Knives
I often get asked what knives I recommend, so I decided to write a blog post on it.
What I use now
Over time, I’ve come to prefer individual knives, rather than any one brand as a whole (such as big brands like Global, Wusthoff etc).
Usually my favourite knife is the one I bought moist recently, and currently that is a Takayuki knife, which took my fancy at a Japanese craft fair.
I also have a Kin knife, which I love and keep at home, because I don't trust anyone else with it.
I have a set of IO Shen knives, which have served me well both at home and in the restaurant - they are sturdy but keep their edge well, because they are made of good quality metal (cheap knives sharpen easily but lose their edge just as easily, while good knives take more to sharpen, and need to be maintained, but stay that way if they're well looked after.
I do have some Global knives, which I started collecting about 20 years ago when I was setting out as a keen, amateur cook. which are endorsed by Michel Roux Jr, but personally I wouldn't buy any more.
Looking after your knives
I carry my knives in a knife roll but for most people who only use their knives at home, those magnetic blocks are good. Please just do NOT keep your knives loose in a drawer with other utensils!
Sharpening knives
Butcher’s steels are fine for a ‘quick and dirty’ way to sharpen lower quality knives, but the problem with all manual methods is that it is virtually impossible for the user to stay true to the angles (usually 15° for Japanese knives) that the knife manufacturer originally produced. Manual pull-through sharpeners are incredibly aggressive and may cause damage to higher quality knives which are harder but more brittle. Whetstones are useful but they require experience, skill and time. My recommendation would be I.O.Shen’s dual grit whetstone (240 / 800) with a coarser side to prepare the blades and a finer side for honing/polishing.
Overall, I recommend an electric knife sharpener. They are faster and keep a truer angle on the blades - though they are noisier! If you have invested in good quality knives, the Knife Wizard KE198 is a good investment, or the more heavy duty Nirey KE280 if you have a lot of knives and use them a lot.
Which knife shapes would you recommend?
I've built my knife set bit by bit rather than as a set, so they're not all matching, but I don't mind that and I know instinctively which knife I will use for which task. I'd say you probably only really need 3 knives for 98% of the time.
The most important thing is how it feels in the hand. Do you have a favourite knife and if so, what is it that you like about it? How heavy is it overall? How much of the weight is in the handle vs the blade? A good all round chefs knife is usually 18-20cm long - any longer is unweildy for most tasks, but it's nice to have smaller knives for detail work. German knives tend to be chunkier and heavier than Japanese - still great technology and craftmanship, but a different feel - Japanese knives tend to be lighter and more evenly balanced between handle and blade.