Pro Chef Tips.. Are Japanese Knives Overrated?

One aspect of knife buying that I don't think gets enough respect is: do you like using it? All my knives are antique 1800s French knives, there are loads of modern knives that are probably better and definitely cheaper but I feel cooler when I use mine.

I have a couple of chef knives. One has a very small heel, and I use that for filetting or cutting crap off of big pieces of meat like brisket.
The other one is a pretty large vertically wise one that I use for regular use.
I love to use the Santoku for chopping veggies as it is designed to allow for less food sticking to the knife.
Last is the Pairing knife which is just for whatever, peeling potatoes, opening up product packaging.
Keep 'em sharp and you will always be a happy chef!

I don't understand the point in buying an expensive serrated knife, just buy something solid and if it gets dull(which will take a very long time unless you are sawing wood) then just replace it.
I keep a little serrated knife at home(about the size of a pairing knife) to slice tomatoes. I wouldn't recommend using a full sized one for toms, since the acids will damage the cutting proficiency of the bigger on more quickly.

I don't know if Dexter has improved over the years. I used to use them 15 years ago and they were pretty bad at keeping the edge.

I will stay loyal to my Chinese cleaver.

I'm using VÖRDA kitchen knives series from IKEA since they came out. After over 10 years in the dishwasher some of the rubber handles are getting messed up so i bought new once. They change the material marking on the blades so we finally know what kind of steel they used. Turns out its the same steel Wüsthof is using. X50CrMoV15

They VARDAGEN Series uses the same material. To sharpen the IKEA knives i just use a wet stone 3000/8000 with a 15 degree angel.

X Stainless Steel
The basic material of our knives

50
Carbon Content
The 0.5% carbon content is important for both the hardness and the sharpness of the knife

Cr
Chrome
The additional alloy ensures a particularly high rust resistance in the finished blades

Mo
Molybdenum
An alloying element that increases the strength and corrosion resistance of our blades

V
Vanadium
Increases strength and toughness to significantly reduce wear

15
Chromium Content
An amount of 15 %

Thank you for the advice, chef. Your suggestions are great for either starting out at home or working in a kitchen. I've been working as a prep/line cook and have done banqueting for 7 years now and your suggestions are spot-on. I especially like all the kitchen supplies you recommend along with the different brands of knives. I use a Victorinox chef's knife, bread knife, and paring knife on a daily basis and highly recommend them. One thing I'd like to also highlight is the importance of taking care of your knives either with a whetstone or diamond stone. I would also highly recommend getting a cheaper or used chef's knife to practice with until you get the hang of it. I was able to get my knives razor sharp, but I also left some nasty scratches on one of my chef's knives after sharpening. This is why I'd recommend starting with something cheaper and practicing with that until you get your technique down. This way you can avoid that mistake I made when starting out. Thanks again and look forward to checking out the rest of your channel.

The best chef channel I've seen yet. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

The knives you like to use and give you the results you desire are for you. There's no one best knife.

Buy a good, comfortable in the hand, second hand knife on the cheap. Learn to sharpen it. You'll probably end up with a knife you'll use all the time and grow attached. I know I did because I still use that same European style knife for most everyday cooking. The better you get at sharpening, the more satisfying it is to use. Couple swipes of a honing rod should always precede use as with use the edge microscopically deforms and seems less sharp than it really is. When honing doesn't work, then sharpen it. European style knives sharpen in minutes unlike very hard Japanese steel which takes much more effort and skill. (seriously, it's so much easier to dull a Japanese blade with inexperience than it is to sharpen it)

Outside that staple, a scalloped knife is handy for "sticky" vegetables like potatoes. A paring knife for delicate hand work. That's all a home cook really needs as you can reliably do 99% of cutting tasks.

I just bought about 30 used Japanese knives in bulk. Now, i want to keep all of them.

For a home cook I think victorinox is the sweet spot between quality and affordability

I use Japanese knives in my home cooking, and I will never go back to anything else, one is a big 270mm gyuto from white steel 2 in the middle and stainless stell side plating, it does not get rusted, only at the blade tip, and I have a damascus aogami super that needs more attention and anti rust cleaning, but it is HRC 65 so it holds the edge for a long time, and I am planing to buy a VG10 Santoku for a no rust daily worker knife. I am in love with the little Santoku knives 170 mm, grab and go, chop, chop and dice, veggies fruits meat fish onion you name it, I chop it.

Hi, I was looking to get a new set for my new house. I typed in best knives for the kitchen and one of my favourite you tube guys (Chef James) popped up. Thank you sir ❤

If anyone thinks that it sucks that chefs have to bring their own knives and other equipment to work, go talk to a mechanic.

What chef coat do you wear

Great information.

i found a local supplier for restaurants where i bought a relatively cheap set. The quality is actually quite good. Used them to practice whetstoning on. And they actually work well:)

Perhaps a tip for nonprofesionals, these companies alse sell maaany other things for less than regular shops. fun to browse as well :)

the mentioned knive brands are excellent

Japan never had as good metallurgy as Europe. All the things you’ve ever heard about the legendary katanas is a blatant lie. They did the best with what they had, but their ore was never good enough and their forges were never hot enough. Vikings and Celts had 100 times better steel 1,000 years earlier.

Just don't go ultra super cheap on a blade. Once had a dollar store knife, I didn't buy it, break on me while cutting. Ruined the meat, cut my hand, and honestly I got lucky that it wasn't worse. Also a bad blade makes it more likely to cut yourself and it's so much more work. I have a full kitchen set and only paid around $45 and they are the only knives I use besides a butter or steak knife. Also in America still get your own knives for kitchens because the ones they provide are garbage 99% of the time unless it's a high end restaurant.
Edit: I mean inside the kitchen part as a worker.

Sheffield mentioned 🥳

Japanese Knives have to be washed & oiled after every use. Not oiling will ruin it. i still have a weak spot for them. Maybe just because like so many others i Love Japanese culture and they have a very rich history when it comes to making knives/swords. Every chef should have a least 1 if not for more than decoration 👌

I think the problem is that European chef knives are quite expensive for what they deliver. They got soft steel and thick geometry. Specially Zwilling.
A Tojiro costs one third of a Zwilling and cuts a lot better. Not gonna lie, you don't even need a Japanese knife to cut better than Zwilling, a 25 bucks Xituo VG10 also cuts better and for longer.

winco knives?

Where do you get your chef coats?

I dabble but I just use Victorinox and F. Dick cheap and easy like me. Don’t have full set I feel it’s not needed. 8” chef knife, 4” semi flex boning knife, 14” butcher knife not sure what it’s actually called it’s like a giant chef knife but the point isn’t as aggressive.

sorry but shun VG10 and VGmax knives put wushoff and zwelling on pocket , if ... you know you 2 use proper

Great video! Thanks for presenting helpful information in a way that anyone can learn from.

I have a beautiful Zwilling J. A. Henckels chef knife I picked up a few years ago. Someone was selling it for $10 at their garage sale because they thought it was too dull to be any good. I sharpened it as soon as I got it home, and have been keeping a nicely honed edge on it ever since. It's so good and was such a steal!

I also like Mercer knives quite a bit. A friend of mine was surprised to see them as the knives used in her culinary school, but after using them she became a big proponent and recommends them to everyone!

The answer is yes. I have a zwilling pro that performs wonderfully at a fraction of the price of a comparable Japanese knife and without all the maintenance.

Meh, you only slightly answered whether Japanese knives are overrated. And for a comprehensive answer, you'd need to dive into the differences between them and "western" style knives. Weight, handle construction, spine dimensions, types of beveling, etc. You did absolutely none of that. Finally, the best knife is not the sharpest knife. The safest knife is the sharpest knife. The best knife is the most comfortable, sharp, durable, suitable for the task, and within your budget.

As much as I LOVE slicing things with my Takamura lightsabers, I do far more cooking with my Mercer 5-knife set I was required to buy for cooking class for 150$. Those knives can be steeled, and take 5 minutes to sharpen from blunt. The Japanese powdered alloy steels can take me up to half an hour to sharpen, polish, and hone if they have even one microchip.

Real japanese knives are awesome, and often cheaper than store brands like Shun. Shun is garbage. My japanese knives are about $100-170 each, and WAY better than the store brands.

Do Chinese style chef knives:) they don’t get enough love.

How good would a mosfiata Damascus steel cleaver?

I’d say use Japanese knives for delicate proteins and fish. But if your cutting through bone and stuff and butchering? I’d go German.

You can use a steel to hone your serrated but you have to do each tooth separately put of the rounding edge of your steel between each tooth kinda like flossing, however you will need to resharpen eventually

Cheap bread knives are also really good for cutting ice for home gamers that want the "ULTRA CLEAR ICE!" for their cocktails. Fill a small cooler with water, put it in the freezer UNLIDDED for a few hours, then pour off the water and use a DIFFERENT BREAD KNIFE (because it will dull way faster in ice) to score the block. Once scored around, tap and the ice will break along the scores.

Excellent video,....AGAIN. TBH, if i had to choose, I would take a Victornox or Mercer over a Wustof any day of the week. Never liked them, even though I used them for years. Just getting into the Japanese knives in the last few years and finding them far superior for me, personally. Not an expert or a knife snob; mine are currently mostly Yoshihiro and Shun. Some might argue over their relative quality, yadda, yadda...., but I see them as head and shoulders above any German knife I've ever owned, and I've been in the business for years (I went to culinary school with Alton Brown, if that gives you an idea how old I am. LOL). But, then again, it's all about what works best for you in your current situation. Keep up the good work Chef.

What kind of wannabe would I be if I didn’t have expensive Global knives?

A solid chef knife can do just about anything. You're right, they don't have to be expensive either.

While I rocked some quite old Chicago cutlery knives (that I got at a thrift shop) for quite some time, since I had the capability to sharpen them myself, nowadays I almost exclusively use a Henckel's chef knife and a Shibazi Chinese cleaver for almost everything at home. I feel like Chinese cleavers are off of a lot of people's radar, but after getting one, I'll never be without one again.

i still have my Mercer knives from when i took Culinary school 10 years ago. They are a great beginner knife and more merciful if your learning to care for them. i remembered Seeing some of the Students buying these Japanese knives but there was one that stood out i could see she was very serious and eventually replaced those knives with a couple Japanese knives and JA Henckles but she knew how to maintain them is what made the difference between having them for show and properly using caring for them and of course get a whetstone and a honing steel to make your knives last longer and the don't forget the Cardinal rule of Knife care never ever throw them in the Dishwasher alway hand wash them. This is a fantastic informative video for Beginners and home cooks to learn about the diffrent types of knives out there.

My go-to knife is the Victorinox/Forschner 7.5 inch Chef's knife ( as well) . This is sized a little smaller and a bit thinner than your typical Chef's knife. Since I don't eat a lot of meat, it works well as I don't need a utility knife, either - amazing for vegetables. This reduces my kit by a knife, which is good, since I'm not able to spend $400+ on a set of knives - lol. Overall I like their knives as they are good German steel for a very affordable price. I can hone them easily - I'm just not a fan personally, of super hard knives as sharpening them is difficult/I have to take them to a professional versus every few months on my own. YMMV, of course. The non-slip handle is also good - it's NSF approved/no wood nasties.
You see this a lot in professional kitchens in the U.S. and Europe as it's inexpensive, hard to fault, and gets the job done. But you rarely see it reviewed as it has zero bling value - lol.

That's a nice Miyabi santoku...$350...I prefer the black myself.

I love when you're talking knives and some Azzhole brings up how they have Cutco crap and they love them.

Excellent video.
Logical and pragmatic.

Thx for the review. Chef here. One little beginners secret... I went to Academy Sports and got myself a cheap filet knife in the fishing section. Along with my other beginners knives, I just bought a cheap slide through sharpener and they've lasted me 5+ years. Obviously not as sharp as when I first bought them but still kickin!

You forgot to mention how if anyone has to make a choice on which knife set to buy, common wisdom has it that almost all amateurs are probably better off buying a decent Chef's knife than a knife set, because those extra knives won't be necessary for them in I assume, over 90% of cases. I'll get a set if I have the money someday though, since I'm so clumsy in the kitchen, I kind of need multiple (other than how I also want a breadknife and it wouldn't look cohesive together with my current one)

I have a question:
I notice you use stones for sharpening. I have a Tormek T1, what are your thoughts about this?

Also, I have settled for the Miyabi artisan series. Would you say these are good knives? Or are they just good looking?

Vegans on a budget only need a Chinese Chef Knife, unless they also make their own bread.

All other home cooks only need 3 essential kitchen knives:

1) Chef $$$
2) Utility $$$
3) Bread $

* A Box Grater and Peeler would also be useful...

UTILITY KNIVES EASILY REPLACE PARING KNIVES!

Outstanding video. Thanks.