What kind of knife should I get next?

[Lost in China]

Here's a photo of my knife collection. What sort of knife should I get next? There's the cleaver, which is a piece of junk. If you zoom in you can see the pitting along the blade. The two in the middle I got for Christmas, "Kiwi Brand, Made in Thailand". I have no idea about these. I just know they were sharp because they were new. And last but not least, the OXO chef's knife I got from a recommendation from this site.



I mention this because this weekend I'm heading to Jinmen Island, sometimes known as Kinmen or Quemoy. This is an island just off the coast of mainland China, visible from Xiamen. During the Chinese Civil War, the Communists tried to invade the island and were defeated. Had they taken it, they likely would have continued across the Taiwan strait. Afterwards, the island was within artillery range of the mainland, so they bombarded it for decades. So much metal came from these shells that the islanders used it as a resource. They made "Kinmen knives" famous for their quality. I figured I might as well pick one up while I'm there, but I'm not sure what kind would go best with my existing knives. Thanks for the advice!

[customtrim]

A boning knife

[Baltassar]

Yes; also a paring knife.

[Medusa]

Agree on the boning knife. Absolutely a must! I think 5 inch is standard.

[Thunder77]

+1 on the boning knife. Also, maybe a long slicing knife?

[ljk925]

I agree with customtrim, go for a boning knife. I use mine to trim all my meats before cooking. The one I got on Amazon was less than $20 and it is razor sharp and does an amazing job. I highly recommend the "Dexter-Russell (S131F-6PCP) - 6" Boning Knife - Sani-Safe Series".

Also, I have the same Kiwi knife and love it.

[ssandy_561]

Boning knife. I use mine all the time.

[Lost in China]

OK, I'll see what they got! Thanks for the recommendations!

Anyone know what's the deal with that blunt-headed knife? What's it supposed to be? Like I said, I just got it as a gift, honestly I was OK with just my cleaver and my OXO.

[ljk925]

Kiwi knives are actually sushi knives. I used mine for trimming fat before I got a boning knife. Now I use it mostly with veggies or if I want to slice some meat extremely thin.

[MBMorgan]

Anyone know what's the deal with that blunt-headed knife? What's it supposed to be?

Looks like a Japanese-style vegetable knife (Nakiri).

[ssandy_561]

I have a vegetable knife that looks like that. I use it all the time also.

[customtrim]

+1

[Lost in China]

Oh, it's specifically for vegetables. That's why it's so thin. Good to know, thanks!

[W.A.]

A 10 inch Bowie

[Craigar]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9_GlqRRs0s

[MBMorgan]

To address your original question, I'd either replace that cleaver with a good (forged) one or get a boning knife.

[Lost in China]

For years and years, I only had a cleaver. It was part of my "going local" thing when I got to China, and I really never felt the need for anything else. Flummoxed other people when they came over, though. Apparently none of them knew how to use a cleaver, or had a mental block against using it for something like cutting fruit. Chinese cooks use the cleaver for everything.

After joining this site though, my cooking really went to the next level and I saw the need for a standard chef's knife. The OXO fit the bill and the price was right. The clincher was me seeing a review that mentioned a cooking school gave them away as gifts to their graduating class. Good enough for me! Once I got it back, my girlfriend (now wife) started preferring to use it instead of the cleaver, which I think was a ringing endorsement. I already had a cleaver, and she bought another one (facepalm) which is this crappy pitted one. Now that I think about it I'm going to swap it out with my old cleaver, which is somewhere in the kitchen.

[Attjack]

So you guys use a boning knife for more than deboning?

[EdF]

Really good for trimming off fat and silverskin. Or fileting fish.

[Medusa]

Agree completely with EdF. Also use it for trimming ribs in green / red peppers.

[MBMorgan]

So you guys use a boning knife for more than deboning?

In addition to deboning, I tend to use mine for breaking things like poultry and ribs apart ... basically any time I need to follow bone contours.

[texastweeter]

pairing knife, boning/fillet knife, and then a serrated bread knife.

[Sephon]

So you guys use a boning knife for more than deboning?

I use a boning knife for breaking down large primals. I do all of my butchering with a saw and a flexible boning knife. It is the first knife I reach for.

[Sephon]

This one.

https://www.waltonsinc.com/6in-granton-curved-giesser-boning-knife