Glenn Reynolds asked about kitchen knives and that got me to thinking. I’ve used a lot of knives over the years—Wüsthof, Henckels, Chicago Cutlery. I’ve been using my old non-stainless Sabatiers for about thirty years now and I prefer them to any of the above—they’re light and easy to sharpen.
If I were to think about getting a new set I’d probably think about Messermeisters or Foschners. Why do y’all use? What’s your experience been?
I have a ton of knives, but find that I use just about two: a 10-inch chef’s and a paring knife, both Wüsthof.
I make a lot of raw fish: Sashimi, crudo, ceviche… but have not gotten around to picking up a Bunmei. I have become fairly adept at using the chef’s knife for making thin slices of fish, so my wife says I don’t need a specialized knife. She doesn’t understand my fetish.
Oh, and two utilitarian knives:
an Opinel for pruning tomato plants and chilies and;
a Laguiole for picnics.
Henckels and, oddly, Tupperware: they’re remarkably good for the price.
The new Sabatiers that you see around are garbage, made in China. Hang on to the old ones.
I use Forschner–very reasonable (cheap compared to lots of others) and effective.
Thanks for the feedback on the new stainless Sabatiers, Ginny. That’s been my impression, too.