I’ve seen some really inexpensive (on a knife nerd’s scale) knives that punch way above their weight class and some really expensive knives with terrible geometry that give you a blister and wedge in everything. When you find a good one though…
There’s a real joy and excitement that comes from using an expertly crafted chef’s knife. That doesn’t necessarily mean expensive. Just GOOD. Something that glides through food like the cutting’s already been done. A knife that releases the potatoes rather than stacking them like vacuum held hockey pucks on the other side of the blade until inevitably tossing them off the board and into the floor. A blade that has you wanting to julienne something when a rough chop will do. A good knife can sometimes be all it takes to get you into the kitchen, and a bad one can keep you out.
You may not need an expensive knife, but if you avoid kitchen tasks because you don’t want to bother with the knife then you definitely need a BETTER one.
(If you’re a total knife novice, look for one that at least lists the steel type. It probably doesn’t matter which steel it is as long as they bother to list it. Like VG-10, BD1N, Super Blue, ZDP-189 etc. “German steel, surgical stainless steel, and high-carbon stainless” aren’t real things. Run away.)
It's probably like asking a hair stylist if they really need expensive scizzors?! I don't have expensive knives and I get by (on the rare occasion that I do prep and cook food.)
I’ve seen some really inexpensive (on a knife nerd’s scale) knives that punch way above their weight class and some really expensive knives with terrible geometry that give you a blister and wedge in everything. When you find a good one though…
There’s a real joy and excitement that comes from using an expertly crafted chef’s knife. That doesn’t necessarily mean expensive. Just GOOD. Something that glides through food like the cutting’s already been done. A knife that releases the potatoes rather than stacking them like vacuum held hockey pucks on the other side of the blade until inevitably tossing them off the board and into the floor. A blade that has you wanting to julienne something when a rough chop will do. A good knife can sometimes be all it takes to get you into the kitchen, and a bad one can keep you out.
You may not need an expensive knife, but if you avoid kitchen tasks because you don’t want to bother with the knife then you definitely need a BETTER one.
(If you’re a total knife novice, look for one that at least lists the steel type. It probably doesn’t matter which steel it is as long as they bother to list it. Like VG-10, BD1N, Super Blue, ZDP-189 etc. “German steel, surgical stainless steel, and high-carbon stainless” aren’t real things. Run away.)
I'm so clumsy, I worry I'd cut my fingers off if I actually had a really good super sharp knife!
It's probably like asking a hair stylist if they really need expensive scizzors?! I don't have expensive knives and I get by (on the rare occasion that I do prep and cook food.)
Coolio!