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Ceramic knives (Page 2)
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OreoCookie  (op)
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Jun 22, 2010, 11:16 AM
 
Any links/tips on how to do that? I'm usually a bit of a mess while cooking
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ThinkInsane
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Jun 22, 2010, 12:01 PM
 
My go to knives are Victorinox Fibrox. Cheap enough (about $20-$25 for a 10" chef knife), they hold an edge quite well, nicely balanced and feel comfortable in my hand. I got a set as a gift (as were the Kyocera ceramics), and I've been quite pleased with them. America's Test Kitchen gave them a best value rating.

My mom is a chef instructor as well as a caterer. She uses the Dexter/Russell knives with the sani-safe grips, and she swears by them. I think they might be a little more expensive than the Fibrox, but not by much, and I like those quite a bit as well. I believe you can get those at any restaurant supply store. I always though those ridiculously expensive knives were kind of a waste. Buy the right tool for the job, maintain the edge, and use the money you save on something fun. Or pay bills. Or whatever.

Originally Posted by OreoCookie View Post
Any links/tips on how to do that? I'm usually a bit of a mess while cooking
I move the thrash can over to the prep area when I cook. I just toss stuff as I go.
( Last edited by ThinkInsane; Jun 22, 2010 at 01:56 PM. )
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Laminar
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Jun 22, 2010, 12:29 PM
 
Originally Posted by ThinkInsane View Post
My go to knives are Victorinox Fibrox.
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Jun 22, 2010, 12:51 PM
 
Originally Posted by Phileas View Post
First thing I learned in a kitchen is cleaning up while cooking. That way there's hardly any mess when you're done.
During wait times I am cleaning. It does significant damage to the mess that is left when I am done.
     
ThinkInsane
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Jun 22, 2010, 01:56 PM
 
Originally Posted by Laminar View Post
spelling
My bad. Thanks
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ShortcutToMoncton
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Jun 22, 2010, 08:25 PM
 
Originally Posted by ThinkInsane View Post
I think they might be a little more expensive than the Fibrox, but not by much, and I like those quite a bit as well. I believe you can get those at any restaurant supply store. I always though those ridiculously expensive knives were kind of a waste. Buy the right tool for the job, maintain the edge, and use the money you save on something fun. Or pay bills. Or whatever.
I've used the Fibrox. It's a great knife for the price. But there's a real difference between that knife and my MAC, or some of my other knives. My slicer is the most pricey at around $160, but for the most part $100 will give you a solid step up quality-wise, if you do some research.

I've used some Misono UX-10 knives, which are the next step up still ($200+)... and yes, I could really tell the difference. Your reward might be diminishing, but it's still there. If you're someone who cares about that sort of thing, then I could see the appeal.

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ThinkInsane
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Jun 22, 2010, 09:37 PM
 
Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton View Post
If you're someone who cares about that sort of thing, then I could see the appeal.

greg
I don't, honestly. I agree with Phileas: There's something great about a simple, cheap tool that works well.

I need a knife that does what it's supposed to do, and if I can get that for $30 instead of $160, then that's $130 I can use for something else. I don't begrudge anyone their preference for expensive cutlery, I just don't get it myself. The dishes I prepare don't suffer from the knives I use, so as far as I'm concerned they are the right tool for the job. I keep them sharp, and they serve their function well.

I'm curious, and I realize that it's a personal preference, but since you've used the fibrox maybe you can give me some insight here; what exactly is it that makes you prefer the MAC? There must be something about them that makes that knife worth such a premium to you. Don't get me wrong, I'm not being critical here, you've never struck me as the kind of guy that thinks expensive automatically means better, I'm just genuinely curious.

I've tried more expensive knives, I can certainly afford them, but in the end I just keep going back to what I'm most comfortable with and best suits my needs.
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Brien
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Jun 23, 2010, 01:43 AM
 
Although I enjoy a good Wusthof or Henckels, the steel and handle on almost any knife above $30 is a step up from the junk they sell at Walmart. I'm not against getting a Chinatown meat cleaver (thanks to Phileas for that idea) or Victorinox knife - they sell that at the local restaurant supply, and their boning knife is great.
     
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Jun 23, 2010, 03:13 AM
 
Originally Posted by Brien View Post
Although I enjoy a good Wusthof or Henckels, the steel and handle on almost any knife above $30 is a step up from the junk they sell at Walmart. I'm not against getting a Chinatown meat cleaver (thanks to Phileas for that idea) or Victorinox knife - they sell that at the local restaurant supply, and their boning knife is great.
Hey, I'm for anything that helps me with my boning.

I certainly can't see spending a kings ransom on a full cutlery set. (Maybe I'm just not good enough to know what to do with it.) But I don't mind spending a few bucks on the one or two knives that I use with nearly every meal that I prepare. For me that's a decent Sanduku knife and Chefs knife.

Can I work with cheaper knives? Yes. But for the same reasons I prefer to drive a nicer car or use a Mac over a PC, it just makes the job at hand more pleasurable and fun.
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Phileas
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Jun 23, 2010, 05:58 AM
 
Originally Posted by Brien View Post
Although I enjoy a good Wusthof or Henckels, the steel and handle on almost any knife above $30 is a step up from the junk they sell at Walmart. I'm not against getting a Chinatown meat cleaver (thanks to Phileas for that idea) or Victorinox knife - they sell that at the local restaurant supply, and their boning knife is great.
Whoa, hold it.

There are Chinese cleavers and there are CCK cleavers. The former are good for practicing your sharpening skills with a wet stone, it doesn't matter if you ruin them, the latter are something else.

CCK is a manufacturer in Hong Kong and their cleavers are beautiful. I own the #2, designed for slicing vegetables. Carbon steel, very thin blade, sharp like anything. Because the blade is so thin, it is absolutely perfect for onions, garlic and the like.

     
OreoCookie  (op)
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Jun 23, 2010, 06:38 AM
 
Originally Posted by ThinkInsane View Post
I move the thrash can over to the prep area when I cook. I just toss stuff as I go.
As do I, but this is just step 1 for me. Any other tips on how to keep things clean?
(Although one of the advantages of being the cook is that often people would say `well, since you've cooked, I'll clean up )
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ShortcutToMoncton
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Jun 23, 2010, 08:28 AM
 
Originally Posted by ThinkInsane View Post
I don't, honestly. I agree with Phileas: There's something great about a simple, cheap tool that works well.
Oh, no question. But I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I suspect as much as his "go-to" knife is a great cheap one, he's probably got some upgrades stashed in the quiver.

I need a knife that does what it's supposed to do, and if I can get that for $30 instead of $160, then that's $130 I can use for something else. I don't begrudge anyone their preference for expensive cutlery, I just don't get it myself. The dishes I prepare don't suffer from the knives I use, so as far as I'm concerned they are the right tool for the job. I keep them sharp, and they serve their function well.
Again, yeah. But there really is a difference, right? I mean, I can get a nice car that "does what it's supposed to do" for 40 grand. If I wanted to double that, I'd get a car that maybe does a little bit more, but there's definitely going to be a difference in "the feel." Pick up a Fibrox and then pick up a Misono knife - you can "feel" the difference in your hand, literally, aside from the performance differences.

And yes, the performance differences are considerable. It's not just how incredibly light and sharp some of these expensive knives are - it's how well they take and then keep their edge and don't need to be constantly maintained.

I'm curious, and I realize that it's a personal preference, but since you've used the fibrox maybe you can give me some insight here; what exactly is it that makes you prefer the MAC? There must be something about them that makes that knife worth such a premium to you.
Partly how durable it is - for whatever reason, it holds its edge better than any of my other knives, period. To be honest, I've been really, really lazy about sharpening it because it's so good. I haven't done so in over a year now. That's pretty scary - my CCK cleaver seems to want it, oh, probably once a month. But my brother bought a Fibrox for my parents last Christmas, I think it was - and I went back a few months later, and couldn't believe how badly it needed to be sharpened; I had trouble breaking the skin of a tomato - it just slid over top at first! Mine still cuts effortlessly in comparison, even though I use it probably on a daily basis.

But while it's a really tough knife, it feels very light and nimble. That's a bit weird I guess, but it's apt when comparing to the Fibrox (or some German knives I've used) - they seems very "kludgy" in comparison, as though they're too thick and heavy and the balance is a litle off. The MAC is thin and somewhat bendy. It's about 8 inches I would imagine so it's a good overall length (that's what she said, etc. etc.), but when it's in your hand you'd think it's smaller than it is.

Yeah. I dunno. It was a gift so I'd never heard of it until I got it, but the person who gave it to me did their homework. Whenever I've looked it up I've found nothing but great praise for it.

greg
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Brien
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Jun 23, 2010, 01:04 PM
 
Originally Posted by Phileas View Post
Whoa, hold it.

There are Chinese cleavers and there are CCK cleavers. The former are good for practicing your sharpening skills with a wet stone, it doesn't matter if you ruin them, the latter are something else.

CCK is a manufacturer in Hong Kong and their cleavers are beautiful. I own the #2, designed for slicing vegetables. Carbon steel, very thin blade, sharp like anything. Because the blade is so thin, it is absolutely perfect for onions, garlic and the like.

Semantics. My cleaver is a CCK I purchased in Chinatown (here in LA).
     
 
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