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Chefs knife! Ok, maybe not, Herb Garden?
Lardalish
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Recycling this thread since its sorta related annnnd I had already made it.
So, through a combination of people telling me it would be dumb to get a fancy knife for the workplace and my check from that event being smaller than I expected (man did I underestimate taxes, been a while since I did a job that wasnt paid in cash), I think Ive decided to make me a little herb garden.
Now since I live in an apartment this means it can't be too big and that it needs to be in a pot or something. Im thinking I want an oblong or rectangle pot, not entirely sure why, I just think it might look nice. First problem, I cant seem to find anything through google about a terracotta trough thats in the US. I found several from a site based in the UK but that doesnt really help me. The closest thing I can find are these iron frameworks that you put a liner in and plant your stuff, but since I live in North Carolina I would like to be able to bring it inside for winter / hurricanes or whathave you. I would imagine that places would have these here in the US but I dunno. Maybe Ill just have to get several small pots? That seems like it would be more expencive and not as attractive.
Next, how easy is it to grow herbs? Im thinking its pretty easy but Ive never planted anything (with the exception of a bean in elementary school) so I really have no idea. Im thinking I would like to have Thyme, Basil, Oregano, Parsley, Mint, and Rosemary, now since I know nothing about these other than their culinary uses it might not be possible to plant them all, whether it being too many for a small area or bad climate or something else. I know the basics (sun+water+soil+seed=plant) but thats about it. How hard would it be to keep these plants? Do I need fertilizer? Special soil? Will they be fine in the winter if I bring them inside and keep em in a sunny area?
I'll be heading to Lowes and Home Depot tomorrow to see what they have in the way of pots and seeds, if they don't have what Im looking for, where should I look? Im in Charlotte, NC, so I probably have something, I just dont know what Im looking for. Thanks for your help! And thanks to those of you who have trudged through my wordy posts to help me, heh.
So, through a combination of people telling me it would be dumb to get a fancy knife for the workplace and my check from that event being smaller than I expected (man did I underestimate taxes, been a while since I did a job that wasnt paid in cash), I think Ive decided to make me a little herb garden.
Now since I live in an apartment this means it can't be too big and that it needs to be in a pot or something. Im thinking I want an oblong or rectangle pot, not entirely sure why, I just think it might look nice. First problem, I cant seem to find anything through google about a terracotta trough thats in the US. I found several from a site based in the UK but that doesnt really help me. The closest thing I can find are these iron frameworks that you put a liner in and plant your stuff, but since I live in North Carolina I would like to be able to bring it inside for winter / hurricanes or whathave you. I would imagine that places would have these here in the US but I dunno. Maybe Ill just have to get several small pots? That seems like it would be more expencive and not as attractive.
Next, how easy is it to grow herbs? Im thinking its pretty easy but Ive never planted anything (with the exception of a bean in elementary school) so I really have no idea. Im thinking I would like to have Thyme, Basil, Oregano, Parsley, Mint, and Rosemary, now since I know nothing about these other than their culinary uses it might not be possible to plant them all, whether it being too many for a small area or bad climate or something else. I know the basics (sun+water+soil+seed=plant) but thats about it. How hard would it be to keep these plants? Do I need fertilizer? Special soil? Will they be fine in the winter if I bring them inside and keep em in a sunny area?
I'll be heading to Lowes and Home Depot tomorrow to see what they have in the way of pots and seeds, if they don't have what Im looking for, where should I look? Im in Charlotte, NC, so I probably have something, I just dont know what Im looking for. Thanks for your help! And thanks to those of you who have trudged through my wordy posts to help me, heh.
Lardalish on
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Among the common sets, JA Henckels are pretty good.
Cook's magazine seems to like Forchner as well. They chose the Forchner Fibrox as a top chef's knife.
This. Do not get the Target version of Henckels.
One of my friends has a Wusthof, which is pretty good.
I have a Global, which I've enjoyed a lot. It's all one hunk of metal, which is way sexy to me. It seems pretty heavy too. One thing about it is because it's a Japanese knife, the sharpening angle is a lot shallower than a non Japanese knife (18 degrees?) It has a good solid construction to it. The spine is pretty meaty on the G-2, which is the one I have. If I recall correctly, the G-2 is actually 20 cm and not 8 inches, though close enough.
I'm not a professional chef, I just like to cook. So keep that in mind. The people who cook more often will surely have a better formed opinion about knives.
For example, the Henckels International Forged Synergy 8" Chef's Knife will run you about $30. The Zwilling Henckles Twin 1791 8" Chef's Knife will run you $450.
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=70169
Satans..... hints.....
Oh...h-hey there thread...whats up?
Yeeaaaah... thought I mighta made a thread about this...
Well... I guess Ill go look through that thread!
Sorry about the duplicate threads I guess?
Jordan of Elienor, Human Shaman
My brother gave me an (i think) $80 Calphalon Katana series chef's knife - it has really pretty folding ridges and is still sharp as can be over a year later. I use it not quite as often but it is awesome and comfortable.
This is the extent of my experience with chef's knives. Whichever one you do get, use a good honing steel on it every couple of uses, and have a hardware store sharpen it and your other knives when it loses that "Fuck this thing is sharp!" feeling.
I'd go to Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table and try out the knives though and see what you like.
Nice thing is that they are pretty cheap, around $13 from Amazon. A friend bought a set for teaching cooking.
Currently, I'm using an old Henckel chef knife, which has served me well.
In my honest, and professional, opinion CCI knives are the best for their value. I purchased mine for ~$40 new, it holds its edge just as well as my Shun (or at least very closely) and feels great in my hand. As for how good they are, most Canadian kitchens will have them, at least most of the ones I have worked in and a number of the executive chefs I've worked under have a few in their sets.
It is inevitable that you will drop your knife and break it or some asshole will walk off with it, at least if you plan to work in the cooking industry. That said I think people who spend a couple hundred on a single knife are out of their minds.
Again.
Shogun Streams Vidya
The Global 8.25-in. Forged Chef's Knife
and
the Wusthof 9" Chef's Knife.
So, what do you guys think? Im alright with the prices (though if I find the same knife cheaper somewhere else Ill definitely get it there instead) and they seem to be what I want. Any more input?
Jordan of Elienor, Human Shaman
Satans..... hints.....
That's the biggest factor from here on in.
Also, I'd say Global, but that's just me. I own that exact knife and find it a real pleasure to use, but you might not. Go and see for yourself.
[edit: yes, what chromdom said
Jordan of Elienor, Human Shaman
If its too dull, you can sharpen it. If it gets dull over time, you can sharpen it. It'll be a long time before you'll have to buy a new one.
Why not spend a bunch of money and get a fancy knife?
Because people will steal them.
Edit- This goes for culinary school and for workplaces. If you're just getting something because you want something pretty to sit on your home counter, get whatever.
What kind of bones are they talking about here? I know chicken bones are a lot "softer" than most anything else and Ive been using my chef's knife to french chicken breasts since I started school, in fact thats the way they taught us. Have I really been damaging my knife or is this just something special about this Wusthof?
Jordan of Elienor, Human Shaman
took out her barrettes and her hair spilled out like rootbeer
Anyhow. As long as you're using the very base of the blade to cut? It'll be cool. If you're worried about the delicateness of the knife, email them and ask if model xx would be able to cut through chicken bones. Or just get it and keep a heavier knife around.
I am going to go ahead and piss a lot of people off here...
In my experience Wusthof knives are actually quite horrible. They do not hold an edge, are easily damaged and in general are way overpriced for what you are getting. For what you are doing (frenching chicken breasts) you shouldn't be directly cutting through any bones, just through joints, so I would not worry. And any knife that chips due to that is a piece of shit, to be bluntly honest.
Wusthof knives aren't supposed to hold an edge, They are specifically milled from a softer steel, this is because softer knives hold sharper edges but require more maintenance.
Satans..... hints.....
Im glad someone told me this. Im fine with sharpening my knives, Ive got a wetstone that I use, but knowing that the Wusthof is supposed to loose it's edge faster than other knives is handy.
As for the frenching, my chefs taught us to cut off the wing tip at the joint and then pull back the meat from the joint and cut it off on a bias. So you've got a nice point coming off the breast. So Im chopping through the bone, but it usually only takes one good chop and its done. I kind of figured that my chef's technique was going to be fine on my knives.
Jordan of Elienor, Human Shaman
One question I thought of after seeing some knives, what are your guys opinion on the hollow edge knives? Is it worth it? Does it make them harder to sharpen (not sure how they would effect it, but who knows)? Do they work like advertized? IE: do they slice through things like potatoes and such without them stickin to the knife?
Jordan of Elienor, Human Shaman
Satans..... hints.....
The Santoku is about the size and weight you'd expect from the chef's knife and it feels very nice. It's solid steel of a higher than normal hardness, so it's a dense metal, but it's not unnecessarily thick in any places. It's a reasonable heft that feels good in the hand.
Also, the handles are works of beauty. I frequently use my santoku to take apart unbutchered inner loins of pigs and cows, and despite the fat and sweat that gets between my palm and the handle, it never slips, I never develop blisters, and it never becomes uncomfortable. The black dot design is genius. The dimples are just deep enough to create a good gripping texture without permitting the handle to dig into your skin or catch and chafe.
Personally, I feel that Global is the only company that justifies spending a hundred bucks on a single knife. I don't for an instant regret either purchase and I look forward to eventually grabbing the chef's knife and probably a boning knife from them, too.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
Which is next to utterly useless in a professional kitchen. You will not have a lot of time to sit there and constantly run your knives on a steel when prep needs to be done. You need a hard blade that will hold an edge for a long time and that requires a minimal of maintenance.
As for globals, I do not care for the handles so I have no real opinion on them. That said I have seen one rust, which confused the hell out of me.
Unless you're talking from experience I doubt that a good knife, either hard or soft, will loose its edge in a single day. I would think that it would be something like steel it before your shift starts and sharpen it every few weeks.
Anyway, so no one has opinions on the granton / hollowed edge knives?
Jordan of Elienor, Human Shaman
Stainless steel rusts. It's only "partially" stainless in that you have to clean it off. Left submerged completely or caked with dirt, rust can form. This is true of ALL stainless steel.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
As I understand it, Wusthof was founded by a bunch of guys from Henckel anyway, so it's a great brand.
Thank you, Rubacava!
I've had knives lose their edge from a couple hours worth of work. Depending on your work load you can easily dull a knife in only a couple of hours.
As for rusting, didn't know that. It was the only Chef's knife I've seen rust, so it made me a little cautious of Globals.
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox, is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 11% chromium content by mass.[1] Stainless steel does not stain, corrode, or rust as easily as ordinary steel (it stains less), but it is not stain-proof.[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
http://japanesechefsknife.com/products.html
ok?