Your Favorite Knives & Keeping Them Sharp

[cjs]

Bill sent me a message recently re our favorite knives and how we keep them sharp and/or who keeps them sharp. We both thought it would be a good thread to start up and get everyone's opinion -

My knives are such a mishmash of brands and types, but I love everyone of them.

3 boning knives, one is an old, old hand-forged one that is so thin and flexible, just wonderful.

someone gave me a set (something people ought to never do - knives are too personal!) of Wusthof Dreizack Grnd Prix that I keep out a couple of in my block. The rest are in the trailer or drawer.

A lot of knives I buy at Smart & Final (or Cash & Carry)

A few handed down from my beloved son-in-law, Larry, who died too soon to find himself and his potential in cooking.

Two bird's beaks, lots of paring knives, 2 8" chef's and 1 12" chef's, couple off-set serrated, and a few others.

As far as keeping them sharp, I have a stone (use it periodically) and a steel that I use faithfully every couple of days.

Every few of months, I have Roy take them all downstairs and grind them on his grinder.

That's my regime - so, I'm anxious to hear about your knives also.

[DFen911]

I love my Shun chef knife. I only have one Shun so I treasure it. It does need sharpening and having a hard time with this as it's a one sided bladea and I am not skilled enough with a whetstone to keep it sharp.

I used my steel to keep them honed but really need to find someone to look at the edges of some.

[Roxanne 21]

You all will think I am bizarre ( more than I ordinarily am!!! ) I have been searching for a knife forever that I would be comfortable with. On my visits to the States, I tried every possible knife and just could not get the right "feel"........we browsed through a Le Creuset shop about a year ago and I handled a knife they had on display------just what the Doctor ordered!!!! MY BEST FRIEND in the kitchen!!!

I also have some Japanese knives that are incredibly comfortable to use!!!

Peter is the MASTER when it comes to sharpening knives....He uses a stone and some type of oil and VOILA!!!! new edge on my knives----his obsession is my knife department---always checking the edges--- That's a surgeon for ya!!!

[cjs]

geez, that's a little scary, Roxanne. Must remember to be very, very careful when we all meet Peter - maybe go in a group.

[Old Bay]

We have so many knives, even a couple of old Ontario carbon steel. Our favorites are Wusthofs, especially the 8" Chefs knife and the 17cm Wusthof Santoku. We have several paring knives and I love my Forschner 4 & 1/2 inch. I use a steel just about every time I take a knife out of the drawer and I have a Chefs Choice electric sharpener which I love--I do my knives 3 to 4 times a year.

[cjs]

Thank you Bill, I couldn't for the life of me think of "Forschner" - that's what my favorite boning knife is. and I love my Santoku also - forgot to mention that one.

[BarbaraS]

I love my Shun knives, too! I forget who it was (should do a search), but a poster recommended that I buy their electric knife sharpener, which I did. He mentioned that Shun has a very sharp angle to it, something like 9 degrees, IIRC.

Barbara

[Gourmet_Mom]

"Must remember to be very, very careful when we all meet Peter - maybe go in a group." ROFLOL!

Okay, my turn. Watch out, I'm going to vent! William broke the bank and got me a small set of Henckles a few years ago for Christmas. I've since added the Santuko. I hope to soon add some of the others mentioned, but I've got a grinder to talk my husband into first. (NEENER NEENER NEENER, Roy!)

Now for the gripe. Both Baby Boy AND William have hunting knives that can splice a hair. Do you think they sharpen my knives? NO!!!!!!!! Luckily, "the employee" is a fanatic. He cleans fish at the docks for charter boats and local fishermen and is usually walking around with 4 or 5 VERY sharp knives. Put that picture together with his big hairy burly self and you get some REALLY scared tourists. He walked into a restaurant with his knives and a bloody shirt one day at lunch time to visit with the "lunch bunch" and nearly cleared the restaurant! ANYWAY, he works on my knives for me. All three use various grades of honing diamond steels.

[Dismc]

Sharp knives have become a touchy issue for me lately. I have a MAC Santoku, MAC paring knife, a Cutco boning knife and a Henckels bread knife and that's all I use. Many other knives just sit in the drawer unused. Anyway, I have a sharpening stone and oil that I use occasionally, but I don't think it works all that well. Took my knifes to a professional, brought them home excited to use them and they were terrible. I do better with the stone. I'm thinking maybe he used the wrong angle on the MAC since they
are Japanese knives. So now I'm on a mission. I just saw Chef's Choice has a new electric sharpener that you can set for either 15 degrees for Japanese knives or 20 degrees for German and American knives. I'm thinking I will ask for this for Christmas. Do any of you have any experience with the Chef's Choice?

[Old Bay]

Jane is giving me a Shun "Bob Kramer" collection knife for Christmas--I want a Chefs Knife--we have good 8" and 10" Chefs knives. I was leaning toward the 8" and would plan on giving the one we've had several years to one of our kids--then I saw the 6" Chefs--anybody use one of them? How versatile is a 6" Chefs knife? What would you do? I want one of those knives. (We can't afford more than one!)