Chefs and their knives

I think Mert did it for me here my friend.
Me too I was truly unhappy about my knives back then, and working in the kitchen, I saw a video someplace of a japanese chef who did these sexy thin slices of fish effortlessly... When I did, I could not.

Question is, is he doing it wrong or is it me?

And without a sharp blade, it was just plain impossible. So no, one does not need expensive knife, but yes, one needs a sharp one to properly execute most techniques.

It is in the nature of a man to question his own ways. Is it really that hard to figure out that Victorinoxxx is not the MVP [Most Valuable Possesion]

 

I am a home cook and don't want to intrude too much but I think there is a lot of truth to this. In certain cuisines, you see cutting requirements for certain dishes to be considered successful (and thus, the requirement of maintaining sharper knives). Education involving these cuisines will likely have more emphasis and awareness of not only the knives but how to properly use and maintain them.

I've known how to use a whetstone for as long as I remember being in the kitchen because otherwise I will not be able to cut very thin strips of ginger or scallion in a single cut efficiently. Unevenly cut ingredients will also cause inconsistent cooking or almost worst overcooking in high temperature stir fry. Unfortunately this does not mean that I knew things about steel etc. until very recently. I was using a medium duty chinese cleaver (with crappy steel) and a fruit knife for the longest time. The only reason I can somewhat handle a knife (for home cook standards) is because my grandmother made me cut stuff over and over again if I sucked. You won't believe how much practice you can get out of a single knob of ginger.

 

I saw this thread happening but didn't have time to get through it all until now.

My first knives were a Mac pro and a suisin high carbon. I had no problem keeping them sharp on a cheap combo stone. When I got my first sous position I rewarded myself with a Misono Dragon. I loved it... Until I sharpened it. I totally messed up the edge angles and couldn't get it to take a good edge. I was frustrated and embarassed. So I got on a plane and flew to NY with it and walked into Korin and had them fix it and then got them to show me how to hold it on the stone to get the right angles.

After my first restaurant opening as exec chef I rewarded myself with a Konosuke Fujiyama. I was so worried about ruining that knife that I found and joined KKF.

The quality of the knife is insignificant if you can't maintain it. And if a person is motivated to learn a skill or gain some knowledge they will figure out how to do it. I didn't go to culinary school. I was called 'Knuckles' the first year and a half I was cooking. I spent most of my energy on getting the knife skills down because I was rarely allowed on the stove. I think the problem with culinary schools is that it is very hard to teach young people to want something. Then the degree makes them feel entitled without actually putting the time in. They spend so much energy trying to cover up the fact that they have an underdeveloped skill set that it inhibits their ability to actually improve and learn new things. If the Karate Kid started the movie with no skills but had a black belt on anyway, then Mr. Miyagi would never have been able to get him to paint his fence, wax-on wax-off, and build a real foundation.

The knives students are given are atrocious. It is like sending modern troops into battle with muskets.

 

I agree. I know a lot of amazing, even world class, chefs who can't maintain them for ********. Don't know the first thing about sharpening or even basic honing. They think skill in sharpening is how fast you can steal a knife. Many kids come in ugly Ken Onion, Guy Ferrei and knives like that. Then you see people cutting on plates and glass, using knives as pry bars, ect,. It is disgusting. The most heart breaking though is when you see people buy beautiful Japanese knives and don't learn how, or even try to learn, to sharpen them. I'd rather see someone with a victorinox then a misono if they aren't gonna learn how to sharpen it. Even the best knives will turn to crap real quick if you don't know how to maintain them.

 

This thread is really a good read and eye opening for the uninitiated. It would make a good topic in professional journals. As a home cook who knows enough to be dangerous, I was fat dumb and happy with my Gerber set. thought it was the top of the mountain. Couldn't believe the difference when I acquired the modest few japanese knives I now have. The old knives simply never get used unless my wife happens to need a knife as she doesn't want to be bothered with cleaning my Japanese knives by hand and only the old knives can she put in the dish washer. I consider myself fortunate to have the old knives as I practiced my sharpening on them.

 

Just for another perspective, as an outsider (not a pro) I'm somewhat surprised to learn that demonstrating proper knife skills (maybe brunoise am onion?) wouldn't be a small part of the interview process. I remember Jacques Pepin saying that he used to have someone make an omelette to see if that applicant could really cook. Again, from an outside perspective it seems like the business could control for this and that as more businesses followed suit that skills would quickly improve across the market as a whole.

 

I see it like this, I have a lot of sweet knives (IMO), and its my profession so why would I cheap out or have some crappy knives, right tools for the right job, and a good knife is key for me

 

This is a good point but if you recall John started a thread about the shortage of skilled staff in our industry. This is a problem most places, I see it here in Canada, Mert mentions it in Aus, and the original thread from John in the US. That being said we don't always have the option to choose people that can brunoise let alone know what that is.

 

In an ideal world I would like to hire chefs they are young , hard worker , honest , passionate , with good attitude and good knowledge . In reality you end up picking candidates who check 2 or maximum 3 boxes . I believe I can teach them how to cook and basic fundamentals ( even at management level ) I can't teach them to have a good attitude , they have it or they don't . I can teach them to be passionate , they have it or they don't .
By the time it comes to proper knife usage and maintenance I have many battles to pick

 

Usually you put someone on a one shift trial where you assess things like basic knife skills, personal hygiene , speed, attitude etc etc.
The problem is like Mert said... It's very rare you actually get anyone good so we don't get to be picky. you usually have to go back to basics with them for a while.