Do you have a favorite knife?

which one and why?

I really like my Misen short chef knives; they aren’t as fancy as some other ones I own but it has the best hand feel and cuts best for me.

For my all around workhorse knife my favorite is my Yoshikane 8in gyuto but I love my Yoshikane nakiri for fine veggie work.

lol your name is perfect. nice set there.

Like asking about a favorite child. You can see from the photos I like Japanese steel with western handles.
Pick one probably my Fujiwara Denka Gyotu - Outstanding edge retention, small enough to work as a petty but still handle most jobs.
But…
If I’m breaking down a chicken then I want my Jeb Taylor Boning knife

Paring is this Muteki by Shamus Dotsun

But I still love my classic Wusthoff, probably 30+ years old now and still going strong.

But I have a few to choose from and usually use the one that strikes my mood… or the task at hand. Some of them bring joy just to handle and cut.
I can feel stress just leave when I use them. I particularly like that rosewood petty and the middle chefs with the Damascus. Very thin blade and super sharp.

Dang! That’s a serious collection you’ve got there. I like that boning knife quite a bit. My honesuki does the trick for me but that is a real piece of craftsmanship. That subtle angle on the tip probably makes a big difference of how quickly and cleanly you can work with it

My new favorite is my Misono 440 9.4" gyoto that I just picked up.

Yeah I lusted after that boning knife for a while. My son was very jealous when i got it. It handles differently from the Wusthoff, which i still like for some tasks as the inside curve handles differently from the outside curve. It is super sharp and I have nicked myself a couple of times. Third from the right on the mag block is a sole knife I picked up in Paris. It is whisper thin and flexible. Does a nice job of skinning thin skinned fish or citrus pith.

thats an Alton Brown class knife collection right there! nice! what brands are most of those? I have a pretty random collection of Shun, Miyabi, and Global. my go to knife is a Miyabi, but my go-to nice knife is a 10 inch Shun chef.

Wusthoff represents the major “brand” if you will. Those were my knives i started with after the college knives wore out.
I have 1 of the Shun’s which I like for the blade, but the top of the handle is uncomfortable so I don’t reach for it very often.
I have a couple of Tojiro which is a great Japanese “value” knife.
I don’t have more than one I think of the other makers. I tend to walk into my favorite shop and see what moves me.
The stuff coming out of Carter Cutlery is pretty stunning. There is a rainbow Damascus that is calling my name right now. Next time I’m in New Orleans, I may have to get it. I drive over to New Orleans and drop knives off about every six months for sharpening.

do you own a whetstone? ive really enjoyed having one. the process of sharpening them with the stone is soothing, plus then you dont have to pay for sharpening! but being able to check out a shop every once in a while is a good bonus.

I notice many of the more serious WB knife enthusiasts (Elliott, Milton et al) have few blades with bolsters. What’s driving that preference?

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This also got me to start clicking on eBay; I notice of my own metal that maybe 2-3 knives get 90% of the work duty and I have a strong pref for the 20 cm length, even when perhaps a formally trained chef might not select that. So maybe I should just get multiples of my favorite…

I just find that the knife is more comfortable in my hand without a bolster, it’s probably a matter of pinching as close to the handle as possible.

The knife is also significantly lighter without a bolster, which is easier on my wife’s arthritic hands. So it’s a win-win.

I do still have a few knives with bolsters, but I’m considering selling some. But my Hiromoto Aogami Super Gyuto is staying, for sure!

The one knife I have that is a big step up over any possible substitute is my pair of Gesshin 90mm paring knives from JKI. For something like coring and sectioning an apple, they’re just a huge step up over the competition.

I have a Hiromoto Aogami Super TJ-25AS Gyuto 210mm but have misplaced the insert that showed the bevel angles. Would you happen to have that information handy?

My best knife is a Tojiro bread knife. Cheap, not particularly special, but the absolute best bread knife I’ve ever run across and I use it for some vegetable cutting as well.

My serrated “bread” knife is a Wusthoff. If (when) I replace it, it will be the Tojiro. When I bought my son his first bread knife, I bought the Tojiro for him.

Bolsters tend to be found on the European stuff which is what I started with. As I have purchased more Japanese styled knives the ratio has shifted. The bolsters can interfere with getting the last bit of the blade sharp. Also, it tends to shorten blade life as eventually you wear enough metal the you need to reform the bolster. You have to have a good shop able to do that properly. I will say you have to get used to no bolster life. Those ultra sharp square blade heels will nick the heck out of you if you aren’t careful.

To me you need an assortment. Heavy blades with a Euro bevel angle for chopping and gross prep work. The finer bevel and thinner blade for more precise cuts. You don’t want to use the japanese stuff in hard bony situations. Your cutting motion is also important. I don’t like Santoku and Nakiri generally because I am a rocker and can’t break the habit after 50+ years of prepping.

I do but I am not good with it. My son is and he will bring his setup sometimes when he comes home from school. But as noted, the old “I have to take my knives to be sharpened” is a good ploy for the shop visit. Kind of like, y’all go in that dress shop, I’ll see what the wine store has…

I think you mean the doc on the right? I included a pic of the knife, as my packaging didn’t have a model number on it, just a bunch of Kanji and “210mm”.

Hiromoto + inserts.JPG4032×3024 2.92 MB