I have a Wusthof Santoku (7 1/2 inch) and a Wusthof Chef knife (9 inch). After buying the Santoku, the Chef knife has sat idle for several years. Santoku knives are fantastic. Very lightweight, easy to sharpen and feel great in the hand.
The expensive knives have their purpose and when you use them you will appreciate them. This guy is recommending a cold stamped steal knife! You use a cheap knife in a professional kitchen so if they are stolen the owner of the shop is not worried. But try a Japanese shun premier knife and you will be blown away. I have in the past always recommend European knives. But it depends on what kinds of food you cut to decide between a European or Japanese. European are thicker and heavier so the knife helps you cut, but the edge is not as sharp, and the steal has less carbon. The Japanese is super high carbon so it's a thinner knife and sharper knife, but lack of weight means it needs a slicing action to cut. Thinner also means it can chip if used improperly.
@@ben6089 I agree. The high carbon in the Japanese is not made for that kind of cutting. The euro knife is great for that. My personal favorite Gunther Wilhelm knives. If you live in USA they have special events at Costco. They are great for rough work and they are foraged steel too. They also come with lifetime warranty too.
I have a Walmart bought Chicago Cutlery $18 Santoku that I bought in 2008 or so.....Love it! But it got dull as a rock. So thinking that a more expensive knife would not get dull (yeah, what an idiot) I recently bought an AUS10 Damascus Xinzou Chinese Santoku for about $60. Then while waiting for the knife to arrive I did some research to realize that all knives get dull so bought a King 1000/6000 whetstone. I was able to bring my old cheap Chicago Cutlery Santoku back to hair shaving sharpness to give it a brand new life in my kitchen and have a nice damascus Santoku that is also hair shavingly sharp. I also have a Damascus Chef's knife, and Nakiri (Tuo Cutlery) in my collection now.....also Aus10 steel from China (say what you want but they make pretty decent knives at a decent price....and yes, it is real damascus, not etched). But all in all, I prefer using a 7" Santoku over an 8" Chef or 6.5" Nakiri. And if you buy a knife, spend about $30 and buy a dual sided whetstone (1000/6000 grit) and learn to sharpen....you will be glad you did!
ask any chef and most will agree: what's the best knife? a SHARP one. as long as they're sharp, i can use any of them and accomplish the same results. next to a sharp edge, size and weight are the other considerations.
I disagree, butter knives are the best knives. They can be used for butter and jelly, the serated ones can be used to saw vegetables like onions or tomatoes. They are also functional screwdrivers sometimes.
Tall flat edge cleavers like Nakiri or Chinese cleavers are most efficient IMO. They break down thick veg and meats without ever leaving your knuckles, so safer and faster. Push cutting with the figure skate profile blade rather than the hockey skate shape lets it chop and push slice through stuff completely. Radius blades have a useless blade heel that doesn't touch the board. Expensive French Western chef knives break the tip off if it gets dropped with wet hands. And when are your hands ever wet in the kitchen?
Have you got a strop or ceramic honing rod? It might be what you want for maintaining a very hard steel like the nakiri because once the knife is over 59-61 a metal honing rod stops working well as it does with a regular European knife.
It's still gonna be brittle. Sashimi is where you benefit of the high hcr steel the most, anything else you simply don't. Depends on the knife and he got a very cheap santoku, a good modern santoku does the same as a chef knife and they come in similar steel too..it's preference but in a kitchen who wants non stainless brittle 300+ knives that chop the same? Sushi cooks.
I have carbon steel (not stainless) traditional grind nakiris at 59HRC. The edge holds well since the traditional grind has them very thick at the spine, stays straight halfway down, then starts tapering towards the edge from there, effectively putting more steel behind the actual cutting edge than a more conventional Western or Western-style Japanese brand knife grind. Plus I chop on wood and my push cuts never try to look like what TV makes people think chopping food looks like.
I used a Henkel Chefs knofe until I got a Shun Santoku. Have rarely touched the chef's knife since. Mostly to cut larger pieces of beef. I use a nakiri for vegetables all the time. I love the round Asian handles.
I have huge hands and have found ROUND Asian Handles to be too small. I have many knives - most people have more than one - I still need a Bread Knife and a Slicer. At least one of my knives is set aside for cutting up meats - it will be probably a German Chef's knife - with a 20 degree bevel and softer steel to cut bones. THe alternative is a Chinese Cleaver (Not a Japanese Nakiri which is smaller ) but some of them are just HUGE - although they can be cheap as well.
GEAR ASSASSIN: Me too, stropping regularly makes a huge difference. My primary knives are a high molybdenum steel santoku and a nakiri with a VG-10 steel core with 32 layers of Damascus steel on each side. The steel used for the santoku is softer than the laminated nakiri knife. It makes it a breeze to sharpen on whetstones or with a decent ceramic rod. Daily stropping on a leather belt keeps the edge nicely polished. It'll never get the the super fine edge the nakiri gets though. It's still a very good knife. The nakiri is a little more involved, nothing to panic about though. It's simple enough to learn the technique. The VG-10 steel is very hard, 61 on the Rockwell scale. The multilayer cladding does protect the hard steel core and helps with flexibility. The trick is getting the cutting bevel at the right angle for your cutting style. Get the angle too acute and you'll end up with a bloody sharp but very brittle edge. I find a 15° angle works well for me. Again, regular stropping helps keep the edge. My santoku is sadly becoming a little old and worn. It's getting time for a new knife. This time around, I'll be going the same route as my nakiri. The multi-clad VG-10 steel is best option in my opinion. It's well worth the extra effort it takes to maintain the blades.
@@jasondaniel918 Thanks Frank, since I wrote the first comment, I purchased a beautiful handmade, VG-10 Hammered, 45-Layered, Damascus 175mm Bunka Knife. It's lightweight, thin and super hard without being brittle. The kiritsuke type tip is so useful for fine work. The Bunka knife in my opinion, is the perfect knife for a small to medium sized workspace. It's an absolute gem and I'd recommend it to any professional cook/chef, or serious home cook 😀,
HAHA! : ) No joke. The trials of white balancing on a new camera and setting exposure/etc on a tiny little screen that displays things way darker than what they actually are..... Priceless. Had a number of my first videos like that. Getting past it though.. Thanks for the love! Hope you didn't have to put on a set of polarized shades to make it to the end. lol
This was helpful, but I wonder if you could do a comparison/demo of how these three TYPES of knives compare IN GENERAL, rather than those three specific models in particular. I’m sure that not every Nakiri has that great handle, and not every culinary school chef’s knife has insufficient clearance. Do you understand what I mean?
That's not a bad idea. To try to help a bit more.... The Nakiri is designed to be used with short forward thrusts while chopping. The blade leaves the board completely and works well for softer items such as vegetables etc. Even though it looks like a cleaver it's not meant to chop through hard items or bones. The traditional "Chef's" knife is more of an all purpose option. Its design can help you accomplish most all tasks in the kitchen. You can butcher meats with it, peel fruits/vegetables, slice, and even filet/skin a fish. When slicing and chopping it's shaped to keep the blade in contact with the cutting board at all times and use a rocking motion to accomplish the cut. You use the tip for more delicate items and can increase pressure for harder to cut items back toward the handle. The Santoku is very similar to a traditional chef's knife and will/can perform just as well. Between a Santoku and a chef's knife... They are essentially the same. They can do whatever the opposite can do for the most part. When I look for a knife... The length of the blade, its overall height, and space for my knuckles reigns supreme; for me. I also prefer a long and flat (non angled) section of blade from the bolster to just before the tip of the knife. That is the main reason I like the Nakiri. There really is no option for "rocking" the blade on the cutting board unless you are finely mincing something. Not sure if that helps or not but thank you for reaching out!
Moore Approved - That’s exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much. I worked as a chef for a few years in the 90s, and european chefs knives were the norm, so I am only used with the “rocking” style of chopping. Never tried the Nakiri chopping style of cutting. Suppose I’d have to learn a new technique from scratch if I was to try a Nakiri. That could god be fun. What about Santoku. Is that use for rocking or chopping or either?
Yeah it's sort of a hybrid between the two. Has more of a curve to the blade to allow for the rocking motion but is a bit more stubby so you can chop with it as well.
On my personal opinion I don't like the santoku the nakiri feel little better but I prefer the classic German chef knife and I think the best knife it's an individual decision just keep it sharp .
Just like all knives are not equal - neither are Humans either. I have HUGE hands - can easily span an octave and 3 notes on a Piano - my mother - who is 5' tall cannot span an octave. I find smaller knives are hard for me - since they generally do not have enough clearance for my hand UNDER Them when cutting. Others would disagree because they have smaller hands. First priority - the Knife that works with your hand is the best one.
I personally like the Santokus - The multipack ones with the little scoops on the blade that are easy to sharpen and throw through the dishwasher - same reasoning: you screw it up, you just get another pack of them. It suits my hand size.
Protherium -They’re not perfect for everything... though you may want to change your knife grip if you’re mainly holding the handle? It might be there’s no combination of grips that will work for your hard veg though.
I think those are just a cheap knife made in China that's sold under lots of different brands. There was one at a restaurant I worked at with the Sysco name printed on the handle that I'm pretty sure was the exact same as the "daily chef" and it was definitely not as nice as a Victorinox. In my opinion it's a cheap feeling knife and the steel was definitely lacking in quality. It's not an expensive knife, and you are getting what you pay for, which may be perfectly fine in some cases
I’ll bet somewhere on TH-cam there is a video of him cutting down the tree with his chef’s knife (taken and downloaded by his neighbors of course!). Good video.
Do you have enough space for a 1x30 belt sander? If yes, then get one for knife sharpening. VG-10, VG-Max, BD1N, White steel #1,2,super, Blue steel 1,2,super whatever a knife is made of, sharpening takes less than 5 min.
Just maintain the vg 1 steel more often so it isn’t so hard after waiting a long time I love shun they are using VG max amazing but I also have German knives witch I love
I liked the blade-depth of a cheap 10" chef's knife, but didn't get on with the length of it; too unwieldy for me. Out to my workshop, cut 3 1/2" straight off the end, and ground it to the sharpness of a butter-knife. I stoned the cutting-edge to a RH bevel straight edge, (like a sushi-cut). I use it for all vegetable prep: The semi-blunt end grind lets me shovel-up the cut product to move it into a bowl. It is well balanced, and as an engineer that likes cooking I find it well-balanced and perfect for my purpose.
Oddly enough, I did have a camera pointed in that direction... I don't live there anymore so I doubt I'd get access to the DVR. However... I might have to find another tree that needs to be felled! I like how you think Commander.
I really appreciate your comment Rori! I get a lot of hate from people on this one. High carbon non/no stain steel knives are the bar at every restaurant. Everyone has a biased view... "Your knife can't perform if it isn't a certain "brand" or "style". In reality it just needs to be easy to clean, easy to sharpen, and maintain overall. Quality "cheap" knives are an industry standard. Chefs aren't handed a $300 Shun Knife. They are handed a high carbon stain resistant knife. If Chefs want to "flex" they bring their own personal knives in as a status symbol... It's the absolute truth. Buy a knife that you like and that will get the job done... Don't break the bank.
@@Mooreapproved Makes sense to me! I bought a $35 8 chef's knife on Amazon bc I liked the looks of the blade (I like drop points with fat bellies), and I really like it. Time will tell how good it is (how it holds its edge), then I bought a Dexter Russell 10" chef's knife, and spent $40. There's no WAY I'd even consider a knife over $100 at this point--until I know how to sharpen properly. And if both of these work well, what would be the point of spending more money? I can spend more money on cooking spices/ingredients! Cheers :)
An insane deal for what you get. I've bought a few expensive knives since this video.... They are garbage after heavy use. Literally. I tossed a Shun in the trash because the blade bent. But the knife from Aldi is still in use... Thanks for sharing my friend!
@@Mooreapproved I made a video of me doing the tomato slicing trick most knife review videos do. I did it with 4 knives, the most expensive was $40. It is Victorinox Fibrox 10 inch chefs knife. I made the video because I was challenged to prove my cheap knives could do that as well as the $400 knives he was reviewing. I won.
You used a chef's knife to chop down a tree. Uh, have you ever heard of axes or hatchets? At least a sharp machete? I became interested in nakiri knives watching Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman). Ree uses a nakiri quite often and I wondered how they differed from santokus and chef's knives. This video helped a lot. Thank you. I am going to get a good nakiri to experience it for myself. - But I am reserving my machete for small tree chopping.
So when you say little pieces of the edge can break off a Nakiri, are you saying one could possibly wind up with sharp little pieces of metal on their food? Because that's bad. And I just bought one at the store and knew nothing about it. :(
BelieveThePanda no it's not he says the name of the movie it's "The New Guy" the scene is a new inmate picks a fight with the baddest guy in prison then yells "Tiger Claw" to throw him off and kicks him in the nuts
You are talking about what we call "Kitchen Knives" or House knives with the Dexters and I hate them personally as they usually are the worst knives in the kitchen and it is always best to have your own personal knife just because you know it will be sharp and maintained where as the house knife gets abused and people do evil things to them. also they only get swapped out once a week by the sharping company that the establishment goes through. Once worked at a place that didn't have a Steele to use.
I am just a home cook, so I can use Dexter knives and appreciate them because I am the only one who uses them. I have three Dexters that I use regularly. I also strop them regularly. With that minimal care, they perform just fine.
@@jasondaniel918 Yeah that's different. Professionally we send them out to a profession sharpener who owns the knives and trades them out on a weekly basis. we do own our own sets individually but it tends to be more often we leave them at home cause people are thieves.
I had my $450 knife kit stolen when I was on my Culinary internship at the renaissance suites hotel almost a decade and a half ago... Oddly enough, most of the kitchen people were pretty close knit and when it got back to the "Culprit" that I was flat broke and wouldn't be able to replace the kit or continue in my classes using different gear... They brought it back and left it under the station I normally occupied. Most of the time though... Kiss those puppies goodbye! I will only take a Sams Club knife into work. No one will ever steal it! If they break the tip off, or cut directly on a prep table... no worries. it's only $7. lol
santoku means three virtues, and is the Japanese version of a European chef's knife. If the Nakiri doesn't get sharp, then it isn't good steel, or you are not knowing how to sharpen. Thank you for the video. If you're spending ten bucks for a knife, , , ,THROW IT OUT.
Sorry, I was agreeing, using a sharpening stone is the only way to sharpen. I use a 1000/6000 grit stone but after 20-30 times of re-sharpening, that blade became really brittle. I actually have a crack starting right in the middle of the blade now so I no longer use it. Although it would be interesting footage if it broke in half while I was using it. As long as it didn't impale me or take a finger.
Honing steels are exactly as their name suggest, for honing. They roll the edge back over as it gets folded and bent against the chopping board. No point shaving off the metal if you can just maintain your knife. I sharpen on a stone every few weeks and hone before I cook.
Honing is good for house knives (provided by employer), or for touching up softer steel blades in a pinch. -Though it seems most would be better off with a V tungsten carbide sharpener which can be carried in a pocket.
I really do not get this pinch gripping technique, Ramsay doesn't do it, Pepin doesn't do it, Marco Pierre White as well and so on. It is not natural and it is not comfortable. If the knife was made to be hold by the blade why are there handles at all?
Actually all three chefs certainly do grip with thumb and index to sides if you look closely, some of their knives may have a wide bolster however so it isn't always obvious to tell. It's the classic chefs grip. In pinching beyond the handle you allow for more control over the knife, it can actually help make chopping more precise and faster. This way of handling can also be safer for knife work in helping prevent the blade going astray and causing injury. It's preference but you can't achieve this extra support with all fingers and thumb on the handle. It is deemed the proper way to hold a chef's knife in the industry and one of the first things they'd teach in culinary school.
No knife should be put through the dishwasher. The heat will soften the metal over time, the banging around will cause metal fatigue or micro tears in the metal, and the chlorine or derivative can cause pitting. Santokus are a joke. Instead get a slicing knife for melon, hard squash, roasts, etc. Nakiri are ok, but very limited uses that a chef's or gyuto can't do as well. (I got one for chopping 4 gallons of diced tomato daily *makes more use of cutting board space). -It's also nice and light to use when sore.
Still using the potato peeler knives for most, Santokus are indeed a good second because they have no point and allow to keep the small knife techniques on bigger knives without stabbing oneself. The longer slicing knives are great for cutting bread, when sharp. As for chefs knives they probably are for chefs.
I have a Wusthof Santoku (7 1/2 inch) and a Wusthof Chef knife (9 inch). After buying the Santoku, the Chef knife has sat idle for several years. Santoku knives are fantastic. Very lightweight, easy to sharpen and feel great in the hand.
I fell in love with the Santoku back in 2007 after using it the first time. Never looked back.
My most used blade by far.
Nice to have someone not just recommend the expensive knives as a must have.
The expensive knives have their purpose and when you use them you will appreciate them. This guy is recommending a cold stamped steal knife! You use a cheap knife in a professional kitchen so if they are stolen the owner of the shop is not worried. But try a Japanese shun premier knife and you will be blown away. I have in the past always recommend European knives. But it depends on what kinds of food you cut to decide between a European or Japanese. European are thicker and heavier so the knife helps you cut, but the edge is not as sharp, and the steal has less carbon. The Japanese is super high carbon so it's a thinner knife and sharper knife, but lack of weight means it needs a slicing action to cut. Thinner also means it can chip if used improperly.
@@ben6089 I agree. The high carbon in the Japanese is not made for that kind of cutting. The euro knife is great for that. My personal favorite Gunther Wilhelm knives. If you live in USA they have special events at Costco. They are great for rough work and they are foraged steel too. They also come with lifetime warranty too.
@@papneja Thanks for the recommendation, I'm looking them up now.
I have a Walmart bought Chicago Cutlery $18 Santoku that I bought in 2008 or so.....Love it! But it got dull as a rock. So thinking that a more expensive knife would not get dull (yeah, what an idiot) I recently bought an AUS10 Damascus Xinzou Chinese Santoku for about $60. Then while waiting for the knife to arrive I did some research to realize that all knives get dull so bought a King 1000/6000 whetstone.
I was able to bring my old cheap Chicago Cutlery Santoku back to hair shaving sharpness to give it a brand new life in my kitchen and have a nice damascus Santoku that is also hair shavingly sharp. I also have a Damascus Chef's knife, and Nakiri (Tuo Cutlery) in my collection now.....also Aus10 steel from China (say what you want but they make pretty decent knives at a decent price....and yes, it is real damascus, not etched).
But all in all, I prefer using a 7" Santoku over an 8" Chef or 6.5" Nakiri.
And if you buy a knife, spend about $30 and buy a dual sided whetstone (1000/6000 grit) and learn to sharpen....you will be glad you did!
ask any chef and most will agree: what's the best knife? a SHARP one. as long as they're sharp, i can use any of them and accomplish the same results. next to a sharp edge, size and weight are the other considerations.
100% agree
I disagree, butter knives are the best knives. They can be used for butter and jelly, the serated ones can be used to saw vegetables like onions or tomatoes. They are also functional screwdrivers sometimes.
@@TheIrishEnigma cutting a tomato with a butter knife is a certain form of Hell
Tall flat edge cleavers like Nakiri or Chinese cleavers are most efficient IMO. They break down thick veg and meats without ever leaving your knuckles, so safer and faster. Push cutting with the figure skate profile blade rather than the hockey skate shape lets it chop and push slice through stuff completely. Radius blades have a useless blade heel that doesn't touch the board. Expensive French Western chef knives break the tip off if it gets dropped with wet hands. And when are your hands ever wet in the kitchen?
Have you got a strop or ceramic honing rod?
It might be what you want for maintaining a very hard steel like the nakiri because once the knife is over 59-61 a metal honing rod stops working well as it does with a regular European knife.
It's still gonna be brittle. Sashimi is where you benefit of the high hcr steel the most, anything else you simply don't. Depends on the knife and he got a very cheap santoku, a good modern santoku does the same as a chef knife and they come in similar steel too..it's preference but in a kitchen who wants non stainless brittle 300+ knives that chop the same? Sushi cooks.
I have carbon steel (not stainless) traditional grind nakiris at 59HRC. The edge holds well since the traditional grind has them very thick at the spine, stays straight halfway down, then starts tapering towards the edge from there, effectively putting more steel behind the actual cutting edge than a more conventional Western or Western-style Japanese brand knife grind. Plus I chop on wood and my push cuts never try to look like what TV makes people think chopping food looks like.
I used a Henkel Chefs knofe until I got a Shun Santoku. Have rarely touched the chef's knife since. Mostly to cut larger pieces of beef. I use a nakiri for vegetables all the time. I love the round Asian handles.
I have huge hands and have found ROUND Asian Handles to be too small. I have many knives - most people have more than one - I still need a Bread Knife and a Slicer. At least one of my knives is set aside for cutting up meats - it will be probably a German Chef's knife - with a 20 degree bevel and softer steel to cut bones. THe alternative is a Chinese Cleaver (Not a Japanese Nakiri which is smaller ) but some of them are just HUGE - although they can be cheap as well.
i use the nakiri and santoku alost evreyday at the end of each time i use them i strop them on a leather belt ive never had any problems
GEAR ASSASSIN: Me too, stropping regularly makes a huge difference. My primary knives are a high molybdenum steel santoku and a nakiri with a VG-10 steel core with 32 layers of Damascus steel on each side. The steel used for the santoku is softer than the laminated nakiri knife. It makes it a breeze to sharpen on whetstones or with a decent ceramic rod. Daily stropping on a leather belt keeps the edge nicely polished. It'll never get the the super fine edge the nakiri gets though. It's still a very good knife.
The nakiri is a little more involved, nothing to panic about though. It's simple enough to learn the technique. The VG-10 steel is very hard, 61 on the Rockwell scale. The multilayer cladding does protect the hard steel core and helps with flexibility. The trick is getting the cutting bevel at the right angle for your cutting style. Get the angle too acute and you'll end up with a bloody sharp but very brittle edge. I find a 15° angle works well for me. Again, regular stropping helps keep the edge. My santoku is sadly becoming a little old and worn. It's getting time for a new knife. This time around, I'll be going the same route as my nakiri. The multi-clad VG-10 steel is best option in my opinion. It's well worth the extra effort it takes to maintain the blades.
@@AndyinMokum Very good narrative and A+ advice. Thank you.
@@jasondaniel918 Thanks Frank, since I wrote the first comment, I purchased a beautiful handmade, VG-10 Hammered, 45-Layered, Damascus 175mm Bunka Knife. It's lightweight, thin and super hard without being brittle. The kiritsuke type tip is so useful for fine work. The Bunka knife in my opinion, is the perfect knife for a small to medium sized workspace. It's an absolute gem and I'd recommend it to any professional cook/chef, or serious home cook 😀,
@@AndyinMokum Thanks, Andy. I'll do some research on the Bunka. It sounds interesting.
Love the video, but dude, it looks like you are recording in the after life.
HAHA! : ) No joke. The trials of white balancing on a new camera and setting exposure/etc on a tiny little screen that displays things way darker than what they actually are..... Priceless. Had a number of my first videos like that. Getting past it though.. Thanks for the love! Hope you didn't have to put on a set of polarized shades to make it to the end. lol
I have only one knife. Santoku. I love the Japanese style more but for reasons u mentioned I prefer Santoku. Nice video
This was helpful, but I wonder if you could do a comparison/demo of how these three TYPES of knives compare IN GENERAL, rather than those three specific models in particular. I’m sure that not every Nakiri has that great handle, and not every culinary school chef’s knife has insufficient clearance. Do you understand what I mean?
That's not a bad idea. To try to help a bit more.... The Nakiri is designed to be used with short forward thrusts while chopping. The blade leaves the board completely and works well for softer items such as vegetables etc. Even though it looks like a cleaver it's not meant to chop through hard items or bones. The traditional "Chef's" knife is more of an all purpose option. Its design can help you accomplish most all tasks in the kitchen. You can butcher meats with it, peel fruits/vegetables, slice, and even filet/skin a fish. When slicing and chopping it's shaped to keep the blade in contact with the cutting board at all times and use a rocking motion to accomplish the cut. You use the tip for more delicate items and can increase pressure for harder to cut items back toward the handle. The Santoku is very similar to a traditional chef's knife and will/can perform just as well. Between a Santoku and a chef's knife... They are essentially the same. They can do whatever the opposite can do for the most part. When I look for a knife... The length of the blade, its overall height, and space for my knuckles reigns supreme; for me. I also prefer a long and flat (non angled) section of blade from the bolster to just before the tip of the knife. That is the main reason I like the Nakiri. There really is no option for "rocking" the blade on the cutting board unless you are finely mincing something. Not sure if that helps or not but thank you for reaching out!
Moore Approved - That’s exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much. I worked as a chef for a few years in the 90s, and european chefs knives were the norm, so I am only used with the “rocking” style of chopping. Never tried the Nakiri chopping style of cutting. Suppose I’d have to learn a new technique from scratch if I was to try a Nakiri. That could god be fun. What about Santoku. Is that use for rocking or chopping or either?
Yeah it's sort of a hybrid between the two. Has more of a curve to the blade to allow for the rocking motion but is a bit more stubby so you can chop with it as well.
On my personal opinion I don't like the santoku the nakiri feel little better but I prefer the classic German chef knife and I think the best knife it's an individual decision just keep it sharp .
Just like all knives are not equal - neither are Humans either. I have HUGE hands - can easily span an octave and 3 notes on a Piano - my mother - who is 5' tall cannot span an octave. I find smaller knives are hard for me - since they generally do not have enough clearance for my hand UNDER Them when cutting. Others would disagree because they have smaller hands. First priority - the Knife that works with your hand is the best one.
I personally like the Santokus - The multipack ones with the little scoops on the blade that are easy to sharpen and throw through the dishwasher - same reasoning: you screw it up, you just get another pack of them. It suits my hand size.
Protherium -They’re not perfect for everything... though you may want to change your knife grip if you’re mainly holding the handle? It might be there’s no combination of grips that will work for your hard veg though.
I wonder if those "Daily Chef" knives aren't made for Sam's club by Victorinox? They have a similar look to me.
I think those are just a cheap knife made in China that's sold under lots of different brands. There was one at a restaurant I worked at with the Sysco name printed on the handle that I'm pretty sure was the exact same as the "daily chef" and it was definitely not as nice as a Victorinox. In my opinion it's a cheap feeling knife and the steel was definitely lacking in quality. It's not an expensive knife, and you are getting what you pay for, which may be perfectly fine in some cases
If you cannot sharpen a vg10 blade, maybe try a good ceramic stone, leather finish, it’ll keep an edge like crazy
What’s the name of the culinary school knife that you don’t like ?
I’ll bet somewhere on TH-cam there is a video of him cutting down the tree with his chef’s knife (taken and downloaded by his neighbors of course!). Good video.
Thank you Patriot! If I had it... Or could get it... I definitely would have shared it.
Do you have enough space for a 1x30 belt sander? If yes, then get one for knife sharpening. VG-10, VG-Max, BD1N, White steel #1,2,super, Blue steel 1,2,super whatever a knife is made of, sharpening takes less than 5 min.
"they all have the same use"...…..
Just maintain the vg 1 steel more often so it isn’t so hard after waiting a long time I love shun they are using VG max amazing but I also have German knives witch I love
I liked the blade-depth of a cheap 10" chef's knife, but didn't get on with the length of it; too unwieldy for me.
Out to my workshop, cut 3 1/2" straight off the end, and ground it to the sharpness of a butter-knife. I stoned the cutting-edge to a RH bevel straight edge, (like a sushi-cut). I use it for all vegetable prep: The semi-blunt end grind lets me shovel-up the cut product to move it into a bowl. It is well balanced, and as an engineer that likes cooking I find it well-balanced and perfect for my purpose.
I can't believe you haven't uploaded the video of you chopping down a tree with a chef's knife!!
Oddly enough, I did have a camera pointed in that direction... I don't live there anymore so I doubt I'd get access to the DVR. However... I might have to find another tree that needs to be felled! I like how you think Commander.
Thanks for the unbiased info!
I really appreciate your comment Rori! I get a lot of hate from people on this one. High carbon non/no stain steel knives are the bar at every restaurant. Everyone has a biased view... "Your knife can't perform if it isn't a certain "brand" or "style". In reality it just needs to be easy to clean, easy to sharpen, and maintain overall. Quality "cheap" knives are an industry standard. Chefs aren't handed a $300 Shun Knife. They are handed a high carbon stain resistant knife. If Chefs want to "flex" they bring their own personal knives in as a status symbol... It's the absolute truth. Buy a knife that you like and that will get the job done... Don't break the bank.
@@Mooreapproved Makes sense to me! I bought a $35 8 chef's knife on Amazon bc I liked the looks of the blade (I like drop points with fat bellies), and I really like it. Time will tell how good it is (how it holds its edge), then I bought a Dexter Russell 10" chef's knife, and spent $40. There's no WAY I'd even consider a knife over $100 at this point--until I know how to sharpen properly. And if both of these work well, what would be the point of spending more money? I can spend more money on cooking spices/ingredients! Cheers :)
@@Mooreapproved Also, I piss people off on the regular for telling the truth. Folks don't like it. Rock on. :)
Great video. Very honest and biased towards actual value in kitchen. 👍🏻
I have the same Santoku, $6.99+ tax at Aldi. I love it.
An insane deal for what you get. I've bought a few expensive knives since this video.... They are garbage after heavy use. Literally. I tossed a Shun in the trash because the blade bent. But the knife from Aldi is still in use... Thanks for sharing my friend!
@@Mooreapproved I made a video of me doing the tomato slicing trick most knife review videos do. I did it with 4 knives, the most expensive was $40. It is Victorinox Fibrox 10 inch chefs knife. I made the video because I was challenged to prove my cheap knives could do that as well as the $400 knives he was reviewing. I won.
You used a chef's knife to chop down a tree. Uh, have you ever heard of axes or hatchets? At least a sharp machete?
I became interested in nakiri knives watching Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman). Ree uses a nakiri quite often and I wondered how they differed from santokus and chef's knives. This video helped a lot. Thank you. I am going to get a good nakiri to experience it for myself. - But I am reserving my machete for small tree chopping.
@@bradanders7020 Thanks. Theses are good recommendations.
The type of steel, hardness and grind dictate sharpening difficulty. It’s not because it’s a Nakiri, Santoku or Chefs.
So when you say little pieces of the edge can break off a Nakiri, are you saying one could possibly wind up with sharp little pieces of metal on their food? Because that's bad. And I just bought one at the store and knew nothing about it. :(
Just keep a close eye on it. You should be alright.
The reference is Jim Carry in Liar Liar doing “THE CLAW!” Second best of his to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
BelieveThePanda no it's not he says the name of the movie it's "The New Guy" the scene is a new inmate picks a fight with the baddest guy in prison then yells "Tiger Claw" to throw him off and kicks him in the nuts
inresting demonstration... BUT: why do all the pros on TH-cam use such crappy and (too) hard cutting boards, plastic or wood?
You are talking about what we call "Kitchen Knives" or House knives with the Dexters and I hate them personally as they usually are the worst knives in the kitchen and it is always best to have your own personal knife just because you know it will be sharp and maintained where as the house knife gets abused and people do evil things to them. also they only get swapped out once a week by the sharping company that the establishment goes through. Once worked at a place that didn't have a Steele to use.
I am just a home cook, so I can use Dexter knives and appreciate them because I am the only one who uses them. I have three Dexters that I use regularly. I also strop them regularly. With that minimal care, they perform just fine.
@@jasondaniel918 Yeah that's different. Professionally we send them out to a profession sharpener who owns the knives and trades them out on a weekly basis. we do own our own sets individually but it tends to be more often we leave them at home cause people are thieves.
@@shanechase8979 Yup! People are thieves. Sad that even in a professional kitchen one must watch his back.
I had my $450 knife kit stolen when I was on my Culinary internship at the renaissance suites hotel almost a decade and a half ago... Oddly enough, most of the kitchen people were pretty close knit and when it got back to the "Culprit" that I was flat broke and wouldn't be able to replace the kit or continue in my classes using different gear... They brought it back and left it under the station I normally occupied. Most of the time though... Kiss those puppies goodbye! I will only take a Sams Club knife into work. No one will ever steal it! If they break the tip off, or cut directly on a prep table... no worries. it's only $7. lol
@@Mooreapproved yeah I had my 500 dollar vg10 Damascus chefs knife stolen from me at one place I worked and never saw it again.
Chinese vegetable cleaver for me
santoku means three virtues, and is the Japanese version of a European chef's knife. If the Nakiri doesn't get sharp, then it isn't good steel, or you are not knowing how to sharpen. Thank you for the video. If you're spending ten bucks for a knife, , , ,THROW IT OUT.
Gotta be careful of those saplings falling on your house. In a matter of only 20-50 years it could become a real danger!
I'd like to see the Santoku tackle the tree for a true comparison.
Nakiri lets you chop vegetables fast which is 90% of what I cut when cooking anyways.
Don't use a honing rod, use a sharpening stone.
That's the only way to sharpen. Thanks for watching!
Moore Approved actually many suggest honing rods are not advisable for vg10 knives. It's perfectly easy to sharpen a Nakari with a sharpening stone
Sorry, I was agreeing, using a sharpening stone is the only way to sharpen. I use a 1000/6000 grit stone but after 20-30 times of re-sharpening, that blade became really brittle. I actually have a crack starting right in the middle of the blade now so I no longer use it. Although it would be interesting footage if it broke in half while I was using it. As long as it didn't impale me or take a finger.
Honing steels are exactly as their name suggest, for honing. They roll the edge back over as it gets folded and bent against the chopping board. No point shaving off the metal if you can just maintain your knife. I sharpen on a stone every few weeks and hone before I cook.
Honing is good for house knives (provided by employer), or for touching up softer steel blades in a pinch. -Though it seems most would be better off with a V tungsten carbide sharpener which can be carried in a pocket.
It was the Rachel Ray show that gave the santoku its popularity
daAnder71..I was composing from bed half awake..I know my grammar
@@choppersplace sure you do
@@johnfadds6089 fuck off asshole
I thought it was a comparison video, but started with a tutorial.
And the award goes to the Cai dao from chinese Chefs hahahhaha
Where are you buying $6-$8 dollar knives...
I really do not get this pinch gripping technique, Ramsay doesn't do it, Pepin doesn't do it, Marco Pierre White as well and so on. It is not natural and it is not comfortable. If the knife was made to be hold by the blade why are there handles at all?
Actually all three chefs certainly do grip with thumb and index to sides if you look closely, some of their knives may have a wide bolster however so it isn't always obvious to tell. It's the classic chefs grip. In pinching beyond the handle you allow for more control over the knife, it can actually help make chopping more precise and faster. This way of handling can also be safer for knife work in helping prevent the blade going astray and causing injury. It's preference but you can't achieve this extra support with all fingers and thumb on the handle. It is deemed the proper way to hold a chef's knife in the industry and one of the first things they'd teach in culinary school.
You shouldn't throw edible food to trash even if it is cheap!
Best movie reference ever
My favorite style is kiritsuke.
No knife should be put through the dishwasher. The heat will soften the metal over time, the banging around will cause metal fatigue or micro tears in the metal, and the chlorine or derivative can cause pitting.
Santokus are a joke. Instead get a slicing knife for melon, hard squash, roasts, etc. Nakiri are ok, but very limited uses that a chef's or gyuto can't do as well. (I got one for chopping 4 gallons of diced tomato daily *makes more use of cutting board space). -It's also nice and light to use when sore.
Still using the potato peeler knives for most, Santokus are indeed a good second because they have no point and allow to keep the small knife techniques on bigger knives without stabbing oneself. The longer slicing knives are great for cutting bread, when sharp. As for chefs knives they probably are for chefs.
Just get a Chinese cleaver, it cuts anything and everything. One knife for every job.