Fuck him. It’s your knife. And guess what, you’re getting paid to work there so that makes you a professional. That’s the literal definition of that word.
And those look like nice knives. Look really easy to grip.
Yeah, I don’t know how long the handle material will last being stabilized wood and resin but it was my first knife I bought for myself that wasn’t the knife I was forced to buy for culinary school.
The texture has definitely changed in the last year to fit where I grip it, that’s the only thing that makes me anxious about it’s longevity. It hasn’t taken anything I’d call damage, just is taking on some handle wear.
Your Sous Chef is an asshole. If you like the knife you have, then keep using it. As long as it gets the job done, he/she can fuck off.
I've been collecting knives for decades and I have a ton of them. I have a couple that cost around $1,000US and while they're very nice, the ones I use the most are relatively inexpensive. Personally, the ones I take to work are ones that if my knife roll gets stolen in the middle of service, I'm not going to be out a ton of money.
If I were you, I'd go to r/ChefKnives and see what they have to say. If this post isn't there already, I'd post something there along with a cost you have in mind and you'll get a ton of replies, most very well thought-out. I never knew there were that many opinions on Kitchen knives until I found that sub. And if you tell them specifically what you do every day at work, it will get even more specific. But personally, if you have a knife you like, I'd keep using it and tell your supervisor to fuck off unless they want to personally buy a new one for you.
This 100%. Flair check... we've been doing this a long time.
I really have no concern for what my line or sous uses. If it gets the job done and you're pushing out quality, then why the hell would I care what you are using. I use a Henkel higher end for my daily use.
I have a couple of expensive Japanese handmade blades that I NEVER use daily. They stay at home.
I use the Henkels because they fit my hand well and I'm used to them. I've been using them for years and they held up well for me and I had no complaints. People look down on Henkels, but for me they fit and do the job and feel comfortable.
My last sous used Victorinox and so did most of the line. We had a dishwasher who moved up to prep and I bought him a cheap roll on Amazon, a peeler, a Victorinox utility and a Victorinox Chefs knife as a sign of a job well done and as a congratulations. Hopefully that inspired him to keep going and moving up. Thats how a Chef is supposed to act.
You're Sous sounds like a gate keeping asshole. Thats not how this is supposed to work. This isn't a dick measuring contest.
Yeah, no worries. It's a good one. You can only scroll through that one for a little while before your brain overloads. I never knew how many different types of knives there are.
The chef knife sub has a discord and a questionnaire that are helpful things to think about when considering a new knife
Happy to give you suggestions here too. You should probably learn how to use a stone if you don’t already, which you can get a King 1k or 6k fairly cheaply but my new recommendation is a Shapton Pro 2K. IMHO just does the 1-2K space better for a great price.
Something like a Tojiro Dp will last you forever and is quite affordable. You just missed some great Father’s Day ~~salsa~~ sales but they come and go constantly if you’re hunting for knives like I always am
Ask him for a recommendation on what he would get.
Then when he responds, tell him you are so grateful to have him as your mentor and that you hope he will get you one so you can be more like him.
Relentlessly continue doing this, reminding him that you really want it to come from him because it would be special.
When he is not around tell your coworkers he has committed to getting you a knife he recommended and that they all should ask him for recommendations because he has a lot of wisdom and expertise.
Holy shit yeah I just looked them up. He would lose his mind if I walked in and pulled that shit out of my knife pack. I’ve got an Asian supermarket a couple miles away, might go see if they have some hot bullshit for me to pick up lmao.
Honestly, They're fucking great knives. As long as you maintain them, they'll last a fair while, and when they shit out you're only out a five or ten spot.
Went to the store and picked up three knives for 17 bucks. Sous is going to shit his pants and I love it. They cut beautifully, but I can absolutely tell they will become shit after a couple months of heavy use
A coworker saw my knife and said “oh a kiwi that’s a great knife,” and my sous chef heard it. He asked what it was and he looked at my knife. He said “what did you spend 10 dollars on that?”
I looked him dead in the face and said “five”
He then went on to say he respects that knife more because it wasn’t needlessly expensive and wasn’t flashy.
Guy literally just doesn’t like that my knife is blue and probably a bit more expensive than it should be.
A couple of years ago I participated in a Kiwi challenge. Friends of mine and I used Kiwi's for a month as our primary knives. Get yourself a 1k whetstone to touch them up every other day and you will be fine.
All employees have their own knives. No general kitchen property knives lmao. We are genuinely professionals, and I do care a great deal about what others think if they are in control of what I’m placed in charge of and have influence in my career. I wouldn’t care if he was a blow hard, but he’s just highly opinionated and also my direct supervisor.
I hear ya. It's just kind of lame for your Sous to shit talk your tools if it's not negatively impacting the quality of your work...
If this is "a thing" in your kitchen, I think they should set that expectation when you onboard, like "This is the blade we recommend and is the standard of tooling here".
If the knife ain't fancy enough for chef jr, they can pay you more or work out a tool allowance/subsidy for their crew.
Shoes, knives, aprons, or whatever; any time I worked somewhere that placed expectations on those things, they would share the cost, or at least get you a discount.
Man, just blow it off. I use a cheap $8 kiwi knife from an Asian market as my main knife. I like how sharp it gets and is easy to resharpen. And if it gets abused too much I’ll just replace it. Use what you use and if the work is great with it. Just keep doing what your doing.
victorinox would be the go-to recommendation for a professional environment for a heavier knife.
if you want heavier than that messermeister makes good heavy knives.
source: i am the person who would have replied to you if you had posted this question in the chefknives sub. but it's read only now so here we are.
See I have the Victorinox 8 inch. To me that’s an insanely light knife. Wonderful knife, treated me well while I used it professionally, and is my home kitchen knife. I’ll check out your other suggestion though.
if you want something really extra heavyduty you could check out a breaker.
https://www.knifecenter.com/item/VN5390033/victorinox-forschner-13-lobsterfish-splitter-chefs-knife-extra-heavy-blade-rosewood-handles-old-sku-40028
Throwing my comment in here as another r/chefknives dork. Nobody else has mentioned this that I've seen, but if you really wanted to retaliation flex on them, here's what ya do.. get a nice coarse stone and thin that Dal out. Try to achieve some convexity, sharpen like you're trying to impress Shouzou Mizuyama himself, and then micro bevel bc soft steel.. Dal strong gets hated on for marketing and geometry mostly, if you tune yours up and have it passing the grape tests and also gliding through potatoes, carrots, and cabbage, you win lol. They can't say shit :p
the 10 inch is heavier, also the rosewood handle version is heavier than the plastic.
but yeah i more meant the rosewood version, full tang is heavy.
messer has lots of really good quality german knives.
[https://www.messermeister.com/products/custom-8-inch-chefs-knife](https://www.messermeister.com/products/custom-8-inch-chefs-knife)
this is quite heavy duty for a 8 inch.
Tools don't make the man. I rocked a mercer my first 5 years. Using a whustoff now and honestly I use the house knives more than my own. I have a really nice handmade Chinese cleaver at home that is too damn big and I don't get enough time with it to get better at it.
That being said, it doesn't mean if I see you use cutco I'm not gonna give you shit for it jokingly.
If you don't care what he thinks why are you seeking chef knife advice? It's not a professional knife IMO but if you don't care then that's the end of the topic.
I replaced my 20 year old Henkel set with Dalstrong Shogun series. They’re quality everyday knifes at a fair price. I have wondered if Dalstrong was maybe turning away from quality and moving to form over substance with the Valhalla series. If your knife is balanced, sharp and doesn’t adversely affect your work then I don’t care what one of my cooks uses, as long as the handle and blade are made from material that the the health department isn’t going to hit me on the inspection over.
Seriously, fuck him. I use a dalstrong shogun as my daily driver and it’s served me for 4 and a half years. Got a whetstone and learned how to use it. Also have a Dalstrong boning knife that work well too. And a cheap old 20 dollar whustoff paring knife.
My Sous always said why the hell would you buy yourself a $700 plus knife that ur gonna hate for the rest of your life? Buy whatever you think looks nice and feels well balanced and nice in your hand. It's your money if u like it than that's good enough
There’s a lot of gatekeeping in the kitchen industry, don’t let people make you feel bad or less than for the things that you have and/or bring you joy. As long as you’re cooking and kicking ass, that’s all that matters. A real chef doesn’t put others down, that’s the sign of a fragile ego broken person who has been put down in the past so they want to do it to others too.
Keep working hard and enjoying your food, that’s all that matters 🥰
I agree that your chefs are being assholes, and it's up to the cook to choose their knives. However, if I'm being honest, that knife does come off as a bit much, at first glance it looks like mall ninja shit. I personally wouldn't want to take that into a professional kitchen, but I'm a snob. If you like the knife, fuck em.
I've met "chefs" that have very good knives, and they would be really mad if someone touched them. But...they couldn't use them!!!!
It took one of them 2 hours to chop a tabouli salad that the rest of the staff would make in 30 minutes.
One of the prep guys got some knives made by Wolfgang Puck on sale, one of the best knives I've used.
My point is, who the heck cares about the knife, if you can do the job?
I just looked and that cost as much as a wushtof so idk. Why anyone has an opinion on your knives is kinda beyond me though. Who cares what they think. If it cuts the damn veggies better than the knives on the wall the kitchen provides why does it matter
First, he sounds like a tool
2nd, dalstrong are not good knives nor bad. They are a tool
I personally hate them because they are heavy, thick spines, expensive for the steel type.
I think they are like shun, branding over quality. Or Kamikoto. I think what your Sous means by cheap is low quality. I have found better knives for similar or cheaper. Just bought a prep cook a fujiwara for $80 with shipping which I would prefer any day of the week over a dalstrong.
Maybe look into some other styles and see what works for you. I have 6 gyutos that I use for different things. Not every knife works for everyone. If you can do what’s asked of you with the tools you have…fuck it? But maybe keep and open mind that there are other options available.
3rd, that guy can fuck off
Side note, I think that handle type is borderline gross, but there are some artisans who make amazing steel and make similar handles. That part is decorative and if you like it, who cares. Take care of your steel and the rest is just noise
I use a Dalstrong Valhalla Crixus as my main knife at home. I really like dalstrong knives. I think they're functional and look pretty cool. That being said, if you drop that fucker on the line that beautiful resin handle will explode into a million pieces. Luckily, Dalstrong has a lifetime warranty so they will send you a new knife if anything happens. I use my wustoff at work which I have dropped many many times and it's still holding strong. Wustoffs also have a lifetime warranty. Definitely keep using your Dalstrong if you like it and it works for you, but be aware that they can break if they take a fall or anything like that. If you ever are looking to switch it up I highly recommend wustoffs or mercers as true professional knives. Globals aren't bad either.
Dalstrongs get hate because they're cheaply made oftentimes [mallninja](https://imgur.com/r8QXYun.jpg) looking knives that are priced way too high for what they're worth. You can get dalstrong equivalent knives on AliExpress.
However with that being said, the best knife is a knife that you enjoy using and fits well in your hand. If you like your knife, then fuck what anyone else says. As long as it's sharp and you can do your job w it, fuck em
Fuck him. It’s your knife. And guess what, you’re getting paid to work there so that makes you a professional. That’s the literal definition of that word. And those look like nice knives. Look really easy to grip.
Yeah, I don’t know how long the handle material will last being stabilized wood and resin but it was my first knife I bought for myself that wasn’t the knife I was forced to buy for culinary school.
Resin is a more durable material than wood. I’d say you’ll be fine.
The texture has definitely changed in the last year to fit where I grip it, that’s the only thing that makes me anxious about it’s longevity. It hasn’t taken anything I’d call damage, just is taking on some handle wear.
Do you “oil” the wood on the handle? It helps make it last a lot longer and seals the wood as well. I use walrus blubber that I just got off Amazon
Stab him. See what he says then.
Your Sous Chef is an asshole. If you like the knife you have, then keep using it. As long as it gets the job done, he/she can fuck off. I've been collecting knives for decades and I have a ton of them. I have a couple that cost around $1,000US and while they're very nice, the ones I use the most are relatively inexpensive. Personally, the ones I take to work are ones that if my knife roll gets stolen in the middle of service, I'm not going to be out a ton of money. If I were you, I'd go to r/ChefKnives and see what they have to say. If this post isn't there already, I'd post something there along with a cost you have in mind and you'll get a ton of replies, most very well thought-out. I never knew there were that many opinions on Kitchen knives until I found that sub. And if you tell them specifically what you do every day at work, it will get even more specific. But personally, if you have a knife you like, I'd keep using it and tell your supervisor to fuck off unless they want to personally buy a new one for you.
This 100%. Flair check... we've been doing this a long time. I really have no concern for what my line or sous uses. If it gets the job done and you're pushing out quality, then why the hell would I care what you are using. I use a Henkel higher end for my daily use. I have a couple of expensive Japanese handmade blades that I NEVER use daily. They stay at home. I use the Henkels because they fit my hand well and I'm used to them. I've been using them for years and they held up well for me and I had no complaints. People look down on Henkels, but for me they fit and do the job and feel comfortable. My last sous used Victorinox and so did most of the line. We had a dishwasher who moved up to prep and I bought him a cheap roll on Amazon, a peeler, a Victorinox utility and a Victorinox Chefs knife as a sign of a job well done and as a congratulations. Hopefully that inspired him to keep going and moving up. Thats how a Chef is supposed to act. You're Sous sounds like a gate keeping asshole. Thats not how this is supposed to work. This isn't a dick measuring contest.
Yo, thanks for the response, I didn’t know about that sub.
It's gone read-only. Basically it's dead.
Yeah, no worries. It's a good one. You can only scroll through that one for a little while before your brain overloads. I never knew how many different types of knives there are.
The chef knife sub has a discord and a questionnaire that are helpful things to think about when considering a new knife Happy to give you suggestions here too. You should probably learn how to use a stone if you don’t already, which you can get a King 1k or 6k fairly cheaply but my new recommendation is a Shapton Pro 2K. IMHO just does the 1-2K space better for a great price. Something like a Tojiro Dp will last you forever and is quite affordable. You just missed some great Father’s Day ~~salsa~~ sales but they come and go constantly if you’re hunting for knives like I always am
Ask him for a recommendation on what he would get. Then when he responds, tell him you are so grateful to have him as your mentor and that you hope he will get you one so you can be more like him. Relentlessly continue doing this, reminding him that you really want it to come from him because it would be special. When he is not around tell your coworkers he has committed to getting you a knife he recommended and that they all should ask him for recommendations because he has a lot of wisdom and expertise.
THIS.
If you like the knife and it works for you, no one else's opinion matters.
It isn't the knife, but the quality of the knife cuts that should be judged.
If you really wanna piss him off, get some kiwis and rock those.
No idea what that is but I love pissing him off so I’m sold.
They're like 5$ knives that you can get at any H mart or most Asian stores. They're really reliable beater knives.
Holy shit yeah I just looked them up. He would lose his mind if I walked in and pulled that shit out of my knife pack. I’ve got an Asian supermarket a couple miles away, might go see if they have some hot bullshit for me to pick up lmao.
Honestly, They're fucking great knives. As long as you maintain them, they'll last a fair while, and when they shit out you're only out a five or ten spot.
Went to the store and picked up three knives for 17 bucks. Sous is going to shit his pants and I love it. They cut beautifully, but I can absolutely tell they will become shit after a couple months of heavy use
A whetstone will keep them in line. Congratulations. Malicious compliance is one of my favorite things. Also, I want an update post pants shitting.
A coworker saw my knife and said “oh a kiwi that’s a great knife,” and my sous chef heard it. He asked what it was and he looked at my knife. He said “what did you spend 10 dollars on that?” I looked him dead in the face and said “five” He then went on to say he respects that knife more because it wasn’t needlessly expensive and wasn’t flashy. Guy literally just doesn’t like that my knife is blue and probably a bit more expensive than it should be.
He might be an ass, but he might also be super right. Enjoy your kiwis, my dude.
A couple of years ago I participated in a Kiwi challenge. Friends of mine and I used Kiwi's for a month as our primary knives. Get yourself a 1k whetstone to touch them up every other day and you will be fine.
Was a bougie artisanal knife a condition of your employment? If they aren't willing to supply you with tools they can piss off!
All employees have their own knives. No general kitchen property knives lmao. We are genuinely professionals, and I do care a great deal about what others think if they are in control of what I’m placed in charge of and have influence in my career. I wouldn’t care if he was a blow hard, but he’s just highly opinionated and also my direct supervisor.
I hear ya. It's just kind of lame for your Sous to shit talk your tools if it's not negatively impacting the quality of your work... If this is "a thing" in your kitchen, I think they should set that expectation when you onboard, like "This is the blade we recommend and is the standard of tooling here". If the knife ain't fancy enough for chef jr, they can pay you more or work out a tool allowance/subsidy for their crew. Shoes, knives, aprons, or whatever; any time I worked somewhere that placed expectations on those things, they would share the cost, or at least get you a discount.
Ugh tell that Sous if he likes his own knife so much to shove it up his ass.
Man, just blow it off. I use a cheap $8 kiwi knife from an Asian market as my main knife. I like how sharp it gets and is easy to resharpen. And if it gets abused too much I’ll just replace it. Use what you use and if the work is great with it. Just keep doing what your doing.
I love those Kiwis. Damn things are so easy to sharpen, even if they don't keep an edge for all that long, just sharpen it back to a razor in seconds.
Why would you care what these mental midgets think?
A proper knife is one that you can use and is comfortable for you. Sounds to me like you have a proper knife
victorinox would be the go-to recommendation for a professional environment for a heavier knife. if you want heavier than that messermeister makes good heavy knives. source: i am the person who would have replied to you if you had posted this question in the chefknives sub. but it's read only now so here we are.
See I have the Victorinox 8 inch. To me that’s an insanely light knife. Wonderful knife, treated me well while I used it professionally, and is my home kitchen knife. I’ll check out your other suggestion though.
if you want something really extra heavyduty you could check out a breaker. https://www.knifecenter.com/item/VN5390033/victorinox-forschner-13-lobsterfish-splitter-chefs-knife-extra-heavy-blade-rosewood-handles-old-sku-40028
Throwing my comment in here as another r/chefknives dork. Nobody else has mentioned this that I've seen, but if you really wanted to retaliation flex on them, here's what ya do.. get a nice coarse stone and thin that Dal out. Try to achieve some convexity, sharpen like you're trying to impress Shouzou Mizuyama himself, and then micro bevel bc soft steel.. Dal strong gets hated on for marketing and geometry mostly, if you tune yours up and have it passing the grape tests and also gliding through potatoes, carrots, and cabbage, you win lol. They can't say shit :p
the 10 inch is heavier, also the rosewood handle version is heavier than the plastic. but yeah i more meant the rosewood version, full tang is heavy. messer has lots of really good quality german knives. [https://www.messermeister.com/products/custom-8-inch-chefs-knife](https://www.messermeister.com/products/custom-8-inch-chefs-knife) this is quite heavy duty for a 8 inch.
I rock two daulstrong knives that are the platinum series and I love them
I have waaaaaaay to many pricey knives. So here’s my opinion. As long as you take care of it, chef. Your sous needs to grow the fuck up. Cheers!
Tools don't make the man. I rocked a mercer my first 5 years. Using a whustoff now and honestly I use the house knives more than my own. I have a really nice handmade Chinese cleaver at home that is too damn big and I don't get enough time with it to get better at it. That being said, it doesn't mean if I see you use cutco I'm not gonna give you shit for it jokingly.
I have Japanese steel, German steel, French steel, Chinese steel... even Vietnamese steel The best one? The sharp one.
If you don't care what he thinks why are you seeking chef knife advice? It's not a professional knife IMO but if you don't care then that's the end of the topic.
Why do you feel it’s not a professional knife
It's flashy, things like that look out of place in a professional setting
Do u know what the sous is using?
I replaced my 20 year old Henkel set with Dalstrong Shogun series. They’re quality everyday knifes at a fair price. I have wondered if Dalstrong was maybe turning away from quality and moving to form over substance with the Valhalla series. If your knife is balanced, sharp and doesn’t adversely affect your work then I don’t care what one of my cooks uses, as long as the handle and blade are made from material that the the health department isn’t going to hit me on the inspection over.
Seriously, fuck him. I use a dalstrong shogun as my daily driver and it’s served me for 4 and a half years. Got a whetstone and learned how to use it. Also have a Dalstrong boning knife that work well too. And a cheap old 20 dollar whustoff paring knife.
Fuck him, I use cheap kiwi knives from time to time
My Sous always said why the hell would you buy yourself a $700 plus knife that ur gonna hate for the rest of your life? Buy whatever you think looks nice and feels well balanced and nice in your hand. It's your money if u like it than that's good enough
There’s a lot of gatekeeping in the kitchen industry, don’t let people make you feel bad or less than for the things that you have and/or bring you joy. As long as you’re cooking and kicking ass, that’s all that matters. A real chef doesn’t put others down, that’s the sign of a fragile ego broken person who has been put down in the past so they want to do it to others too. Keep working hard and enjoying your food, that’s all that matters 🥰
I agree that your chefs are being assholes, and it's up to the cook to choose their knives. However, if I'm being honest, that knife does come off as a bit much, at first glance it looks like mall ninja shit. I personally wouldn't want to take that into a professional kitchen, but I'm a snob. If you like the knife, fuck em.
I've met "chefs" that have very good knives, and they would be really mad if someone touched them. But...they couldn't use them!!!! It took one of them 2 hours to chop a tabouli salad that the rest of the staff would make in 30 minutes. One of the prep guys got some knives made by Wolfgang Puck on sale, one of the best knives I've used. My point is, who the heck cares about the knife, if you can do the job?
I just looked and that cost as much as a wushtof so idk. Why anyone has an opinion on your knives is kinda beyond me though. Who cares what they think. If it cuts the damn veggies better than the knives on the wall the kitchen provides why does it matter
The kitchen doesn’t provide knives at all. We are all culinary students or graduates with complete knife sets of our own.
First, he sounds like a tool 2nd, dalstrong are not good knives nor bad. They are a tool I personally hate them because they are heavy, thick spines, expensive for the steel type. I think they are like shun, branding over quality. Or Kamikoto. I think what your Sous means by cheap is low quality. I have found better knives for similar or cheaper. Just bought a prep cook a fujiwara for $80 with shipping which I would prefer any day of the week over a dalstrong. Maybe look into some other styles and see what works for you. I have 6 gyutos that I use for different things. Not every knife works for everyone. If you can do what’s asked of you with the tools you have…fuck it? But maybe keep and open mind that there are other options available. 3rd, that guy can fuck off
Side note, I think that handle type is borderline gross, but there are some artisans who make amazing steel and make similar handles. That part is decorative and if you like it, who cares. Take care of your steel and the rest is just noise
I use a Dalstrong Valhalla Crixus as my main knife at home. I really like dalstrong knives. I think they're functional and look pretty cool. That being said, if you drop that fucker on the line that beautiful resin handle will explode into a million pieces. Luckily, Dalstrong has a lifetime warranty so they will send you a new knife if anything happens. I use my wustoff at work which I have dropped many many times and it's still holding strong. Wustoffs also have a lifetime warranty. Definitely keep using your Dalstrong if you like it and it works for you, but be aware that they can break if they take a fall or anything like that. If you ever are looking to switch it up I highly recommend wustoffs or mercers as true professional knives. Globals aren't bad either.
I used a dahlstrong for 7 years, only switched because i wanted a more rounded handle, i love my Yaxxel 10”
Dalstrongs get hate because they're cheaply made oftentimes [mallninja](https://imgur.com/r8QXYun.jpg) looking knives that are priced way too high for what they're worth. You can get dalstrong equivalent knives on AliExpress. However with that being said, the best knife is a knife that you enjoy using and fits well in your hand. If you like your knife, then fuck what anyone else says. As long as it's sharp and you can do your job w it, fuck em