Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Knives in the Kitchen?

Tell me what you have, and how, and why you use them ?

I have a basic set of Chicago Cutlery knives of 420-C steel which are quite serviceable. With them I have a number of special purpose knives of various "better" steels.

I use 7 inch santoku blades for butchering work. I had Dale Atkerson make me a very heavy D2 santoku blade specifically for separating meat from silver skin membranes. It is one of the best investments in a blade I ever made. I had Dale make me a classic 6 1/2 inch boning knife. He chose CPM 154 steel and together we decided that zero flex would work out. I use it for dissecting muscles while butchering. and it is near perfect. I have half a dozen Japanese slicers of VG-10 steel that I use for slicing steaks and carving manageable pieces of grind meat. I have a couple of Hoffritz classic shape boning knives that are pretty flexible that I use for both dissecting muscle groups and fileting heavy boned fish.

I find the 420 steel easy to sharpen but easy to dull as well. VG-10 is easy to sharpen and stays sharp for a very long time. The D2 I own are all pretty durable and stay sharp nearly as long as the VG-10. The CPM-154 Blades are about like the D2. I recently bought a CPM M4 blade from Tim Olt. It is a small hunting knife that I used for gutting, skinning and disassembling one deer so far this year and it has been resharpened to a comparable blade angle as the Japanese slicers. It seems to be at least as durable edge wise as the VG-10 but tougher. I am seriously considering a much larger build.

My knives are better than my guns.

I AM a knife slut !

What do you like Paul?

I have all manners of knives in the kitchen but I really like the old carbon steel stuff the best.

If I worked in a kitchen (which I did all through high school) it would a different story but since I'm just cooking for me (and the dog when something doesn't turn out like I was hoping) the two I reach for the most are a couple of Russel Green River Blades that I put Cocobolo scales on years ago.



I have the old man's hand me downs too.....I use the steel almost daily but I haven't touched the others in years.

They're fun to look at every now and then though.

Zwilling, J.A. Henckels & Wusthof full tang (all German), for the most part, read as upstairs in the kitchen. Most over 30 years old.

Outdoor edge + Scharade oldtimers & sharp fingers for most hunting & plastic/acrylic handled Henckels again for butchering.

Chicago cutlery in camper.

I do have a full Damascus steel block set (off brand) that I love the look of & feel great, but are really soft & dull easily. At least that means they also sharpen very easily.

Classic Rapalas, Buck folding fillet & custom fillet knives.

'bout the only thing I don't have is a cleaver !

Just as important, how do you keep them sharp?

#1 Keep them away from the wife. Wives and knives, while they rhyme, should not associate with each other.

#2 I use a Lansky kit and a steel.

I have some wooden-handled Chicago Cutlery knives that work just fine for me, even though they lack pedigree. I am always looking for them in stores to get some for my son, but they are damned hard to find.

If always maintained with a steel, there will be minimal need for sharpening.

When needed, oil stone, like my grand father showed me.

Shaving sharp.

Women in general, not just wives.

I'll confess. Maybe a half dozen cheap stainless knives from here and there. The good knives are set aside for taking apart deer. Sharpened on a 4" cheap belt grinder and good quality steels between grindings.

I've found the worst thing for dulling knives to be citrus juice.

Wife cuts a lemon/lime/orange & just puts the knife in the sink.

Run the water & wipe it, woman, you're right there !

I have a Henckels set I got for a service award at work.19 piece in a block. I have another block with a couple other Henckels. Couple of Dexter Sani safe, and 2 Rapala fillet knives.
I cook a lot when I am home. And like all my knives. Use different ones to match their purpose.
I have used a Lansky or a crockstick to sharpen. But for the kitchen knives I use a Chefs Choice 3 wheel electric diamond sharpener now. I sharpened all of them 2 days ago in probably less than 30 minutes.

My kitchen knives consist o a set of Cutco knives including steak knives, a ceramic bladed knife and a Fiskars filet knife with the ceramic sharpening rods in the sheath.

Worst thing for my knives is the wife putting them in the dishwasher.

Chicago Cutlery set I bought at their outlet along I-44 before we got married.
Some commercial Mundial, Victronox, and Dexter for paring or butchering
duties.

Sharpen with a Sharpmaker or Lansky.
Steel them before using.


Wife is great about actual using.
Not so much about protecting them while washing.

Cutco.

Free sharpening forever.

They go back about once a year.

Hmmm interesting. I will have to keep an eye on this as my family likes limes.

Henkels and Wusthof here.

I buy the size and shapes that work best for me, not a "set"

I use a diamond bench stone to sharpen, and a steel to maintain.

Virgil B.