Even if you are not a pro cook, you should know some basic features you need to get in your knife for everyday cooking: cutting, chopping etc.
Choosing a Knife
Size – you need to decide what size of this cutting object you need as too big or too small sizes might make your cooking process inconvenient and hard. If you need to do a lot of chopping of big pieces of food, you had better buy a bigger knife for the usage in the kitchen. But if you are not a big person and you just need a knife for cutting potatoes and tomatoes, there is no necessity in a big cooking knife for your requirements.
Weight and balancing of a knife – too light or too heavy knives might also make you feel uncomfortable during food preparation, and your hands will get tired quite soon if the weight isn’t fitting for your hands. You should mind how your knife is balanced when you grasp and hold it, it must be well balanced in every position you take it.
Material- you need to know of what materials your knife’s blade and handle are manufactured. Both blade’s and handle’s materials matter when using a knife. Blades are commonly made from various steel kinds like stainless steel, carbon steel, Damascus steel etc. if you found a knife, which doesn’t leave any spots, has no bending and rusting, you will be happy with it.
Handles have slightly different purposes of use and they should be very comfy for holding, so the handles of knives may be manufactured from plastic, wood, metal and other materials, which may be synthetic.
Shape of a blade- it’s important to get the suitable shape of the edge for your knife as the shape may vary depending on the food or any other material you are going to apply a knife for. A Chisel edge would suit you if you often cut heavy and hard things liked meat, bones and stuff like that. Flat edges would be suitable for the preparing of food, carving wood etc. Convex shapes are fine for doing the slicing, shaving or skinning various foods and materials.
Now let’s talk about brands of knives.
Are Shun Knives Really Worth the Price?
Generally, Shun knives are considered to be very high-quality cutlery and if you think to spend or not to spend several hundred dollars for obtaining some Shun knife model, most suggestion will say ‘yes’. In fact, it depends on which model you are going to purchase and if it suits for your purposes. Choose an appropriate Shun knife for your aims of cooking and enjoy the quality and the warranty possibilities of this purchase.
Shun Classic VS Wusthof Ikon
These two knife models possess the same price and they are actually quite alike, but still, there are differences. Shun manufactures knives of Japanese style and the Shun Classic knife has got quite a flat blade for this knife types, but it is very sharp with light weight and harder steel. Unlike Wusthof Ikon, Shun Classic steel edges are easy to chip as they have got somewhat hard constitution. Ikon might seem more comfortable when holding it, but Shun is commonly a more balances knife. Some experts think that Shun cutlery is easier in maintaining. So, it’s up to you to decide which model to get.
Shun VS MAC Knives
MAC knives tend to have thinner edges and blades than Shun models, but MAC edges are easier to sharp than those of Shun knives. Also, some people think that MAC knives are more practical in use and more enduring. It’s just a matter of your taste and preferences about which of these brands to buy, as both of them are excellent for cooking and cutting things and foods.
Shun Knives
Shun knives are made in a Japanese style and they have got extremely sharp edges, as a rule. Their looks are truly great and but the sharpening of these knives should be frequent as they don’t stay very sharp for long. If you only do some home cooking, three or four times a year is okay for keeping the Shun knife sharp.
As to the steel the company combined two steels like stainless steel with high carbon content and VG10 steel. So, as a result, they got light, hard and rust resistant cutlery. But still, try to dry your knives after the use and don’t put them in the dishwashing machine. High temps and detergents might do some hard to your knives and ruin their functionality and looks pretty fast.
Dalstrong Shogun
The Shogun series of knives looks really amazing and their price ranges from 200 to 400 dollars per knife. These Dalstrong cutlery will suit both pro and home cooks and they are made of Japanese AUS-10V steel with a little addition of vanadium. These knives are supposed to serve you for many years and they don’t demand much maintenance. They are certainly worth your attention. Here is a video for you to know more about this series:
Cangshan VS Wusthof
Cangshan knives are Chinese knives, but they have a very decent quality and are very comfortable in usage. They use German steel for their blades, their price is affordable and they may be found on Amazon easily. The only fault of these knives is cheap handles, but the handles are improving with every new model of a knife. Wusthof cutlery is of German origin and they are thought to have good quality and history. Their prices are also affordable and the correlation of price and quality is truly decent.
Bokashi VS Shun
Bokashi is a Japanese brand and a real Japanese quality steel. Their knives might cost more than Shun cutlery sets, but the quality might be a little better. But if you are in need of a really practical knife, Japanese steel is preferable as they are known for their quality products all over the world.
Yoshihiro VS Shun
Yoshihiro knives are thought to be one of the best Japanese knives of the best quality, so if you have money for purchasing such a knife and you are a professional cook, don’t hesitate and get it. But if you are on a tight budget, you had better get Shun.