The perfect knife
The question about good knives comes up with great regularity in the grilling groups on social media. Often asked by friends or partners who are looking for gifts. Either way, the people asking the question are usually no wiser afterwards, because in the end 20 people have named their favorite manufacturer. That is of course not helpful at all. Especially since the relationship to the knife as a tool is always a very individual one. – By Markus Mizgalski
Diverse requirements
A good knife is usually not a bargain. Instead, it is a kitchen tool for life - provided it is used sensibly. So it makes sense not to just buy the first blade you see, but to first consider what you actually need and how much you are willing to spend on it. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a single knife that is suitable for all tasks. So you should perhaps consider buying two or three cutting tools.
First of all, it is important to clarify what a knife is actually supposed to do. For most people, a rather broad range of applications will be important here: cutting meat, fish and vegetables or chopping herbs. The classic chef's knife or its Japanese counterpart, Gyuto, is suitable for this. The probably somewhat more well-known Santoku is also a blade for fish, meat and vegetables; Santoku translates as knife (of the) three virtues. However, neither domestic nor Japanese chef's knives are made for removing bones. As a griller, however, you have to do this from time to time. But the large, wide blades are neither agile enough to be guided cleanly along a round bone, nor is their grind made for scratching around on the hard material. There are boning knives for this, with either a rigid or slightly flexible blade. For anglers and fish eaters, the filleting knife or filleting knife is also indispensable; it looks similar to the boning knife, but with a thinner, longer and more flexible blade. In American BBQ, the so-called slicer is often used to cut brisket or pastrami. This is a knife with a very long, medium-high and thin blade, sometimes without a point. The German equivalent is the ham knife.
With the exception of the chef's knife, the blades mentioned are intended for special tasks that are only used to a limited extent in the home. It therefore makes sense to focus on the chef's knife that is likely to be used often. It may be very nice for the specialty knives to be made of 64-layer Damascus steel, but this does not make them particularly useful compared to much cheaper models.
When buying a chef's knife, it is best to go to a specialist shop that offers a selection of reasonable to high-quality blades from various manufacturers. There is no point in ordering a knife online for a few hundred euros only to find that you don't like the feel of it. This starts with the weight. Some people prefer a lighter cutting tool, while others like to hold a lot of mass in their hand. The shape of the handle is even more important. While the traditional Japanese knife usually has a straight handle with a slightly oval cross-section, domestically made knives have a more ergonomically shaped handle. It is a matter of trying out for yourself what feels more comfortable to hold for longer than ten seconds. Incidentally, there are now even "hybrid" knives, i.e. Japanese blades with European handles.
Particularly hard steels retain their edge for a very long time, but are difficult to grind and are brittle. They are more likely to break than to bend.
Damascus not only gives a blade a special look, but also particularly controllable properties. Depending on the steel, the blade is not rustproof, as is the case here.
Forging is trump
Very simple knives are usually punched from solid material or cut using a laser. The result can be quite reasonable. However, forged blades are usually of higher quality. This is due to how the material structure and properties can be influenced during forging. The production of multi-layered forged steels allows the ratio of cutting hardness and flexibility to be specifically influenced, because differently alloyed steels with their specific properties can be combined here. Multi-layered Damascus knives represent the perfection of this technology. However, they are priced at the upper end of the scale, especially if they are made entirely by hand. This may not be necessary for the amateur cook or griller; the expensive Japanese knives in particular fascinate the layman more emotionally than through their extremely high performance. You only really benefit from this when you use them for several hours every day in a professional kitchen. Or to put it another way: the griller will enjoy a high-quality European chef's knife for perhaps 200 euros for a similar length of time as a Damascus Gyuto for 600 euros. However, the latter will simply look better in the eyes of many.
The blade shapes, some of which have been original and have been offered by some manufacturers for a few years, are also visually impressive. Knives with a brutal look and an impression somewhere between a chef and a pirate. There is even more to these knives: the feeling that you can work well and in a wide range of ways with the knife is essential.
Rusty hardness
The hardness of high-quality knives is always known and is given in Rockwell. Classic Solingen knives usually have values between 55 and 57 HRC, so they are a bit softer. Japanese knives range between 59 and 65 HRC. Rustic-looking carbon steel blades in particular are characterized by hardnesses of more than 60 HRC. These knives are often not rustproof, which is why you should be extremely careful to wipe them dry immediately after use. Otherwise, it will take less than 15 minutes for the blade to start to rust, especially after cutting acidic foods.
But is a hard or a soft knife the better choice? In general, harder knives keep their edge longer. However, the harder the blades become, the more brittle they become and the less forgiving they are of improper handling. For someone who is not particularly good at using a chef's knife, a European knife is the better choice to start with. With a hard blade, there is a fairly high risk of it getting nasty nicks because parts of the cutting edge break off. And unfortunately, that happens quicker than you think: one careless movement, a quick tap on the edge of the worktop or the edge of a pot, and the good knife has a blemish. And one that is not so easy to remove. Because the harder the knife, the more difficult it is to resharpen. Harder blades in particular can then almost only be sharpened on a water stone, which is an art in itself.
Although this knife is a Santoku, the European handle not only gives it a different feel, but also a different balance. It also has a hollow grind that is intended to reduce the adhesion between the knife and the food being cut.
Very unusual handle variations are not for everyone; even if such a knife is extroverted, you should definitely try it out first to see if it feels good.
Regrinding
In general, you should not completely ignore the sharpenability when buying a knife. Because at some point, every knife will need to be sharpened. For softer blades, the market offers many good sharpening aids that produce good results even for less experienced users. The roller sharpeners are particularly worth mentioning here because they are really easy to use. As already mentioned, resharpening Japanese knives is more laborious and requires time and skill. There are relatively complex sharpening aids, but good quality ones, like decent water stones, are quite expensive.
Electric grinding machines are problematic. With soft blades in particular, there is a risk that too much material will be removed with each grinding pass, causing unnecessary wear to the knife. Of course, you can take your knives to be sharpened regularly, but that doesn't help if you need a sharp cutting tool at short notice.
A sharpening steel or the ceramic version of it is not a real grinding tool. Its main purpose is to remove the burr that forms when working with a knife. Sooner or later, the micrometer-thin part of the cutting edge "bends" to the side and forms an almost invisible edge. This is exactly what you get rid of by sharpening. Here too, the softer the blade, the faster the burr forms. However, the burr can be removed more quickly from soft blades.
Storage and care
You have to be aware that high-quality knives need their own place. They don't get any better if they clatter around the cutlery drawer and hit other knives or sauce ladles. A knife block or a magnetic rail are much better options. If you want to transport your cutting tools, a knife bag is recommended. Last but not least, you're doing yourself a favor in terms of safety; accidentally reaching into a devilishly sharp Santoku is no fun.
Good knives are washed by hand, and you have to be aware of that. The dishwasher represents a great mechanical strain if the blades can hit something. But the comparatively aggressive cleaning agents are worse, as they can cause significant corrosion, depending on the material.
If you haven't already done so, you should also look for a suitable cutting board. Chopping herbs on a granite worktop is not a particularly good idea. Wood, bamboo or plastic are good options. You don't have to invest huge sums of money here, but it is important that the board material is not harder than the blade.
Various options for sharpening. Roller grinders (in the foreground) have established themselves as an easy-to-use solution. For very hard blades, however, the water stone is the most suitable option.
Knives that you only need occasionally can be bought in a simple design but of decent quality. You can then invest more in the work knife.
Conclusion:
Anyone who decides to invest money in a good knife should take the time to look for the right cutting tool. Specialist retailers are clearly the better choice here, because ideally they offer a good selection. Very important: you shouldn't necessarily be guided by the big names that you otherwise know from the kitchen world. Anyone who makes good pots can, but doesn't necessarily have to, be a knife specialist.
