Chef Knife and Whetstone/Sharpener recommendations

A

altair21

Herald
Hey folks,

Seems to be a odd place to ask this but I figured I cant lose anything, anyone here have any recommendations for chef's knives or whetstones/sharpeners for them? my father bought a japanese set years ago from a specialty shop and they have been discarded for a long while now. I was looking into either sharpening them back up (those were some of the best knives I have ever used) or get a new set.

So needed some recommendations from any chefs here. I looked into international recommendations but the stuff they recommend like Grohl are way overpriced here.
 
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P.S. can y'all also recommend some good artisanal chocolate brands? I wanted to import some bonnet and pralur but those import fees ;~; , anyways most peeps who reply here will be foodies and y'all will have the goodies XD
 
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OK this will be super controversial, but this is what I did to sharpen my knives:
  • An expensive whetstone as my primary: ₹ 1868 on amazon.
  • A cheapo whetstone as a stone straightener to get rid of the sharp edges that develop on the primary whetstone: ₹ 279 on amazon.
When sharpening, I use a carrying tray one one side to support it against a wall, and a chopping board against my body on the near side to stop it from sliding around. This works pretty well, but my technique is still lacking a bit. The knife picks up sharpness a lot, but doesn't retain it for a long time.

altair21 said:
P.S. can y'all also recommend some good artisanal chocolate brands? I wanted to import some bonnet and pralur but those import fees ;~; , anyways most peeps who reply here will be foodies and y'all will have the goodies XD
Click to expand...
I like cocoatrait and La Folie.
 
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tearphones said:
OK this will be super controversial, but this is what I did to sharpen my knives:
  • An expensive whetstone as my primary: ₹ 1868 on amazon.
  • A cheapo whetstone as a stone straightener to get rid of the sharp edges that develop on the primary whetstone: ₹ 279 on amazon.
When sharpening, I use a carrying tray one one side to support it against a wall, and a chopping board against my body on the near side to stop it from sliding around. This works pretty well, but my technique is still lacking a bit. The knife picks up sharpness a lot, but doesn't retain it for a long time.


I like cocoatrait and La Folie.
Click to expand...
that's a good idea, I'll check it out thanks but can you give me something more beginner friendly e.g. Grohl's diamond roller. I was looking at the whetstone sharpening videos and it looks like you have to hold the knives at an angle and keep it constant for it to work. I'm not sure if thats something I'll be able to handle

btw, thanks for the choco recos, I'll try them out when I head back to bangalore, no deliveries to my hometown I'm afraid
 
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altair21 said:
P.S. can y'all also recommend some good artisanal chocolate brands? I wanted to import some bonnet and pralur but those import fees ;~; , anyways most peeps who reply here will be foodies and y'all will have the goodies XD
Click to expand...

You can check cococart. I had good experience with them.

cococart.in

Buy Wholesale Imported Chocolates Brands Online India | Cococart

Buy wholesale imported chocolates online in India at best prices and satisfy your sweet cravings. Explore a wide range of premium treats at Cococart now!
cococart.in cococart.in
 
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altair21 said:
Hey folks,

Seems to be a odd place to ask this but I figured I cant lose anything, anyone here have any recommendations for chef's knives or whetstones/sharpeners for them? my father bought a japanese set years ago from a specialty shop and they have been discarded for a long while now. I was looking into either sharpening them back up (those were some of the best knives I have ever used) or get a new set.

So needed some recommendations from any chefs here. I looked into international recommendations but the stuff they recommend like Grohl are way overpriced here.
Click to expand...

A good whetstone is super economical in the long run despite being a hefty price upfront. Moreover, it will keep your knives' quality intact and in good shape. I suggest getting a whetstone in the 2-3K range for normal home cooks. I use a normal unbranded 1000/6000 grit whetstone which I purchased locally, but there are many great options on Amazon India. You can also get a metal sharpening panel these days if you are not too educated in terms of knife sharpening care. Also, get a honing rod to maintain the edge of your knife in daily use, especially if you do butchering and meat cutting regularly. Below are some suggestions I picket out or I use myself.

Honing Steel: Victorinox
Whetstone 400/1000: Generic
Japanese Sharpening Stone 1000/6000: Kai
Knife I use at home: Santoku
More Knife options I recommend for casual home use: Bergner | Victorinox Santoku

The knives I daily drive in my work kitchen are from a specialty restaurant supply company so they are not available in retail. I would suggest looking locally in hardware stores for sharpening whetstone before you order it online though, as many local and good companies don't have an online e-com presence in India. All you need to keep in mind while shopping for a whetstone is the grit size and material quality; which is far easier to judge by feeling the stone rather than looking at pictures of it online.
altair21 said:
P.S. can y'all also recommend some good artisanal chocolate brands? I wanted to import some bonnet and pralur but those import fees ;~; , anyways most peeps who reply here will be foodies and y'all will have the goodies XD
Click to expand...
  1. Paul And Mike
  2. La Folie
tearphones said:
OK this will be super controversial, but this is what I did to sharpen my knives:
  • An expensive whetstone as my primary: ₹ 1868 on amazon.
  • A cheapo whetstone as a stone straightener to get rid of the sharp edges that develop on the primary whetstone: ₹ 279 on amazon.
When sharpening, I use a carrying tray one one side to support it against a wall, and a chopping board against my body on the near side to stop it from sliding around. This works pretty well, but my technique is still lacking a bit. The knife picks up sharpness a lot, but doesn't retain it for a long time.


I like cocoatrait and La Folie.
Click to expand...
The reason your knife doesn't retain its edge for a long time could be several reasons. The most common reasons to look out for are:

  • Rinse your knife immediately after cutting anything acidic, e.g. pineapple, tomato, citrus, etc. Acid ruins the edge over time.
  • Do not ever wash your knife with soap that has abrasives. I don't use soap at all, instead, I clean my knife after every cutting session with a cloth after a thorough rinse.
  • Don't use warm water or put your knife in the dishwasher to clean it. Just don't please.
  • Don't use the knife to pick up cut ingredients intuitively as most people do. Flip the knife to the dull side and scrape that along the chopping board to pick up cut food. Chefs use a scrapper to do this and avoid using the knife to do it all together.
  • Use a honing steel every 1-2 days to maintain the edge of the knife you sharpened.
  • Dry the knife before storage. Keep it dry and clean with the help of a cloth. Don't let it air dry and hang about with moisture for too long.


    Not gonna comment on your sharpening methodology with the two whetstones. Don't fix it if it works for you, otherwise, you can always watch and learn from a seasoned smith or chef on YT. I recommend Kenji Lopez's or Ethan Chlebowski's beginner guide if you don't wanna go down too deep. Cheers.

 
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altair21 said:
and it looks like you have to hold the knives at an angle and keep it constant for it to work
Click to expand...

IMO, that's the most important thing, took me forever to realise it tho.

Since I was finding that difficult to do, during the COVID lockdown I DIYed a 'contraption', LOL, to help me. Used wood strips I had in the house. Approx 17 deg angle.
The knives I have are not too expensive (using them for more than 30 years now), and I sharpen them maybe once a month, just 3 - 4 passes with a regular sharpening stone (the one you see carpenters use!).
Good enuf for me.

According to me, and many may not agree, getting a razor sharp edge is less important than getting a reasonably sharp edge that will last longer. For most people, that is.
 
TheNawab said:
A good whetstone is super economical in the long run despite being a hefty price upfront. Moreover, it will keep your knives' quality intact and in good shape. I suggest getting a whetstone in the 2-3K range for normal home cooks. I use a normal unbranded 1000/6000 grit whetstone which I purchased locally, but there are many great options on Amazon India. You can also get a metal sharpening panel these days if you are not too educated in terms of knife sharpening care. Also, get a honing rod to maintain the edge of your knife in daily use, especially if you do butchering and meat cutting regularly. Below are some suggestions I picket out or I use myself.
Click to expand...
Hey thanks for the recommendations! I don't do meat its just veggies for us, I'll try out the Santoku, that looks good to me. and yeah, I plan to head to a specialty store for both knives and whetstone when I go to Bangalore, this kind of stuff is not available in my hometown, I'll probably order the generic whetstone though for home use just to get something at home.

  • Rinse your knife immediately after cutting anything acidic, e.g. pineapple, tomato, citrus, etc. Acid ruins the edge over time.
  • Do not ever wash your knife with soap that has abrasives. I don't use soap at all, instead, I clean my knife after every cutting session with a cloth after a thorough rinse.
Click to expand...
A normal rinse in running water and then wiping immediately should be fine right?
Since I was finding that difficult to do, during the COVID lockdown I DIYed a 'contraption', LOL, to help me. Used wood strips I had in the house. Approx 17 deg angle.
The knives I have are not too expensive (using them for more than 30 years now), and I sharpen them maybe once a month, just 3 - 4 passes with a regular sharpening stone (the one you see carpenters use!).
Good enuf for me.
Click to expand...
thats a good idea lol
kalph09 said:
You can check cococart. I had good experience with them.

cococart.in

Buy Wholesale Imported Chocolates Brands Online India | Cococart

Buy wholesale imported chocolates online in India at best prices and satisfy your sweet cravings. Explore a wide range of premium treats at Cococart now!
cococart.in cococart.in
Click to expand...
Didnt know they offered pan india, I'll check it out thanks!

P.S I'll give Paul and Mike a try, they are the only artisanal brand I found which offers Pan India delivery, thanks!
 
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PoBoy said:
Since I was finding that difficult to do, during the COVID lockdown I DIYed a 'contraption', LOL, to help me. Used wood strips I had in the house. Approx 17 deg angle.
Click to expand...
My knife sharpener helper.

Normally I would hold the knife handle with my other hand.

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20240122_150913_PS_800x600.jpg
20240122_151055_PS_800x600.jpg


Wish TEF would allow selling pocket/folding knives, I have two nice SanRenMu knives, unused, neither TEF nor OLX allow selling these.
 
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TheNawab said:
A good whetstone is super economical in the long run despite being a hefty price upfront. Moreover, it will keep your knives' quality intact and in good shape. I suggest getting a whetstone in the 2-3K range for normal home cooks. I use a normal unbranded 1000/6000 grit whetstone which I purchased locally, but there are many great options on Amazon India. You can also get a metal sharpening panel these days if you are not too educated in terms of knife sharpening care. Also, get a honing rod to maintain the edge of your knife in daily use, especially if you do butchering and meat cutting regularly. Below are some suggestions I picket out or I use myself.
Click to expand...
hey, btw have you got any good wok recommendations? I have been looking for one but in local market its only kadais available and the one wok I did find was way to small. I mainly need it for tossing and stiry frying food. Normal Kadais are way too heavy to use
 
As someone who uses prestige/pigeon knives and find them beyond atrocious thus looking for a good quality knife, I am having a heart attack just looking at the prices of the sharpeners mentioned here. Goodness!
 
I had the same issue of finding the right angle to sharpen on the whetstone, which I need to master someday.
Meanwhile I use the following knife sharpeners from Ikea, which go a good job of sharpening the knifes, compared to several others I had tried before.

Our kitchen knives are all Victorinox make and I found both sharpeners good enough for home use.
I do a paper cut test before and after each sharpening session and I can see the difference in the cut.
20220330_141650.jpg


www.ikea.com

SKÄRANDE knife sharpener, black - IKEA

SKÄRANDE knife sharpener, black Three different slots for fine, medium or coarse sharpening. The knife sharpener works well with knives in all steel qualities.
www.ikea.com www.ikea.com
www.ikea.com

ASPEKT knife sharpener, black - IKEA

ASPEKT knife sharpener, black
www.ikea.com www.ikea.com
 
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sriharsha_m said:
I had the same issue of finding the right angle to sharpen on the whetstone, which I need to master someday.
Meanwhile I use the following knife sharpeners from Ikea, which go a good job of sharpening the knifes, compared to several others I had tried before.

Our kitchen knives are all Victorinox make and I found both sharpeners good enough for home use.
I do a paper cut test before and after each sharpening session and I can see the difference in the cut.


www.ikea.com

SKÄRANDE knife sharpener, black - IKEA

SKÄRANDE knife sharpener, black Three different slots for fine, medium or coarse sharpening. The knife sharpener works well with knives in all steel qualities.
www.ikea.com www.ikea.com
www.ikea.com

ASPEKT knife sharpener, black - IKEA

ASPEKT knife sharpener, black
www.ikea.com www.ikea.com
Click to expand...
So the difference between both the models of ikea shapeners is, the type of sharpening? The skaerande has 3 slots and mentioned "fine, medium or coarse". How is aspekt compared to this?
 
Ssreek said:
So the difference between both the models of ikea shapeners is, the type of sharpening? The skaerande has 3 slots and mentioned "fine, medium or coarse". How is aspekt compared to this?
Click to expand...
Not sure how to put it in words. The 3 slots give a progressively defined curve, where the final slot gives an ultra sharp edge, so you start sharpening from slot 1, then move to slot2 and then slot3 for the fine edge, but....but.... It's more for standard size chef knives where the blade is sufficiently thick for that curve to form.
So the sharp edge does an initial cut on the surface and then the curve edge helps in gliding through the cut in a single seamless movement where the heft of the blade naturally helps in follow through cut. It's almost meditative.

For thin knives it hardly matters and the single slot model is good enough.

My use case is like, I use the 3 slot one for a dedicated sharpening session, but the single slot is for quick adhoc sharpening during food prep.
 
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altair21 said:
oof, no delivery here but thanks, I'll grab them if I am near a IKEA, they sound perfect for amateurs
Click to expand...
This is good enough for most people but please don't bother using expensive knives with this. In expensive knives you are paying for the high quality steel which can hold a more durable edge. This kind of sharpener is going to create a concave (Eiffel tower shaped) edge which is not durable and also quite rough, but that's OK as re-sharpening just takes a few seconds. As for sharpness this design of sharpener does a good job and you will not mind it. Here is a Project Farm video comparing sharpness that can be obtained using different designs of sharpeners.


If you want to experiment with the whetstone then the 300 rupee ZHART one on amazon is sufficient. It has 800 grit which is fine enough, even if you bought the 1000/6000 stone you will end up using just the 1000 side most of the time, and 800 is quite close to 1000. Technique matters much more than the stone with knife sharpening and it does take more time to sharpen than that Ikea one, so I would only recommended whetstone for people who know they will enjoy that kind of thing.
 
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