the420star

I got my mom the 7in Wustof santoku knife, grand prix II. She loves it, it is a lot diffrent then i thought it would be. It has an extreamly fine edge something did not expect at all. Lastly i would like to say thank you to all those who helped me out and gave me advise. I was very tempted to get her a global, and i ended up buying the knife from william sinoma so it could be easily returned if she didnt like the way it felt. once again thank you to everyone, you were all great.

My mom has just finished redoing her kitchen, and is an avid cook. After living on my own and purchasing new knifes i have realized most of our knifes are pretty beat. The reality she only has one good knife, a 6 inch Henckles chef's knife. I wanted to get her another knife, i have noticed most people on food network are using a Santoku Knife for general duty kitchen work. I am planing on getting her:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...ance&s=kitchen
or
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...ance&s=kitchen

My Question is what are the advantages and disadvantages to each length. I understand in reality you need both lengths to do anything, but for general kitchen work what is the appropriate length. Also is there any reason not to get her a wustof.

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Ripsaw

You can get closer to your food with a smaller knife. It is easier to peel fruits and veg with a smaller knife. A larger knife lends itself to longer cuts, which is more mechanically sound. Axes are used for chopping. Knives cut with motion both forward and back.

My only concern with buying an expensive model like the Wustof is whether or not she will care for it in a way that will preserve its characteristics. My beloved wife (also an avid cook) was found not too long ago slicing pizza on our pizza stone with my mint condition Global Oriental Chef's knife. I do not know the relative Rockwell values, but you do not use a blade of any kind on a stone surface. She has been educated on the subject, and still apparently loves me.

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yellowchef

I might kill someone for that ripsaw. I own Globals and if I found anyone using them wrong, I would not hesitate to well use it on them. Globals run for no less than $80something each and I dont just have $80 lying around.

The wusthofs are nice, but when you say "avid cook" do you mean like she does dramatic presentations and hosts a lot of fancy dinner parties, or she just cooks a lot of damn good food most days of the week?

if she has a 6" henkles chefs knife in good condition... take it to be professionaly sharpened, buy her a honing steel and spend the money on paring knives, boning knives or a sharpening stone. to me 5" and 6" is too small.. but thats me.. at 6" if one knows how to handle the knife well anything is possible, I have a 12" global chefs knife and Ive used it when my paring knife was too far away. 6" is something most anyone can handle easily and you can spend the money on other knives or other equipment for her to use.

What is SHE comfortable with handling? because at an inch difference in either direction doesnt make much of a difference. The santoku knives are nice but the idea behind a chefs knife is a general kitchen knife. Take the $75 and buy her a boning knife, or a serrated knife, or a paring knife.

chef001_2003

personally my favorite is the 7 inch but then again behind my 12 inch forschner it was like a pairing knife. my reomendation is see what she would use it for. i fell n love with it for slicing mushrooms, dicing onions and more vertical cuts whereas a chef's knife is for more horozontal(rocking) cuts save the money on buying the wustof for now. if you have a china town or oriental market they may sell a santoku for under 10 dollars that will be a good judge of weather or not it is a knife she would use. avoid ceramic and other exotic material's 18/10 stainless or high carbon (for the sado massicistic knife freak). it all depends on what you are willign to spend and how it will get used

here is one of the most expensive cooking knives on earth: masamoto sashimi knive at 2,500.00 dollars

until she is comfortable with using it and the differnt apporch to using it go with a cheap one then if she likes it buy a more expesive one but remeber price doesn't grantee quality. another option would be a usuba or vegetable knive which is almost a straight edge whereas the santoku has a curve in the blade go to a knife store that sells quality knives and have her hold and cut air or maybe if the store is nice cut something whith the knives. if you buy global get instructions on how to use a honing steel because it is different from other knives because of the fact that most globals have a diferent angle(bevel) on each side of the blade.

if you have other questions there are many otehr members who are very knowledgeable and will give more points of view,

yellowchef

If you have a Williams Sonoma in your mall you should go there, check out some knives with her and see what she likes. They have a display and will be glad to bring them out and allow you to handle them while supervised. The staff is usually(mine is, I dont know about yours) knowledgeable and friendly. They are VERY happy to answer any questions you have.

Clark

I find that knives are very personal. They have to feal right in your hand. This whould be the kind of gift I would take the person to pic out. That way she would have just the blade she wants.

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Mister Coaster

We bougt the Wustof starter set (3" paring, 4.5" Utility, 5" Chef, 8" Bread, Honing steel and a block to hold them) Although the Chef's knife is a bit small, the fact that these are the first "good" set of knives I have ever owned, I fell in love with them with the first cut.

I'd say get a paring knife and and/or a utility knife.

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snowy

As someone has already said, knives are a very personal thing. I say follow the suggestion to take her to Williams-Sonoma and have her try out the knives. I have very small hands so I find it harder to get a good grip on a larger knife. I would definitely get her to pick out something she likes, though, because if she doesn't like the way it feels when she uses it, chances are it will never be used. A knife that feels ill-fitting can also be dangerous for the user. So let her pick out her own if you can.

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SiN

jeah, it's a personal thing...

on my xmas wishlist i've got a Zwilling Professional S 13 cm paring knife.

that will be my 'all-purpose' knife - it's small enough for my v. small hands (think child-sized) but long enough to be more versatile.

perfect for me, but could be way off for someone else.
and, I had to go to a store to see them, to decide on 10 or 13 cm's.

so, +1 for personal, and see it in real life first

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greytone

You can get by doing almost anything with an 8 or 10 inch chef's knife and a 3 or 4 inch paring knife. The sizes are a personal preference, as is the handle. They should have some weight to them, but you don't have to take out a second mortgage. Eventually you need a boning knife and a serrated knife.

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Jay Francis

I took a seasonal employee job, for a couple of nights a week at Williams Sonoma in order to get the 40% employee discount. With the intention of buying a new knife. It was hard to decide. The most comfortable knife in my hand was the Grand Prix II.

But, I bought an 8" Global chef's knife. I paid $48.

You see, we have this 1994 Lexus with 106,000 miles on it that we paid almost nothing for as some people we knew were moving to Thailand. But even though it's an old glorified Toyota, when we say we have a Lexus, people react to the word Lexus. Global I think is the same. So, I figured that, when I teach my cooking classes, if I pull out a Global, I might be able to have some fun with the people who are into labels and name brands. Having said that, I really like it. It is the sharpest knife that I have ever owned. I don't know how long it will stay that way, as I am pretty incompetent at sharpening my knives well. One of the best gadgets you can get for your kitchen, though and especially if you chop a lot of onions is the onion dicer called The Alligator. It is fantastic.

betman

I love my Calphalon 8 inch knife. It wll last 30 years if properly taken care of. I promise you that you will never need another chefs knife. The weight and balance of this knife is perfect for just about anything you might do.
I paid 30 bucks for this knife. If you pay more you may get the same quality.
Global is the same but more expensive. If you must show your penis then please spend more money otherwise the Calphalon is you friend.
BTW I cook for a living.

pinkie

If you just get her 1, make it the chef's knife. The chef's knife is an all purpose size knife, and a must in every kitchen. You'll pay $90-120 for a really good chef's knife.

Redlemon

I thought that the one-guy Henckels is the cheap version, and that you should buy
?

Please correct me if I'm wrong on that.

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chef001_2003

one guy is international 2 guys is incorporated international is a little bit better quality also slightly harder to find