The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Treated myself to a real bread knife!

Skibum's picture
Skibum

Treated myself to a real bread knife!

I'm really not sure how, but sometime over the winter my venerable Henckels bread knife went missing. I bought this cheap orange knife, hoping the other would turn up, but no luck. 

Freshloafers, please do yourselves a favour and NEVER buy a knife like the cheap orange one. When I began baking Forkish style boules in the cast DO the knife would barely cut through the crust.

So I treated myself to a Global, a light, well balanced stainless steel beauty, Made in Japan. This is a beautiful kitchen tool and slices through the hardest crust with ease! Initially, I thought it too pricey, then remembered I paid $60 for my everyday chef's knife 38 years ago. Perspective. Worth every penny!!!

http://www.thebay.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/thebay/bread-knife

 

Happy baking, Ski

Comments

Floydm's picture
Floydm

Ooo... that is a beauty.  

embth's picture
embth

Your new knife looks to be a well made, balanced kitchen tool.  It will be worth your investment.  As for the colorful one, I have another objection to those things.  The bright colors make them look like toys.  I have a small blue ceramic knife that I must remind my grandchildren is indeed a sharp knife.   So if you have small children in your home, I think staying with kitchen tools that look like serious tools is a good idea.  

foodslut's picture
foodslut

.... when you consider $60 in 1977 would be like $230 today.

Thanks for sharing!

Tony

P.S. - Do you know "Mike from Canmore"?  ;)

Skibum's picture
Skibum

It is a beauty all right Floyd! To describe the blade as sharp and that it slices well would be to understate this fine kitchen instrument. It is by far the sharpest out of the box knife I have ever owned. Now as a fine woodworker, I long ago acquired Japenese water stones for sharpening at 1000 and 5000x. My kitchen knives are sharp, but the steel used and the polishing process is really fine.

It slices through hard crusts like nothing, where the cheap knife struggled. Easy job cutting the top off of a turnip today. I am so impressed, I today ordered the matching 100 anniversary chef's knife:

http://www.thebay.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/thebay/home/Knives/30th-anniversary-cooks-knife

Hey my intermediate knife is an old plastic cheapy, that doesn't hold an edge long. This should solve that!

Happy baking, Ski

PS sorry foods, I don't know Mike :-)

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

on my French bread knife fell apart a couple of years ago so I bought a Henckle's lightly used one at Goodwill which was shear dumb luck, but it barely does the job on a boldly baked loaf.   It isn't anywhere near as nice as your new slicer!  Love the non wooden handle too.  i picked up my chef knife (and a sushi knife)  in Japan 43 years ago at the PX in Sasebo - It has a carbon steel blade that really takes an edge - Both knives are the best knifes I've ever owned by far but they both have wooden handles that are showing their age and use :-(.

Well done Ski

WendySusan's picture
WendySusan

I love good knives.  My husband had a problem when he found out how much I spent on two knives a few years back but they were worth it! 

We have a set of Cutco knives bought 30+ years ago which has a bread knife that works extremely well.  Remember those knives?  Sold by college kids door to door?  Some people may scoff at them but they really are excellent quality and they stand behind their products.  

I melted the handle of the meat fork in advertently when it slipped under a pot on the stove (black top) and went up in flames.  They replaced it free of charge.

For my bread I actually prefer Krups slicer.  Since I started baking bread regularly it now lives on the counter and I have to deal with constant crumbs but its worth it.

Wendy

Skibum's picture
Skibum

I was SO impressed with the bread knife that I sprung for their 100th anniversary chef's knife. With a 5" blade it is easily the sharpest knife I have ever used. Light and beautifully balanced. My kitchen renos are now complete!

Happy baking folks, Ski