If you are starting to cook more, whether you are cooking for a significant other or just to eat healthier, having good equipment is key. And of course, that always starts with a knife. Every chef, whether new or experienced should have a good quality cooks knife. Most cooks knife come in two varieties, either a chefs knife or a santoku knife. If you are getting a good German piece of steal, most likely it will be a chef’s knife, and this is what you will see in the back of the house of a restaurant. But, go to a sushi bar or a Japanese restaurant and you might see the santoku style knife. It doesn’t matter what style you choose, as long as you have a good quality, well balanced, sharp knife to cook with.
Why a good knife matters
More injuries happen in the kitchen due to dull knifes than a sharp knife. Dull knives slip and cut. And if you are cut, you want to be cut by a sharp knife as it will be cleaner cut and hurt less. Most people buy a full knife set thinking that having 56 different knifes is what you want. In reality, you only need, starting out, two knives, some type of cooks knife and a pairing knife. I like the Japanese style Santoku knives but I have never bought the good ones because many times they are beveled on one side only making them hard to sharpen and hone. Luckily I found a knife with a 50/50 bevel to it.
How I found it
I have several restaurant clients that I do work for. Because of this, when the restaurant associations have expos, I always go to them to see vendors, clients, competitors and even potential clients. I found out after the fact, all the chefs I know, were avoiding one table in general, because they knew they would end up buying something. I ended up at that table and walked away with a knew Takayuki, Damascus VG10 knife. I bought it for about $125 at the show and I have seen them range anywhere between $115 and $150 dollars.
My review Video
Recommendation
I do like this knife and I highly recommend it. It has a good feel in the hand and cuts real well. If you are looking for a knife you can throw in the dishwasher, this is not the one for you. Instead, just clean it , hand dry it and place it back in your knife block or on your magnetic strip. I would be cautious using this to chop bones but I have been able to get super thin tomato slices. All you need is a paring knife and maybe a bread knife and you are set with everything you can possibly need.
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