Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with knives

Sharp kitchen knives right out of the box?

markcmyers — Tue, 12 May 2009 10:18:58 -0800

Are any kitchen knives truly sharp when they're new? I've heard that newly purchased knives need to be sharpened by a pro for a razor-sharp edge, but is there a company that provides the optimal edge right out of the box?

Look sharp!

serazin — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:16:13 -0800

I'd like to sharpen my knives and pruner, but how? Sharpening: why is it so expensive? Is this a super complex skill to learn? What are the basics I need to know about how to sharpen, and what are the essential tools I need to make things sharp? (A recent trip to the fancy Japanese tool store revealed about 25 different sharpening implements ranging in price from 20 to 100 bucks each!) Should I leave sharpening to the experts - or is this something I would be an expert on had I been a boyscout? Give me your sharpening wisdom here!

What size chef's knife should I buy?

lhputtgrass — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 16:56:38 -0800

I'm looking to spend a good amount of money on a chef's knife in the near future, and haven't found a good discussion of the difference between an 8" and 10" knife. What are the salient differences? I've got a pretty good idea of what brand of knife I want (Shun), but can you tell me if there are significant differences between the two lengths? I'm a relatively large guy with pretty big hands, so I'm not too worried about being able to handle the larger size. Is there a significant advantage to having more blade, or would the larger size get in my way more often than coming in handy?

How to release the blade on a folding knife

mojohand — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:32:02 -0800

How do I release the blade and close this CRKT Kommer Full Throttle Knife? I feel like a dope, but my experience with Swiss Army knives and Leatherman Tools has apparently not equipped me to operate my shiny new knife, which came with instructions for opening it, but none for releasing the blade lock and closing it. There are no obvious buttons or blade lock levers to push.

Rubber Butterfly Knife that Works?

grabbingsand — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:18:35 -0800

Is there such a thing as a rubber balisong or butterfly knife? What I'm wanting is a balisong that has the approximate heft expected, so it can be tricked with a bit, just without all of the potential for profuse bleeding. By rubber, I mean like this.

Help me cut, chop, dice like a pro

Abbril — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:15:46 -0800

Trying to find a good Knife Skills cooking class or workshop in the Ottawa area. Any ideas?

That's just wrong!

sixcolors — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:45:54 -0800

How common is it for young people to conceal (weapons and drugs) and steal? I know stealing and concealing drugs/weapons are kind of different subjects, but what they both have in common...if they get caught other people (innocent) can get in trouble too. Guilty by association.

Within the last month, I found out some crazy things about a few of the people I hang out with.

-I gave a couple a friends a ride down to the bar. Little did I know that the person sitting behind me was drinking from a flask. It is illegal in my area to drink alcoholic beverages in a moving car. Fortunately another friend "told" on her.
-There are rumors that some more people sneaked in flasks at an overnight service project.
-One of my friends discovered that some people sneaked pot in his car.
-A couple people, mostly the guys, carry knives and sometimes guns to everyday places, such as malls and parks.
-Two people admitted to shoplifting.
-One friend caught another friend stealing at her house.

Now, not all of these people are close friends, thank God, but I do hang out with them on semi-regular basis. And I have been hanging out with them for a while. I was just unaware of their "deviant activities" until recently.

Am I just associating with a rough crowd? Or, am I naive and it is quite common for young people (20-28) to do those sort of things?

Switching to Mac... for the second time.

DoctorFedora — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:08:03 -0800

Do any stores in the northeast US sell MAC knives? Bonus points for Philadelphia.

Knife sharpening

TigerCrane — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:59:43 -0800

Where can I get knives sharpened in the Hollywood (CA) area?

How do you choose a sushi knife?

zennie — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:12:23 -0800

Know anything about sushi knives? I need info and recommendations. What makes a good sushi knife? What do you look for, and how do you know if you're getting a bargain if buying one? Can you recommend a brand that's available in the US?

Help me find fun plates and cups.

melodykramer — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:49:58 -0800

I want to buy funky plates and cups (different for each place setting) The more eclectic and weird, the better. Do you have a favorite plates/cup that you got online that are cheap, funny, and safe for human consumption?(no traces of any chemicals that may cause blindness, irritability, etc..)

How can I fly with knives?

sindas — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 12:19:38 -0800

flying-with-knives/holiday-shippingFilter: Fly with chef knifes in a knife roll, or ship them? Who will get my stuff there the fastest? Providence, Rhode Island to Dallas, Texas. On the airplane? USPS? UPS? DHL? FedEx?

Batali's Big Knife

rorycberger — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:59:11 -0800

What is the big knife called (and where can i buy it) that Mario Batali uses sometimes on Iron Chef America? It is a very large knife, sort of like a cleaver but with a rounded point, and it has a green handle. I don't remember which battle it was used in, but it can be seen during the opening credits/intro montage on recent battles. I believe Alton specifically called it out by name once, but I can't rememember the exact name. Something with letters and numbers, like EX-50, but I don't think that's it. Thanks!

What's with this knife?

amethysts — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 21:49:02 -0800

Anything interesting to know about a little chinese knife that has a smaller knife attached to the front of the case? My friend bought this thing in chinatown, in one of the trinket shops. it's a little decorative knife/letter opener, and attached to the front of the case is another case containing a smaller knife. it was $3.

he can't find anything about them online and he was wondering if there's any interesting history surrounding this curious and unique design. not this piece in particular but this piece's ancestors perhaps.

thank you!

What tools will help me extract the delicious goodness of butternut squash from its hard waxy peel?

booksandlibretti — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 18:45:29 -0800

What tools are best for peeling and cubing butternut squashes? I'm not looking for recipes; I need recommendations for knives or vegetable peelers or whatever works best. I know about this post (recipes). I just want to peel the squash, cube it, and then steam it until it can be squished with a fork for a mashed-potato texture.

I love butternut squash prepared this way, but last year it took forever for me to peel and cube each squash, and my wrists would be aching by the end (and they're not weak -- I play piano). Maybe my cutting technique is wrong, rather than my tools -- apparently some people claim it's "easy to peel"! I already use just the neck, which has almost no seeds -- I don't fool around with the base. I'd appreciate any other tips you can give me along with knife recommendations.

I'm thinking maybe an offset knife would be good for the cubing? I could easily be wrong, though, and I have no idea what I can use to peel. Whatever sharp things you recommend, I'll probably use them on squash throughout the winter, and hopefully I can get more than one year out of 'em.

I'm a student on a pretty tight budget, and, unsurprisingly, cheap is good -- but my birthday is in November, so I'll probably be able to afford a bit more then. I cook a lot, but I don't have any really good knives; I'm not set up to sharpen anything, for example, and everything I have now is dishwasher-safe.

Cheap Kitchen Knives

Telf — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 10:32:00 -0800

I just started work at a small family owned restaurant. My previous kitchen jobs used a service like Cozzini to keep their knives wicked sharp. Unfortunately, this place only has a few very dull and cheap supermarket bought knives. I wanted to bring in a few decent knives, but nothing fancy. Any recomendations? The job is great. The people that run the place are very friendly and generous. Unfortunately the knives there are crap. There wouldn't be a problem with me bringing in a few knives, I just don't want to subject my own knives to the abuse of restaurant work.

I need a chef's knife and a bread knife.

The bread knife should be easy. Who makes a good, cheap long, serrated bread knife?

We bake our own cuban bread which we sometimes have to cut while it is still soft out of the oven. The serrated knife we have right now is really more of a serrated fillet knife. I've almost cut myself a few times because it's so dull.

The chef 's knife will be trickier. I'm not set on buying a nice carbon steel forged knife. I don't care about brands. I'm not going to throw down on a MAC, Shun, Henckels, or Wurstof. I just want a decent cheap 8ish inch chef's knife.

I've seen a lot of people pushing the Forschners, but looking at their shape, I'm not sure if they'll work. The heel of the 8 inch Chef's knife looks really shallow. I'm not sure if it's deep enough to allow my protect my knuckles when I'm chopping with a pinch grip. It doesn't look like it will alow for a real rocking motion. At the same time the $21 dollar price at Amazon is hard to beat.

I really wouldn't want to go above $30, which I know is tough. But I don't need anything spectacular, just decent.

I've read over the other posts here, but none of them really address this specific need.

bad people scurr me

quadrinary — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 13:12:21 -0800

At the end of the month, I'll be heading to a certain country with, uh, a high level of military activity/insurgent activity to do humanitarian aid. I'm looking for protection. Though I've lived and worked there in the past for different lengths of time, the current situation is making me a bit concerned about my safety and that of my team. I'd been considering buying a bootknife to augment my trusty Swiss Army knife, but I have no clue where I can see a side-by-side selection of these things online. I've looked at various military surplus sites and most of them are no-name knives, have terrible holsters, or any other number of things.

I'm looking to spend about $60 and figure a 4" blade should be more than enough. I think I'd prefer a fixed-blade, but I'd be willing to consider a locking blade.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Deaths as a result of opening plastic packages.

Sonic_Molson — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 18:08:47 -0800

Help me win a bet against my girlfriend. Relates to deaths while opening those pesky plastic packages. I'm looking for examples of people who died while opening plastic packages.

Yeah, I know it sounds a little crazy. Today I was opening some bike lights that were in a hard plastic package, I was actually frustrated to be seeing the instructions on the back on how to install the batteries and wondering "Well where is the instructions to open the package?!" I ended up using a knife and nearly cutting myself (as usual). With 6.5 billion people on the planet I'm sure that at least one has accidently stabbed themselves to death while tearing these packages open.

The types of packages I am thinking of are the type that mp3 players often come in, or other small but valuable items (ram, tools)

The best sample picture I could find of one is here, not even one of the really tough plastic packages that I experienced today; http://www.ocmodshop.com/zalman7000acu/ZALMAN_BOX_BACK.jpg

I got $5 on this :-) I'll split the profit.

Help me help my kitchen help me.

soma lkzx — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 09:17:16 -0800

Indespensible kitchen supplies? Culinary magic aids? Killer cutting board? Cooking my girlfriend dinner every night gets me a certain bit of leverage in getting nice culinary gifts, but I'm at a loss as to what i should be hinting towards right now.

I just got a nice 10" Shun chef's knife, so I was thinking a quality cutting board. Would a straight-up bamboo block be my best bet?

Rotary grater? Mandolin? Ice cream maker? Million cup food processor? Magnetic knife block (!!!!!!)? What makes your life easier or more fun in the kitchen?

PS We live in an apartment, so smaller is better

How to operate ChefsChoice knife sharpener

mojohand — Sun, 08 Jan 2006 09:03:34 -0800

Do any AskMeFi members know how to operate/own the manual for a Chef'sChoice Model 100 electric knife sharpener? Could you post a precis of its directions? It's been years since we used ours and we seem to have lost our manual. I seem to recall its operation is not intuitive and you really do need to follow their directions. No, the good people of the Edgecraft Corp. don't seem to have posted any manuals on their site, just some useless FAQs.

The Model 100 is out of production, but from its pictures, the ChefsChoice model 110 appears identical to the model 100, so its instructions will probably work.

Williams-Sonoma makes me feel funny.

patgas — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 05:57:48 -0800

I need to step up my capability to cook for myself. To motivate myself I want to get new pots and pans, but only the essentials. I'm guessing that I probably need two pots and two sautee pans. Oh, and probably a decent chef's knife. Anything else? Any recommended brands I should look for? Practicality and affordability are key.

How 'bout them new Calphalon knives?

stuart_s — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 14:00:00 -0800

Kitchen knives. One more time. How do knives distinguish themselves as they increase in price? Specifically, how does the recent offering from Calphalon compare? I saw something shiny. They told me it was an amazing price and I made an impulsive purchase. I've already received my Calphalon 15 pc and now I'm trying to sort out whether I made the right choice. I can very easily return them and replace them with something else. (A smaller set though as the replacements are likely to be significantly more expensive.)

None of the three previous AskMe threads mentioned Calphalon cutlery because Calphalon has only recently entered the market. (Right?) So, how does Calpahlon compare to Wusthof, Henckels, Global, Mac and Shun?

If you think that Calphalon is significantly inferior to all of these other knives I'd like to know exactly in what way you think that is so. Let's leave ergonomics and aesthetics aside. I've viewed and held the knives myself and I'm happy. I guess what I don't understand is why I should pay $400-$600 when I have a nice, shiny set of knives for $150. In fact, I'm not entirely convinced that I was justified in spending as much as I did. How do knives distinguish themselves as they increase in price? Right out of the box or immediately after a proper sharpening is a Shun sharper than a Calphalon? Is the price premium about sharpening once every two months versus once every three months? Is the price premium about aesthetics? Is the price premium about brand snobery?

Recommendations for discreet sheathed knives

McGuillicuddy — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 17:31:03 -0800

I'd like recommendations for a discreet sheathed knife. I'd like a sheathed knife that I can wear comfortably and discreetly on my belt or elsewhere. I'd prefer a fixed blade knife, and I'd consider high-style and additional tools a bonus. I'm thinking more along the lines of a diver's knife than a six inch Bowie knive, but I'd be interested in anything you've found useful and comfortable for regular use.

Basically I'm looking for a perfectly designed knife that is comfortable to carry routinely. Though they are great tools, I don't need another Leatherman or Victorinox. Anyone have any recommendations?

Cut finger advice

cillit bang — Tue, 08 Mar 2005 17:13:47 -0800

Icky cut finger advice sought. I have a breadknife with vicious teeth and a short attention span, and this afternoon I cut my finger quite badly while slicing a bagel. The cut is kind of C-shaped leaving a flap of flesh. How soon can I change the bandage without ripping the flap open again?

Chop chop!

rorycberger — Mon, 10 Jan 2005 16:22:03 -0800

What is the best way to learn professional level kitchen knife skills? [more inside] Background: I'm a beginner-intermediate cook who likes to try difficult, complicated recipes to challenge myself. However, I often find myself slowed down/poorly performing due to knife skills and want to eliminate that as an excuse for not cooking as well as I could. When I can I do prep work in advance, but that usually adds an extra ~hour for work that (I think) could be done during the cooking process.

I'm basically looking for two things here: 1) recommendations for specific books, videos, classes etc. (or even just tips for finding good ones) 2) techniques/drills that I should practice on my own (i.e. julienning a bunch of carrots, or trying to slice potatoes as thinly as possible, etc.).

Also, a tangential question: I've got a decent farberware knife set that gets the job done, but have been thinking about buying at least a high-end chef's knife. Should I run out to the store now, or wait until I'm a bit more experienced so that I'll have a better idea of what I like?