One reason I love having a background in blacksmithing/ knife making. When I need one I just make one at the cost of the metal and whatever I use as the handle or scales.
Alex, you're so right about the knife being a symbol. When I decided that I wanted to cook, that's the first thing that I got. As for the rest of the pots and pans and stuff, I use my mom's.
What I personally would recommend is to go out and buy a really good 6-8" chefs knife. Seriously, spend some cash on it. It will last you forever. Then, you can go cheap on just about everything else. For example, do you need an expensive bread knife? Hell no you don't! Avoid the big knife block kits for the most part. Usually a lot of medium-low end knives in one kit is less preferable to one high end medium chefs knife and all the rest fairly low-end.
Your videos always make me smile! I cook a lot more since watching them as well. I'm going to be 16 on Thursday, and my mum has her birthday on Monday, so I'm going to cook for us :)
love your videos, your food, your personality, just about everything…you are one charismatic, handsome and talented guy, huh.. sorry, had to get off my chest! :)) Tks for sharing yourself with us! I love you man!
This is the best way I've seen this presented. It's a great way to think about how to approach kitchen knives. I never got the hang of using a paring knife, and I'm vegan, so I don't need a de-boning knife. My sets would be: One knife: Chef's knife (ceramic) Two knives: Chef's knife (ceramic), long serrated knife (stainless) Three knives: Chef's knife (ceramic), long serrated knife (stainless), cleaver (stainless) I use the serrated knife for bread and tomatoes. The cleaver I use to open coconuts (the pointy rear right angle is perfect for piercing the shell) and for transferring chopped food. The chef's knife for everything else. I have a very nice (and expensive) stainless chef's knife, but I fell in love with ceramic knives. I still use the stainless chef's knife to squish garlic, and the handle end is flat, so I use it to crush spices. Ceramic knives keep their edge so well. They can be brittle, so don't try to chop very hard things or they'll chip.
Frenchie, I love my Jamie Oliver Chef Knife. I use it for everything. My cousin is always using a steak knife for all of her kitchen knife needs and it makes me bonkers. Know what I’m saying?
In my experience the two knives I use the most are my gyuto, Japanese Western-style Chef's knife and my bread knife. I have never come across a situation where I couldn't use my gyuto. Paring knives are fine, but I find them to be more of a hassle than anything else. Mine mostly gets used as a steak knife after service.
i have many many knives but my biggest fave is a cleaver and i use it on almost anything, a pairing knife for finer tasks, and serrated knife for bread.
Nah, I disagree. I eat so much bread that the third knife I got *had* to be a bread serrated knife, and I rarely cook big chunks of meat. And of course, my experience is representative of the experience of every other person ever, right? Heh... silliness aside, nice video :)
+welwitschia You know what, you might be right. Many people said the same and I am listening to it :) I rarely cut bread though ( even if I eat a lot) I just break it by hand. In fact this is a french tradition and it's called "Rompre le pain" :)
I think my bread knife cuts meat better than the knife shown. As for sharpening after 400 breads my knife had visible wear but minimal sharpening can keep it decent. Given the price of the knife a professional would replace it rather than resharpen it.
You have a point, but if I get my Chef Knife sharpen as I usually do, you can also cut bread with it. That said, I have a big chef knife, a Japanese ceramic knife, a titanium coated small chef knife, a titanium coated bread knife, a small fruit knife.... and a old lumbering steel cleaver... sharpened, that I use to do... heavier jobs. I only eat meat about twice a week so... honestly, I really don't need all these knifes but I have some weird fascination with accurately slicing veggies, fruits and meat of course. P.S.: I used to work in my uncle's boucherie when I was younger... so, yes, knifes! :)
Love your videos. I have become more passionate with my cooking and have learned the value of good knives. What is your opinion on ceramic knives in the kitchen.
I have five knives that I can't live without: A chef knife, a peeling knife (a smaller version of the paring knife), a boning knife, a bread knife, and a peeler knife (meaning a peeler with a pointy end). I've never needed any other cooking knives. Although, I have been thinking about getting a second chef knife with a fluted edge (air holes), for vegetables. It's always annoying when you're cutting vegetables, and they stick to the side of your chef knife, and then fall on the floor. So many vegetables slices have been lost over the years...
i bought 3 sizes of the first model HAHAHAHA. one wide and big about 7 inch long 2inch wide, one narrower but pretty long about 8 inch long and 1 1/4 wide and a smaller wide blade of 5 inch and 1 and a half inch wide. But i already had alot of paring knives from grandma stuff
Nice tips, these are pretty much what I use the most too, although I like the japanese style chef's knife more than the traditional french style. Fourth knife for me was a serrated bread knife and I really haven't had a need for a fifth one yet.
Another excellent video Monsieur, what a passion! Yes the knife is the most important tool, no need for tons of gadgets when you know how to wield your blade muahaha! Keep it coming!
Hi I am having a lot of difficulty in knowing when the food is done , be it meat or vegetables in any type of cooking method. Please help me to overcome this very difficult obstacle ( for me especially ) . Thanks French Guy .
I bought my knives in a five knife set - Chef, 2 paring, bread and carving. The Carving knife gets used a lot but I'm British and I eat a lot of roast meat.
And use the right steel, soit stays sharp a long time. (rusty steel is also good, it is usually much harder than stainlesssteel and it willnot rust,if you use it carefully and not wrong.)
+M. MrSnickers this is a beginners knife guide, and while I really like having a rusting steel Opinel EDC I can see how you wouldnt want something like that as your first kitchen tool. Those at the level to be able to take advantage of a rusting steel knife probably wouldnt have to watch this video for guidance ;)
1st- Chinese Cleaver 2nd- A paring or pocket knife 3rd- Bread knife 4th- Filet knife 5th- Steak knife And you'll never need anything else unless you want some specialized knives for sushi or something
Carbon steel knives have many advantages over Stainless steel. 1 - they can get a fine/sharp edge easier, and that edge can last for a very long time. A good carbon steel knife is sharp to the point it can be scary, and that is a good thing because you use less energy to cut, and they are therefore safer to use. In addition the edge can last you months of use (as long as you know what you are doing). 2 - The steel is easier for the manufacturer to temper for cooking, meaning consistency from knife to knife can be better. 3 - A proper patina can make the knife more distinct and interesting to observe while protecting the blade from rust. I have a simple (bare bones) carbon steel cook knife and it is my favorite knife.
I am a big fan of many carbon knives, but just to say carbon is better is a an oversimplification. I know YOU know, but many who read your post might not know that there are thousands of carbon alloys just as there are thousands of stainless or semi-stainless alloys 52100, The different versions of blue, white and a half dozen other alloys are top notch, but many other carbon knives are just plain junk especially the stuff coming in out of Pakistan now. There are SUPERB stainless now such as s35vn, hap40, sg2, zdp189, sld, and many others that will take as fine an edge, in many cases finer than mny carbon steels and hold it MUCH longer and be FAR less brittle. I HIGHLY agree with you on your point of skill and disciple having an impact on length of edge. I DISagree abut the consistency of knife to knife with carbon. I agree on skill of the manufacturer. White steel being the perfect example. It is relatively easy to work white steel and to produce a decent result. But conversely white is one of the hardest to really master and bring to it's full potential. And, like you, I LOVE a good patina. Again I know you know what you're talking about. I've seen your posts and they are well thought out. But a novice reader might make the wrong assumptions based on this post.
Being a knife guy, I'd rather have a good chef knife (or Japanese gyuto) and a paring knife than an average knife set. You can do 90+% of your work in the kitchen with those two, so get good ones of those and you'll be MUCH better off.
Came from Chef Eric Arrouzé's channel. Seems like this channel should be named "Cooking with Alex" or simply "Alex cooking" after watching those videos.
For me is a chef knife for efficiency, a pairing knife for precision (always up to your tastes, for me is a flexible single beveled stainless steel blade) aaaaand another exactly equal pairing knife. One for raw ingredients and another "sterile" tasks. Then make it twice of everything, because cleaning. (And some task specific knives, like bread, or fuet).
Hi Alex, Love the brown chefs knife - Is that a name brand knife? I really enjoy the smaller profile than say a really large belly of some newer style chef knives.
I mostly use two knives. My favorite is a Chinese chef's knife. A little unwieldy, but the size and weight makes it great for chopping vegetables and meat. But the knife I use the most is a cheap serrated pairing knife I got from IKEA years ago. A truly terrible knife; so blunt that you can't possibly cut yourself with it, and I would not use anything else for cutting up fruit for breakfast while half asleep.
Hello! I know it's a little late to comment on this video. But; can you please tell the brands of your French knives. Thanks and greetings from Turkey.
his "tattoo" knife is a Henckels. Sabatier Knife is now a generic term just like Laguille. There about 50-100 brand names of Sabatier now. it is not like it is one manufacturer with many different models like Ford Focus, Ford Mustang, Ford Flex. A Sabatier doesn't even need to be made in Thiers, much less made in France any more. Sabatier used to be one of two familes that actually used to be really named Sabatier. Now dozens of companies make them. Just like Laguille knives, there are a very few good Sabatier brands and there are mostly HORRIBLE ones after about the mid 1970's or so. What in the hell happened to the French knife industry around the mid 1970's?
4th is clearly a bread knife if you like bread or are a vegetarian it easily moves up to 3rd. I mean say you have a nice tough french bread it is just hard to slice at all.
Third knife should be a serrated bread knife. Boning knives are too specialized and can usually be replaced with a small knife. But my biggest disagreement with the advice here is that big knives are for big things and small knives are for small things (garlic etc.) No. Big knives are for big cuts cutting through the item, chopping specifically, and small knives are for small cuts that typically don't go through the item. For small cuts on a big thing, use a small knife ; chopping anything regardless of size, use a chopping knife. It is faster and safer to chop garlic with a full-sized knife than to use a paring knife.
@@kappablanca5192 "Paring knives give more control" I'm curious as to whether your comment is meant as an agreement or disagreement. I'll remind you that I said I would chuck the boning knife for a bread knife. The paring knife would stay for exactly the reason you give and which I elaborated on in my comment. I personally find boning knifes useless. Years ago, I would have swapped it out for a cleaver. But now that I bake my own bread, the bread knife is the obvious choice. And to Adamast, who replied back when I originally posted : I disagree. I can have trouble getting my bread knife to dig into particularly hard and crunchy crusts. A chef's knife would be just that much worse as it tends to slide right over the crust. And, the bread doesn't have to be warm out of the oven for the crumb to be soft enough to give a chef's knife trouble. The key factor is the cutting motion used. A chef's knife is a slicing action that is pushed into the thing being cut, whereas serrated knives use a sawing action that doesn't require anywhere near the pressure. Much better for something that is largely air.
Blackmark52 it’s kind if an agreement. Yes, I use paring knives for peeling, etc. but I would also use one instead of a chef knife to thinly slice garlic.
Blackmark52 as for the bread, I use my chef knife. Jacques Pepin has a technique for cutting bread with a straight blade since he doesn’t use serrated knives. Search up “jacques pepin knife skills food52,” slicing bread is at the 15:40 mark.
I have a suspicion that a bread knife was not included because it's considered too obvious, almost like having scissors, can opener, etc... No need to be INTO cooking, every home normally has a bread knife. Agreed...??
+kevin O If it's the first knife you buy you probably shouldn't go for the super expensive knives. Especially since you dont know yet what you need in a knife. Or was your first car a Porsche or a Hummer? Anyways, I own a Ikea knife similar to the one he mentions, for about 8 years now, and it is well balanced and litteraly razor sharp. I might have to hone it a little more often than a $150 knife, but i just give it 10 secs before cooking and its all good. It might not be the best for cooking sushi, but then again I am no sushi chef.
stealz you have a very valid point. Most any knife will work for the everyday person including me. With proper care and keeping the edge sharp, most knives will last a long time. Like you mentioned, a quick honing prior to cutting is important but with a higher quality knife you can skip this every so often. You do get what you pay for in the long run. I have knives that are from late 60's that cut like new and knives last year that I throw out. I just bought a new knife, a Shun Dual-Core Kiritsuke Knife, 8" and it it so awesome! Pricey yes but by far the best I've owned so far! much better then the Chicago knives or Cutco knives I usually use.
+kevin O Congratulations on your purchase! Of course, I would never deny that in many expensive knives you get your moneys worth, and they will be sharper and retain the edge longer and it will yield an overall better experience when cooking. However, there are good cheap alternatives if you're getting started. Upgrading to a top notch chefs knife like you did will still be a great improvement, but by then you should know what you're doing. On a side note, I know someone who owns a damascene knife that's less sharp than my ikea knife, so I'd rather use a cheap knife well than a good knife poorly. On the other hand I know people who have cheap knives that are so dull you would litteraly be better of cutting with a spoon (in reference to nudl3Zz question)
stealz thanks! It was hard to justify spending the money but it was a Christmas gift to myself. I imagine if I was a pro-chef or used a knife for 8+ hours all week I could see the need for them! Do you have any experience or used a ceramic knife? I've seen some videos and people swear by them but would hate to waste my money on crap!
+kevin O I had a cheap one (about 25 $) from a retailer. It was decently sharp, however, it was very brittle. I got a knick in the blade, not sure how. It lost a bit of its edge after 1,5 years of usage, but unfortunately you cannot hone it. Aparently you can sharpen it using a diamond file but I didnt have one at that time. Some time later I accidentaly dropped it in the sink while doing the dishes and it broke off near the handle. I imagine the higher priced ones are more robust and probably VERY sharp, however I decided that the delicateness and lack of easy maintaining are not for me. I use a steel chef and paring knife, and if need be I can hone or sharpen them, and they can take some damage. I am more of a rustic type person, I can see how maybe a sushi chef or food presenter could like those knives, but I think even for them they're probably more niche knifes, not workhorses.
One reason I love having a background in blacksmithing/ knife making. When I need one I just make one at the cost of the metal and whatever I use as the handle or scales.
One of the best things about making things in general really. Get exactly what you want without paying an arm and a leg for it lol
Alex, you're so right about the knife being a symbol. When I decided that I wanted to cook, that's the first thing that I got. As for the rest of the pots and pans and stuff, I use my mom's.
This video has saved me so much money. Thank you sexy french dude.
you didn't answer the biggest question....can I use a spoon instead?
nudl3Zz Yes....... Only in the dinner table.
Dining Knives (The knives you use while eating) can be replaced with a spoon :).
For halved Avacado while still in the skin.
No, you can't. There is no spoon.
What I personally would recommend is to go out and buy a really good 6-8" chefs knife. Seriously, spend some cash on it. It will last you forever.
Then, you can go cheap on just about everything else. For example, do you need an expensive bread knife? Hell no you don't!
Avoid the big knife block kits for the most part. Usually a lot of medium-low end knives in one kit is less preferable to one high end medium chefs knife and all the rest fairly low-end.
Your videos always make me smile! I cook a lot more since watching them as well. I'm going to be 16 on Thursday, and my mum has her birthday on Monday, so I'm going to cook for us :)
love your videos, your food, your personality, just about everything…you are one charismatic, handsome and talented guy, huh.. sorry, had to get off my chest! :)) Tks for sharing yourself with us! I love you man!
This is the best way I've seen this presented. It's a great way to think about how to approach kitchen knives. I never got the hang of using a paring knife, and I'm vegan, so I don't need a de-boning knife. My sets would be:
One knife: Chef's knife (ceramic)
Two knives: Chef's knife (ceramic), long serrated knife (stainless)
Three knives: Chef's knife (ceramic), long serrated knife (stainless), cleaver (stainless)
I use the serrated knife for bread and tomatoes. The cleaver I use to open coconuts (the pointy rear right angle is perfect for piercing the shell) and for transferring chopped food. The chef's knife for everything else. I have a very nice (and expensive) stainless chef's knife, but I fell in love with ceramic knives. I still use the stainless chef's knife to squish garlic, and the handle end is flat, so I use it to crush spices. Ceramic knives keep their edge so well. They can be brittle, so don't try to chop very hard things or they'll chip.
Frenchie, I love my Jamie Oliver Chef Knife. I use it for everything. My cousin is always using a steak knife for all of her kitchen knife needs and it makes me bonkers. Know what I’m saying?
I do :)
In my experience the two knives I use the most are my gyuto, Japanese Western-style Chef's knife and my bread knife. I have never come across a situation where I couldn't use my gyuto. Paring knives are fine, but I find them to be more of a hassle than anything else. Mine mostly gets used as a steak knife after service.
i have many many knives but my biggest fave is a cleaver and i use it on almost anything, a pairing knife for finer tasks, and serrated knife for bread.
Good video! I thought everyone agreed that the third knife should be a serrated knife for bread, but I guess the thin knife comes in handy as well
Love how informative and helpful your channel is. Great job. Thanks 🌹
Cleaver, paring and butter knife are all I need.
My family has a set of Global knives, BEST PURCHASE EVER
Very informative! Keep it up
Thanks ***** ! :)
awww when you said naughty i melted right there haha! youre amazing :)
I simply love you!!! great videos! Merci!!
Nah, I disagree. I eat so much bread that the third knife I got *had* to be a bread serrated knife, and I rarely cook big chunks of meat. And of course, my experience is representative of the experience of every other person ever, right?
Heh... silliness aside, nice video :)
+welwitschia You know what, you might be right. Many people said the same and I am listening to it :) I rarely cut bread though ( even if I eat a lot) I just break it by hand. In fact this is a french tradition and it's called "Rompre le pain" :)
I use Japanese razor-shape thin-blade knives to cut all my breads, better than serrated knife, and unlike serrated knife, they can be re-sharpened.
+BSBCHREAF you can sharpen serrations
I think my bread knife cuts meat better than the knife shown. As for sharpening after 400 breads my knife had visible wear but minimal sharpening can keep it decent. Given the price of the knife a professional would replace it rather than resharpen it.
You have a point, but if I get my Chef Knife sharpen as I usually do, you can also cut bread with it. That said, I have a big chef knife, a Japanese ceramic knife, a titanium coated small chef knife, a titanium coated bread knife, a small fruit knife.... and a old lumbering steel cleaver... sharpened, that I use to do... heavier jobs. I only eat meat about twice a week so... honestly, I really don't need all these knifes but I have some weird fascination with accurately slicing veggies, fruits and meat of course. P.S.: I used to work in my uncle's boucherie when I was younger... so, yes, knifes! :)
I've wanted a chef knife for so long now! When I go to Japan if that is the only thing I buy I will be happy :) It will feel like owning a katana!
super advice - thank you
Love your videos. I have become more passionate with my cooking and have learned the value of good knives. What is your opinion on ceramic knives in the kitchen.
Jason Caldwell I had one. He cut well. Then, I broke it. That was my opinion.
Useful tips
I have many "chef" knives in the kitchen. But I only use one of them U.U I need to invest in better knives. Thanks for this video!
I have five knives that I can't live without: A chef knife, a peeling knife (a smaller version of the paring knife), a boning knife, a bread knife, and a peeler knife (meaning a peeler with a pointy end). I've never needed any other cooking knives.
Although, I have been thinking about getting a second chef knife with a fluted edge (air holes), for vegetables. It's always annoying when you're cutting vegetables, and they stick to the side of your chef knife, and then fall on the floor. So many vegetables slices have been lost over the years...
I have a medium sized chopper.... That's all I use...
i bought 3 sizes of the first model HAHAHAHA. one wide and big about 7 inch long 2inch wide, one narrower but pretty long about 8 inch long and 1 1/4 wide and a smaller wide blade of 5 inch and 1 and a half inch wide. But i already had alot of paring knives from grandma stuff
Nice tips, these are pretty much what I use the most too, although I like the japanese style chef's knife more than the traditional french style. Fourth knife for me was a serrated bread knife and I really haven't had a need for a fifth one yet.
Minastir1 Serrated knife is a must have indeed.
Another excellent video Monsieur, what a passion! Yes the knife is the most important tool, no need for tons of gadgets when you know how to wield your blade muahaha! Keep it coming!
Thank you
Hi I am having a lot of difficulty in knowing when the food is done , be it meat or vegetables in any type of cooking method. Please help me to overcome this very difficult obstacle ( for me especially ) .
Thanks French Guy .
I bought my knives in a five knife set - Chef, 2 paring, bread and carving. The Carving knife gets used a lot but I'm British and I eat a lot of roast meat.
keep them sharp as well !
And use the right steel, soit stays sharp a long time. (rusty steel is also good, it is usually much harder than stainlesssteel and it willnot rust,if you use it carefully and not wrong.)
+M. MrSnickers this is a beginners knife guide, and while I really like having a rusting steel Opinel EDC I can see how you wouldnt want something like that as your first kitchen tool. Those at the level to be able to take advantage of a rusting steel knife probably wouldnt have to watch this video for guidance ;)
baby Alex before he discovered his love of expensive knives
1st- Chinese Cleaver
2nd- A paring or pocket knife
3rd- Bread knife
4th- Filet knife
5th- Steak knife
And you'll never need anything else unless you want some specialized knives for sushi or something
Gewehr3 Yes, Chinese clever and gyuto style chef knife.
Stop calling the "Chinese cleaver" a cleaver. It's not. :-p
Chinese cleaver is an awful 1st knife choice. Utterly worthless at delicate tasks and meat prep.
Carbon steel knives have many advantages over Stainless steel.
1 - they can get a fine/sharp edge easier, and that edge can last for a very long time. A good carbon steel knife is sharp to the point it can be scary, and that is a good thing because you use less energy to cut, and they are therefore safer to use. In addition the edge can last you months of use (as long as you know what you are doing).
2 - The steel is easier for the manufacturer to temper for cooking, meaning consistency from knife to knife can be better.
3 - A proper patina can make the knife more distinct and interesting to observe while protecting the blade from rust.
I have a simple (bare bones) carbon steel cook knife and it is my favorite knife.
I am a big fan of many carbon knives, but just to say carbon is better is a an oversimplification. I know YOU know, but many who read your post might not know that there are thousands of carbon alloys just as there are thousands of stainless or semi-stainless alloys
52100, The different versions of blue, white and a half dozen other alloys are top notch, but many other carbon knives are just plain junk especially the stuff coming in out of Pakistan now. There are SUPERB stainless now such as s35vn, hap40, sg2, zdp189, sld, and many others that will take as fine an edge, in many cases finer than mny carbon steels and hold it MUCH longer and be FAR less brittle.
I HIGHLY agree with you on your point of skill and disciple having an impact on length of edge.
I DISagree abut the consistency of knife to knife with carbon.
I agree on skill of the manufacturer. White steel being the perfect example. It is relatively easy to work white steel and to produce a decent result. But conversely white is one of the hardest to really master and bring to it's full potential.
And, like you, I LOVE a good patina.
Again I know you know what you're talking about. I've seen your posts and they are well thought out. But a novice reader might make the wrong assumptions based on this post.
I got an expensive knife set for my birthday and only use the chef knife and the small knife hahahah. You make great videos❤️🌸
Being a knife guy, I'd rather have a good chef knife (or Japanese gyuto) and a paring knife than an average knife set. You can do 90+% of your work in the kitchen with those two, so get good ones of those and you'll be MUCH better off.
That was good. Next time maybe show us how to sharpen said knives and errrrr spoon.
Look, you know a lot more about cooking than me - but surely the top 3 knives are 1) a chef's knife, 2) a bread knife, and 3) a paring knife?
nice!
I was the same as you up until the third knife. I already had a filleting knife that I inherited, so the third knife I bought was a cleaver.
What is the brand of your chef knife? I really like it.
Came from Chef Eric Arrouzé's channel.
Seems like this channel should be named "Cooking with Alex" or simply "Alex cooking"
after watching those videos.
+K.H. You know what, you're right. But it was named this way a long time ago.
***** Don't worry, I found Julia Child shortly after this.
And it wasn't a serious comment to begin with.
For me is a chef knife for efficiency, a pairing knife for precision (always up to your tastes, for me is a flexible single beveled stainless steel blade) aaaaand another exactly equal pairing knife. One for raw ingredients and another "sterile" tasks.
Then make it twice of everything, because cleaning. (And some task specific knives, like bread, or fuet).
You have changed my roast eating life. I really dislike thick slices of roast. I have always wanted a boning knife!
I am glad you liked it ! Go for it :)
Love it! I need a boning knife!
LOL you do ! and i need a second one haha
Love your shows! One of my role model now.... by the way, mum only uses 1 Cleaver hahaha..
Moi - 2 knives
Paring & bread knives
Or for £100 you can buy a knife roll or pack which has a variety of items.
My main chef knife is a Global Bread knife...my secondary knife is a chinese cleaver converted into a Serbian chef knife...
Hi Alex, Love the brown chefs knife - Is that a name brand knife? I really enjoy the smaller profile than say a really large belly of some newer style chef knives.
Great tips :D
My favorite knife is the small cleaver! I use it for everything.. Except cutting bread -_-
So useful. I had no idea with which one I should get. Even though my home has a chinese cleaver. Only my mother know how to use it :p
karen Lee Love the Chinese cleaver. It's so versatile. But it requires some good techniques if you wanna cut everything with it.
Adding a filet knife to my collection.
Bingo !
Damn, too late to watch this video, I spent nearly $1000 bought 10 knives already. sigh....
I mostly use two knives. My favorite is a Chinese chef's knife. A little unwieldy, but the size and weight makes it great for chopping vegetables and meat. But the knife I use the most is a cheap serrated pairing knife I got from IKEA years ago. A truly terrible knife; so blunt that you can't possibly cut yourself with it, and I would not use anything else for cutting up fruit for breakfast while half asleep.
Hahaha ! i love that, so true...
Hello! I know it's a little late to comment on this video. But; can you please tell the brands of your French knives. Thanks and greetings from Turkey.
pretty sure its sabatier but not certain which line
his "tattoo" knife is a Henckels.
Sabatier Knife is now a generic term just like Laguille. There about 50-100 brand names of Sabatier now. it is not like it is one manufacturer with many different models like Ford Focus, Ford Mustang, Ford Flex. A Sabatier doesn't even need to be made in Thiers, much less made in France any more.
Sabatier used to be one of two familes that actually used to be really named Sabatier. Now dozens of companies make them.
Just like Laguille knives, there are a very few good Sabatier brands and there are mostly HORRIBLE ones after about the mid 1970's or so. What in the hell happened to the French knife industry around the mid 1970's?
Hey Alex! Do you still recommend these knives?
u're awesome! keep it up man :)
4th is clearly a bread knife if you like bread or are a vegetarian it easily moves up to 3rd. I mean say you have a nice tough french bread it is just hard to slice at all.
Third knife should be a serrated bread knife. Boning knives are too specialized and can usually be replaced with a small knife.
But my biggest disagreement with the advice here is that big knives are for big things and small knives are for small things (garlic etc.) No. Big knives are for big cuts cutting through the item, chopping specifically, and small knives are for small cuts that typically don't go through the item. For small cuts on a big thing, use a small knife ; chopping anything regardless of size, use a chopping knife. It is faster and safer to chop garlic with a full-sized knife than to use a paring knife.
A sharp slicing knife cuts bread just fine, unless it is warm out of the oven bread.
Paring knives give more control, so it’s used for precise work.
@@kappablanca5192 "Paring knives give more control"
I'm curious as to whether your comment is meant as an agreement or disagreement. I'll remind you that I said I would chuck the boning knife for a bread knife. The paring knife would stay for exactly the reason you give and which I elaborated on in my comment. I personally find boning knifes useless. Years ago, I would have swapped it out for a cleaver. But now that I bake my own bread, the bread knife is the obvious choice.
And to Adamast, who replied back when I originally posted : I disagree.
I can have trouble getting my bread knife to dig into particularly hard and crunchy crusts. A chef's knife would be just that much worse as it tends to slide right over the crust. And, the bread doesn't have to be warm out of the oven for the crumb to be soft enough to give a chef's knife trouble. The key factor is the cutting motion used. A chef's knife is a slicing action that is pushed into the thing being cut, whereas serrated knives use a sawing action that doesn't require anywhere near the pressure. Much better for something that is largely air.
Blackmark52 it’s kind if an agreement. Yes, I use paring knives for peeling, etc. but I would also use one instead of a chef knife to thinly slice garlic.
Blackmark52 as for the bread, I use my chef knife. Jacques Pepin has a technique for cutting bread with a straight blade since he doesn’t use serrated knives. Search up “jacques pepin knife skills food52,” slicing bread is at the 15:40 mark.
1 8 inch gyoto
and maybe a fillet knife all yaneed
From my family? 1 knife. Chinese cleaver. Great for moving things, has weight for stability.
You are a fucking genious, well thought and good quality videos, great job
I have a suspicion that a bread knife was not included because it's considered too obvious, almost like having scissors, can opener, etc... No need to be INTO cooking, every home normally has a bread knife. Agreed...??
what about an opinel no.8....
Now i realize what's missing in my knife set, will be getting soon a boning knife.
0:50 when i watch how he cuts this, it makes me wanna cry
the only 4 knives i will ever need:
20cm chef's knife, only if well balanced, a lansky sharpening system, a knife block and a honing steel.
I use only 1: Chinese cleaver
Ryan Liu same i love my cleaver
Ryan Liu yep.... Chinese are simple... We use cleaver for everything
Oh Alex, you are so young here and different
funny video as always :)
Dang alex glowed up
Great knives will last a life time, great knives are never $10! More like $150+ but worth the money!
+kevin O If it's the first knife you buy you probably shouldn't go for the super expensive knives. Especially since you dont know yet what you need in a knife. Or was your first car a Porsche or a Hummer?
Anyways, I own a Ikea knife similar to the one he mentions, for about 8 years now, and it is well balanced and litteraly razor sharp. I might have to hone it a little more often than a $150 knife, but i just give it 10 secs before cooking and its all good.
It might not be the best for cooking sushi, but then again I am no sushi chef.
stealz you have a very valid point. Most any knife will work for the everyday person including me. With proper care and keeping the edge sharp, most knives will last a long time. Like you mentioned, a quick honing prior to cutting is important but with a higher quality knife you can skip this every so often.
You do get what you pay for in the long run. I have knives that are from late 60's that cut like new and knives last year that I throw out. I just bought a new knife, a Shun Dual-Core Kiritsuke Knife, 8" and it it so awesome! Pricey yes but by far the best I've owned so far! much better then the Chicago knives or Cutco knives I usually use.
+kevin O Congratulations on your purchase!
Of course, I would never deny that in many expensive knives you get your moneys worth, and they will be sharper and retain the edge longer and it will yield an overall better experience when cooking.
However, there are good cheap alternatives if you're getting started. Upgrading to a top notch chefs knife like you did will still be a great improvement, but by then you should know what you're doing.
On a side note, I know someone who owns a damascene knife that's less sharp than my ikea knife, so I'd rather use a cheap knife well than a good knife poorly.
On the other hand I know people who have cheap knives that are so dull you would litteraly be better of cutting with a spoon (in reference to nudl3Zz question)
stealz thanks! It was hard to justify spending the money but it was a Christmas gift to myself. I imagine if I was a pro-chef or used a knife for 8+ hours all week I could see the need for them! Do you have any experience or used a ceramic knife? I've seen some videos and people swear by them but would hate to waste my money on crap!
+kevin O I had a cheap one (about 25 $) from a retailer. It was decently sharp, however, it was very brittle. I got a knick in the blade, not sure how. It lost a bit of its edge after 1,5 years of usage, but unfortunately you cannot hone it. Aparently you can sharpen it using a diamond file but I didnt have one at that time.
Some time later I accidentaly dropped it in the sink while doing the dishes and it broke off near the handle.
I imagine the higher priced ones are more robust and probably VERY sharp, however I decided that the delicateness and lack of easy maintaining are not for me. I use a steel chef and paring knife, and if need be I can hone or sharpen them, and they can take some damage.
I am more of a rustic type person, I can see how maybe a sushi chef or food presenter could like those knives, but I think even for them they're probably more niche knifes, not workhorses.
If you only had two knives I Say Cleaver and a slice knife.
First rule of cooking knives. Do not cut your finger off.
I am another one that just uses a Chinese cleaver for the last 23 years
I'm from 2020 lol
This guy doesn't know what to do with his paring knife; using it for cutting onions? You want to use your chef knife for cutting onions.
Moi - 2 knives
Paring & bread knives