We had a set of Laguiole steak knives that I never liked. (Fakes? Who knows. We paid a lot for them, but I never thought they were very good at cutting meat.) My ex has them now, & I found 4 Henckels International Eversharp steak knives at the thrift store for $1/ea. With their scalloped/serrated edges, they work better than any other steak knife I’ve owned.
Still, if I ate more steak, your Shun or Kaleo’s Russell would probably be on my short list.
Hi, Eiron:
Great buy on the Henckels!
I’m with you, Eiron. I don’t care for the awkwardness, feel or look of the Laguiole “steak” knives. They’re like a permanently-unfolded pocketknife, or a miniature Sicilian blade. Just not my cup of tea.
Aloha,
Kaleo
Are steak knives critical? On one hand, steak is a pure pleasure to enjoy and therefore a good knife help elevate that experience. On the other hand, didn’t many people said that a good steak should be tender and could be cut by the back of a knife? If so, we don’t need a particular sharp knife, right?
Hi Chem,
It’s not just steak. For example, I use a “steak” knife with baked potato, baked acorn squash, and steamed artichoke hearts.
Ray
Agree. I reach for my “steak” knife when I’m eating pork chops or fried chicken thighs with mashed potatoes and pan gravy.
Serrated, remains sharp but like sawing wood. Medium hardness straight edged with enough carbon, surgical precision and easy to maintain.
Totally agree - and yes also great for chops and other chunky cuts.
So is serrated or straight edge better?
I think it depends on personal preference. I like straight but both cut very effectively. Each to their own.
Serrated better for the no maintenance / no fuss person. Decent ones can be had cheaply, run through the dishwasher & tossed in a draw. When they get dull, which takes a long time, chuck them and start over.
Non serrated, when sharp, cut much cleaner with less effort and are also much better at cutting thin strips of tougher cuts of meat which makes chewing easier. If kept up with, a dozen passes across a steel will keep average hardness steel blades sharp & a couple times a year I run them across a $20 diamond rod. Most should be hand washed and stored in a block.
Beautiful and expensive steak knives. Asymmetric VG-10 core knife. est US $400.
Yours?
http://www.ryusen-hamono.com/products/products_sk_02.html#ステーキナイフ02
I was told that one knife + one fork (same lamination) was $660
Sound about right.
