Amongst all of the instruments and devices that may fill a kitchen, knives are indisputably essentially the most private and indispensable. Admire one in a chef’s assortment and put together for an unsolicited earful of its historical past, however don’t count on a suggestion so that you can strive it. My very own assortment is modest however I am happy with it. Amongst them, my favorites are a Wüsthof Traditional Cook dinner’s Knife and my Tadafusa santoku. The Wüsthof capably does the whole lot from mincing a shallot to reducing up a rooster and the sharper blade angle of the santoku cuts by greens like a scalpel.
A brand new chef’s knife from Misen guarantees the most effective of each knives, making giant-killer claims about progressive geometry, high-grade metal, a santoku-style blade angle, and free sharpening for all times. Most impressively, it brags of what it calls the “trustworthy value” of $65, a quantity that is lower than half the worth of the high-end knives it calls its competitors.
Intrigued, I referred to as one in to check. Misen began as a Kickstarter however is delivery its knives this fall. Days later, I had my chef’s knife, my santoku, and the Misen chef’s knife lined up subsequent to at least one one other on my reducing board. Probably the most putting function of the Misen was the aspect view, which seemed a bit like each knives, combining the flatter stomach of the santoku and each the deal with and upward sweep on the tip of the chef’s knife, a kind of westernized model of a Japanese knife generally known as a gyuto.
I purchased a bag stuffed with groceries to cut and declared the sport afoot. The variations between the three knives have been instantly obvious. Whereas the Misen most resembles a standard chef’s knife, it does not actually behave like one. The Wüsthof has a big, curving ‘stomach,’ a German model that encourages a rocking reducing movement with the tip of the knife planted on the board, the again finish transferring up and down, whereas the entire thing slides backwards and forwards with every stroke. The santoku model depends extra on holding its flatter blade parallel to the reducing board, gliding ahead with every downward motion.
For me, the Misen typically felt most comfy utilizing a santoku-style stroke. It was significantly noticeable once I was working my means by one thing tall like a wedge of cabbage or chopping up a pile of herbs. Strive a stroke that permits the Wüsthof to energy by that form of work with the Misen and it will really feel like a flat thud each time the size of the blade hits the reducing board. That mentioned, I felt assured that the most effective stroke for no matter I minimize with the Misen would turn into obvious with use, and I would get higher with it over time.
Prep Work
In my three-knife showdown with a bag of groceries, the Misen by no means grew to become my weapon of alternative. The very first thing I labored on was reducing bacon right into a quarter-inch cube for a potato and leek soup. Chopping the thick slices into lengthy strips was advantageous, however once I switched to the crosswise minimize, issues bought … dicey. The Wüsthof sliced by cleanly, creating good, neat corners and edges. The Misen wanted an awkwardly exaggerated stroke to get the identical end result, in any other case it barely crushed the cubes. It had related issue with the ultimate strokes that minimize a pink pepper into the tiny cubes of a brunoise.
Just like the Wüsthof, the Misen used its weight to slice simply by a russet potato and identical to the Wüsthof, the slices caught to the aspect of the knife with suction-cup pressure, a typical drawback my santoku sidestepped because of dimpling on the aspect of its blade. All three knives blazed by leeks and chives. The Wüsthof and the Misen each carried out admirably reducing a rooster into items, together with powering by the breastbone, one thing I would not do with my santoku.
However, the santoku is my go-to knife for many veggies, until it is one thing actually agency that I must lean into, however right here I famous one thing peculiar. Misen touts its santoku-like 15-degree blade angle, versus the broader angle of most chef’s knives, however identical to my Wüsthof, the Misen by no means felt like my scalpel-like santoku.
Slice Test
Regardless of these misgivings, that enticing price ticket loomed giant and I referred to as a pair of bladesmiths to decode what was occurring.
“Most individuals will consider their edge within the first 10 minutes of use,” mentioned Daniel O’Malley of Epicurean Edge in Kirkland, Washington, who defined {that a} diligent knife sharpener can put a reasonably sharp edge on most knives, however poorer blades simply will not maintain that edge for lengthy. “Actually, what we must always care about is how they really feel about it 12 months down the road.”
Over the cellphone, I steered O’Malley towards Misen’s web site, the place the corporate talks about what makes its knife particular and the way it says the knives measure up in opposition to their higher-priced competitors. He went quiet for some time.
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