Don’t waste your money on a knife set… three knives for every kitchen
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- čas přidán 4. 07. 2024
- It's time to discuss one of the most important tools in a chef's arsenal: the knife. I will walk you through the many varieties of knives and their purposes, materials, sharpening and technique, and ultimately what I consider to be the three most important, or at least the most commonly used, chef's knives.
00:00 - Let's Talk Knives
00:47 - The Three Most Useful Knives
03:44 - Accessories
05:50 - How to Hone Your Knife
09:00 - Sharpening Knives
10:43 - Different Types of Steel
13:28 - Storage
Don’t waste your money on a knife set… three knives for every kitchen
• Don’t waste your money...
My knife brands
Chinese Knives: CCK (Chan Chee Kee) from Hong Kong
Western knives: @ZWILLINGUSA, Miyabi, Hedley & Bennet - Jak na to + styl
This video came at the perfect time. I'm rebuilding my kitchen after moving to another country and starting out with nothing. I was going to buy a knife set, but I will save my money and just get three 😊
THANK you.
I was the knife expert at a kitchenware shop for a decade, and this is exactly what I told customers. Chef's knife or gyuto or Chinese knife, a smaller knife (either petty or paring), and serrated. Plus a honing steel.
Growing up my mother never had a ton of knives in the kitchen. She always drove home for me how to take care of the knife for longevity rather then buying fancy overpriced knives. And love that you distinguished the difference between the meat cleaver and the Chinese version of a chefs knife I needed that.
My God man! It was like a cliff hanger, after you mentioned getting into the difference between Western, Japanese and Chinese knives. Please make a part two in the near future, while this is still fresh in your viewers minds. Your insight would be greatly valued. Pweeze? 🥰
I switched to Chinese style carbon steel knives decades ago. Love them as they also serve as a great platform/scoop for transferring food from cutting board to pot-one tool! Thank you for the video. Appreciated the instruction on honing - well done. Cheers
John Hoholick: Hoever use the *spine* of the blade to scoop/transfer food from cutting board to vessel. Scroll down in comments to find the thread under user "F Ken Maes" for more reasons on why.
@@violetviolet888 The sharp end works better for me. I never ever had a problem with “wood splinters” or dulling a steel blade on a wood surface. Thanks for the comment though.
@@JDH3666 While it "works fine" here is the why: "yeah, funny, I didn’t hear that tip until the first restaurant I worked for(I separate fast food and general food establishments from restaurants as there’s a different approach & aesthetic).
I was doing that scrapping the board with the knife edge. And as I was told, this not only ruined the knife edge, where it would need sharpening AND honing/straightening, but also you run the risk of getting plastic or wood chippings in what you’ve serving
Furthermore. If you had cut chicken on the board prior. Even IF you thoroughly washed the board. Boards have tiny pores. So with the slivers of plastic/wood coming off into the prepped food. You also run the risk of cross-contamination
Was a very wholesome lesson. I taught this trick to my family. And now it’s a skill that is being passed down thru the whole family. My mom just showed her sister in law this and she’s teaching it to her daughter which is my cousin."-F Ken Maes
First i love the video, you're always so informative and helpful. Please keep up the wonderful content!
Personally i got into sharpeing my knives with a cheap whetsone, a cheap stainless knife from a supermarket and a few youtube vidoes for technique. It let make mistakes without wrecking any decent knives, it let me gain experience and get to a point where im happy to sharpen nicer knives.
Nothing had to be expensive and the differnce it makes to have a sharp knife compared to one that isnt is astronomical. I highly reccomend using old or cheap knives and not going out to buy a very expensive whetstone, just get something simple and it will likely be enough for the average person like myself.
I think it's worth it for a dedicated home cook to learn to sharpen. If you cook every day, your knives will need it somewhat often (more than once a year) and if you don't live in a major metro area where you can get next-day whetstone sharpening done, you could be without your knife for a fairly long time! On a typical Western-style chef's knife or anything with softer steel, it's not too hard to learn to get a knife decently sharp.
I bought a Chinese chef's knife (Shi Ba Zi Zuo F-208) after binging a bunch of Lucas Sin videos last summer and I'm obsessed with it, just a great knife style.
Great vid! A good overview for sure. I wouldn't mind a deeper dive on your knives, they look nice and I just think knives are neat!
I wholeheartedly agree. Definitely needs a Whetstone. Western steel is so soft, 6-8 passes on a 1k will get a screaming sharp edge.
And learn to use a strop.
This is very useful! I will add though, that for those of us with small hands a chef knife is sometimes just too much. I do 90% of everything with a utility knife. A petty or a utility knife is useful for most tasks. I would say I pull out my chef knife MAAAAAYBE once a month where as I use my petty every day. The two petty knives I use most frequently also have a pointy enough tip that I can even do some really nice paring knife moves with them. I do like your idea of trading off knives to always have one super sharp. I am swiping that.
Thank you, I love all the practical advice you give.
If I may add, stainless steels do get just as sharp of not more so than carbon steel, depending on the specific alloy. Carbon steel is typically far easier to sharpen though, and by requiring less work and less means to get as sharp, it gets the reputation of being "sharper".
The carbides that are created by the various metals in the alloy are what contribute to how sharp an edge can get, how durable the edge will be, and how difficult the knife will be to sharpen.
Every alloy will be a compromise somewhere within that spectrum, and it may also be worth it to invest a little time to research what you want from the knife in regards to the steel itself.
Happy Sunday Jon!
Thanks always for your videos!💯
Excellent. Thank you.
I love knife videos, can't wait for more!
amazing video, thank you so much for sharing your expertise!
Perfect video for a friend who's recently got into cooking
Super comprehensive intro to knives! Interesting stuff :)
For the longest time the only decent knife I had in my kitchen was a Zwilling Santoku that had been a christmas gift a few years earlier. All the others were from my roomie's collection that was bad steel and the edges were all badly serrated.
Now I have a decent set that I got at discount, a good chef's knife, a good Chinese chef's knife, and the Santoku. I keep them in good order and sharp.
I am now living in anticipation of your compare/contrast eastern vs. western knives video!
Very informative video. Thank you 🙏🏼
I really need a good knife so this is going to help greatly. Thank you Jon!
I know it is not about cooking but (as a german) I want to point out that a long serrated edge knives are really great to slice your own bread.
I also got a chinese shef's knive last year and I am never going back
@@ElisandeWalters chef* knife (chef, same as in German*)
Thank you for this amazing video 👏
Excellent advice. 100% agree. I made it over 20 years with just a stainless steel 8 inch chefs knife. I am very dexterous with it. By the time I got a 3 inch pairing knife, I really didn’t need it. The serrated bread knife came last. It is an excellent addition. If I could do it all over the only thing I would do differently is pay the extra for a 10 inch SS chef instead of the 8 inch.
i have seen a couple of videos about knife sharpening but i like you so much that the next time i need sharpening i'm gonna do it exactly as you say lol
The best knife is the one that is sharp and feels comfortable in your hand.
And that stays sharp
great video brother
I really love my Kiwi knives ❤
Thailand:)
Thank you for another great Video. I don't know why, but my sons always want to buy me a new set of knives and I don't want them. LOL! I have my favorites that I use all the time. I have 5 knives that I use all the time. As I kid, I remember watching my Dad sharpen the Kitchen knives for my Mom. It was very satisfying. I actually have his sandstone (Wet stone) that he used. Anyways, sorry, went down memory lane for a minute. That's what happens when you get older. Have a Great Week.
"I don't know why, but my sons always want to buy me a new set of knives and I don't want them" Did you ask them why? It would be a great parent teaching opportunity to explain to them gifts they may not know you _would want_ vs knife sets and why you don't need or want them. They might be relived you told them and learn something along the way.
Thank you for making this video! I’ve wanted to upgrade my knives from the big box cheap block set to something more, but $ is an issue! Looks like I’ll go the route of 1 at a time purchase
I have a nice set of zwilling pro knives but the knife I reach for 90% of the time is an Ikea Vörda 6” vegetable knife. I keep it sharpened. $12.99 in the USA stores.
Excellent choice
Agreed. I use 4 knives: Gyuto (ched's), Sujihiki (long slicer), Nakiri (vegetable specialist) , and Deba (heavy de-boning). I've been meaning to get a Petty (paring) but have found that I can manage using a light Gyuto so have not bothered.....
yes.
No fluff just honest truth and how refreshing the tell it like it is teaching. Thanks
⚔️🔪🪨🪴🍳🪴🪨🔪⚔️
That Miyabi chef knife is beautiful, but it makes no sense to hone it on a honing steel as the knife's steel is harder than that of the rod. That knife needs to be honed on a ceramic or diamond rod.
Can you talk about American vs Chinese chef knives?
I have a beautiful collection of knives that my kids & friends have bought for me; I rarely use them because they are too large *(less comfortable) for my hands.
That is a fire flannel you got on, my good sir!
Waiting for western vs Japanese knives!
What do you call the knive that you use for cutting pumpkin?
very cool video
one thing i would add is a pair of scissors that is always in reach, so you don't cut your hand opening things with a chefs knife 😂
It is usually the blunt knife that gets you...😂
Love your content! Where did you get your bronze spice container and glass bread display from? I love how they look on your counter.
The bronze container is from a company called diaspora co. And the bread container is just a glass cloche over around cutting board; both bought separately.
Best part of the Chinese chefs knife.. it makes peeling and mincing garlic so easy you'd never use a western chefs knife for garlic ever again. At least for mincing
Been awhile since I've learned so much from a video. Thanks!
I use a knife case product that clips shut, but makes contact with the knife sides using rubber pads so it doesn't slre around in the case. I have two young kids and a clumsy wife so couldnt see keeping my very sharp knives out in the open. They're all in cases in a child proof drawer.
Are you planning to make things like cakes? Or something like fries with a twist? I’m a new viewer and love your videos!
just a heads up, but you absolutely lose metal with ceramic sharpeners. not as quickly as the carbide ones, but way more than you need to if you regularly and properly hone and/or strop. even a small piece of ceramic will scratch most steel without you applying any pressure. it can definitely eat through a blade if you overuse them.
Hi Jon, I noticed that the hone you demonstrated with appears to have a built-in angle guide at the hilt, as some homes do. I know Shun, for example, prefers their knives honed at an angle that they build into their hones. What's your take on that?
They guides are fine but cumbersome and slow you down a whole lot. Funny enough that was a shun steel but I never use the guide as none of my knives are shun and I do sharpen my knives on my own. My tips are for the every day kitchen person and anyone who is into knives wouldn’t get much from this video I think.
@@jonkung Fair enough, thanks for your response!
Yo Jon! Very informative video, I couldn't agree more about not needing a knife set. (They're usually a rip off too)
Not trying to f**k with you, you're a gangster, I love your content; however, that sharpening part specifically... was horrible advice, and I'm surprised you don't own a whetstone, you're like the most trendy, hipster, brolic, handsome Asian cook on CZcams. You bought pearls before a whetstone? (I'm poking fun at you)
You need a whetstone, a Shapton-Pro 1000 Grit, or a Naniwa Pro 1000 grit. Those mail order sharpening services also damage knives because they use high powered belt sanders to do bulk knives quickly. I sharpen knives professionally as a side gig, and almost every knife I've seen come to me after being "sent out" has had overly large bevels, a messed up heat treat (this is when you can't re-sharpen it well because the temper of the blade is gone), and a whole slew of other problems. They also grind off WAY too much metal usually, thickening your knife, which makes it wedge in thicker ingredients like carrots and potatoes.
It takes literally 30 minutes to learn, and with one of the stones I suggested, you can literally shave hair off. The stones are also only like $40-60, which is SO much cheaper then "constantly sending out 2 shitty chef knives..." Tell them to learn how to sharpen their current shitty knives AND THEN buy a good knife like your Miyabi.
Much love, and peace my dude.
I have 6 stones from 800 to 10,000 grit for different uses. But what I do as a professional cook doesn’t usually apply to the casual viewer. If a person is only just starting out with these three basic knives they probably haven’t learned to sharpen them yet and a casual cook wont be using them enough to warrant spending money on sharpening stones at the same time they buy new knives. Anyone with a collection or skills beyond this should know this is a beginners primer since no information I’m giving would be considered by any means advanced. Just because I sharpen my tools doesn’t mean everyone has to and this video was for the beginner. :-)
@@jonkung That's fair. I was taught to sharpen before I could purchase an expensive Japanese knife (Or 24) but I understand, honing is easier and works in a pinch. Kudos =)
The only time I heard "back to front" ever suggested.
It's true. Another tip is never use the blade of your knife to scrape up a pile of chopped goods. Use a "Bench Scraper" aka dough scraper instead. Far less wear and tear on your blades in the long run. OR use the back of the knife instead if it is conducive for the purpose.
@@violetviolet888 I am a blade user for transferring food from board to pot. Excellent tip. Don’t know why I never thought to do this before.
@@nopereradicator yeah, funny, I didn’t hear that tip until the first restaurant I worked for(I separate fast food and general food establishments from restaurants as there’s a different approach & aesthetic).
I was doing that scrapping the board with the knife edge. And as I was told, this not only ruined the knife edge, where it would need sharpening AND honing/straightening, but also you run the risk of getting plastic or wood chippings in what you’ve serving
Furthermore. If you had cut chicken on the board prior. Even IF you thoroughly washed the board. Boards have tiny pores. So with the slivers of plastic/wood coming off into the prepped food. You also run the risk of cross-contamination
Was a very wholesome lesson. I taught this trick to my family. And now it’s a skill that is being passed down thru the whole family. My mom just showed her sister in law this and she’s teaching it to her daughter which is my cousin
@@violetviolet888 This is great advice, sounds like you're part of R/chefknives =) Only we use spine to swipe, I personally use a bench scraper 99% of the time though, but both work =)
@@qweqwe1324 Yes. Multiple methods that are not common knowledge (which should be). Knife Skills are Life Skills.
Most of my knives come in cases and they are kept in their own drawer.
What is the fish butchery knife called? I might want to add one to my collection
It is not a "fish butchery" knife, however you could use it for that purpose. It is commonly used to slit the throats of pigs. CCK Butcher Knife KF2208 from China.
9:45 does anyone know any good reputable services like this?
J: The key to your question is "reputable". I sharpen my own knifes as I don't trust anyone else unless I see their work. I know of a service that offered to send me examples of their work but it turned out I'd already seen their work after further conversation which instantly gained my respect. I've heard of too many stories of people getting knives back in worse shape than they sent them in with too much metal unnecessarily taken off. There are also a few exemplary youtube channels and resources by some of the best people in the world who teach how to sharpen your own knives which makes it much easier to maintain your knives. To answer your question: here are many, however Jon seems to be deleting the replies to provide you with reputable services.
❤❤❤😊
i never payed attention to all this. but i remodeled the kitchen. and im replacing my utencils. since trying to cut a tomato with my knife is like smashing it with a hammer.
what is the difference between a rough honing rod vs a smooth honing rod. which one is better for normie cooking?
Your knife will tell you the right angle while honing.
Most people don't have that sensitivity.
Pretty sure I saw you at 168 Asian market but didn’t want to ‘that guy’
Just stop teasing me with these videos and come to my apartment to cook me dinner. I promise I will wash all the dishes
You can hold my steel... HAHAHAHAHAAAAA! x
just fyi there are basically no knives on the market that are greater than 15*. also dunno why you'd advise a knife block those things are useless unless you have the tools to make your own slots.
95% of my work all done in a chinese 8 inch cleaver. 5% is done by a bone cleaver LOL :)
KG Bonzalez. I use my bone cleaver 80%. I eat at more meat than you. ; )
@@violetviolet888 lol i only use the chopper for actual severing of proteins :). but you can def bet im using my reg cleaver to do the rest of the work
carbon steel all the way. so easy to sharpen.
Why do you have all those unnecessary knives😅
I used to work at a restaurant where I’d butcher pigs and fish on my own
Did he just call his miyabi a shun ? Damn dude few hundred dollar difference 😂 ig not really if you think about it
Shun has knives in the same price range as this Miyabi (around 400 €/$). The Shun Classic (smooth black handle) is about half that.
Bro buy a kiwi or a Japanese santoku/gyuto. Stainless steel. Chinese knives do not hold up in quality sadly
You will probably not see thisi comment, but maybe some in your community will --
on the honing steel, you really seem to know your shit but a 45 degree angle makes my limbic system unhappy and fear that i'll dull the 15 or 17 degree whatchamacallit
oh i paused and wrote my comment, then resumed the video and yeah you answered it.
with how much force do you apply the knife against the steel? I think there was a bob kramer video where he said 5 pounds, which is a pretty hard press
Excellent video and channel. Just this morning I started using my new Nuwave Mosaic induction wok while watching this video. Please buy and review a Chef’s Choice electric knife sharpener if you can. I have been using one for decades on decent knives and they are always razor sharp with very little trouble. Thanks for doing this channel.
The coolest thing about a Chinese cleaver is dealing with cloves of garlic:
*SMACK*/(pick up and discard skin)/*SMACK*/smeeearr/chopchochopchopchop/slide/scoop/transfer.
Five-second garlic!
Ginger too!
Nothing but 📠📠📠📠📠 no 🗞🗞🗞🗞
fax and mags?
@@ryanleung206 yeah I’m mad confused on what OP meant by any of this😂
I get the 📠 part
Cuz the term is supposed to be facts on 📠 to say whatever you’re commenting on is nothing but facts
all fax. NO NEWSPAPER.