What is the difference between German, French and Japanese chef's knives and what should I be looking for?

If you look at chef's knives specifically then all 3 are pretty similar, French, German and Japanese Gyutos(Chef's knife in Japanese).

The difference is the blade geometry. German style has significant "belly", i.e. blade starts curving upwards somewhere mid section. French style has less pronounced belly and Japanese version, Gyuto is somewhere in between.

I personally prefer French style Gyutos.

More generally there's 2 schools of kitchen knife making, western and Japanese.

Short summary of differences is that western knives tend to be made of softer steel, heavier and with thicker edges, to withstand all the abuse from the average western user.

Japanese knives are far better cutters, thinner edges, harder steel, much lighter too.

Typical hardness for Western kitchen knives 54-56HRC, Japanese 58-62HRC and high end blades are up to 67HRC,

Average edge sharpening angle on western knives 40-50 deg. Japanese - 30 or less. I have a few sharpened at 6-8 angle, that's quite a bit thinner than the straight razor.

Sate size/style western knives are 1.5 - 2 times heavier than Japanese counterparts.

More details on west vs. Japanese kitchen - http://zknives.com/knives/kitchen/misc/articles/kk...

And kitchen knife steel FAQ here - http://zknives.com/knives/kitchen/misc/articles/kk...

Simply put, if you plan to use your chef's knife to cut veggies and chop bones then go western.

If you want to take minimal care of your knives then go with Japanese blades. They stay sharp longer, cut far better and are lighter.

Whichever way you go , ignore all the marketing BS how good kitchen knives must be forged and have full tang and bolster. NONE of that is required to make a good kitchen knife and some of it contradicts history of knifemaking for 2000 years and common sense :)

Tangs in particular. Chefs (blame culinary schools) and knife dealers keep repeating the same mantra about "full tang for strength", except nobody was making full tang knives until factories started stamping stainless knives, because it was easy to automate.

Japanese katanas and American bowie knives don't have full tang. Those are the blades designed to cut through the bone, armor, leather. Stick tang was plenty for those heavy duty blades, but today knife dealers want you to believe that you need full tang in the kitchen ;) And, obviously pay extra for that. yes, full tang has its place in heavy duty survival/combat knives, may be meat cleaver too, but not on the chef's knife or paring knife.

Also, heavy knife won't do cutting for you as marketers claim. Sharp edge is far more important. Main benefit you get from heavy knife is exhaustion and probably repeated stress injury.

For more on how to choose a kitchen knife including what to avoid and better brand and steel overviews check this article - http://zknives.com/knives/kitchen/misc/articles/kk...

For the budget you can't do better than Victorinox/Forschner chef's knife. Alternatively Tojiro DP line is the best bargain for the performance.

If you buy Chef's knife you don't need Santoku. And Santoku is less versatile than Chef's knife.

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RE:

What is the difference between German, French and Japanese chef's knives and what should I be looking for?

I am trying to buy an 8" chef's knife, but there is a huge variety of knives on the market. I think that I have narrowed it down to the Wusthof, Henckels, Sabatier, and Victorinox brands, but I still don't know which way to go. What are the differences between national styles and...

German Vs Japanese Knives

I recommend Henckel or Sabatier. I have both. I have a 6 inch chef and an 8 inch chef. I prefer working with the 6 inch but I know others that prefer the 8 (or even 10).

I don't yet own a Santoku knife but am planning on getting one. santoku is a Japanese chefs knife. I will buy the Henckel or Sabatier Santoku knife.

If cost is an issue, I also recommend Chicago Cutlery knives. I like them better than the Victorianox or Wusthof.

I am a former chef and own some of those you mentioned, I would say there 3 differences, the steel, the grip and weight of the knives, the tang and quality of the finish.

I feel your choice has to be based on the use of the knife, and how it feels in your hand, go to a good knife retailer, pick up those knives and see how they feel in your hand and if there balance for your use, price wise to they range, the German are usually the most costly, then the french and then japanese, but all are very good, I have over 40+ knives in my toolbox, from the usual to a 16" french knife, 14" cimatar butcher knife, a set of sushi and sashimi ones, a Italian mezzaluna and more.

Judge it for yourself, check them out first before making the purchase, if you need anymore tips or help let me know.

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