Matt_T

Thanks Kristin, I'd hate to break the tip off a nice knife, but the 10" chefs I use for attacking squash and the like is a sturdy and inexpensive Victorinox. The only Mac I have at the moment is the santuko, which I treat as directed. I sharpen the Vic to a less aggressive angle, 45 degrees, and it's held up ok under what should probably be called abuse (splitting chickens and dividing pork ribs, for example). The reason I'm getting a gyuto is to get a santuko-like edge with the longer rocker and slicing stroke of the big knife, but I'll still keep the Vic in the block for heavy work. MT

I just picked up this Wusthof block on Ebay. A sight more than twenty bucks, but a good discount off the same item on Amazon.com. And after selling my old block prematurely at a garage sale last weekend (I thought I had a replacement in the Kapoosh), I need a home for my knives! Matt

I haven't actually called to ask but this from the JWW description of the same maker's Satsuma knife: "This finely crafted kitchen knife comes from Tosa on Shikoku Island. This Region is much more rural and forested than other parts of Japan, and the farmer/blacksmiths still adhere to the old ways. They only work at the forge during the winter months after the harvest is completed. So our orders for knives can only be filled in the winter season. " I see now JWW is referring to their wholesale orders, and they may well have some in stock. But wanted to post the description as it adds to these knives' character....I'll have to get one of those in some pattern or other, eventually. I was wondering about the hardness....maybe a softer, sturdy but inexpensive Western cleaver is all I need.

Thanks Bob! I'd been through that old thread but somehow missed the bit on these knives. Thanks for the link. I find a 6" (~150mm) utility about the right length for me, just not the right shape or weight....so it sounds like a honesuki is definitely worth a try. As for the deba, it was the atsu deba I was trying to link to - Japanwoodworker says they only take orders for that line of knife in the winter, so I have time to ponder. MT

Thanks. I like Mac too, I have their SK-65 santuko which is a great small prep knife. Their SD-65 deba is on my radar, especially if the wrought iron blade from japanwoodworkers looks like too much hassle. As for large tough-skinned veggies....I'm pretty happy with my 10" chef for that purpose, and will probably be happier when my 240mm gyuto arrives. Any cleaver-type blade I added to my collection would be primarily for dealing with meat, fish, and chicken bones. MT

I want to try one of the double-beveled Japanese knives primarily for cutting up chickens. I figure if I get a good tool and make it more enjoyable to break down whole chickens, I'll buy them more often and save money in the long run. (How's that for rationalization?) This page at Korin is not as much help as it might be...there are several styles, each equated with a Western "boning" knife (of which there are at least two types). Then there's the deba, which I thought was a "cleaver" but now read in an old thread here is not meant for bones heavier than ribs. Finally there's MAC's mysterious CL-6, which might be a honesuki, or a futuristic deba, or ? Usually when confronted with a whole chicken I just seperate legs, thighs, and wings at the joints and filet off the breast meat. Sometimes I will bone the thighs but not usually. Sometimes I will split the carcass either for bone-in breasts or for half chickens on the BBQ. I've been using a 6" flexible boning knife for the supremes, a 6" utility for most of the jointing and a chef's knife or Chinese cleaver for the splitting. So I wind up with chicken goo over 3 or 4 knives. And I don't even really like any of the knives in these roles: the boning knife handles the filetting fine but feels too long for boning thighs so I often end up doing that with a thin stamped paring knife. The others are a little too light for what I ask of them here and I wind up dinging my edges. If I want one knife for the jointing and filetting that is my usual approach, will a honesuki do the trick? I think I need a cleaver of some kind so I can stop abusing the big knives I've been using to split chickens, and to cut up whole fish as well...would a deba be sturdy enough, or should I just get a western cleaver? If I do get a deba I have my eye on this rustic looking fellow from Japanwoodworkers, recommended in another old thread here. But how major are the maintenance issues with a cast-iron blade - especially in a knife that will not see daily use? I can't imagine it could be seasoned like a skillet, with that wood handle. Thanks! MT

I used the steak knife slots in my old block for paring knives, but.... If I had fine edged steak knives rather than serrated, I might keep them in the block rather than leave them together in a drawer. Or more likely get a second small block just for the steak knives, and keep that with the tableware rather than in the prep area of my kitchen. MT

Well that Sani-tuff is pretty nice! I can't compare to end-grain wood as I've only used them a few times, but the rubber does feel better than plastic under the knife. Food doesn't slide around as much - slicing chicken scallops was a snap, no need to press down to hold the meat in position, as with the poly - and the board itself stays put much better without a towel underneath. Thanks for the recommendation! I do wish I had found the 3/4" thickness....the 1/2" does slip just a bit on my slick granite countertop and I bet the extra mass of the thicker board would help it stay put, as well as reduce warping over the long term. The 1/2" thick is light enough at 12x18 that I'm sure the weight of 3/4" would be no problem even for my wife. Still looking for confirmation about putting it in the dishwasher - on heated dry or at all. I hand washed mine yesterday. MT

I picked up my Sani-tuff board today. I went 12x18x1/2" because I want to use it for chicken and fish and so be able to fit it in the dishwasher. When I eventually get a maple board it will be larger. Would have gone 3/4" thick but the store I bought from (T&T Restaurant Supply in Sacramento) only stocked 1/2". $28 + tax. They can go in the DW, right? Nothing on the Sani-tuff label nor the maker's website mentions what I'd think would be a strong selling point. I didn't notice any objectionable smell as another poster mentioned. Maybe my wife will when she gets home - she's got the better sniffer in the family. The board has an interesting texture - almost textile - and I'm looking forward to trying it tonight....going shopping in a bit for dinner and will seek out things to cut. MT

If I push the tip of my 10" as far into the Kapoosh as it will go (which I'm not happy doing in the first place), about 2" of the edge remains exposed. And it's right in there amongst the handles on my smaller knives....on a magnet at least the edges are generally facing away from the handles. I could probably get used to it but don't see the point of introducing that kind of hazard into the kitchen when there are other options. Another thing I don't like about the Kapoosh is that it's possible for one knife's edge to contact the spines of other knives. MT

I bought a Kapoosh but am going to return it. Too much of the edge of the 10" sticks out for me to consider it safe. I think it's really meant for 8" knives. As far as gunk in the slots....I have seen some people place unwashed knives in blocks while they're cooking. Mine don't go back into the block until they've been washed and dried. If you do put dirty knives in the block (I could see doing it if, say, I had kids helping around the kitchen), one nice thing about the Kapoosh is that the plastic insert that holds the knives is removeable and dishwasher safe. On the subject of food being tough on the edge....I've noticed a few blocks where the slots are oriented vertically so that knives rest on their edges, which seems like a bad idea. I guess you could rest the knife on its spine but then you have to adjust your grip after drawing it, which is less than ideal. My old block had horizontal slots, and I was careful to insert and withdraw knives so that the spine ran along the wood, rather than the edge. I'll look for the same design in whatever block I find. $20 bucks, huh? Let's see what they've got on Ebay.... MT [eddited fur speling]

I'm looking for a new knife block to house my growing collection. We tend to collect knives as I enjoy trying different styles, and my wife has 3 knives that she uses exclusively (mine are dangerously sharp, she says. Yes, I've tried to tell her.) Need a little help as most of the blocks at the stores are either too short or have slots too narrow for my big 10" chef's knife with a hair over 2 1/8" heel. I found this one online and wondering if anyone has it and can confirm that the top slot is big enough: Messermeister knife block Other suggestions are also welcome. Required features are a long cleaver slot for a chinese cleaver, and at least three wide slots for the big chef, santuko, and guyoto. At least 4 more slots for medium-sized knives. Steak knife slots are useful (I use those slots for our plethora of paring knives). Price hopefully under $50! I've considered a magnet as the obvious solution for the big knives but can't find a good place in my kitchen to mount one. Thanks, MT

I don't think I ever read anywhere that "harder is better," I'm not trying to hang that on Chad. My misconception was based on his comments that end grain wood is easier on knives than poly, combined with my own highly unscientific attempts to judge the relative hardness of these materials by making a thumbnail impression in them. Speaking of things to hate - I tried some of those disposable, flexible boards and did not care for them, at all. Even though they flex the surface feels harder than the thick white plastic, and they have a weird feel to me. I still have a couple that I only use for handling messy stuff where I can pick the sheet up and bend it into a half-funnel. Good advice on waiting. However my latest set of poly boards are starting to get a little "tired," as in so heavily scored that the surface is starting to feel "fuzzy." I am pretty good about sanitizing them but it's getting time for a change. I've narrowed it down to end-grain maple, poly, or maybe Sani-Tuff. I saw a selection of the latter in a local store for a fair price a while back and maybe I'll try one of those before investing in a huge butcher block....even if I don't love the Sani-tuff for general purpose use I could always use it as a chicken board. What about Japanese boards? Since it's the Japanese that make and use the very hard steel knives, I wondered what they cut on with them....checked Korin.com and they have a selection of boards with prices that make end-grain maple look like a bargain. Anybody have experience with Japanese boards? I'm not actually in the market for a $200 cutting board, but maybe the functional characteristics can be likened to a less expensive western-style product...some of the boards at Korin have the word "rubber" in the name so I wonder if they're more similar to Sani-tuff than anything else? MT

Thanks for the detailed reply! The breadth of knowledge in this community is amazing. I don't want to start a fight, but from the post that Chad linked on the first page of this thread: Maybe my confusion is based in my poor knowledge of chemistry - I thought "poly" referred to the common, fairly thick plastic boards that are usually semi-translucent white (but do come in colors). Maybe the "poly" Chad referred to is something harder. Whatever....I think I can remember the rule of thumb that softer is better (for edge life). I guess if I can dent the board with my thumbnail it is probably ok for my knives.And I agree on board size. Today I almost bought a 12x18 end grain board from John Boos that was at the outer limits of my budget. But I've come to enjoy the elbow room of a large board and know I'd really prefer a 14" or wider board under my 10" knife, even if I have to stick with ugly poly. - MT

Forschner/Victorinox. I have the 8" and also their 6" "boning" knife which is a similar pattern, and I use for trout and panish. The non-slip handle is great for this application, and the blade is the right degree of flex and pretty good steel. When I saw these on sale I bought three for fishing buddies and they are all very happy. By the way the Victorinox Super Slicer is great for sawing heads & fins off fish, too. MT

Hi there.... I can't figure out why apparently harder boards are supposed to be easier on your knives.... I had wood boards some years ago but when the last one split in half I switched to cheap white poly. About 5/8" thick with a little texture. The largest size I can fit in my sink is still light enough for my wife to handle (unlike the old 2" thick wood board.) I have not noticed any difference in the life of my knife edge but haven't done a careful study, either. Now after cutting with very decent Victorinox knives for years I'm about to take the plunge on a fancy Japanese Gyuto. (OK, not too fancy: a starter Gyuto from Tojiro for $60, still the most I'll have spent on a knife) So I'm reconsidering the cutting board issue. I can easily indent my poly boards with my thumbnail. Not so with the maple boards, or the new Epicurean brand boards I've seen which all seem much harder. It seems the softer board should be easier on the knife....what am I missing? Thanks, and happy Fourth of July! Matt

Hi all. This is my first post here....before getting into the meat of it I must say thanks to all who have taught me so much during my long months of lurking. The knife posts by Chad and Octaveman in particular are what got me following the board. I wanted to post to call attention to what looks like a great cookware bargain: the Ecko Eterna series of pans. I got mine at the Corning Revere Outlet in Vacaville, CA, not sure where else they may be available. It is a very limited line: 2 and 4 qt saucepans, 6 qt (I think) dutch oven and 8,10,12" saute pans. Ecko calls the sautes "skillets," but they look more like sautes to me with the low, straight sides and long handles. Construction is all stainless with thick disk aluminum bottoms. I mean thick.....my 10" saute has a 6mm thick bottom; allowing 1/4mm for the stainless cladding that's 5.5mm of aluminum. Not the thickest out there but the thickest disk I know of for anywhere near....drum roll.....$22.50. That's regular price, I've seen them on sale at times and picked up two 4 qt saucepans at 2 for 1 a couple of years ago. That disk extends across the entire bottom. Rims are rolled and the fat, stay-cool handles are riveted. Ecko claims pans are oven safe to 500F. My only compaint is that the handles are a little "bendy" near the joint between the handle and the pan, especially with the full 4 qt saucepan and I would expect the 12" saute. The rivets are tight, it's just poor design of the handle that allows a tiny bit of flex at this point, right near the bottom of the handle. They don't really bend, just feel a bit "soft" when heavily loaded. Many probably wouldn't notice but I'm looking to find some fault to report. Those saucepans have seen very heavy use since purchase. I'm a fireman and bought those pots for our firehouse, where they are used almost daily by guys who sometimes seem to think the gas knob has only two positions: on and off. No signs of bubbles in the bottom or separation of the disk so far - problems I've heard about in other budget disk-bottom pans. So, with that experience I decided to try the saute for my own use. Haven't cooked in it yet but will report how it goes. Has anyone else used these? Cheers, Matt T