Ultimate chef knife
 

After trying to cut a butternut squash in half and then in chunks yesterday...using about three supposedly good knives in my arsenal..none of which were smooth sailing...I have decided to look for a pro chef knife-like on the cooking shows...they just seem to cut everything with little effort. Suggestions-please!

here`s what i do i just piearce it with a knife all over and bake
Gale

I found an old butcher knife. Had some rust on it. Cleaned it up really well and resharpened it. Got it at an estate sale, the owner used to be a butcher. Paid $3 for it and got a couple other knives. Had those sharpened as well. no one uses my knives but me. Hubs doesn't like them and that's ok by me. I also went to a local meat market I frequent and spoke to the owner. Asked him where I could by another good knife in case mine came up missing. He ordered one for me. Special made, $25 with a leather sheath. I've had it now for 15 years at least and butcher's glove. As soon as I'm finished with "my' knife, I clean it and put it away. Ask your butcher if he can get you one or where you can order. I have yet to cut myself.

The knives TArtan speaks of is exactly what I have. Not something where the shaft is only inserted an inch or 2. Those are dangerous if they break from the handle.

try checking America's Test Kitchen, they have done research on knives and other things a lot. Then every so many years they do it again. Also, William Sonoma has great knives and sharpeners

I am partial to Cutco if you have tons of money. I need to go talk to my butcher.....thanks for the lead, Tessagin. $25 is a lot more affordable than Cutco.

I use a 10" Santoku knife I bought my first one at Target several years ago. Loved it so much I bought all they had on the clearance aisle.
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The butcher at the grocery store will cut the squash into chunks for me. I haven't found a knife that will cut it without a lot of effort, maybe a machete.

I'm think for me it is much more an issue of strength than knife sharpness.

that said, my great grandfather was a butcher, and I have his knives. One really is like a machete One by One :) I use it with a hammer to cut through.

If you have good knives, you can get them sharpened if you have a place. My girlfriend who cooks takes hers to Williams Sonoma but there is one close by. I just buy those cheap colored knives that come in a package of sizes that are sharp enough for a while and cheap enough that I just get new ones.

I love my cutco knives my son had a stint at selling them and I got his sample set but I also just cook my squash after poking it then peel and cut up.

I swear by Wustofh (spelling). I love knives, always have. When I used to hunt a great knife is mandatory in the field. They are costly, but well worth it in the long run.

I pierce it in a few places and then micro for a bit till soft enough to cut.

I bought one like this - 8" I believe - when I lived in Germany so I could cut apart lamb chops, etc. Love that thing and the brand, I haven't used any other knife brand in over 40 years!
http://www.k-bid.com/auction/16218/item/70A?offset=87

Jan in VA

Same way I do it with spaghetti squash. I used to cut it in half first but way too much trouble.

We have primarily Henckles knives. DH sharpens them as needed. Sometimes you just have to go with the 'bigger hammer' theory...use a really large knife for large jobs. I tend to like our 8" 'all purpose' knife for most jobs. But we also have a larger, 10" knife that is bulkier as well. Then there are the smaller ones for smaller jobs. In addition to sharp, you need to have the right tool for the right job - just like quilting or any other task.

Good knives are certainly an investment but totally worth it in the long run.

Thanks all for suggestions on knives. As far as that butternut squash....I read the recipe in Pinterest-got to stop going there! I have always just cut in half, scooped out seeds, face down, pierced, into micro, butter, brn sugar after cooked...yum. But thought I'd try air frying(roasting)....back to my old ways.....not fun trying to peel and chunk cut a raw butternut!

My first stab (pun intended) at cutting a butternut squash I foundit very hard to cut. Used every knife I could find too. Then I thought...........what about my electric knife? That did make it easier by far. Then someone mentioned to stab it all over and bake it so that's what I do these days. I'll fill a cookie sheet with squash of a similar size, take them out when done and put in another cookie sheet full of squash. The 1st sheet is cooling so I go do some sewing. When the 2nd sheet comes out of the oven and if I have another sheet to put in, then it goes in and I start to cut up the 1st sheet of squash. By a couple of hours I have all my squash baked, cut into cubes, bagged and into my freezer for whatever it is I'll make with them. Never tried any kind of squash till I moved to Iowa and my sister introduced me to it. Now I love the stuff.

I got this knife last year -- not because I cut cheese but because I can cut potatoes, apples, etc., with little effort (got it at Costco so I got to try it). I would probably stab the squash and start the cut but then switch to this knife.
https://www.cutco.com/products/produ...gu1y15cm6td3vu

Hope you find a good sharp knife. For very hard veggies like sweet potatoes, and squash don't waste time trying to cut them into chunks. Just cleave them in half. Just wash, oil and roast with cut side down. the skin will slide right off after cooled and they will taste so much better than if they are boiled.

To cut in half I use a big knife and wack the veggie once. The knife will stick in the veggie which is what you want, then on a cutting board, lift the knife with the veggie on it and give it one more wack and the veggie will split just like a log.

If all else fails with a knife..........go use Hubby's bandsaw......:D

I love my K Sabatier knives.

I don't even try to cut a raw squash of any kind.

Put it into the oven at 350º for 30 minutes for small ones, up to 60 minutes for a Hubbard squash. I had six huge Hubbards this year. After the whole squash was in the oven for an hour, I cut it in half. Now the inside is still raw and you can scoop out the seeds easily. I put half on a very large cookie sheet face down with about a cup of water and put it back into the oven for another hour. The other half I cut up, took the peeling off with a vegetable peeler and put pieces into very large kettles with a small amount of water to cook on the stove top until done. I think I had 12 quarts of squash to put into the freezer and at least 3 quarts went into the refrigerator for use now as squash or as pie.

I still have two of those Hubbards in the basement. They are doing well so far.

We are Cutco fans here too. But many years ago an uncle gave us a knife that they used in canneries for fish, that thing is fantastic. But the clue is to keep your knives sharp. Find a good knife sharpener and use it. As they say, a sharp knife does what you want it to do, the dull knife is the one that slips and cuts you.

FYI: You can microwave the squash for a couple of minutes and that makes it easier to cut.

Our neighbors bought pumpkins for all of the neighbors close around one year, along with the small cutlery tool bag that's out there for decorating them. Not doing pumpkins for a couple of years because of arthritic hands, I was amazed at the little saw that comes in the pack. Every time I have squash now, it's what I use. I cut the squash at the stem end and cut the stem away first with the little saw. Then, I insert the saw blade into the hole and saw it around so we have a half for both of us. For larger ones, I M/W the squash a bit and once again use the little saw.

Love my Wusthof and Henckel knives. Started out with Gerber and they were impossible to sharpen.

I'm a chef and use Henckel knives professionally. I've had the same set since my school days...I won't say how long ago that was.
I once broke the paring knife trying to make a Jack o Lantern and Henckel replaced it at no cost. Just had me go to a local store and pick one up.
A great all purpose knife is a Santoku knife. It can stand in for a Chef's knife, but it's strong enough for the heavy lifting, too.

Watson