knife is comfortable in your hand. Keep you blade razor sharp. It should be able to shave the hairs on the back of your hand.

I'm partial to older high carbon blades with wooden handles. You can find them on ebay for pretty cheap. I use this sharpener a lot (http://www.amazon.com/Chefs-Choice-1.../dp/B00004S1B8). Easy to use, reliable for the non-pro kitchen.

[Chance Legstrong]

I believe that having a quality sharpener is MUCH more important than any knife brand, provided that the knife is comfortable in your hand. Keep you blade razor sharp. It should be able to shave the hairs on the back of your hand.

I'm partial to older high carbon blades with wooden handles. You can find them on ebay for pretty cheap. I use this sharpener a lot (Chef's Choice 120 Diamond Hone 3-Stage Professional Knife Sharpener, White: Amazon.com: Kitchen & Dining). Easy to use, reliable for the non-pro kitchen.

true to a "point"...har har
if the blade is made with inferior steel and isn't manufactured to hold an edge...all you will be doing is sharpening.
buy quality steel and have a good stone

[jitahs]

I believe that having a quality sharpener is MUCH more important than any knife brand, provided that the knife is comfortable in your hand. Keep you blade razor sharp. It should be able to shave the hairs on the back of your hand.

I'm partial to older high carbon blades with wooden handles. You can find them on ebay for pretty cheap. I use this sharpener a lot (Amazon.com: Chef's Choice 120 Diamond Hone 3-Stage Professional Knife Sharpener, White: Kitchen & Dining). Easy to use, reliable for the non-pro kitchen.

Yeah, but this is about a Japanese knife. Do not use that thing on a Japanese double bevel or a Japanese neck for that matter.

Uma would've been hacking.

[summilux]

They make a sharpener for Japanese bevels too, but I don't know how well they work on Mac knives. Japanese knives generally have a steeper bevel, even if the edge is double bevelled. I have some traditional Japanese knives (i.e. heavy ones) as well as some really sweet Japanese laminated woodworking chisels and slicks, the ones made from 19th century ship anchors. I would never touch any of those edges with anything but a proper waterstone.

The good thing about an electric sharpener is that it takes no skill at all to operate, and in 2 minutes you can bring even a stainless blade 80% of the way to the sharpness of a properly stoned pro-knife. I like the softer high carbon steel because it's easy to get a really keen edge on it, The edge will wear more quickly than on harder steels, but it's just a tradeoff.

[jitahs]

They make a sharpener for Japanese bevels too, but I don't know how well they work on Mac knives. Japanese knives generally have a steeper bevel, even if the edge is double bevelled. I have some traditional Japanese knives (i.e. heavy ones) as well as some really sweet Japanese laminated woodworking chisels and slicks, the ones made from 19th century ship anchors. I would never touch any of those edges with anything but a proper waterstone.

The good thing about an electric sharpener is that it takes no skill at all to operate, and in 2 minutes you can bring even a stainless blade 80% of the way to the sharpness of a properly stoned pro-knife. I like the softer high carbon steel because it's easy to get a really keen edge on it, The edge will wear more quickly than on harder steels, but it's just a tradeoff.

The thing I referenced above has two ceramic discs set in water, mimics the action/flushing of a trad waterstone. Works great; my Shun is 7-8 years old, never been pro sharpened. Yes, it's sharp.

[randonneur]

Macs are a great knife. Them and Shuns have breathed new life into the high end japanese-style knife market (as opposed to german. German = thick and soft, indestructible. Japanese = high hardness, but requires slightly greater care).

i rarely need anything other than my Hattori Hanzo blade

The interesting thing is that Hattori is actually a very well respected japanese knife maker. His KD series is basically impossible to get a hold of, with those few who are on the list having wait times of several years. sound familiar?

[caleb]

true to a "point"...har har
if the blade is made with inferior steel and isn't manufactured to hold an edge...all you will be doing is sharpening.
buy quality steel and have a good stone

Read an interesting set of interviews with some pro chefs recently, partly about their equipment. Two interesting and relevant points were common:

1) The average home cook has way too many knives. All a good cook needs is a pairing knife, a chefs knife, and a utility knife.

2) Stainless steel isn't that great. Most people that have experience cooking for a living use carbon steel blades - the sort of knives you can buy for 30 Euro in a decent French cooking store.

I've managed to accumulate lots of stainless German knives, but I could still use one of these:

[Too Tall]

Read an interesting set of interviews with some pro chefs recently, partly about their equipment. Two interesting and relevant points were common:

1) The average home cook has way too many knives. All a good cook needs is a pairing knife, a chefs knife, and a utility knife.

2) Stainless steel isn't that great. Most people that have experience cooking for a living use carbon steel blades - the sort of knives you can buy for 30 Euro in a decent French cooking store.

I've managed to accumulate lots of stainless German knives, but I could still use one of these:

It sort of blows me away that the old old old family knife, a sabatier 9" chefs, is still about the only knife I ever needed or cared to stay with for 99% of what I do in the kitchen. The expensive heavy Henckle I got last yr. is used to whack thru carcasses and is what I hand guests to use. It's not snobbery if you are sufficiently elitist ;)

[summilux]

1) The average home cook has way too many knives. All a good cook needs is a pairing knife, a chefs knife, and a utility knife.

I'd add a serrated bread knife and a cleaver to whack chicken bones for stock.

[jitahs]

Read an interesting set of interviews with some pro chefs recently, partly about their equipment. Two interesting and relevant points were common:

1) The average home cook has way too many knives. All a good cook needs is a pairing knife, a chefs knife, and a utility knife.

2) Stainless steel isn't that great. Most people that have experience cooking for a living use carbon steel blades - the sort of knives you can buy for 30 Euro in a decent French cooking store.

I've managed to accumulate lots of stainless German knives, but I could still use one of these:

For sure #1 is true.
#2 I'm not so sure about...

When I "apprenticed" with my friends they used stainless Wusthofs, being from that generation, and did everything with them short of turning carrots. The 6'5" dude used a 12" chefs, the 5'0" woman used a tenner, but generally speaking they told me size is a matter of height/comfort level. Their knives were over 10 years old with daily, heavy-duty use.

The Sabatier I have is in some ways my favorite ever but like 32x box section wheels I moved on. If it bothers you Sabatiers at 10" (forged) are curved - mine a little to the right. The biggest problem I found using it was the high carbon content meant lots of hitting it with the steel; beyond a point (sic) the blade isn't sharpenable so I had to retire it.

That said, my Shun holds an edge so much better than the Sabatier and is a razor all the time, something I wish my Sabatier was. The Frenchie now pitted and corroded with its elephant worn off.

I think the "high carbon is great" camp might have its analogy in bikedom's "steel is real" cabal, jmo.