I just have a few knife questions. I own a set of Henckels Five star
and love them, but I was wondering, what do the professionals use in
restaurants? Do they use well known brands like Henckels and Wustof,
or some other professional brand? I guess another question that arises
is this. Are Henckels and Wustof professional quality or just high end
consumer? I assume they are made for professionals, but was just
wondering?

I am thinking my knives will need to be sharpened pretty soon. Can
someone recommend a good stone? The longest blade I have is 8". How
do the sharpeners compare to the stones? I assume they aren't as good,
but who knows how well I know how to use a stone.

Thanks,
Scott

wrote:
snip

> I am thinking my knives will need to be sharpened pretty soon. Can
> someone recommend a good stone? The longest blade I have is 8". How
> do the sharpeners compare to the stones? I assume they aren't as good,
> but who knows how well I know how to use a stone.
>


In that case, take them to a professional to be sharpened.


jim

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I just have a few knife questions. I own a set of Henckels Five star
> and love them, but I was wondering, what do the professionals use in
> restaurants? Do they use well known brands like Henckels and Wustof,
> or some other professional brand? I guess another question that arises
> is this. Are Henckels and Wustof professional quality or just high end
> consumer? I assume they are made for professionals, but was just
> wondering?

Sure, both Henckel's and Wusthof are used by pro cooks... You'll sometimes
see them on a cooking line, having been brought (and leaving) in a cook's
personal knife-roll, but often a *large* kitchen operation is a situation
where personal cutlery may be damaged (prep cook couldn't find the can
opener LOL) or disappear.

In my experience, more often "commercial kitchen knives" like Dexter/Russel
Harrington are provided by commercial restaurant suppliers and are
considered appropriate. The house knives in a resort or hotel are going to
be functional, not classy. Cutlery made for commercial kitchens can often
have a much broader selection, including specialized knives for butchering
or other tasks. Features like plastic "sure-grip" handles and lightweight
may not have a Cadillac feel, but how many cab drivers drive a
Cadillac...*on the job*. A private chef or caterer is more likely to work
with personal cutlery than one in a large operation with several cooks
grabbing whatever is at hand.

On 1/5/2005 1:24 AM Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these great
(and sometimes not so great) words of knowledge:


> I just have a few knife questions. I own a set of Henckels Five star
> and love them, but I was wondering, what do the professionals use in
> restaurants? Do they use well known brands like Henckels and Wustof,
> or some other professional brand? I guess another question that arises
> is this. Are Henckels and Wustof professional quality or just high end
> consumer? I assume they are made for professionals, but was just
> wondering?
>
> I am thinking my knives will need to be sharpened pretty soon. Can
> someone recommend a good stone? The longest blade I have is 8". How
> do the sharpeners compare to the stones? I assume they aren't as good,
> but who knows how well I know how to use a stone.
>
> Thanks,
> Scott
>

While I am average + with a stone, I have gotten excellent results with
the "Chef's Choice" brand electric sharpener (about $125 ). The results
are very comparable to having them done "professionally". The Chef's
Choice uses 3 wheels to put a "tri" edge on the blades. My experiences
with this unit have been it takes about 3 minutes to do a dull knife
initially and about 1 minute for routine maintenance.

On 4 Jan 2005 22:24:31 -0800, wrote:

>I just have a few knife questions. I own a set of Henckels Five star
>and love them, but I was wondering, what do the professionals use in
>restaurants? Do they use well known brands like Henckels and Wustof,
>or some other professional brand? I guess another question that arises
>is this. Are Henckels and Wustof professional quality or just high end
>consumer? I assume they are made for professionals, but was just
>wondering?
>
>I am thinking my knives will need to be sharpened pretty soon. Can
>someone recommend a good stone? The longest blade I have is 8". How
>do the sharpeners compare to the stones? I assume they aren't as good,
>but who knows how well I know how to use a stone.
>
>Thanks,
>Scott
Some professional chefs use Wusthofs and Henckels knives. There are
quite a few brands of high-quality cutlery and you can find fans of
most. The professional chefs I know don't particulary stick with a
single brand. They are more likely to have knives of more than one
brand.

The best sharpening system depends largely on how much money you want
to spend and how much time you are willing to spend sharpening.

If you don't want to fuss with it, having your knives sharpened
professionally may be the best approach. The Chefs Choice sharpener
does a pretty good job. It is compact and pretty foolproof if you
follow the directions for using it.

If you want more flexibility and are willing to spend a bit more time
sharpening, you might consider the Edge Pro.

http://edgeproinc.com/

This is what I use. The owner, Ben Dale, is a pleasure to deal with.

Cheers,

Leonard

On 4 Jan 2005 22:24:31 -0800, wrote:

>I just have a few knife questions. I own a set of Henckels Five star
>and love them, but I was wondering, what do the professionals use in
>restaurants? Do they use well known brands like Henckels and Wustof,
>or some other professional brand? I guess another question that arises
>is this. Are Henckels and Wustof professional quality or just high end
>consumer? I assume they are made for professionals, but was just
>wondering?
>
>I am thinking my knives will need to be sharpened pretty soon. Can
>someone recommend a good stone? The longest blade I have is 8". How
>do the sharpeners compare to the stones? I assume they aren't as good,
>but who knows how well I know how to use a stone.
>
>Thanks,
>Scott
Some professional chefs use Wusthofs and Henckels knives. There are
quite a few brands of high-quality cutlery and you can find fans of
most. The professional chefs I know don't particulary stick with a
single brand. They are more likely to have knives of more than one
brand.

The best sharpening system depends largely on how much money you want
to spend and how much time you are willing to spend sharpening.

If you don't want to fuss with it, having your knives sharpened
professionally may be the best approach. The Chefs Choice sharpener
does a pretty good job. It is compact and pretty foolproof if you
follow the directions for using it.

If you want more flexibility and are willing to spend a bit more time
sharpening, you might consider the Edge Pro.

http://edgeproinc.com/

This is what I use. The owner, Ben Dale, is a pleasure to deal with.

Cheers,

Leonard

On 2005-01-05, > wrote:

> I am thinking my knives will need to be sharpened pretty soon. Can
> someone recommend a good stone? The longest blade I have is 8". How
> do the sharpeners compare to the stones? I assume they aren't as good,
> but who knows how well I know how to use a stone.

I can't tell you what you should do. But, I can offer some recommedations
on what not to do. I've tried a lot of stones and sharpening devices. I
can tell you right now, the ceramic rod devices are junk. Save your money.
If you do take your knives out to be sharpened, make sure they are truly
pros. My brother took his Wusthof Santuko to a supermarket that offered
free sharpening service. They ground an 1/8" deep x 1" long concave gouge
near the heel! I'd have demanded a new knife.

I do my own sharpening. I use a med/fine water stone with no devices. But,
it's taken me more than a few years to learn how to put a proper edge on my
knives. If you'd like to do your own sharpening, here's a pretty
informative resource:

http://users.ameritech.net/knives/index.htm

nb

In .com> writes:

>I am thinking my knives will need to be sharpened pretty soon. Can
>someone recommend a good stone? The longest blade I have is 8". How
>do the sharpeners compare to the stones? I assume they aren't as good,
>but who knows how well I know how to use a stone.

If you're willing to invest some time in learning how to properly
sharpen a knife, read "The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening"[1] and get some
good hones and a knife guide. I got everything in one kit[2] years ago,
and I'm very happy with it.

Regards,
Greg

[1] http://www.razoredgesystems.com/prod...products_id=51
[2] http://www.razoredgesystems.com/prod...products_id=32
--
\|/ ___ \|/ +----- 2048/83C90191 -----+
@~./'O o`\.~@ | 0B 65 E0 58 F3 F9 81 F5 |
/__( \___/ )__\ | F0 72 75 FA 1E BD C9 66 |
`\__`U_/' +-------------------------+

Thanks for all the replies!

Scott

Thanks for all the replies!

Scott

Ted Campanelli wrote:
> On 1/5/2005 1:24 AM Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these great
> (and sometimes not so great) words of knowledge:

snip

>> I am thinking my knives will need to be sharpened pretty soon. Can
>> someone recommend a good stone? The longest blade I have is 8". How
>> do the sharpeners compare to the stones? I assume they aren't as good,
>> but who knows how well I know how to use a stone.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Scott
>>
>
> While I am average + with a stone, I have gotten excellent results with
> the "Chef's Choice" brand electric sharpener (about $125 ). The results
> are very comparable to having them done "professionally". The Chef's
> Choice uses 3 wheels to put a "tri" edge on the blades. My experiences
> with this unit have been it takes about 3 minutes to do a dull knife
> initially and about 1 minute for routine maintenance.
>

After I posted, I remembered this. Thanks for putting it up.

I have one and use it.


jim

Ted Campanelli wrote:
> On 1/5/2005 1:24 AM Ted shuffled out of his cave and grunted these great
> (and sometimes not so great) words of knowledge:

snip

>> I am thinking my knives will need to be sharpened pretty soon. Can
>> someone recommend a good stone? The longest blade I have is 8". How
>> do the sharpeners compare to the stones? I assume they aren't as good,
>> but who knows how well I know how to use a stone.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Scott
>>
>
> While I am average + with a stone, I have gotten excellent results with
> the "Chef's Choice" brand electric sharpener (about $125 ). The results
> are very comparable to having them done "professionally". The Chef's
> Choice uses 3 wheels to put a "tri" edge on the blades. My experiences
> with this unit have been it takes about 3 minutes to do a dull knife
> initially and about 1 minute for routine maintenance.
>

After I posted, I remembered this. Thanks for putting it up.

I have one and use it.


jim

My sharpener recommendations:

The best sharpening system for you depends on your working style.
Following are some recommendations, sorted by price with comments on
each model:

For under $20:

A good bench stone and time to develop sharpening skills. Not as
good as a guided system, but definitely the lowest price. For the Luddites.

For about $50:


Spyderco SharpMaker - quick and easy, but bevels are not pretty.
Handy for the kitchen, and recommended for people who don't want a lot
of work, but don't want to spend the money for an electric machine.

Lansky/GATCO/DMT rod-guided system - not as fast to use as the
SharpMaker, but nice clean bevels. For the craftsman.

For around $100

Chef'sChoice 320 ($90) - electric machine, sharpens and strops to a
shaving edge.

This or the following CC model is a perfect, no-skills solution for
those willing to spend the money.

Chef'sChoice 120 ($120) - adds a coarser "pre-sharpening" stage,
needed for really dull knives and/or thick blades.

EdgePro Apex ($125) - the perfectionist's rod-guided system. The
Pro model ($295) accepts attachments for scissor and chisel sharpening.

Paper Wheels ($30 for the wheels, plus $70 for a bench grinder).
Requires a little skill; angle control is manual, but it is the fastest
way I have found to sharpen a knife.

For around $350:

Chef'sChoice 2000 commercial sharpener. This machine
produces a double bevel edge, unlike the triple bevel produced by their
home machines. The sharpening unit is removable so it can be cleaned in
a dishwasher, and be replaced when it wears out. Life expectancy is
about 3000 knives. About $350 for the base unit, $379 for a setup with
signs, etc. </big>

For around $500:

Tormek - power wet grinder with fixtures available for everything
including scissors and woodworking tools. Angles are well controlled and
bevels are clean. Can also be used freehand. $400 for basic machine
plus $100 for jigs for knives and scissors. Buy the stone grader and
stone truing tool. It is a travesty that they sell it without them.

For around $2000

The F. Dick sharpening machines, SM-110 and SM-111, are the
ultimate tools for someone setting up a sharpening business.

Steve


Sharpening Made Easy: A Primer on Sharpening Knives and Other Edged
Tools by Steve Bottorff
Copyright January 2002 Knife World Publications
www.sharpeningmadeeasy.com


wrote:
> I just have a few knife questions. I own a set of Henckels Five star
> and love them, but I was wondering, what do the professionals use in
> restaurants? Do they use well known brands like Henckels and Wustof,
> or some other professional brand? I guess another question that arises
> is this. Are Henckels and Wustof professional quality or just high end
> consumer? I assume they are made for professionals, but was just
> wondering?
>
> I am thinking my knives will need to be sharpened pretty soon. Can
> someone recommend a good stone? The longest blade I have is 8". How
> do the sharpeners compare to the stones? I assume they aren't as good,
> but who knows how well I know how to use a stone.
>
> Thanks,
> Scott
>

My sharpener recommendations:

The best sharpening system for you depends on your working style.
Following are some recommendations, sorted by price with comments on
each model:

For under $20:

A good bench stone and time to develop sharpening skills. Not as
good as a guided system, but definitely the lowest price. For the Luddites.

For about $50:


Spyderco SharpMaker - quick and easy, but bevels are not pretty.
Handy for the kitchen, and recommended for people who don't want a lot
of work, but don't want to spend the money for an electric machine.

Lansky/GATCO/DMT rod-guided system - not as fast to use as the
SharpMaker, but nice clean bevels. For the craftsman.

For around $100

Chef'sChoice 320 ($90) - electric machine, sharpens and strops to a
shaving edge.

This or the following CC model is a perfect, no-skills solution for
those willing to spend the money.

Chef'sChoice 120 ($120) - adds a coarser "pre-sharpening" stage,
needed for really dull knives and/or thick blades.

EdgePro Apex ($125) - the perfectionist's rod-guided system. The
Pro model ($295) accepts attachments for scissor and chisel sharpening.

Paper Wheels ($30 for the wheels, plus $70 for a bench grinder).
Requires a little skill; angle control is manual, but it is the fastest
way I have found to sharpen a knife.

For around $350:

Chef'sChoice 2000 commercial sharpener. This machine
produces a double bevel edge, unlike the triple bevel produced by their
home machines. The sharpening unit is removable so it can be cleaned in
a dishwasher, and be replaced when it wears out. Life expectancy is
about 3000 knives. About $350 for the base unit, $379 for a setup with
signs, etc. </big>

For around $500:

Tormek - power wet grinder with fixtures available for everything
including scissors and woodworking tools. Angles are well controlled and
bevels are clean. Can also be used freehand. $400 for basic machine
plus $100 for jigs for knives and scissors. Buy the stone grader and
stone truing tool. It is a travesty that they sell it without them.

For around $2000

The F. Dick sharpening machines, SM-110 and SM-111, are the
ultimate tools for someone setting up a sharpening business.

Steve


Sharpening Made Easy: A Primer on Sharpening Knives and Other Edged
Tools by Steve Bottorff
Copyright January 2002 Knife World Publications
www.sharpeningmadeeasy.com


wrote:
> I just have a few knife questions. I own a set of Henckels Five star
> and love them, but I was wondering, what do the professionals use in
> restaurants? Do they use well known brands like Henckels and Wustof,
> or some other professional brand? I guess another question that arises
> is this. Are Henckels and Wustof professional quality or just high end
> consumer? I assume they are made for professionals, but was just
> wondering?
>
> I am thinking my knives will need to be sharpened pretty soon. Can
> someone recommend a good stone? The longest blade I have is 8". How
> do the sharpeners compare to the stones? I assume they aren't as good,
> but who knows how well I know how to use a stone.
>
> Thanks,
> Scott
>