Are Expensive Knives ACTUALLY Worth It?

[@ShadowKestrel]

Great video! Definitely demystifies a market that's far too filled with nonsense nowadays. However, there are a couple of inaccuracies I noticed: 3:30 - this is almost certainly due to improper / incomplete sharpening, rather than soft steel alone. Even aluminium is typically able to hold an edge better than shown here. The channel 'OUTDOORS55' has several interesting videos on this topic, featuring microscope images and in-depth explanations 9:08 - carbon doesn't make the steel more reactive, if anything it makes it slightly less so. Rather, it's the chromium and often nickel in stainless steel that protects the reactive iron from corrosion, whereas carbon steel has no such protection (especially in humid climates, it's typically recommended to apply a thin layer of oil to carbon steel knives to form a barrier against evil rust-inducing moisture)

[@TriggTube]

Thank you so much for bringing the extra knowledge to this in a positive way. That's what is great about the internet.

[@prop4g4nd4p4nd4]

Re: cheap knives not taking an edge, I've personally run into the phenomena depicted by this video as well. I can put an edge on any of my 7+ kitchen knives and 10+ woodworking planes and chisels, but I was once super-frustrated by my ability to sharpen a $4 knife. I'd put a satisfactory edge on it, turn around for 20 minutes, and come back to a dull (couldn't cut paper) knife again! I'd love for a metallurgy expert to weigh in here as to the exact reason why. Re: your correction about carbon stands, but I'm gonna nitpick your point about nickel. While nickel itself is corrosion resistant, and I'm sure it would add corrosion resistance to steel if added in sufficient quantities, my favorite knife nerd doesn't list a single stainless steel knife alloy (out of 30+ selected) where nickel is present: knifesteelnerds.com/2021/10/19/knife-steels-rated-by-a-metallurgist-toughness-edge-retention-and-corrosion-resistance/

[@CRO-Palacinke-D.C]

​@@prop4g4nd4p4nd4i'm definitely far from an metallurgy expert, it's been long since i engaged with the topic, but i'll try my best; soft steel knifes first and foremost won't allow for your standard acute angle sharpening since the edge is way too soft for it and will roll when used normally. therefore you need to sharpen it in a more obtuse angle, which also leads to low sharpness and bad edge retention, but at least the edge doesn't just roll. now to the point of max sharpness (which i understand way worse). different steels ( with different heat treatment and so on) will allow for different max sharpness. this has to do with the steel composition and the grain size of the involved materials. e.g white 2 steel is known for it's crazy max sharpness, most of it's other properties lack behind (slightly) more sought after steel like aogami 2, aogami super, r2, etc. though. you should be able to get any knife quite sharp for one cut. i can get my kiwi knife really sharp for a really really short time, but it will never get as sharp as other steels, not even for a single cut. for a better explanation you can go to the channel "knife steel nerds"

[@jt92]

I gave my brother a miyabe gyuto as a graduation gift when he finished culinary school 8 years ago. My mom thought spending that kind of money on a knife was crazy. Recently I came over to visit and I saw that it still looks brand new, and the care he puts into sharpening it with a set of stones that he bought specifically to sharpen that knife. I hope it lasts him a lifetime.

[@hanshestern1563]

i have one to, beautiful knives

[@Asiansxsymbol]

All knives can last a lifetime if you keep sharpening them. Lol

[@ScottMason-ss8ww]

​@@Asiansxsymbolnot true, heavy use and lots of sharpening to a softer western style knife will undoubtedly wear it down.

[@tanjirokamado5819]

I would like to know which miyabi gyuto you gifted? Thank you

[@schmidth]

@@ScottMason-ss8ww and what about a softer eastern style knife? why do you specifically say soft western lmao, you know western steel is historically by far strongest?

[@danskhansen]

I splurged a few years ago and bought myself a traditional santoku from Japan. It was not as expensive as some of the others I saw, but was still pretty spendy. Was it worth it? Definitely. It's perfectly balanced, and fits my small hand like a dream. A good knife should feel like an extension of your hand, and this one does. Best knife I've ever owned :)

[@TriXC0re]

Got myself a decent Cai Dao a year ago and now it's literally the only knife I use in the kitchen. scooping your ingredients right after cutting is so satisfying

[@ivolol]

What I learned about knives is that eventually the most important thing that needs to be done, whether you got a $30 one or $300 one, is to be able to re-sharpen it well. Otherwise the whole thing was always a limited-time purchase.

[@BacaryLasagne]

I find the best way not to cry when cutting onions is to not form an emotional attachment.

[@wrenam]

The Onion Cell 😂 But seriously a pomegranate seed was such a cool way to demonstrate!! I liked that so much. Great video

[@TriggTube]

Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah. I hadn't seen it before, so figured I'd add my spin.

[@smoothboye4203]

It's called an aril

[@zpetar]

There is no damascus steel. As you said when put together layers of any two different types of steel would get that damascus pattern. It has nothing to do with quality of edge... Core of that $400 knife is made of SG2 powdered stainless steel and that is why that knife is so good. Also people should know knives with core made out same material are less expensive because there is no damascus pattern. Damascus pattern looks good and manufacturers use it to leach more money out from their customers. That Messermeister Kawashima knife you mentioned is made out of same steel but it costs significantly less. It same with cars. Fancy paintjob will not make them run better.

[@Andre-95]

This, I think pattern welding (what it's actually called) can make some cool patterns but all this does is make it harder to find accurate info on the actual Damascus steel and bury it's history with a marketing gimmick. It's also funny this video warn of potential scams while regurgitating a marketing lie.

[@Wildkirblet]

while i mostly agree with your points, i have a few disagreements first, not just any types of steel can make a damascus pattern. in order to get a damascus pattern, you need to have one type of steel with higher levels of chromium in order to resist the acid etch which makes the dark parts dark. these high chromium steels are generally also high in carbon, thus making damascus knives generally high carbon, and having a high quality edge. (also who would go through the effort of pattern welding to make a low carbon knife lol) the other reason why damascus knives are generally better than most cheap knives is because they are hand made. when someone professional makes a knife, they can tweak different aspects over the course of their career in order to create the highest quality knife possible. however, i will admit that a high carbon knife made by a master craftsman will cut just as well as a damascus one. damascus does look nice though, and its not "leeching money from customers" if they chose that knife because of its looks, as it will also be a very high quality knife. if someone were trying to get a high quality knife for cheap, they would probably be sorely disappointed, as there isn't really any mid-price knives being made. its either manufactured crap, or high quality damascus.

[@cytherians]

The beauty of a fancy Damascus-like pattern is a selling teaser that will draw in a customer to buy... and then, after a while... do owners really notice it, or continue to appreciate it? Not when it fails to perform as well as other knives that cost less. The real genuine Damascus steel, made in the traditional way, is super expensive and antiquated. There's no point in wasting money on it.

[@ThorDyrden]

Most middle-price damaskus-knives are mass-produced damaskus steel... usually softer laminated around a hard steel and used for the look. Which is totally ok, if you appreciate the look - there are decent (japanese) knives with VG10 in the middle for a good price, which will serve you well for many years. Just don't expect to get a set of these for 50$... then it is the cheap/fake damaskus.

[@Wildkirblet]

@@cytherians people are going to spend lots of money on a high quality knife, no matter what its made of. there are no high quality knives that sell for cheap (always in the hundreds or thousands of dollars) Damascus isn't a bad steel, and it performs just as well as all other high carbon steels. if someone wants to spend extra money on a knife that they think looks good, that's their decision and not "wasting money". its basically just buying functional art, but that art still functions extremely well compared to manufactured garbage. imagine buying a lamborghini. its much faster than a regular honda civic, and it may be as fast as a cheaper supercar, but people buy it for its name and for its looks, not for its driving abilites. that does not however make a lambo inherently bad at driving.

[@dragonlord2451]

edge geometry is absolutely more important than hardness.. as long as your hardness is over 54 hrc.. You can use a totally dull knife with great geometry and still cut through a tomato like butter, theres plenty of youtube videos about it and i encourage everyone to learn about how important geometry is between your apex and secondary bevels.

[@magicshon]

Exactly. Hardness is just one of many steel properties. There are steels that are brittle at 62 HRC and there are steels that are not brittle at 64HRC. The same steel can also be differently heat treated and have different properties at the same hardness. Many knives also lie about it. Basically hardness is only a very rough indicator of quality. Geometry decides the entire feel sharpness and behaviour of the knife even including things like comfort in use. Geometry is king. The theoretical best knife would be 1 atom thin and slice through anything without resistance.

[@CRO-Palacinke-D.C]

while i agree with both of you, i think you overstate the importance of edge geometry just a little - edge geometry and hardness go hand in hand. a soft steel knife (HRC 54 for example) won't allow for a really acute angle, because, assuming normal usage, the edge will roll. shaving blades get away with it because they are only used for shaving, but a kiwi knife won't hold a 12° angle for a single carrot. it's been a while since i last engaged with this topic - you can gladly correct me if i'm wrong

[@magicshon]

@@CRO-Palacinke-D.C Hardness is only one little bit of the material properties, the deeper you go the more complicated it gets. You can 3D print a knife with good geometry from plastic and it will cut cucumbers just fine but obviously if you pry or torq or cut hard materials it will be gone after a single use. If you use an obtuse geometry, it will last longer in the abuse but will not cut anything at all. What you describe with hardness is what would happen if we changed the type of plastic. It will make a noticeable difference but not as much as geometry. You have hard shattering plastics and soft rubber plastics and everything in between but it is still only plastic. Maybe its easier to imagine that way.

[@CRO-Palacinke-D.C]

@@magicshon again, i agree, but while what you are describing is rather theoretical, you have to consider practical application. edge geometry is the main factor for sharpness, fully agree, but a soft material will lose this sharpness almost instantly. in practical application you just wouldn't sharpen a really soft knife to a sharp angle, because it wouldn't hold the edge. i've sharpened knives from 54HRC to 65HRC (and steps inbetween) to quite sharp angles and every single knife was able to effortlessly cut paper, the 54HRC knife would be useless after a few tomatoes though.

[@magicshon]

​@@CRO-Palacinke-D.C I mean sure but it would be useless to cut tomatoes even at the very beginning with a 90° angle. Material is what allows you to go to those sharper angles but its those angles that actually cut. You can make a large plastic wedge maybe about 3 cm size so we dont care about crystals and the difference in materials will be meaningless but the difference in angles will still matter when cutting a cucumber. When you go to micro scales, you get micro fractures, bends, size of metal grain matters etc. and obviously those will affect the edge. But how can you know? Only by sharpening at a very sharp angle and then seeing if it can hold it. And with good care and properly executed cuts without prying and ideally into soft materials, you will most likely still get a good run out of those sharper angles before it even gets to a level where the larger angles would be at the very start. That said, if you start cutting something harder or at more force, those will stress the material to its limit, these angles will have to be wider much faster (wire cutter, axe etc) because those microfractures will instantly cause the steel to chip or it will instantly flatten or bend as its not able to support itself and hence supersteels were created. (to cut steel at higher temperatures for example) I have carried the crkt minimalist which is like 54-55 hrc for a very long time and hated how quickly it lost its sharpness (stopped cutting paper) for a long time, but kept it at original angles because it would not hold those angles (i thought). Eventually i decided to regrind it to some extreme 10°-15 angle (both sides together) and i was astounded that i could keep cutting paper with it nearly forever and it even kept a shaving sharpness for a little bit (which it previously couldnt do at all) It went against my expectations but it really makes sense if you consider the physics at macro scale before the micro scale. The disadvantage? One day it fell onto gravel, hit one pebble with the edge and i got a nice 2mm chip in there. But hey i know that the heat treatment sucked because even though it was really soft at 55 hrc it instantly broke its tip when i THREW it 1 meter into some wood right out of the box. (yeah i was a stupid kid) AS long as it didnt have any accidents or abuse, the angle really didnt matter at all and when it did, it had other more important issues. I had a similar result when trying this with a sharpened butter knife. So yeah the material should be capable of at least withstanding the forces a knife can take and at that point, youre good to go. No angle is gonna save you from a bad heat treatment.

[@KaraHD217]

3:10 as a chemist, I do actually wear my lab goggles to cut onions 😂😂😂

[@7792pnaurfr]

And they wonder why people bully us scientists

[@7784000]

Wait you don't cook inside a fumehood at home? Pretty risky

[@thechumpsbeendumped.7797]

@@7784000 Yep, I’m thinking of getting a fume hood for my wife’s cooking and a dog to eat what she makes.😉

[@phoearwenien4355]

Putting peeled off onion under water is enough. No need for goggles :) I've learned that from my grandma.

[@thechumpsbeendumped.7797]

@@phoearwenien4355 No need for goggles either.

[@6099x]

enjoyed learning about why I like one of my knives the most - this was very informational, thank you!

[@TriggTube]

Great! I'm glad it helped you grow closer to your fave knife. 👍👍

[@OrototMaign]

I know Trigg already gave the long-story-short of it under one of the comments, but I thought a sharpening video explaining whetstone versus rolling sharpener, which one fit your needs in terms of your skill level (plus stuff like the pull-through sharpener, what a honing rod is really used for, etc...) would be a great video. And yes I know there are tons of other videos like that already, but for some reason Trigg's video are easier for me to actually pay attention to 😅

[@TriggTube]

Thanks so much. I'll have to do some research, but I agree that the internet is missing the actual "Trigg breakdown" of those ideas. Most are too technical nitty gritty for the average home cook. So I'll do my research and see what I can put together. 👍👍

[@lilyg47474]

8:00 lmao at the $4 knife slander!

[@TriggTube]

Haha. That thing was a piece of sharp aluminum foil. 😂🗑️

[@veridico84]

First video I saw from you was the Ossobucco recipe, that my mother made the same way. Your content is great. Knife information isn't common knowledge, people dont understand. Definitely subbing. I love my damascus knives, but they cost a fortune, I use them daily.

[@TriggTube]

Right on. Knives are definitely meant to be used. Even the expensive ones.

[@Meg-n-Cheese12]

Do you think you’ll do a sharpening video next? Like the rolling ones vs the whetstones?

[@TriggTube]

I could, but the short video version is rolling sharpeners are great (if you don't get a knock off), whetstones require time, practice and skills (that I don't have), and getting a local person or business to sharpen your knives costs around $8-$10 per knife. So if you just need one knife sharpened 1x-2x a year, I'd do that. In my opinion, Whetstones are pretty excessive and you need to train and practice.

[@lilyg47474]

This is a good idea, I never know whether I'm sharpening my knives correctly.

[@TriggTube]

Haha. If you don't know... You probably aren't. I've probably tried a dozen times on whetstones and haven't ever passed the paper test. Now I just use a HORL or get them sharpened locally. Let the pros do their thing. 👍

[@belisariustirto]

⁠@@TriggTubeBrother I say this in encouragement as I just went through the same exact experience. And to put it bluntly (if it is something you wish to be able to do), you just gotta keep at it. I can’t tell you how many videos I watched on sharpening with a whetstone, how many reddit threads I read, but one day, it just clicked, and I was able to do the paper test (albeit not as cleanly as I’d hope so there’s still a lot of room for improvement). I tried on and off over the course of a few months (you could probably get it under 1 month if you try consistently, but I was frustrated so I just kept stopping and putting it off) but didn’t get any results and was left feeling frustrated each time as I always tried my best but got nowhere. If you do one day decide to pick it up again I hope my experience can help you. Happy to read you gave it a fair try at least as a dozen attempts is nothing to scoff at, but maybe on the 13th you’ll get it 😊

[@DerekKraan]

@@belisariustirto 100% this guy. Get someone who knows how to sharpen on a whetstone to show you. And don't start on a grit that's too high. If your knife is really dull (like most people's knives, hasn't been sharpened ... ever), start on 200 grit. If it is appreciably dull, 400. If it just needs a touch-up, 800 or 1000. Your first time doing it ever you should probably start on 400 or you'll spend ages removing enough metal to bring the edge back to an apex.

[@DerekKraan]

Super tiny nitpick, the "welding" that the guy is doing to make a stack of his alternating steel types for Damascus, is just to hold the metal together in a stack. After he does that, he will do what is called "forge welding", which is to say that he will heat up the stack in the forge to a particular temperature, and then hammer it so that the steels get welded together. This is what they mean by "welded". (And it's the same process to make traditional 2-ply or 3-ply Japanese knives by hand)

[@JanneBernards]

I'm looking to buy my first proper chef's knife and a paring knife, and this definitely helped me settle on some things.

[@TriggTube]

Right on! Glad it helped!

[@lysolcoke2HD]

Great video, simple and informative. Keep up the great work!

[@TriggTube]

Glad you liked it! Thanks!

[@rubo1964]

My favorite knife is cheap Chinese flat wide chefs knife I got in Chinatown.Learned to sharpen it well and after 20yrs still going strong.Do have more expensive Japanese knives but when chopping vegies I prefer the Chinese flat Chef's knife and yes it is soft steel and yes I do enjoy sharpening it by hand.

[@stuckupcurlyguy]

Dude me too. Fifteen bucks from a Chinese supermarket and it does everything. I love it.

[@juliafloridausa]

Great video Trigg! You've really nailed both the short-form and long-form video styles

[@TriggTube]

Thanks a ton! That means a lot. More to come!

[@__-fm5qv]

Honestly I think the most important factor is going to be comfort. You can always sharpen a dull knife, but you an uncomfortable knife will always be a misery to use. And personally I find that if a knife is more comfortable, I'm more willing to cook for myself, which I think is always a good thing.

[@1Shawol416]

3:21 the secret hack to stop crying while cutting onions is to do so next to an open flame. Works every time for me.

[@marcomoon6062]

The secret is to wear contacts

[@DreadPiratePapa]

Refrigerate them first

[@nickivens3645]

@@marcomoon6062 this

[@angusnelligan8175]

Wear a crbn filtered full face gas mask

[@athena5172]

Wow you’ve grown a lot!!! I’ve been here since 5k subscribers, congrats on 200k!!!!! I love your content

[@TriggTube]

Yeah! Thanks so much for the check in! I'm so glad you remember me back at 5k. 300k here we come.

[@torben777]

The secret hack to slicing onions is contact lenses. You are instantly immune.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

A) The two Zwilling knives may be made from the same steel, but in fact they're hardened differently, so the cheaper one is softer (54 HRC versus 57). B) Almost all knives in this video are stamped-metal knives, even the "forged" Zwilling. The blade shape is cut/stamped from sheets of metal, the blank just gets re-heated and mold-forged to create the bolster. All industrially-made quality Japanese knives are in fact stamped, including the Zwilling-Kramer. The quality is created by the steel itself, its heat-treatment and how it's ground. C) When you talk about and show how to take care of your non-stainless carbon-steel knife, use one and not a Miyabi knife that's made from stainless powder-metallurgic SG2 steel. D) 2:30 - the technique to cut an onion is only awkward with these silly horizontal cuts. That step is completely unnecessary as an onion is already pre-segmented by its layers. Just cutting it lengthwise and across is enough.

[@davidcarlsson1396]

It's also interesting how he discusses styles without mentioning the difference between a French and German chefs-knife

[@ca5ualm3dia]

the secret to cutting onions and not crying and i used to cut A LOT IS TO DO IT UNDER T HE VENT , or set up a simple extraction fan right next to you !

[@ashleya3236]

Great video, great conclusion! I'd love to see another on knife maintenance.

[@ShiroKage009]

Those Miyabi knives. The patterns and birchwood handles are gorgeous.

[@GingerDrums]

I went ham and spent 230€ on a Solingen steel Zwilling Chefs knife. I received a simple cheap Japanese style knife from a friend for free, it's better balanced, stays sharper and it gets 10x more use in the kitchen.

[@marke.1021]

Missed a few things not major but need to mention. 1) how often do you have the knife sharpened? If once a year on a $400 knife -vs- Monthly on a $10 knife- which is sharper-- the cheap one.2) what is the cutting surface nice cutting board or the kitchen counter as is just a few slices? If a harder surface then dulls faster than a cutting board that has some give. 3) are you chopping or slicing- slicing doesn't bend the blade like or nearly as bad as chopping. Other than those nice video. Take away is sharpen often and don't go cheap on that aspect.

[@IDuBStepSZ]

One thing to mention is that stainless steel doesn't need to be hardened as much as carbon steel, as you have chromium (and vanadium) carbides which are much harder than what you have in carbon steel. Also depending on the stainless alloy, it is possible to harden the steel close, or to the same level as carbon steels.

[@peterhonungsmane4145]

They can produce really hard stainless knives nowadays. But they are crazy expensive if you want one made of HAP40 and even the ones made with SG2 steel like that birch one is pricy but beautiful. VG10 knives holds the edge fine and are easy to find at good prices.

[@IDuBStepSZ]

@@peterhonungsmane4145 vg10 is usually hardened to around 60hrc, which is pretty damn close to most carbon steel knives that you can buy and It will have better edge retention than most of those steels. Even 12c27 and 14c28n are able to be hardened to 61-62ish hrc.

[@scialomy]

There is a secret hack to cut onions without crying: cut more onions. With time, onion's nasty chemicals become a mere nuisance; after some years in the kitchen (at home, not professionally), I don't even care anymore.

[@liahfox5840]

Between the infomercials, and the floss I was balling laughing. I subbed, ty😆

[@TriggTube]

Haha. I'm so glad!

[@emmepi4945]

Fun fact: years ago i asked a friend who works as a mechanic how to choose the best quality toolset. He said something on the line of “never choose the most expensive, get the second instead”. Just few months ago i asked the same question to a friend chef, he gave me the exact same answer: the second most expensive. Sure enough, the results showed in the video are in line with both my friends advices. I wonder if there’s a pattern or just a coincidence.

[@Xarx42]

I am not into tools, but from a knife perspective that's hard to translate. What's the most expensive? Completely handcrafted knives from small manufacturers can cost 1000€ and more eg. If you like to have a certain steel (like SG2) you won't find that under a certain price.

[@emmepi4945]

@ yeah i didn’t specify. We were talking big manufacturing, very functional design knives. His reasoning was: the most expensive is usually because of the “big brand name” added value and advertisement, so according to both my friends it was something like “the most expensive brand is not worth the money”. Of course if we talk handcrafted everything changed, but i’m just a regular guy who likes cooking (and working on my bike). I appreciate a good handcrafted knife but i wouldn’t even think of getting one. And not even the “second expensive” knife brand tbh… i’m good with the knife set i have.

[@robertwurtele3528]

As a German Knife Maker i have to say this Video is Really good. It Shows the Most important things You have to know as a Customer. I found my own Style and make a Mix between the european Chef Knive and a Japanese gyuto. But i Prefer Carbon Steel With 63 HRC. Just handle With care and you have a Long time fun With that 😅

[@ErrastSerart]

This is just the video I was waiting for! Thanks!

[@TriggTube]

Bam! I hope you liked it. I wanted to make something helpful, but not too nerdy or prescriptive. Get the knife that works for you. 👍👍

[@ErrastSerart]

@@TriggTube I followed your advice from the short form and got "his" and "hers" Zwilling Pros, the standard pro for myself and the white version for her. Thanks again, really appreciate all of your work on these videos.

[@TriggTube]

Yeah. Thanks! That Zwilling pro 7" white deal is INSANE. I'm recommending it left and right while it's still a thing. You'll love them!

[@Grabehn42]

OMG the miracle blade set, to this day I still look at it and think "I could totally get it" but I completely know I need nothing from it.

[@TriggTube]

Haha. Yeah. It's such a classic!

[@iluminameluna]

I found the chopper w/ little ball in a thrift once & bought it. I was almost homeless & couldn't afford better, $.25 was an unbeatable price! It served me well for almost 5 yrs, & made mincemeat out of EVERYTHING I put under it. Veg, meat, fruit, & some branches to boot! You just didn't see the potential!! 😂

[@Grabehn42]

@@iluminameluna The one with the ball and the serrated ones were the coolest and I still think the same when I look at them, it's not the potential, is that I have better knives and I lost my job earlier this year. If I had a list it would probably be Car first, then miracle blade set.😂

[@PickleJam300_Jbq]

I’m glad it’s not “Which knife is best” and it’s “which knife is best for you”

[@fervsq9232]

My FAVORITE youtuber is back🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@TriggTube]

Thanks! 😁👍

[@yosemitebandit]

Really awesome video and I was just thinking of getting a new chef's knife. The Miyabi knives look amazing. Also fascinating to hear you were in the Peace Corps, I was going to ask what it was like but I see you have a video on that too!

[@TriggTube]

Yeah. I'll talk about it more when I make Chinese food. Those Milano knives are LEGIT. You can totally feel how well made they are. Hopefully my explanation of Santoku vs. gyuto helps you choose the best one. They also have "rounded santoku", but that's kind of rarer.

[@sourdough7818]

Great video pacing, info and quality. Subscribed

[@TriggTube]

Awesome, thank you!

[@alejrandom6592]

As someone interested in teaching, I admire the way you teach

[@TriggTube]

Thank you! I just teach how I learn. 👍👍

[@quicksesh]

Very informative video and your conclusion was spot on, you have to choose the knife that best serves your cooking style/requirements. All too often KZbin videos about knives dictate what is “right” but yours was balanced and entertaining.

[@TriggTube]

Thanks! That's what I was trying to do differently. Not everyone needs a Japanese wood handle knife.

[@chaff5]

I got a Miyabi birch wood 8 inch chef's knife and I absolutely love it. I want to get more of the set for other kinds of cutting.

[@TriggTube]

Yeah. That's the one I have. It's AMAZING!!!

[@Nakkiteline]

great video!! now i feel way more confident finding a great chefs knife when i get around to shop for one. i have cheap japanese knife now and i love the thinness and the lightness. i definitely will seek out good quality gyoko knife for myself. i'm trying to enter a culinary school in near future, you're one of my inspirations on my journey from drug addict to a chef. just starting out to kick the drugs, but feels good to have a direction and a purpose! thanks for the educational and inspirational videos!!! cheers from Finland! 🇫🇮

[@TriggTube]

Wow. That means a lot. I'm glad you're replacing something negative with something positive. Cooking has changed the way I live, make friends, travel, and save money. It really can help fill up a lot of different areas of your life that can be empty for many people. Best of luck with school!

[@Ponecci]

Once I've learned that drinking while chopping onios is the secrect to stop the crying.

[@MariusRosu-e4b]

Great informative video. You taught us a lot. I been working with Chef knife since I was fourteen at my family's restaurant. Child labor laws don't apply to minor when your family owns it.

[@TriggTube]

Nice. Well I'm glad that you still found it helpful.

[@felipeaugustor]

Great video! One can really tell the hard work you put into what you do

[@TriggTube]

Thanks! I hope it helps som people understand the MOUNTAIN of details out there about knives.

[@jamestrebilcock8310]

6:04 not true the production process will directly affect the hardness. Especially if it has been specifically heat treated. But even if a forged verse cut knife are heat treated identically a forged knife will be harder than a lazer cut knife.

[@nunezale]

Probably the best detailed knife video out there!

[@TriggTube]

Thanks! Just the details that count. Nothing more nothing less. 👍👍

[@alexsavatin5738]

The secret to not cry when cutting onions is to not get emotionally attached. Remember, an onion is just an onion.😂

[@dancewithceech]

brilliantly done. your explanation are so crystal clear.

[@RONINSIXSTRING]

Great content, answered every question I had about the topic and I didn't even have to ask!

[@FinlayDaG33k]

The secret to not crying while cutting an onion, is to simply not have any feelings for the onion. When you don't feel an emotional connection to the onion, there is less chance you'll get sad from having to cut it, thus less chance of crying.

[@dervakommtvonhinten517]

how much HRC is the threshhold for a good knife?

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

56 HRC for all-purpose knives you also want to cut frozen food or bone-in meat with. 60 HRC for high-performance knives you only cut vegeatables, fish and meat with. Hope that helps.

[@christopherberry8519]

After sharpening my own knives for 10 years - how well you sharpen the blade, get rid of the scratch pattern and remove the burr tends to matter more than material to edge retention. After over 30 years, my favourite knife is still an Ikea knife I bought as a student - it's soft but with a little skill, I can get it razor sharp and hold it's edge really well. I guess every rolled burr a sh1te knife makes.

[@andreasanders7322]

Regarding the pinch grip: many sword fighting techniques also instruct you to keep your index finger on the blade, for the exact same reason you do this with a kitchen knife - it gives you more control over the edge (alignment). Many swords have false edges at the base of the blade or gaps in their hand guard to facilitate this. The only reason this is not always done with swords is that it exposes your finger to your opponents weapon

[@ketan620]

Thank you. I highly appreciate you for covering most information in this one video

[@TriggTube]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mrscary3105]

My secret to not crying is I don't get emotionally attached to produce.

[@iluminameluna]

I found the chopper w/ little ball in a thrift once & bought it. I was almost homeless & couldn't afford better, $.25 was an unbeatable price! It served me well for almost 5 yrs, & made mincemeat out of EVERYTHING I put under it. Veg, meat, fruit, & some branches to boot! You just didn't see the potential!! 😂

[@LilosTheDecimator]

This was a really great video. Thank you :D

[@rasibadi]

I have the Zwilling/Kramer Carbon. Incredible knife.

[@xBlazh]

lol there is a way not to cry when chopping onions, you need to put some water on the board and on the knife, that way the "juice" from onion will bind with water on the board/knife and wont go into your eyes, just make sure you keep adding water as you cut

[@FGGiskard]

2:53 FYI that horizontal cut for onions is quite dangerous and completely useless, due to the onion having layers naturaly. Avoid

[@TaylorIserman]

It’s not *completely* useless. The result is a little different. But on the whole, I agree. And I get annoyed when food influencers try to get home cooks to do it the hard way with little to no benefit.

[@Bourgit]

Best thing to do is test it. It takes 2s. Last time I wanted to cook mirepoix so I wondered because there are chefs like Gordon that advocates for it and than Dumas is against it for example saying it doesn't change anything. It does change the cuts as with not horizontal slicing you will get some big chunks here and there. However, one in the middle is enough, no need to do 2 or 3. And indeed that 1/3rd cut can be dangerous for very little added benefit.

[@FGGiskard]

@ the only h cut that makes a difference is the one near the botom. The rest meh. IMO for 90% of people the result will be the same and not worth the risk

[@sliceofcheese3890]

Not only are there KZbin videos on alloys. There are bachelor degrees, masters, and phds you can get in the subject.

[@aronke]

I wear contact lenses and I never cry during cutting onions. This is the ultimate secret

[@leewatson8129]

Damascus steel is actually a pattern weld steel. Nobody knows how the original legendary Damascus steel was actually made. A large amount of patterned steel is actually several layers rolled together, not truly forged. The forging shape can be replicated easily with grinding or other machining operations, so is actually irrelevant to knife making

[@barbarianvee]

Really? I thought we'd known for a while it was wood or charcoal that was used to enrich the metal and that made it different. Is that disputed? Or do you mean we don't know the exact technique beyond the introduction of wood or charcoal?

[@leewatson8129]

@@barbarianvee adding charcoal (carbon) is normal in all steel production. (see Robert Mushet). The method they used to get the unique structure is unknown.

[@kvernesdotten]

8:19 - Thats not exactly how that works, but functionally its close enough. All steels have carbon in them, including stainless ones. Adding carbon to iron is what makes it a steel to begin with. You did mention this, it just sounded like adding carbon was something one does only to make a high carbon steel. Likewise, alot of non stainless steels have chromium in them, but they dont start to take on stainless properties until theres a certain amount of it. Also, a stainless knife is not automatically cheaper nor softer than a carbon steel one. I have a stainless magnacut knife at 64 hrc for instance, which is much harder than most of my japanese carbon steel knives. Damascus steel is not one thing, its basically just layering any kind of 2 steels and the process mentioned here is one of several ways to make it. Personally I refuse to buy anything called damascus unless both steels and the process used are specified. The term damascus is completely useless on its own, it could be anything. To be fair, the material science and metallurgy in all this is very complex and one could easily do a PhD in the subject, so it is far outside the scope of the video and would probably only serve to confuse more. I think not going too much in depth on this is a good thing here. I do like the video though, the only thing I think is missing would be a section on cutting boards, because 90% of what dulls a kitchen knife is generally going to be the surface you cut on and not the food you cut through.

[@TriggTube]

Thanks for the comment. I'm glad we see eye to eye on the mission of the video. As for cutting boards, I just made a few shorts about them, but it may be time to make a big long video too. 👍👍

[@wadealton9833]

No cry hack when cutting onions is cut them near your stove with exhaust fan on. No tears guaranteed

[@megslive7435]

great video just want to say i cook all the time and I haven't cried chopping onions in ages as long as you don't chop of the root until the end (note you can chop it in half but not off) you wont cry

[@johnroberts9922]

When you delve into the topic, high carbon forged stainless steel knives are

[@fernandofromsuper3223]

Truly great and easy to follow video. Thank you!

[@zhammmy]

The Victorinox 10-inch chef's knife is the king in a commercial kitchen. Anything more than US$100 is just vanity for show-off.

[@Melpheos1er]

We have 2 Zwilling. Very durable and not expensive. They still cut nicely after 20 years (of course still requires slight sharpening from time to time)

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... of course (the 2 Zwilling knives) still require* sharpening.

[@EGO0808]

Incredibly well explained, excellent content once again.

[@TriggTube]

Thanks!

[@vasd3415]

3:21 the secret hack is to put ur onions into freeze for about 30 mins or so thats it

[@MrTheBigNoze]

This guy just drops banger after banger

[@TriggTube]

😂😁👍 thanks

[@Suedetussy]

Pinch grip. Learned something new about my Zwilling knife. Thanks! 😊

[@TriggTube]

You're welcome!

[@swingbelly]

This is an excellent, enjoyable and straight forward video. Thank you very much! 🇨🇦

[@jacobdisioux]

Great video! We have a caidao (Chinese style) and a western style in our kitchen. Besides that, I think a fish fillet knife can be really handy sometimes.

[@greggdilligaffshelly]

Most informative video I've seen in ages.thanks

[@TriggTube]

You're welcome

[@hndianarogers6023]

Very helpful, thank you for sharing your expertise and research!

[@Benchmadebugout]

At about 9:00 the info is pretty good but it is overly generalized, the carbon vs stainless is partly accurate. Some of the hardest steels ie:clad Ginsan, sg2, vg10 are a few examples of the harder steels which happen to be stainless

[@gabrielalves2198]

Thank you for the informations! Love your videos. I have a 4 dolar knife, kind of a cleaver, very good to pick up diced vegetables, but as you said, after cutting 1 onion becomes dull.... I like the versatility of a German chefs knife, it probably will be my first good knife, i'll try to see in person before buying, follow your advise and test the grip in my hands.👏🏻❤️🇧🇷

[@TriggTube]

Sure thing. I'm so glad you're leveling up. Just make sure the knife lists the hardness (HRC) and doesn't hide it. Buying in person is a pretty nice luxury, but you'll for sure have a knife you like. 👍👍

[@arthropod-doctor]

Short answer? Yes, but cheap-ish knives + whetstones or a roller are also worth it. I've been using a Henckels Classic 8-inch (the one that's made in Spain) for the last six years, and it's still in excellent condition. I got it for $40 on sale, and it's currently listed for $57 on Amazon. It has a very premium feel, but it's significantly cheaper than knives from its sister company, Zwilling. The Babish knife is also extremely good for $29 ($20 during sales). Bought one for my sister last year, and she says it's still as good as the day she got it.

[@mayiask654]

Actually one of my favorite knifes is a cheapo KIWI-Brand I got over 15 years ago in Thailand

[@phoearwenien4355]

Actually there's an easy way to cut onions without crying. Just put the peeled off and cut in half onion under water for a few seconds. Water creates a layer of protection between sulfur and you :D

[@CleanFun]

Aiming a fan at the zone between the cutting-board and the face seemed to help with the onion thing.

[@hundexo]

I an thinking about buying one of these, great video and very informative!

[@jrusstrevenant1092]

You look like Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans fused together.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

To me he's the spitting image of political commentator and writer John Fuglsang.

[@eeneeferrano1995]

I love seeing those photos of your early chef days! ha ha. Miracle Blades..

[@NextGen9000-v5o]

This is why you buy a knife sharpener. for 5-10 bucks. My main knife is from German steel, and it lasts a good couple of weeks before I have to sharpen it. I paid 20 bucks for it. It even has "inlets" so the chopped stuff wont stick to the blade, but that does not work on any any knife.

[@anna8282]

And then there's me, using my small serrated Victorinox Classic tomato and table knife for absolutely everything. 🤣 Sharp af and so practical, no need for anything else! I've had so many fancy knives, both self bought and gifted, but they've all ended up unused in the kitchen drawer. Now I only have my Victorinox left since I never use anything else anyway. 😁

[@CassandraAlicante]

"You don't need a bread knife" *confused German noises*

[@barryhaley7430]

I purchased a couple of fairly expensive knives when I visited Japan. They are carbon sandwiched between stainless. They are fare superior to any of my European and American knives. They are far sharper, retain the sharpness way longer. They do require a little more care.

[@navi-charlotte]

i bought a giant chinese steel cleaver, best knife in the world. most cost-effective 50 bucks I have spent in my life

[@bontmeister6724]

Fantastic way of presenting a ton of useful information

[@vinishshetty8055]

when you cut onions wash the onion first and peel it, split the onion in half and leave it in a well ventilated room for 10-15 min and then start chopping the onion in the well ventilated room with a draft of air, No more crying.....😁😁

[@benoitpellerin2678]

The ease of sharpening is also something to consider when buying a knife. I have sharpened thousands of knives over the last decade and cheap stainless steel knives do not feel good to sharpen. they glide on the whetstone with a waxy feel and take longer to sharpen. On the other hand, carbon steel feels more gritty, quicker to sharpen and easier to get a good edge. That being said, good quality stainless steel knives do exist. Also knifemaking in a nutshell is a tradeoff game. Heat treating alone can make the same alloy hard and brittle like glass or tough and soft like clay. Blade geometry adds a layer of complexity. Let's say that your priority is the sliciest blade. It means that you will sacrifice on toughness because you want a thin geometry and with a thin knife, you need a hard steel that will not feel sprigny and the edge less prone to roll or bend.

[@chalabread]

I love cleavers, i prefer a slice chop method over rocking method of cutting (I can do both but rocking is slower and more inaccurate and results in triangle like pieces, also slides the knife dulling it out) however when using a chef knife you always get a little piece still attached so you have to go back and rip it off. And it’s the same height all around so when doing claw method near the end of the blade I have more than 2cm to work with