Brands to check out for a heavier chef's knife with a wide blade?

[sugarcanejane]

My stepfather has a great chef's knife that bought at Jewel (a grocery store) some years back. On a recent visit home, I used this knife and I was very impressed with it.

It was about 10" long and it had a thick blade. It was fairly heavy and was great for chopping things like potatoes. I have a Santoku knife and while it is very nice, I would like something with more weight.

Do any of you knife connoisseurs have suggestions for brands that I could look into for a similar knife? tia for any suggestions!

[David A. Goldfarb]

I was in Williams-Sonoma today and noticed a 14" Wuhstof Classic extra wide chef's knife. I thought it was just a display piece at first, and then looked more closely and realized it was actually a functional knife with a price tag of around $450. Perhaps this is the same as the one at Bridge mentioned above. I noticed they had a 12" version for about $400 on the price list, but they didn't have one in stock.

[loshmar]

Being a South Philly boy that grew up near the Italian Market my call would go to Fante's house brand. They high carbon German steel with a full tang and a lifetime warranty. A 10" Chef's knife will set you back $70. If you would like to see how to order it on-line just follow this link, http://fantes.com/fantes-pro.html

[mpalmer6c]

I'm sure nearly all the suggestions you get will bae about expensive knives from courmet stores. But most restaurant chefs use much less expensive knives from companies such as Forschner and Dexter Russell.

[chuckl]

i like forschners too and i have several that i use all the time, but i would never call them heavy, per the OP's original request. My heaviest knife is a 10 inch solinger, and while i do use it from time to time, but usually for heavy duty cutting

[swisscharred]

My absolute favorite knife continues to be my Henckels 6 inch wide chef's knife. Don't know if they make the 6 inch anymore (mine is 15 years old and in perfect condition), but I know they make a 5 inch wide. It's heavy but not too heavy. Amazing knife.

[ziggylu]

I love my 8" Messermeister Elite. I like the heavyweight and the wide blade...and just how it feels in my hand. Holds its edge better than any of my other German knives(will admit my one Shun does give it a run for its money though) Harder to find than the other German brands(though hardly impossible) but a little less expensive when you do.

[gargantua]

The heaviest knife in my block is made in Germany by F. Dick. A 12 inch chef weighs almost 1.5 pounds. I have had it for years and it is OK but it has a very thick bolster which adds weight but makes long life difficult. It is great for butterflying a whole chicken or breaking up stuff but a fine instrumetn it is not. Very expensive too.

[FlavoursGal]

I've got the Macs, the Globals, and the Wusthofs, and just this week I purchased an inexpensive Chinese carbon steel cleaver at a housewares store in Chinatown. They come in various sizes, are a delight to hold and use, and will set you back no more than $30 to $40.

I purchased one that's fairly large, and I've had immense fun cutting through both raw chickens and cooked ones, as well as veal bones.

And for $40, I don't have to worry about ruining the blade on my more expensive knives when I'm cutting through bone. Because it's carbon steel, it needs to be dried thoroughly after cleaning, and rubbed with a bit of oil.

I went cleaver shopping after watching Guy and Michael Rubino's show, "Made to Order", an episode of which was shot partially in Hong Kong, and having recently bought Fuschia Dunlop's Szechaun and Hunan cookbooks. I'm sorry I didn't buy a cleaver years ago.

[fancycook1]

One of the heaviest knives on the market is a Henckels Twin Cuisine. You will probably only be able to find it at retail at an 8". However they may be able to order it for you in a 10"

[ali patts]

Another wusthof classic vote - my chefs knife is only 8 inches (only) but then I am a five foot five girl. Well, that and I can't be bothered to get my really big chopping board out of the cupboard on a daily basis. When (ha!) it needs replacing I may go for a ten inch but I'll review that as and when. I must say though that when I want to chop through seriously substantial things (thick crab claws/chopping chicken wings for stock) I resort to a cheap victorinox chefs knife that I don't really care about.

[will47]

I don't know if it would be heavy enough, but I hear good things about the Forschner stamped knives, and I think they make some extra wide blade ones. Plus, they're really cheap. Find a kitchen supply or cutlery store that carries them and see if they're a good feel for you.

It looks like you're in LA - you could try Ross Cutlery downtown. You can find slightly cheaper prices online, but I think they'll be able to help you out, and they have a good selection of knives there that you could try out for size / feel.

[rerem]

A Forschner isn't "Heavy" compared to a big 12" forged knife...which is why my 10" has been my workhorse professional kitchen knife for 30 years. It has plenty of substance but being a bit thinner blade is quicker and gets sharper. Forschner also makes a 12" version. I like the feel and balance of the rosewood handle version. They make a forged line too, heavier and more expensive. A 10" Forschner will seem plenty big compared to a typical 7" Santuko.

With Henckel the premium line is quite good. The cheap line is rather poor.

If you see Lamson around,they make a nice knife,as does Messermeister.

[KRS]

Bridge has an enormous, extra-heavy, extra-wide Wusthof made to Fred Bridge's specifications. I gave one to myself for my birthday several years back for $125, but the price now seems to be over $400. http://www.bridgekitchenware.com/more...

I have to say I don't use it much. Sometimes I chop veggies or onions with it, but it's too big to handle. I get better results with a Chinese cleaver-style chef's knife, or even a smaller knife plus a dough scraper to pick up what I've chopped.

[jayt90]

My favourite small chef's knife is the Lee Valley 'French Housewives Knife', carbon steel, 7 inch blade, and worth much more than the $23 asking price.

[celeste]

Another vote for Wusthof if heaviness is what you're after.

[srgoodman]

The ten inch Wusthof-Trident Classic 10 inch extra-wide is my favorite, most often used, knife.

http://www.wusthof.com/EN/database3.a...

[FlavoursGal]

I still prefer my Wusthof-Trident 10-inch chef's knife (Classic series) to my Wusthof santoku, my 10-inch dimpled Mac chef's knife, and the Global knives I bought about 7 years ago and stopped using about 6 years ago (due to the slick polished metal "holey" handle).

Stay away from Henckels.

[xnyorkr]

2nd Wustof chef's knife. *LovE*!!

[cafesimile]

I must ask why the "stay away from Henckels" statement. A company that's been making professional grade cutlery since the 18th century deserves a little elaboration. I own both Wusthof (classic) and Henckels (4 star) they are both great tools.

[HaagenDazs]

Sabatier Au Carbone makes a 12 inch beast of a chef's knife. Very large (obviosuly) and if you simply move the blade, it practically cuts the food by itself! If that's a bit large, they make a 10 inch too ;-)

[Cheffrank]

Gotta second the Sabatier. Have had my 12 inch chef's knife for 20 years and it is still going strong

[Sherri]

Thirds for Sabatier! My 10" is 40 years old (1963) and a joy to use. I also have a 12" that I use less frequently because it is so large. One caution: I don't know where to try/buy one in the U.S. My source here is through the Cooking Enthusiast catalogue (www.CookingEnthusiast.com) 1.800.792.6650 that used to be called Professional Cutlery Direct. They handle two Sabatier lines and my recommendation is for the Sabatier au Carbone, not the mix of stainless-carbon steel. Good luck!

[xnyorkr]

I saw them for sale in TJ Maxx for a long time