Best chef knife ....

My good friend is getting married in a couple months , I was going to get him some badass cutlery . He’s a professional chef - what’s the rolls Royce in the chef knife world ?

 

I’m not sure you wanna go down that rabbit hole!
Search is your friend and watch what you ask for.

 

You should ask him which ones he likes becasue he will have preference.

 

This, but a quality ceramic paring knife makes an epic gift!

 

Ceramic is monkey shit. Holds an edge but will explode if you get agro with it.

Pairing knife, yeap, that wouldn't suck but when you jump up to a pro knife, full on metalhead.

A pro knife? At least 10 pages of debate on that.

 

Just because you're a ham fisted six fingered midget, don't poo poo on ceramic. I own a well used Kyocera ceramic paring knife for many years and haven't had a single issue. Seems to me, your issue originates somewhere in "layer 8".

 

I loved mine until I "exploded" it. I'm Used to steel and tried doing shit that an 8" chef's knife should normally be asked to do and it failed epicly.

For vegetables, slicing, don't want to sharpen every day and every day shit, ceramic all the way if you don't push it.

 

Yeah, forget buying him a knife. Maybe get him a slot with a custom maker - Brooklyn Cuts, Carter, etc. You didn’t say how good of a friend - are we talking under $500 or over $1500 good? Kitchen knives get as gonzo as watches, bespoke Ducati race bikes, and hand cut suits. The biggest thing with knives is they are very personal. It has to fit the hand, be good for the kind of work he does, cut the way he likes it to cut, etc etc. Hell, a custom suit is easier to get right than a good kitchen knife.

 

Another option would be to get him a nice set of stones with which to keep his knives in good working order.

 

I’d be curious if most chefs sharpen their own cutlery?

 

8" Chef's knife.
or . .

You can spend anywhere from $50 to $5k
https://www.seisukeknife.com/

 

Yeah, I can definitely appreciate the foundation for your opinion. You certainly have to work differently with ceramic, that's for sure.

 

Yes...Get him some stones...because his wife will have his balls!

 

I have a Global, it's a bit dainty and doesn't hold up to abuse well. My meathead friend chipped the blade trying to cut through a bone. It was great until then though...

Been meaning to send it out to get to done professionally, but lots of places flat out won't do the single sided Japanese knives, I'd recommend going w/ something more standard like a Wusthof or a Henckels.

 

Lol whoa
I didn’t realize I was starting an oil thread
I’ll
Take a peek at the suggestions so far - thanks!

 

Oil thread? Much much worse.

What knifes does you buddy use now?

 

I feel like I appreciate knives about as much as 99.9% of the practicing cook population, and I just don't see the fascination with really expensive custom knives. My Mac shushi knife is the most expensive knife I own (~200), and my chinese cleaver (I think I paid 50 bucks) the most versatile. I used a Messermeister 8 inch chef knife for over a decade as a workhorse. I have not counted, but I have a *lot* of knives, and I pretty much use them all.
(I don't own any watches, thank goodness).
Not to bust an idea, but I am not sure giving a tool gift to a pro is the best tack. Have you considered getting him a custom suit?

Reallign teeth on a rod, daily. Sharpen to form, no. At least that is my experience.

 

Buying a knife for someone who likes knives, let alone works with one, is fraught with danger that you will fck it up with 99.999% certainty despite your best efforts. Suggest you reconsider and take a different path. If you do, look up protocol for gifting a coin with the knife.

 

Seems every chef I know has their own preference for utensils. I'd get him dinner for two at his favorite chefs restaurant.

 

I’d definitely ask him first- if he’s a pro chef then he will have a preference. It’d be like my wife’s family buying me motorcycle related shit they think I like- I have to act like I’m happy about some Harley shirt they got me lol.