What size chefs knife should I buy?
I’m going to have to agree with the “try it out for yourself” answer here. I’ve been progressively using smaller knives (10″ chef’s to 8″ chef’s to 7″ santoku to 6″ chefs) and consider the sweet spot for me to be a 7″ santoku knife. I understand that sometimes you really do want a big knife, but I think that’s more of an argument for having more than one knife and using what’s appropriate for the job. I have giant hands and have been asked why I use a “small” knife. It’s what I like. I feel there’s a balance between leverage and usability at the point I chose. However, I’m not going to say that’s the same for everyone – I have an aunt that’s a better cook than I am, a good 1.5 feet shorter, who uses a 12″ chefs knife for absolutely everything. It seems to me that when you’re using something sharp enough to give yourself a serious injury, you should try it before you buy it to make sure it fits yourself.
Everybody talks about knives (which makes sense, ’cause you asked about them) but nobody mentions cutting surfaces, which to my mind are every bit as important as the cutting tool. Me, I like wood. I like the bite I get using a good knife on wood. The plastic cutting boards may be more sanitary — maybe — but they also make it easier for your knife to slip and skip around on the board. I’ll take my Wusthof chef knives (I have an 8″ and a 10″ and both together prolly cost less the a single Shun) and an good wooden cutting board over a Shun and plastic combo any day.
