# First Knife for Professional Purposes



## dc2123 (Dec 31, 2013)

Hello everyone, I am looking to buy a quality chefs knife for working professionally in a kitchen. 

I really have no knowledge on knives, and have been trying to read a lot, but there are so many different opinions. It's a bit overwhelming.

Any advice on knives to buy, kits to buy, sharpening tools, would all be very helpful.


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## Kathleen (Dec 31, 2013)

dc2123 said:


> Hello everyone, I am looking to buy a quality chefs knife for working professionally in a kitchen.
> 
> I really have no knowledge on knives, and have been trying to read a lot, but there are so many different opinions. It's a bit overwhelming.
> 
> Any advice on knives to buy, kits to buy, sharpening tools, would all be very helpful.



This question is the cook's equivalent to inquiring among boaters who makes the best anchor.  Friendships have ended over the answers.  

You will find many different responses as everyone likes different things.  For me, I found a set that I really like, but also purchased a few specific knives that simply felt right in my hand.  Those special knives are my go-to knives.


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## Kayelle (Dec 31, 2013)

I hope you're buying this knife for yourself and not someone else. 

One of the first things to be considered is how the knife feels in your hand so that lets out internet shopping, or shopping for someone else. Kathleen is right about a multitude of opinions on the best professional knife. The bottom line is if the grip and balance of the knife in your hand isn't just right, the most expensive knife on the market will be worthless to you.


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## Addie (Dec 31, 2013)

Knives are personal. You have to go and get the feel of the knife. The ones that are comfortable in your hand are the ones you should be getting. Any answers you get on line are moot. It is a matter of the 'feel' of the knife.


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## AlisonC (Jan 1, 2014)

Kayelle and Addie are right on! Go to a store where they let you handle the knife, and hopefully cut with it. Good cookware stores will do this, they will also have nice selections of both Asian and Western knives.


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## Roll_Bones (Jan 2, 2014)

If you are going to use it professionally, shouldn't the employer be buying this knife for you?
Or is the employer allowing you to pick your knife?

I am just curious as to the nature of the "working professionally"?

I will say you are off to a good start as you are looking to buy one (1) knife, not a set.


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## CraigC (Jan 3, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> *If you are going to use it professionally, shouldn't the employer be buying this knife for you?
> Or is the employer allowing you to pick your knife?
> *
> I am just curious as to the nature of the "working professionally"?
> ...



I'm not a professional chef, but from what I've seen on the tube, professional chefs provide their own "tools of the trade" when it comes to cutlery. In my occupation, I'm required to provide the basic tools needed.


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## Roll_Bones (Jan 3, 2014)

CraigC said:


> I'm not a professional chef, but from what I've seen on the tube, professional chefs provide their own "tools of the trade" when it comes to cutlery. In my occupation, I'm required to provide the basic tools needed.



I also was required to buy my own basic tools.  It makes sense.  I was an electrician for 40 years.

But in a kitchen, how do they keep your knife and other basic tools separated from the other chefs tools?    
I was able to take my basic (tool pouch) hand tools home after work. Unless I was in a factory then I was able to lock up my toolbox or a strongbox/gangbox was provided and it was locked up before we left.
I am just curious as to the arrangement in a "professional" kitchen.

Would seem everyone having there own stuff might be a problem?

Hence my question.


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## CraigC (Jan 3, 2014)

Well the folks in the kitchen with missing digits picked up the wrong tools. Otherwise its an unspoken rule. Basically, keep yourself and your hands out of my station.


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## Addie (Jan 3, 2014)

*Another notch in the handle of the six shooter*



CraigC said:


> Well the folks in the kitchen with missing digits picked up the wrong tools. Otherwise its an unspoken rule. Basically, keep yourself and your hands out of my station.



My first husband one day told me about a new chef that came aboard in the kitchen on the ship where he worked. One of the older chefs showed him his knives. In the handle of each of his knives he had a gash or two and explained to the new chef that those represented the fingers of folks who tried to use his knives. It wasn't true, but it sure kept other cooks in the kitchen from even thinking about reaching for his knives.


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## Roll_Bones (Jan 4, 2014)

CraigC said:


> Well the folks in the kitchen with missing digits picked up the wrong tools. Otherwise its an unspoken rule. Basically, keep yourself and your hands out of my station.



What happens when you go home and another chef has your station? 
Really I am asking.
I know I would never leave my tools out when i was not present.




Addie said:


> My first husband one day told me about a new chef that came aboard in the kitchen on the ship where he worked. One of the older chefs showed him his knives. In the handle of each of his knives he had a gash or two and explained to the new chef that those represented the fingers of folks who tried to use his knives. It wasn't true, but it sure kept other cooks in the kitchen from even thinking about reaching for his knives.



I think I am seeing the procedure. Chef supplies his own knives. Tells other restaurant employees to keep their hands off.

That would have never worked in my profession. A lock was required. 
We must remember a restaurant in many instances is open for lunch and dinner. Different employees.
Must be an unwritten or written rule in professional kitchens? 

I think I can wrap my mind around how this would work in this setting.  But I would also imagine quite a few missing fingers.


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## FrankZ (Jan 4, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> What happens when you go home and another chef has your station?
> Really I am asking.
> I know I would never leave my tools out when i was not present.



I would have a knife roll and they would go with me when I leave.  You would  need to take them home for sharpening anyways.


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Jan 4, 2014)

CraigC said:


> I'm not a professional chef, but from what I've seen on the tube, professional chefs provide their own "tools of the trade" when it comes to cutlery. In my occupation, I'm required to provide the basic tools needed.


 
 Celebrity chefs provide their own knives because the manufacturer pays them to endorse those knives.


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## Roll_Bones (Jan 5, 2014)

FrankZ said:


> I would have a knife roll and they would go with me when I leave.  You would  need to take them home for sharpening anyways.



I see. Makes perfect sense. Are there other items you would take home also?


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## FrankZ (Jan 5, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> I see. Makes perfect sense. Are there other items you would take home also?




Not having worked as a chef I couldn't think of anything else... unless I had my own stock pot there...


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## Rocklobster (Jan 5, 2014)

I used to take my own knives to work but after a while, it became extra work and worry. If your kitchen has a service that provides sharp knives weekly, you may find it less hassle to use them. They can get banged up pretty good when you use them 40 times a day. Knives get dropped on the hard tile floor in kitchens several times a day. The heat and strong detergent from the commercial dishwasher can really screw up the handles, also.  Keeping them sharp is also an extra hassle. 
If you do want, I would start with a shorter chef knife, like a 7 or 8 incher. The longer ones aren't as easy for fast chopping, dicing, etc.  A smaller utility knife(5 or 6 inches) for slicing tomatoes, cucumbers, etc and other types of cutting will be another good one to have. That is a good start.


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## Roll_Bones (Jan 7, 2014)

Rocklobster said:


> I used to take my own knives to work but after a while, it became extra work and worry. If your kitchen has a service that provides sharp knives weekly, you may find it less hassle to use them. They can get banged up pretty good when you use them 40 times a day. Knives get dropped on the hard tile floor in kitchens several times a day. The heat and strong detergent from the commercial dishwasher can really screw up the handles, also.  Keeping them sharp is also an extra hassle.
> If you do want, I would start with a shorter chef knife, like a 7 or 8 incher. The longer ones aren't as easy for fast chopping, dicing, etc.  A smaller utility knife(5 or 6 inches) for slicing tomatoes, cucumbers, etc and other types of cutting will be another good one to have. That is a good start.



You put your chefs knife in the dishwasher?


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## Rocklobster (Jan 7, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> You put your chefs knife in the dishwasher?


I rarely have, but I have seen many wooden handled knives get ruined because of it. Like I said, I don't bring my knives any more. The plastic handled ones go in the dishwashers all of the time. Happens in every restaurant I have ever worked in. For health and safety reasons they have to be washed and disinfected like every other thing in the kitchen.  Washing them by hand is not an option in some places. Usually the dishwasher will probably not do it, or tell you to do it yourself. If I had an employee that spent too much time fussing over knives I would tell them to leave them at home. Use the plastic handled ones like every body else. Just put the dirty one in the dishwasher and get another one.  Move it. You are here to produce. Not coddle your knives....


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## CraigC (Jan 7, 2014)

Sir_Loin_of_Beef said:


> Celebrity chefs provide their own knives because the manufacturer pays them to endorse those knives.



Don't think I used the word "celebrity" in my post. If I did, could you point it out to me? I don't think Pepin, Besh, Keller etc. are endorsing any knives on their shows, nor do I recall them even mentioning the brand of knife(s) they use.


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## Roll_Bones (Jan 7, 2014)

Rocklobster said:


> I rarely have, but I have seen many wooden handled knives get ruined because of it. Like I said, I don't bring my knives any more. The plastic handled ones go in the dishwashers all of the time. Happens in every restaurant I have ever worked in. For health and safety reasons they have to be washed and disinfected like every other thing in the kitchen.  Washing them by hand is not an option in some places. Usually the dishwasher will probably not do it, or tell you to do it yourself. If I had an employee that spent too much time fussing over knives I would tell them to leave them at home. Use the plastic handled ones like every body else. Just put the dirty one in the dishwasher and get another one.  Move it. You are here to produce. Not coddle your knives....



All my knives have plastic handles. I guess I have been wrong in thinking they should never go into the dishwasher?
I wash mine with hot soapy water, dry and return them to their block when I am finished with them.
All my knives are J.A. Henckels.


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## Macgyver1968 (Jan 7, 2014)

Those are really good knifes.  I hear "leatherface" endorses them, as they have the best balance for killing scantly clad teenagers in the woods.


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## Andy M. (Jan 7, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> All my knives have plastic handles. I guess I have been wrong in thinking they should never go into the dishwasher?
> I wash mine with hot soapy water, dry and return them to their block when I am finished with them.
> All my knives are J.A. Henckels.




I have Henckels too.  I always hand wash, hone and put away.


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## Rocklobster (Jan 7, 2014)

Sure. At home I do that, too. The workplace is a bit different and things are done totally for the purpose of convenience and saving time. The knife service shows up weekly with newly sharpened knives. The plastic handled knives are designed for this, I would suspect. Nobody gives a toss about taking care of them. They don't abuse them, per say, but they don't go out of their way to take extra care of them.


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## Rocklobster (Jan 7, 2014)

Macgyver1968 said:


> Those are really good knifes.  I hear "leatherface" endorses them, as they have the best balance for killing scantly clad teenagers in the woods.



Hatchets all the way for this guy....


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## Roll_Bones (Jan 9, 2014)

Macgyver1968 said:


> Those are really good knifes.  I hear "leatherface" endorses them, as they have the best balance for killing scantly clad teenagers in the woods.





Rocklobster said:


> Hatchets all the way for this guy....



Amazing? Jeff Smith name was not mentioned, yet we all know exactly who he is.
I actually bought Henckel because of the "Frugal Gourmet" many years ago.
It was the second cooking show I watched following "Galloping Gourmet"
The "Food Network" was not even comprehended at this time.

I learned many cooking techniques from him.  I am pretty sure I owe much of my culinary interest and investment to him.


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## Addie (Jan 9, 2014)

Macgyver1968 said:


> Those are really good knifes.  I hear "leatherface" endorses them, as they have the best balance for killing scantly clad teenagers in the woods.



You have totally lost me. What in the world are you talking about? Who is leatherface? And what does he have to do with the subject of this thread?


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jan 10, 2014)

I have a son who is a proffesional chef.  He carries his own knives to and from work.  I am a home chef.  I carry my one very good knife with me whenever I suspect I will be cooking.  Most of the people I know have atrocious knives, and no sharpening tools.  I end up honing their knife edges on the backs of other knives.  Sometimes it works.  

My son didn't used to take his knives home.  He kept them at work, set in a private area, and told everyone to kip their mits off.  He had three knives ruing by people ignoring the "mits off!" rule.  He never leaves his knives at work anymore.

I do have a caution about personal knives.  There are inferior knives out there that appear to be high quality, and even feel good in the hand.  They are made of poor quality steel and will warp, or not hold their edge.  make sure that the brand you purchase is reputable.  It wouldn't hurt to try a knife on for size, then go home and look up critiques of it.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## Addie (Jan 10, 2014)

A number of years ago I bought my daughter a KA mixer for Christmas. I should have bought her a good set of knives. She got very sick right at that time and never got to open her presents. Her husband put them all in the garage and they found them three years later. She never uses it. But she is always complaining about not having good knives. She does have an electric knife (mine) that they use all the time. Easier than going out and buying a couple of good ones. I swear from what I have seen in her drawer, all her knives are from a thrift shop or yard sale.


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## Rocklobster (Jan 10, 2014)

Chief Longwind Of The North said:


> I have a son who is a proffesional chef.  He carries his own knives to and from work.
> 
> My son didn't used to take his knives home.  He kept them at work, set in a private area, and told everyone to kip their mits off.  He had three knives ruing by people ignoring the "mits off!" rule.  He never leaves his knives at work anymore.
> 
> ...



It is quite common for cooks/chefs to hide knives, even the rented ones after their shift so nobody else can use it.  I remember one kitchen  I worked in, there weren't enough knives available because a few people squirreled them away as soon as the freshly sharpened batch came in. Some people had no knives to work with..They were all ordered to put them back so everybody could use them.


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## Roll_Bones (Jan 10, 2014)

Addie said:


> You have totally lost me. What in the world are you talking about? Who is leatherface? And what does he have to do with the subject of this thread?



I think he is talking about Jeff Smith the "Frugal Gourmet"?

He evidently was accused or prosecuted for molesting his assistant or something in that regard.
Do you remember the show? He had a young kid as his assistant and I think it was this kid?

I really was disappointed in what I heard about him as he had much influence on me as far as cooking goes.
The connection is Henckel knives.  Jeff Smith used and promoted them on the show.


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## Steve Kroll (Jan 10, 2014)

I have three Shun knives that are my favorites. In fact, in what has become a first of the year tradition, they are out being sharpened today.

I'm not a professional chef, but I like the way they feel. And they slice things so effortlessly. I swear there are times the onion just looks at that knife and falls apart. 

I also have my dad's old Chicago Cutlery knives from the 1940s when he went to school to be a butcher. Some of them have been sharpened so many times there isn't much left of the blade. One in particular used to be a chef's knife, but I use it as a boning knife because that's what it looks like these days. They're sturdy and still hold an edge. CC used to be a quality brand but have gone downhill in the last couple of decades.


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## Addie (Jan 10, 2014)

Roll_Bones said:


> I think he is talking about Jeff Smith the "Frugal Gourmet"?
> 
> He evidently was accused or prosecuted for molesting his assistant or something in that regard.
> Do you remember the show? He had a young kid as his assistant and I think it was this kid?
> ...



Yes I do remember him. The scandal was a lot bigger than the public heard.  He was doing work with young boys that were getting into trouble. He would get them out of trouble and into their pants. He ran a kitchen for the homeless and had the boys working there as part of their probation. His wife divorced him and both of them died shortly after. His helper's name was Craig. He wrote his own cookbook. He was not one of the kids. He was too old. He like the boys that were in middle school. Craig was an adult grown man. Thank you.


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## Dawgluver (Jan 10, 2014)

Addie said:


> You have totally lost me. What in the world are you talking about? Who is leatherface? And what does he have to do with the subject of this thread?



Addie, Leatherface was one of the killers in the horror flick, Texas Chainsaw Massacres.  He was a butcher who wore masks made of human skin and was supposedly inspired by serial killer Ed Gein.  Nothing to do with Jeff Smith.


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## pacanis (Jan 10, 2014)

Stupid me thinking this thread was gaining momentum talking about the OP's question


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## Addie (Jan 11, 2014)

pacanis said:


> Stupid me thinking this thread was gaining momentum talking about the OP's question



You too? We certainly got off the subject here.

So folks, what about those knives for professional chefs? Have we reached a consensus? Silly question, I know. I am not a pro chef, but I am happy with my different band knives. They all fit my small hand and take a good sharpening with my little hand held sharpener recommended by ATK. And that is all I ask. My son has my 12" Shun. Too big for my hand and too dangerous for me to wield.


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## Addie (Jan 11, 2014)

Steve Kroll said:


> I also have my dad's old Chicago Cutlery knives from the 1940s when he went to school to be a butcher. Some of them have been sharpened so many times there isn't much left of the blade. One in particular used to be a chef's knife, but I use it as a boning knife because that's what it looks like these days. They're sturdy and still hold an edge. CC used to be a quality brand but have gone downhill in the last couple of decades.



Steve I had a knife like that. I got it as a gift from the old Spiegel's Catalog. It was a set of knives that had wooden handles with two rivets. The chef's knife when I first got them allowed my hand to clear the counter. But the time I decided it had served it time well, the wooden handle had split but was held with those two rivets. And anytime I went to chop, I was banging my knuckles on the counter. The blade had worn down to where it was no longer feasible to even try to sharpen it. But I loved that knife to its death.


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## pacanis (Jan 11, 2014)

I just ordered two gyutos a couple days ago to replace the ones "I learned on". They've been dropped a couple times and suffered a chip or three  Plus I did not like sharpening the large one I have. It has a double bevel on it and takes a while.
I ordered one of these and the next size up. Good knife for a decent price.


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## Aunt Bea (Jan 11, 2014)

pacanis said:


> I just ordered two gyutos a couple days ago to replace the ones "I learned on". They've been dropped a couple times and suffered a chip or three  Plus I did not like sharpening the large one I have. It has a double bevel on it and takes a while.
> I ordered one of these and the next size up. Good knife for a decent price.




Pac, What do you use to sharpen your knives?


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## pacanis (Jan 11, 2014)

Aunt Bea said:


> Pac, What do you use to sharpen your knives?


 
A Dremel... 
Just kidding.

I have a Norton three sided sharpening block something like this one, but mine is med, fine and really fine


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## Aunt Bea (Jan 11, 2014)

pacanis said:


> A Dremel...
> Just kidding.
> 
> I have a Norton three sided sharpening block something like this one, but mine is med, fine and really fine



I watched a video and this one would not work for me, it takes some skill to use! 

I thought it was interesting that the fella in the video used transmission fluid for his sharpening oil.


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## Addie (Jan 11, 2014)

pacanis said:


> A Dremel...
> Just kidding.
> 
> I have a Norton three sided sharpening block something like this one, but mine is med, fine and really fine



That is a serious piece of equipment. When I lived in Tacoma, one of my neighbors worked for Weyerhauser. He had quite a collection of axes and had a larger version of one of those. I made sure I never got him mad at me. He kept them in a cabinet locked like you do with guns. And they were in a back room out of sight. Very few folks knew he had them.

In today's society, if the authorities saw that, they would probably confiscate them without asking questions and take him in as a potential terrorist.


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## pacanis (Jan 11, 2014)

Addie said:


> That is a serious piece of equipment...


 
That's nothing compared to what "knife guys" use. They've got more stones, strops and compounds than I care to get into.


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## Addie (Jan 11, 2014)

pacanis said:


> That's nothing compared to what "knife guys" use. They've got more stones, strops and compounds than I care to get into.



If they are anything like the axe man I can believe it!


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## Macgyver1968 (Jan 22, 2014)

Addie said:


> You have totally lost me. What in the world are you talking about? Who is leatherface? And what does he have to do with the subject of this thread?



He's the villain from the movie "Texas Chainsaw Massacre".


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