Knife Sets

Oh good I've been waiting for a knife thread. I found a 7" Farberware Pro Forged Santoku for $3, did I do good?

>>8177917
no, could have talked them down to atleast $2.75

•Don't buy knives as a gift, that's bad luck breh

•Knife sets are more often than not a bit of a ripoff, you can buy the individual knives much cheaper, and for the same money you can buy much better knives

•Utility and Santoku knives are basically just small chef's knives. The santoku was designed to be the One and Only Knife for a home cook who basically only chops veg and chicken breast up for stew, while the utility knife is... just kind of an extra knife.
Neither of them do anything a chef's knife can't and neither of them should be your deciding factor.

•Maintenance is always important, but improper maintenance will hurt far more than no maintenance at all.
Please don't ever run your nice knives though a carbide knife shredder.

>>8178139
setting aside the bad luck superstition, how will i do if i get the following:

10" Chef/Gyuto
12" Bread
5" Santoku
4" Paring
some shears
12" Ceramic sharpening rod

for sharpening, am i good with just a single ceramic rod, or do i need to get a strop kit of some type as well? i know literally nothing about knife maintenance other than "wash your knives every time you use them, don't dishwash, don't keep with the other cutlery"

additionally, i've heard that knife blocks don't pan out to well when mix-and-matching knives. do you have any recommendation on magnetic wall strip vs individual sleeves for drawer storage?

>>8178183
Rods are good for maintaining an edge. But they won't work for long periods of time. To maintain an edge, fix it whenever neccesery and get an overall sharp blades you need a stone. I use a 1200/3000 grit waterstone that sharpens even shitty knives to pass the paper/tomato tests.

I don't reccomand a knife set. But if you do, think about the uses you're gonna get from each knife. I can do most of the work with my 21cm Gyoto, And a small utillity knive i own. So do most people. I don't see the need for a small santoku and a utillity. If you want a knives for a specific purpose I'd go with a japanese set. But for the most part all you ever need is a utillity knife, a chef's and a bread knife. Shears are also great. Everything else should go for maintaining the knives you already have.

>>8178230
>you need a stone
would i be using a stone instead of a rod, or would i get both, and use the rod regularly and the stone less often?

>If you want a knives for a specific purpose I'd go with a japanese set. But for the most part all you ever need is a utillity knife, a chef's and a bread knife.
do you think that for general use at-home, a European chef's knife is more useful than a Japanese chef's/gyuto knife? or are the differences minor enough that it's a matter of personal preference?

Imho buying her a couple of fancy knives+a stone that lets her keep them super sharp us much better than getting a set. Sets ALWAYS add in more knives than you could use. And whatever you decide to do, It's important to think about what kind of knives would she want.

>>8178261
I own alot of knives. My favourite is a handmade japneese santoku and a Yexall super gou petty. both cost me around 200$ And are an absolute pleasure to work with. I also own a Wusthuff Chefs knife, Some other western and japanesd knives But the ones i mentioned are the ones i always comeback to.

For japanese knives i find that rods are pretty useless if you take care of it correctly. The blade is harder thefore it chips instead of bends. i sharpen my knives every two weeks or so. I do it more often depending on how much i cooked, and i cook alot.
What i reccomend is a Gyuto. It's like a better version of a western chefs knife.
A solid VG10 gyuto would be a great all rounder because it is very sturdy, can take abuse and unless you leave it in a sink for a weekend, wont rust. But will also be a pleasure to sharpen.

I honestly love giving knives as a gift. For most people a quality knife just isn't on their radar so it's nice to give something beautiful and functional. As the anon above said, I would not get a set. For 500 dollars you can assemble a few really nice knifes and not be left with anything you might hardly ever use. Now you have to decide what types of knives you want. An 8-9 inch chef/gyoto is obvious but anything else is up in the air. Find out which of your current knives your gf uses the most and then upgrade those. I'd say go for her top 3 knives. Spend 200-300 on the chef knife and another 100-200 on the remaining 2. If you want to set aside 100 dollars or so for a stone or two for sharpening that's an option too, but only do so if you know your gf will actually use them so that money doesn't go to waste. If you have a trusted sharpener nearby that's cool, but letting a few hundred dollar knife dull to a nearly useless level is sad. Once you've decided what few knives you want to buy you are going to have to pick your steel. On this issue if you ask for advice here you'll get a shit show. There are two basic umbrellas with many options within each umbrella. Those options are stainless steel or carbon steel. Both have their pros and cons. It's up to you to decide which is the better fit for your gf. I suggest you go to chefknivestogo and email the owner of the site specifying what types of knives you want, what they will most often be used for, and your price range. The guy is very knowledgeable and will give you options. Personally, I have white #1 carbon steel knives as I thought that was the best fit for me. Hope any of this was helpful and have fun shopping.

Any of you guys convex grind your kitchen knives or is that purely for hunting knives?

>>8178302
This.
Getting a western chef knife would mean you dont really have to put alot of work into it's condition, but getting a japanese knife and a good stone lets you keep it at 100% all the time. But that might not be your (or your GF's) cup of tea. My mom hates sharp knives and she doesn't know how to really handle a knife, so having a really sharp blade is dangerous for her. If your girl is good with a knife and has the time to maintain it, getting a carbon steel knife is great. If she is on the opposite side, a Western chef's knife is the way.

>>8178327
>>8178302
thank you guys so much for the input, very informative and i think she'll appreciate a few really good quality knives in her arsenal

>>8178300
>For japanese knives i find that rods are pretty useless
>But will also be a pleasure to sharpen
so just to confirm, you exclusively use a stone to sharpen these knives? do you also strop them after sharpening, or just go from the stone straight to standard use?

Rule one is DO NOT i repeat DO NOT buy knives and keep them in that wooden block. Buy a wall magnet and keep them on that or on a towel in a drawer and not stacked on top of each other.

2nd of all, if you want good knives you really need to buy them separately. Global, shun, wusthof are all really good brands and you really cant go wrong with any of them. Futher you only really need like 4 knives. A good 8-10 inch chefs knife, a boning knife, a serrated slicer and a pairing knife. If youre feeling squirley you can get some butcher's sheers. Other than that everything else is just fluff and youll waste your money. Dont waste money on specialized blades and dont get a chefs knife and then also a sankotu knife. Thats just redundant. Get those knives and take care of them (clean them immediately after using and never EVER in the dishwasher or leave them in the sink) and youll have those knives for life.

>>8178345
>a serrated slicer
by this do you mean a bread knife, or a carving knife?

>>8178344
>so just to confirm, you exclusively use a stone to sharpen these knives? do you also strop them after sharpening, or just go from the stone straight to standard use?

Because i sharp pretty often i don't need to use a 240 grit stone, So my order goes from 1000 grit to 3000, while removing the burr at each step, than either going up (which is not really neccesry if you did a good job) than i strop it on my cutting board like i do when i remove the burr. Thats it.

>>8178350
Slicer knives are those long rounded edge knife. Yes they primarily work as bread/carving knives.

>>8178327
>My mom hates sharp knives and she doesn't know how to really handle a knife, so having a really sharp blade is dangerous for her.

A dull knife will cut your far worse than a sharp knife.
With a sharp knife, you're letting the blade do all the work, and if you're retarded and knick yourself then it will be a clean knick that heals easily.

With a dull knife you make a lot of stupid mistakes forcing the cut, and when the knife slips with half your bodyweight in it you will straight up stab yourself or throw it at someone across the room.

Do your poor mother a favour and show her how to handle a knife properly.

>>8178357
I like to use 400 if ive not sharpened it in a long long time. But yeah usually same here, if Im just doing my bi-weekly(for work) sharpen I roll with 1000 to 3000. If im talking about my home knives though that I rarely give a fuck about and i havent sharpened in like 3 months I start with 400.

>>8178369
This.

Sharp is safe because you dont have to put any real force behind making a cut. If you have a dull blade your compromising your ability to hold whatever it is your cutting because youre really having to hold that shit down and youll totally slip and cut the fuck out of yourself because your knife isnt immediately biting in to whatever youre trying to cut.

>>8178369
>>8178376
True, very true. But you'd agree with me if you saw the way she handles a knife. She's terrified of them, and often cuts in a way the cutting blade touches her skin. if the knife was sharp, it would pierce the skin. She gets plenty of cuts anyway.

>>8178407
Then show her how.

>>8178345

A wooden block takes up kitchen space I guess.

But a block with horizontal slits might graze a small part of the edge of the knife once every time you pull it out or put it in. Meanwhile while you are using it you are putting pressure on it on a cutting board, generally dozens of times.

There is simply no way a wooden block can damage the edge enough to be relevant compared to cutting.

>>8178411
I tried to, but she's not willing to learn.
She also can't watch while im cutting, because "my hands are too close to the knife" and "i cant see anything when cutting this fast"
Old dog can't learn new tricks i guess

>>8178407
Teach her to do it right ya dingus, my mother had all the same issues and really appreciated it when I showed her how to not cut herself.

>>8178428
Its a sanitation issue too.

>>8178433
Different people respond differently to their son trying to teach them new stuff.
I'm satisfied with my girlfriend learning how to cook by watching me.

>>8178376

Some super thin behind the edge sub 20 degree inclusive knife will go straight to the bone with a simple mistake, while a normal knife would just give you a cut.

There's middle ground here. I don't need to slice tomatoes one handed, requiring a little bit of pressure or a couple of mm of sawing to break the skin on a tomato doesn't make it less safe.

>>8178447
>requiring a little bit of pressure or a couple of mm of sawing to break the skin on a tomato doesn't make it less safe
thats exactly what it does.

>>8178447
Difference being a sharp knife will help you cut without mistakes, while a dull knife actively requires you to make mistakes.

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>mfw my brand spanking new wusthof 10" literally just got here
the sharpness
the balance
my dick

Buying your girlfriend cooking or cleaning tools is generally a very bad idea

>>8178554
Why?

OP said she loves it.

I just moved out (18) and got a £25 all purpose knife from John Lewis (upmarket british dept store)
It slices easy for now but how long before it goes blunt?

>>8178562
Even if she loves cooking, the signal sent is generally considered bad

>>8178566
What the fuck are you even talking about?

If the woman loves cooking, giving her a pretty and sharp cooking tool is a wonderful gift. Unless OP is a complete retard and says now go make me a sandwich or something I don't see how it could be taken the wrong way.

>>8178566
what is wrong with you?

>>8178566
Dude if you buy the woman a vacuum or like a an iron or something youre being a dick, but bitches LOVE cooking items, certainly the expensive shit. Hell, I love that shit too. Youre a fucking retard.

>>8178566
i'm the OP - she definitely won't take it that way. she always complains about how she loves cooking, and she wishes she could do more, but is hindered by our sub-par kitchen tools. unfortunately, something like a nice knife or knife set is just expensive enough that she's not going to buy it for herself

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>>8177907
>pic related is from Sur La Table. it seems nice, although given that it's an SLT exclusive item, i'm sure it's very overpriced
following up on this note - can anyone vouch for the quality of Miyabi Kaizen knives (pic related) from Sur La Table compared to something like a Shun Classic or Shun Premier?

>>8178606
>implying the tools are the reason she can't do better
Never gonna make it.

>>8178637
Dont be cheap and just go get the shun.

>>8178645
Dude having the correct tools is an essential part of mise en place.

>>8178637
Im the guy from the start of the thread, op.
I used miyabi knives although i don't own one.
They all feel very gentle and well built, don't weigh alot and have a pretty good balance.
Miyabi knives usually come in VG10 steel, or the classier one's come in SG2. SG2 is harder and i feel can retain an edge a bit better, although it's much harder to sharpen SG2, like every other High speed steel. Unless it's impossibole i always get a feel for a knife by holding it before buying. I hadve an IKEA VG10 knife for a long long time and to this day i use it. (best 40$ i ever spent, never thought i would find a knife so good at fucking IKEA)
My advise: Take her to a shop if you can, let her hold some knives, so you know what she likes.
If you can't, than a miyabi is as good as any knife to buy. For me they fit pretty well, I prefer Carbon steels so i never really considered buying one of those, but they're really good. Anything under J.A. Henckels i have encountered was amazing.
>>8178606
My GF bought me a Yexall super gou petty knife, which is the most expensive knife i own ( i think) and i love it, and i love her for knowing me enough to pick out a knife that was a perfect fit for me. I'll take all the bad luck in the world if it means people would gift me pretty knives

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>>8178645
>Never gonna make it.
dude, the knives we're currently using are a set of Bobby Flay knives that we got from Kohl's when we moved out of her parents' house

>>8178673
appreciate the detailed response, thanks again anon!

>>8178647
Shun are great, Miyabi are also great. They are both well built and the process the steel goes through is top notch. The major difference with similar types of knives is the overall design and weight. Shun is a great company, and whilst Miyabi is not as well known, Its a daughter company for J.A.Henckels, so both brands are pretty great. Shun offer a bigger knife pool, so they have that going for them. although i think miyabi knives are much prettier (and yes this is important unless you're a cook who doesn't give a shit about his tools)

>>8178680
>appreciate the detailed response, thanks again anon!
Cheers mate, i hope your girl will be happy with her new knives.
If you do end up getting a stone, keep those knives as practice, It's always good to know what you're doing before handling something expensive. (although basic sharpening is pretty easy, just need to get a feel for it)

>>8178685
>although i think miyabi knives are much prettier
this is a factor for me, especially because she's previously mentioned that she really wants a magnetic strip to display knives on the wall if she ever were to get good knives

we've been to Sur La Table before to fuck around with knives just for fun in the past, since there's one near my work, and i remember her saying she liked that brand, which is why i asked

>>8178680
>blaming the tools instead of the cook
>implying she will get magically better and get access to higher skills with a sharper knife
>implying she knows even a single dish that takes advantage of cooking with a sharper knife

>>8178696
Every dish you ever make cuts on is advantaged by using a better knife. Youre fucking stupid. Mise en place.

>>8178696
i think she makes fantastic food with the tools we have now, the problem is that the utensils we currently have are very low quality, and as such, using them turns food prep from something that she enjoys doing into something that's a chore, and so she doesn't do it as often as she'd like

>>8178690
Miyabi are great at creating beautiful knives that are also good.
Other than custom made knives, I've never seen prettier knives than Miyabi Artisan and Miyabi Birchwood series.

>>8178566
This post is toxic and problematic

>>8178696
The only way to get comfortable and skillfull with a sharp knife is to have a sharp knife.
As long as she uses the knife correctly, she will develop the skills neccesry to cut quickly and safely pretty much everything. I wanna see you practice Julianing a carrot with a dull knife.

>>8178703
this.

>>8178703
Not really. Only certain dishes are significantly improved with the right kind of knife. It's mostly about raw dishes where this applies and anything that needs micro slicing. If you can't get better because of the tools you're just some faggot who is giving himself excuses.

>>8178725
You could argue that cutting Protein, or even vegetables with a sharp knife would result in better taste and texture. It would result in less discoloration in vegetables and such. And you would be right to argue that.

You could be a genius in thinking up dishes but if you don't have the skills to execute them they'd probabbly taste like bitter disappointment.
Also, alot of classical french dishes require very precise and uniform cutting. I'd like to see you do that with a butterknife.

>>8178725
You literally have no idea what youre talking about. Part of getting better is getting the proper tools to set yourself up for success. Youre just being stupid.

ALWAYS mise en place. That is the only way you will ever be successful with any dish.

>>8178736
>>8178737
Like I said. You guys are never gonna make it with that attitude. What's next? Gonna cry that you don't have the newest high end molecular gastronomy tools to improve? Fuck outta here, second rate chefs. I started with subpar tools and didn't have money for a long time to get decent tools but my cooking always improved significantly even when I couldn't buy the ingredients I wanted. When I got a decent job and could buy decent tools and the ingredients I wanted I didn't improve much fast than before although I could experiment more in the kitchen.

That's the difference between having a great attitude in life and a shitty one. Using a sub-optimal situation to your advantage just will make you that much stronger.

>>8178757
Well, as a professional, youre fucking stupid. My first real job at a fine dining restaurant I brought my shitty knives from home and got cussed out immediately for not taking the job seriously. Knowing what I know now, Id do the same as my chef from that time. Youre fucking stupid. Preparation is key to being even a little successful. Mise. en. place.

>>8178757
A good chef always makes do. However it sounds as if you're to butthurt to understand that good gear breeds faster improvements. it's like that in pretty much every aspect of life, sports, music and pretty much everything. However you're confusing yourself if you think, that we that that good gear is the only think that inhibits growth. It really is nice to judge someone, and it's really great that you became gordon ramsay by breaking down chicken and frying it using your bare hands as both a knife and a pan. Good for you man. you are right if you say that you can improve with shitty gear, because atitude is important, that is correct.
good atitude and great gear will work faster tho.
be it good knives, pans, high tec Molecular gastronomy stuff, hotter oven or a good fridge.
Gear enables stuff you couldn't do before and that broadens your horizon. This nice OP just wants to buy his girlfriend a nice present. and you're like HURR DURR SHE NEEDS TO USE SHITTY STUFF BEFORE SHES READY. fuck off, you're the one with flawed atitude.

>>8178769
You don't grasp the essence of my words and resort to name calling. Do you really think you have what it takes to become great at something with that attitude? Am I saying you should limit yourself on purporse? No I'm not. If you can, get all the tools you want. I'm saying you shouldn't search for any excuses when you're in a sub-optimal situation and pull trough with persistence and some goddamn grit.

By the way, fucking kek for being a fucking moron with no common sense to bring your shitty kitchen knives to your "professional" kitchen job.
>>8178780
I never criticized any tools. I'm talking about the shitty attitude of OPs girlfriend, being only able to do more if she gets the better tool.

Either way, she never bothered to buy those tools or to pull trough with what she got without any complaints. Hell, it was probably a subtle wish for kitchen gear gifts from her beloved boyfriend and it worked so all is good.

>>8178791
>I'm talking about the shitty attitude of OPs girlfriend, being only able to do more if she gets the better tool.
who said anything about getting better? she likes cooking, and is good at cooking. she just doesn't do it often because she has shitty tools. i like driving, and i'm good at driving, but if all i've got available is some shitty beater, i'd rather not drive at all, because working with shitty tools takes the enjoyment out of something that should be enjoyable

>>8178791
>Either way, she never bothered to buy those tools or to pull trough with what she got without any complaints.
Seeing as a knife is used for pretty much everything in cooking, im guessing she did pull through.
There could be a bunch of reasons as of why she never bought new knives for herself, one of those could be that she doesnt care enough to spend the money on it, or that she is not that bothered by that. anyway you have a good night, sweet prince.

>>8178791
In your defense, it actually isn't an excuse to a degree. A good knife does improve work quality greatly and make tasks easier, but a properly maintained $10 Dexter or whatever is plenty sharp for most tasks. If she took their stuff to a pro sharpener or learned herself it would not be an issue.

That said, who fucking cares she's a home cook you autist

>>8178818
>If she took their stuff to a pro sharpener or learned herself it would not be an issue.
christmas isn't for a few months so actually i'm interested if it's possible to fix our current shitty knives and get them working for the next couple months. they're the knives here >>8178680

the paring knife is still good, but the santoku, chef, and utility knives have all separated where the handle joins the base. there's just like the inch or two of metal that goes into the handle, but given that they're knives, i'm hesitant to use something shoddy like hot glue to put them back together

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>>8178818
>That said, who fucking cares she's a home cook you autist
You're right. I forgot for a second how subhuman normalfags are. They don't have real passion for anything and just live life as it comes.

>>8178824
There are lots of guides on YouTube and a good King 1000 grit sharpening stone is about 20 dollars.

Otherwise just look for knife sharpeners in your area. Dont get sur la table to do it though they just use a pull sharpener and charge you $10

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>>8177907
Just saw this in costco. Probably one of the best deals out there

I inherited literally 15-20 knives of varying shapes and sizes and I never know what to use for what. I just end up using the paring one for everything

>>8178865
Post pictures

>>8178847
right but the blades are separated from the handles, i don't want to spend time/money sharpening a blade if there's no safe way for me to re-insert it in the handle

>>8178877
Get an epoxy that will bond metal to the handle material and a clamp to hold them together while it dries.
Scuff the tang up if it isn't already.

>>8178885
thanks for the tip man

>>8178366
>bread and carving knives are the same thing
You're an idiot.

>>8178925
OP here - should i be getting both a bread and carving knife then? my budget isn't limitless, so i'm trying to stick to good quality essentials. other websites suggested that bread knife is essential, carving knife is something i can add to the rotation later on?

>>8178945
You don't need either.
A serrated bread knife is nice to have if you enjoy hard, crusty bread often or if your chef's knife is too dull to slice a tomato.

A caving knife is just part of a fancy knife and fork set to break out when you've got a big turkey for holiday dinner, not even remotely an essential.

A sharp chef's knife will handle both bread slicing and turkey carving just fine, and a sharp bread knife can handle carving just fine as well if you really want that extra knife to round out a set.

>>8178968
awesome, thanks for the info anon

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>bread knife
>to slice a tomato

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>>8178994
... If your chef's knife is too dull. Which it shouldn't be.

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>>8178873
>>8178865
They're all quite dull except the last one on the right which is all I use now

>>8179073
i own 16 of that one 4th from the right. my parents had those as our default steak knives when i was a kid

>>8178860
what's a "prep knife"?

>>8179073
Looks like a bunch of cheap boning/fillet knives with a cleaver and a carving knife thrown in to me senpai

Seriously need to wonder why barely anyone sharpes his knives.

>>8179073
like 6 of those are the same knife

Gonna sound like a shill but I like Cutco. Fits well in my hand and I've never had an issue with sharpness.
Company claims they'll sharpen for free, so might try that one day.
Other than that I own a few Robert Welch knives that my sister recommend to me.

>>8177907
A Good Chefs Knife should be your all in one most of the time, you don't need need santaku
>Optional
A Fillet knife for delicate prep on meats
A paring knife for work on small fruits
A Long Roast Knife (Santaku is Okay) for broad cutting of big things (whole roasts, cutting subs)
anything extra if you are not a food worker is overkill

>>8177907
>required knives
chef's knife or santoku
paring knife
serrated utility knife (tomato knife, deli knife, etc)

>optional knives
either the chef's knife or the santoku that you skipped from the required category
bread knife (9+ inch)
fillet/carving/butcher knives if you do a lot of meat prep

>>8180061
hmm, other posters haven't mentioned a utility knife being vital - given chef's, utility, and paring, would you say the santoku or the bread is more vital? presumably the serration on the utility should get the job done since we aren't typically cutting huge hunks of bread, just like bagels and sandwich loaves and stuff

>>8180620
Because it isn't. Any professional chef will tell you that utility knives are practically useless(aside from maybe cutting a sandwich on a cramped line)

The santoku is just a different and shorter all purpose knife. Get a decent bread knife and you can use it for utility purposes like cutting tomato too.

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>>8180934
price-wise, it looks like

8" chef (my gf is 5'6, ~140lbs)
3.5" paring
9.5" bread
sharpening shit
magnetic strip

is going to be ideal. i figure sharpening shit doesn't need to be the same brand as the actual knives, and i can also grab some shears of a regular inexpensive brand as well

does this 3-knife proposal seem like a good gift?

i'd actually be saving some money there so i might be able to grab a nicer cutting board too, all the ones we have are plastic ikea pic related

also, if i'm getting something like a Shun or Miyabi that has a "damascus" pattern on the blade, will a magnetic strip ruin that pattern?

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>>8180953
Looks good senpai. Yeah, the brand of stone and honing steel doesn't matter too much. If you're gonna get a new cutting board maybe you can go with some decent wood. It's better for the knives and is actually more sanitary.

No, the magnetic strip wont mess up the pattern. Worst it will do is magnetize your blades a little.

I would probably go with the Miyabi - I've heard Shuns have pretty shitty heat treatment and chip easily.

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>>8180978
>It's better for the knives and is actually more sanitary
the lady at Sur La Table was also telling me that wood was better for the blades and more sanitary (if properly oiled/maintained)

do any of you guys have experience with rubber cutting boards? SLT employee had never heard of such a thing so she couldn't give me any info:
http://www.globalindustrial.com/g/foodservice/handling/cutting-boards/sani-tuff-all-rubber-cutting-boards

>>8181081
...are there people who use an Ulu as their primary cutting tool?

>>8181097
Yes, Inuits.

>>8181103
Inuit is already plural, breh.
The singular is inuk.

>>8181107
shit man, learning new things every day

>>8181074
I wouldn't go for it. Inevitably all cutting boards get nicks and I think rubber would trap food/bacteria easier.

Up to you though.

>>8181081
forgot the inevitable pocketknife guy

>>8181074
You have to do more than just wash a wooden cutting board off? I had no idea.

I just started cooking for myself, how much of a difference do these $200+ knives make vs the extra stainless knife my mom gave me? Obviously theres a difference but is it worth picking one up now while im still learning basic skills. The extent of my cooking right now is slicing up chicken breasts and throwing them in a pan with whatever spices look good in the cabinet

>>8181155
>You have to do more than just wash a wooden cutting board off? I had no idea.
It's kind of an autismal thing. You don't "have" to, just like you don't "have" to oil carbon steel knives. But it helps keep it in top shape.

>how much of a difference do these $200+ knives make vs the extra stainless knife my mom gave me?

If you don't learn how to maintain them properly or have someone that can, almost zero. Generally these kinds of knives are intended for professionals who can actually notice the differences in the way they handle and feel. Or for people who cook a LOT, I guess.

That said, having a higher end knife makes it easier to develop good cutting skills if you want to get good at making pretty meals for a date or just enjoy the craft. But if you're a college kid who doesn't give a fuck and wants to get from point A to point B with his food the one your mom gave you is probably fine. Just take it to a sharpener and hone it when needed.

>>8181179
>But it helps keep it in top shape.
is there a benefit to buying a $150 end grain teak board and maintaining it, vs getting a $30 edge grain maple board and just throwing it out for a new one once it goes bad? like, do the fancy boards actually offer improvements in food prep, or is their only feature the fact that they last longer?

>>8181207
Presumably it will last you forever since you're investing in higher quality product, much like buying a $200 knife vs a $10 one. You can throw out the $10 one when it gets dull, but after a while you'll have spent more than if you had just made the bigger investment.

But Im not an expert on cutting boards, so take that with a grain of salt.

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138KB, 350x350px

>>8181239
>But Im not an expert on cutting boards, so take that with a grain of salt.
more like an END grain of salt

>>8181207
end grain boards do have a definitive advantage over edge grain - the edge of your knife will stay sharp way, way longer, because it can slip "between" the woodgrain/wood fiber lengthwise and will consequently wear much less.

>>8181254
>because it can slip "between" the woodgrain/wood fiber lengthwise and will consequently wear much less.
can this be mitigated by cutting perpendicular to the grain on an edge grain board?

>>8178703

im sorry elaborate how finishing prep 10% faster has any effect on the final product as prepared by an applebees tier "chef"

>>8181549
see
>>8178736
when your knife is chewing up your food before it even gets to your mouth, it diminishes the potential max quality of said food

>>8181254
Bullshit.
You know nothing about this.
Fuck off.

>>8181560
Not that guy but that is pure autism. The difference is practically non existent.

>>8177907
chicago cutlery and henkel (german brand) are good

>>8181618
Actually, he has some legitimate point. But I think it's mostly regarding proteins. I can't say for veg.

Being able to cut say, prime rib in one stroke rather than sawing it gives it better texture and appearance. And it goes without saying that things like sushi have very noticable differences, which is why every sushi chef uses a razor sharp yanagiba instead of a standard chefs.

Feel free to try any of these things out for yourself. Use a razor sharp knife and then use a dull/serrated knife or something. You'll see a difference. Maybe it doesn't matter for a home cook, but it matters professionally.

I only use two knives and that's a chef's knife for 95% of the tasks, with a paring knife just to open packages and random tasks.