I bought cheapo steak knives from a low end department store about 15 years ago. The knives were suppose to last me through grad school until I could get a good job and replace the knives. I still have the knives, still waiting for the good job too!

Booberry: You using them for food prep? Or just for at-table eating?

Ken: My big chef's knife also is carbon. I just treat it like cast iron; wash it, dry it, and give it a light coating of grease before putting it up. As long as I'm not remiss in that it doesn't rust, stain, or corrode.

Angel: Couldn't agree more re: the size of the Santoku. My two current ones are both 7", and seem to be the perfect size for that style.

I had both a smaller (5") and longer (91/2") version, but neither was as useful or as comfortable to use as the 7" ones.

Yes, I use the cheapo steak knives for food prep. I like them better than Henkles and the Chicago Cutlery!

My favorites are the 9" chefs, 6"boning and the small paring knives. All from Chicags Cutlery. I wouldn't trade them for anything. Also a good butchers steel to keep the edge up. (I have no luck at all with the ceramic steels.

Just found this deal on a Henckle's Santoku. Granted it is stamped instead of drop forged, but it is a Henckle.

Here is a link that might be useful: 7

That does sound like a good deal, Angel. But I don't know as the brand name is all that important anymore. That Henckle Santoku, for instance, is made in China---which might explain the lower price.

My Wusthoff Santokus are still made in Germany, and, thus, list at more than twice the Henckles. The open question is: is there a quality difference justifying the price difference? Or is it just a snob-appeal kind of thing?

The answer, from where I sit, is: I dunno.

I do know this, however. Anyone considering a Santoku style knife should make sure it has the indentations above the cutting edge. My first one was a Sabatier, which doesn't have them. I would no longer buy a Sabatier anything, of course. But in this case their Santoku is, objectively, a bad design, because the blade sticks to the food you are cutting, making it cumbersome to use, and potentially dangerous as well.

Cook's Illustrated did a review of them last year. I dug out the magazine. Their top rated one was the MAC. They weren't impressed enough with the grooves to spend the extra money for a blade that has them but that is an individual preference thing. The recommended brands, in order, are MAC, Kershaw, Wusthof, Global, Henkels, and Oxo. Not recommended are Kycora, Furi, Boker and Forschner. The Henkels was rated as high as the Wusthof because the blade was flatter (didn't have as much of a curve to enable the rocking motion). Here is a link for the recommended MAC knife. They have a bunch of others also.

Here is a link that might be useful: MAC Santoku

>They weren't impressed enough with the grooves to spend the extra money for a blade that has them but that is an individual preference thingI don't understand this justification at all. They choose a smooth one as best, that's fine. But Angel's Chinese-made Henckle, which has the indents, is only $20 list, versus the ones at your link which range from $60 to more than a hundred bucks. The MAC was, what? 80 something dollars. So there has to be more involved than just price. Using just those two, we could buy four of the Henckles for the cost of one MAC

In my case, I found that the smooth blades drag through the food, when slicing, whereas the indented ones don't. My big Sabatier cost me 80 bucks, but was so uncomfortable to use (and potentially dangerous) that I gave it away and replaced it with the Wusthofs at half that price.

Symptomatic, too if you watch the cooking shows; I've never seen a celebrity chef using a smooth version. They all seem to prefer those with the indentations.

So, yes, it's a matter of personal preference. But the over-riding preference seems to be for indented blades. Price doesn't seem to enter into it.

Do you know what issue of Cook's had the comparison? I'd like to read it.

Some time, when I win the lottey, I'll get a set of Kershaw kitchen knives. I have one of their pocket knives and its amazing. In the mean time, we stick with a bunch of 2nds Chicago Cutlery we got years ago at an outlet store somewhere, I never could figure out why they were seconds, probably something wrong with the handle color. The 9 inch chefs knife gets the most use.

Another vote for the 9" Chef's knife from Chicago Cutlery. I have the one with the metal handle and I love it. Second place goes to a 5" "utility" knife, also Chicago Cutlery and also with the metal handle.

I also have a set of Chicago Cutlery steak knives that get used pretty regularly, but my third vote would have to go to my paring knife, an unbranded one so I have no idea where I got it. It holds an edge nicely and fits my small hands.

The feel of the knife is a big consideration for me, as I'm 5'1" and have relatively small hands. Many of the "big" knives have handles that are just too unwieldy for me to manipulate the knife well.

As for sharpening, I take mine to my friendly neighborhood knife sharpener, my Dad. He works on them with stone and steel and they are back in my kitchen in fine working order. I've never learned to use a stone as well as Dad does.

Annie

without a doubt, the knife that never gets put back in the drawer is my wusthof 10cm (4") - along with wusthof's sharpener. i use it for everything from veggies to meats. i've got a wusthof 9" also but rarely use it - too large for my hand - it's the hubbie's favorite.

interestingly, my 2nd favorite is a cheap-o grooved paring knife i bought at a food lion at the beach two years ago when i needed *something* to slice cheese with. "good cook" is imprinted on the handle.

David, I've examined literally hundreds of those Chicago Cutlery seconds, and in only one case have I been able to figure out why it was rejected. You're probably right, it has something to do with the handle color. But that doesn't effect the usefullness of the knife.

The fact that you've had them for years also highlights an important point. A good knife lasts two days longer than forever. My big chef's knife is unbranded. But I inherited it from my father, who used it for as long as I can remember. So it's at least 50 years old and still doing the job.

Of course, I've never cut coins with it...... :>)

It was the July and August 2004 issue of the magazine. The Henkels it listed was the 4 star which went for $64.95 at the time so I doubt it is the same model that we are talking about here.

David, They called the Kershaw the Cadillac of the group.

My 10" chef's knife, in combination with a large cutting board, is my all purpose knife and 'Cuisinart'. For a long time I used nothing else.

A good serrated bread knife hasn't been mentioned yet, but I'll bet that's because, as a specialty knife, it wouldn't be anyone's 'favorite'. It's indispensible though for cutting bread and tomatoes (unless your favorite knife is always kept sharp enough to smoothly cut a tomato). So it's the second most important to me.

Tied for second with the bread knife is my other specialy knife, the fish filleting knife. It has narrow, thin, flexible blade which is kept ruthlessly sharp and is used only for filleting fish.

I can survive with only those three, but a slicer is nice because it has less drag than a chef's knife. And I find a paring knife handy for some tasks.

After reading this thread I'll be checking out those Santokus.

Jim

Jim, filet knives are probably the most under-rated blades going. They're useful for a wide range of purposes, not just fileting fish. Next time you butcher a deer, bring your filet knife into play, for instance. I've got a range of them, in sizes from 4" to 9".

Personally, I don't care for serrated edges, although Friend Wife loves 'em, as do many other people. Based on no evidence whatsoever, I'm always afraid they're going to catch and tear rather than cut.

Even for cutting bread and tomatoes, my other knives do the job just fine.

I agree with you about a slicer having less drag than a chef's knife. But wait until you try one of those Santokus. They really are the best of both worlds. I've hardly touched by slicing knives since getting the Santokus.

Whats a good knife for cutting Sushi/California rolls. I plan to make some with cooked shrimp, rice, and nori, but if these are rolled up and cut, the knife has to be super sharp and not squash the roll out of round or tear it.

A laminated carbon steel will sharpen to a much finer (keener) edge, which is just what you need for Sushi.

Just for interest, look at the Hon Kasumi Sashimi Hocho on the bottom of the Japan Woodworker page link. With the longer blade you can cut in one sweep. Great for slicing fish, rare beef, etc.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Japanese Professional Chef's Knives (Hocho)

Ken, I think you answered your own question.

The key is to have a _sharp_ knife. Most people do not, unfortunately. In the average household, the kitchen knives will cut butter on any August day. But that's almost the extent of it.

Any knife designed for slicing, if sharpened properly, will do the job just by drawing it through the food. You shouldn't have to apply pressure at all.

For something like Sushi rolls, a longer blade is better, assuring you can slice it in one pull, rather than sawing back and forth.

What was interesting about the Japanses site was the fact that some of these are at a hardness of 63 Rockwell. That is harder than most any common knife. I also notised that they are ground on one edge only and feature left handed or right handed models. A bit pricy, but I do have similar long plain knife here and will use my Chefs Choice electric sharpener on it prior to slicing the sushi into rounds. The Japanese sushi chef in a local supermarket (yes a real 'yuppie' one!) has some very nice rice wrappers he uses for fresh spring rolls. The are translucent and soft, and are filled with all kinds of things as sort of like egg rolls. He uses a honey based sauce as a dipping for them. When I asked him where he gets this rice wrapper, he told me they get it from a commercial source. I've never seen such a thing being sold anywhere though. Would love to try it with veggies and then fry it too. Using a serated knife here would not be recommended. In fact, I hate serrated knives for most anything, except maybe a very fine one for slicing fresh bread.

I have a full set of Case knives that are nearly 35 years old that are wonderful - I've added a few Henkel (6" fillet and 3" all purpose). I keep those up with the three slot Chef's, and occasionally have them professionally sharpened.

I have an inexpensive Kershaw fillet knife that was given to me for my birthday by my nephew when he was just a child...it's a great knife and I wouldn't trade it for anything - that knife has cleaned literally hundreds of salmon.

My (silliest) fav? Those cheapo Pampered Chef 2 1/2" $1 knives. I buy them by the dozen, they are sharper than heck, I don't have to worry about them, if someone dulls or chips one it's tossed - until then I reach for them all the time for fruit and vegetable prep.

Ken, I've seen those wrappers in a local oriental grocery store. They come dried, and have to be moistened somewhat before using. Just piling them between damp paper towels will soften them enough to work with.

Only kind I see around here are the big square ones for egg rolls and the smaller square ones for wontons. Chinatown in Boston has a few places where I can get the round ones, but parking there is difficult. I just make my own now and use circle cutters to make round ones, and then run the dough through my Atlas pasta rolling machine to get the dough scraps back into a long sheet. I'm considering making some fresh rice pasta that is used in making Japanese spring rolls, of the kind I see in the local sushi section of my local supermarket.
Lots of the knives my parents had were the Case brand, which I bought my mom years ago. They weren't cheap when you buy a set of 6 different sizes and types.

I found a very interesting site (mostly pictures) about the manufacture of rice paper, which is the transparent rice noodle sheet used for Vietnamese fresh spring rolls. Now I know why those sheets have an imprint of lattice work. I had mistakenly thought it was decorative. See the link below.

These round spring roll skins (another name for them) are inexpensive in Asian markets. They are brittle and transparent before soaking in water, after which they are flexible and elastic.

BTW, rice paper is also the name of an art supply. It's very different from the noodle. :-)

Jim.

Here is a link that might be useful: Manufacture of Rice Paper

The rice wrappers I have seen at the sushi bar in the local supermarket are soft, almost like thin slices of raw potato in texture. They are thick enough to be used as wrappers of the rolls, and hold up to a bite or two without falling apart. Almost translucent in appearance. Looks a bit like the photos, but I guess they must rehydrate them before they use them.

"...they must rehydrate them before they use them."

Exactly. The wrappers rehydrate quickly in cool water. The same substance is made into other forms such as rice sticks (long, thin noodles). It is translucent, almost transparent, unlike wheat flour noodles.

Ken, I understand your reluctance to drive into Boston's China Town. On street parking is impossible (although I lucked out once and got a place immediately upon arriving). Give in and park in a pay lot or the garage. Or park several blocks away and hoof it. It is a very interesting China Town and well worth the trouble. Make a day of it and hit the grocery stores for rice paper and other stuff. Then have a meal at the Grand Chau Chow (clams in black bean sauce, Chinese watercress, pork and oyster clay pot, mmmm) or have a bowl of pho at one of the Vietnamese restaurants.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Grand Chau Chow

Several mentions have been made of knife sharpeners. Any others? What do you all recommend for in-home use?

--Ruth

Trying to get us back on topic, eh Ruth? Good idea. :-)

I've thought about bringing up sharpening, then thought again when I realized what a huge subject it can be. Maybe it is best broken down into sharpening stones and grinders on one hand, and sharpening gadgets on the other. Stones require skill on the part of the user and gadgets don't. Both have their place and, unless you send your knives out for sharpening as many chefs do, you need one or the other.

I go for the stones myself because I have woodworking tools to sharpen as well as knives. Also because. to me, sharpening on a stone is a pleasant activity. My favorites are Japanese water stones although I also have Arkansas oil stones and diamond hones. There are many details to discuss about stones, if anyone wants to.

For many people, a sharpening gadget will be a better solution. Others will have to speak to this because I don't have any and know little about them except some are electric powered and some aren't. You draw the blade through the device and voila! it's sharp.

Jim

Been my experience, Jim, that most of the sharpening gadgets are actually good for honing rather than actually sharpening. For most people, however, they make more sense than a steel.

I'm like you, preferring stones when blades actually need to be sharpened. But I don't advice powered devices for most applications---it's too easy to overheat the blade and remove the temper.

For household use, many people would benefit from those multi-stone, jigged sharpeners sold by Gatco and other companies. Makes it simple to maintain the angle as you work through the different stone grades.

Been following, with some interest, your and Ken's discussion of Boston's China Town. Been more than 35 years since I hung out there, and things have obviously changed. Used to be a great hole-in-the-wall that stayed open all night. When waiters got off work at other restaurants that's where they went for something to eat and some tea.

I can't remember the name of the joint---we jokingly referred to it as Fat Wong's. Used to pay a buck and a quarter for a bottomless bowl of lo mein. We'd be the only caucasion faces in the crowd, at that hour of the night.

Speaking of holes-in-the-wall, I doubt, too, if Jocko's is still in existance. Used to be located behind the courthouse, and was a front for a bookie joint. If you didn't know it was there, however, you'd never find it. A tiny little place, with no sign out front.

They made their money from betting and booze, so the food was cheap. Something like a buck and a half for a lobster role, with big chunks of lobster meat dripping out of the bun, and a heap of fries on the side.

I never worried about parking, in Boston, because it's a great walking town. Nothing is ever all that far away. We lived on the Hill, back then, and walked everywhere. Haymarket Square was still in operation, as was the wholesale meat market---all where Quincy Market now operates. So our food bills were next to nothing, and we entertained royally with at-home dinner parties almost every week. Desserts were often Italian pastries from the nearby North End. Didn't pay to bake when all those goodies were readily available and incredibly affordible.

You want to talk about sticker shock? Should have seen my face the first time we walked into a supermarket after living like that for three years. I was ready to give up eating. :>)

Brings back memories when hay market was there with horses and pushcarts when I was a kid. I used to like to feet the horses carrot tops, and they were always hungry. My dad and I went there every Saturday for veggies and fruits, along with italian pasteries and cold cuts. Yes, that was some big place where you could buy cheap meat cuts of all kinds. I recall all those cellar sellers where they would lure you down to the basements where all the cheap meat cuts were. I believe that place you mentioned where the Chinese waiters go is still there. Tufts collage is forcing a lot of the people out of the area and many of the older buildings are gone now. That resturant is now the last business on the street with a small parking lot next to it with active towing. Its not in the Chinatown area itself, but is across the main street a little ways down. I heard of a large Chinese supermarket nearby, but could never find it, even though I had to work down that area many times to fix Tufts computers and printers.

The link below shows the exact Chefs Choice knife sharpener I use. It has 3 sets of sharpening areas. I believe its the same price I paid for it a long while ago. The sharpers are flat vibrating areas and the knives are held in place by magnets or by the guides near the grinding and honing stones which are all diamonds.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chefs Choice knife sharpener

I was some upset when they moved Haymarket out of there. A stupid move on many levels.

Does Boston even have a farmer's market, nowadays?

Until that happened, it had been the oldest continually operated market in America---dating back to 1630. I believe that distinction now belongs to the Central Market in Lancaster, PA?

Saturday was the day to hit Haymarket for sure, even though it was open, in those days, Friday and Saturdy. The closer it got to closing time, on Saturday, the lower the prices. I remember one time buying 16 pounds of shrimp for four bucks. The guy was down to four 4-lb bags, and it was about 4:30 in the afternoon. He offered them to me for a buck a bag if I would take all four, which I did.

They were rock shrimp, and I still have scars from cleaning them, but what the heck. You can't pass up a deal like that. But I was the champion shrimp cooker in Beantown for the next couple of weeks. :>)

I was some upset when they moved Haymarket out of there. A stupid move on many levels.

Does Boston even have a farmer's market, nowadays?

Until that happened, it had been the oldest continually operated market in America---dating back to 1630. I believe that distinction now belongs to the Central Market in Lancaster, PA?

Saturday was the day to hit Haymarket for sure, even though it was open, in those days, Friday and Saturdy. The closer it got to closing time, on Saturday, the lower the prices. I remember one time buying 16 pounds of shrimp for four bucks. The guy was down to four 4-lb bags, and it was about 4:30 in the afternoon. He offered them to me for a buck a bag if I would take all four, which I did.

They were rock shrimp, and I still have scars from cleaning them, but what the heck. You can't pass up a deal like that. But I was the champion shrimp cooker in Beantown for the next couple of weeks. :>)

I guess by the repeat message, that your getting as old as I am now and forgetting the good things about the past. My dad knew most of the vendors down there by their first names. Where else could you buy a dozen oranges for 35 cents, or a head of lettuce for a dime. Then there was that bakery at the end of the pushcart area where they sold cheese filled cannolis, yum.. Now, I head over to Salem street and pick up a few things there if I am in town. Joe Pace and sons are still around, but are now close by to me in Saugus. I was always wondering why Durgen Park had such a long line all around the corner. When I asked someone, they said it was for the baked beans and brown bread.. Heck, I had that every Saturday night, but my mom made them instead. Nearby the Haymarket, was Edmunds coffee company. It was a commercial business on the now missing India street (near the Aquarium). They made coffee, tea, and cocoa. My dad would visit friends there too, while I went into the vault to pick out some special coffeee beans and would roast small 3-5 pound batches. These got taken home and ground fresh the next morning. Nothing ever matched that flavor. The coffee company was bought out by Continental Coffee, and I have no idea where they are gone to now. Kind of miss the place where they made about 8000 pounds of coffee beans a week. Loved their cocoa too.

Me? Old and forgetful? Never! What'd you say your name was, again? ;>)

I have no idea where that second post materialized from, Ken. It wasn't there earlier. Some sort of glitch in the GW system, I'd guess.

Durgen Park was big with the tourist trade because the wait staff treated you badly. No kidding. That's how they publicized themselves. Servers were, by intent, curt, short, and borderline nasty. They all but threw the dishes at you. The concept was that they treated you just like you were treated at home.

Uh, huh! Not at my home. But if I want to be treated like that I can just go over to my sister's house. I'm certainly not going to pay for the priviledge.

We tried it once, to humor some out of town guests who had heard so much about it. Not only did the service suck, the food was unimpressive at best.

God, yes, I remember that bakery. It had a real name, I'm sure, but we just called it "the bakery".

It's a real shame that, in the name of efficiency, the cities are getting rid of their best food resources. Have you heard, for instance, that NY is closing the Fulton Fish Market? To my mind, that's as big an error as Boston having closed Haymarket.

I received one of those Chef Choice knife sharpeners about 8 years ago as a Christmas Present. I now use it almost exclusively to sharpen up all the knives around the house. Recently, I re-ground the kitchen knifes using the most abrasive setting, the one they say to use only very sparingly. It made a significant difference on how well they hold an edge now.

But then again, I hadn't done it since I first got the machine.

I think is Folsom? I also miss the Mama Leone resturant in NY. Had been there a few times and was amazed at the mob that wait over 2 hours for a dinner. Locally, there used to be a nice place called Augustines, where you got all kinds of really good italian food including real veal cutlets. The owners wanted their kids to take over the business, but instead they closed, sold the property and now there has been several failed businesses there. Also miss the Weylus which was a huge chinese resturant on top of a hill. Cost over a million to build, and only lasted 3 years. Its been vacant for over 8 years now..

Back to the knives....

I can't live without my Wusthof knives. I have 3 now. I have the 7 inch Santoku, an 8 inch Chef's knife, and a 2 1/2 inch paring knife. I love them all. They are the ones I reach for on a constant basis. I recently added a Henkel's offset bread knife. I just love that thing! I can now slice bread like a pro. Even my husband uses it, and he normally won't touch my knives.

Another great thing is my magnetic knife strip. My hubby put it up for me, and I love it. All of my good knives are at my fingertips. Someone asked me if it was safer than a knife block for those with kids. Well, you do have to PULL to get it off, but then again, a kid could pull it off, just like they could pull one out of a block.

As to sharpening, I do hone my knives regularly on a steel, but for sharpening, I take them about every 6 months or so to a cutlery shop that specializes in knife sharpening.

For most people that's the way to go, Ginger. Actual sharpening should be left to a professional.

The sad thing is that in most kitchens in this country they don't even hone the edges. Hmmmmph! Only thing more dangerous than a dull knife is a dull axe.

My favorite is my cheaper Henkel Santoku (the made in China version) and my second favorite is a Cutco utility knife. But I'd love to get my hands on a Warther boning knife. Anyone out there have a Warther knife? Do you like it? Used to be the only way to get a knife was to visit the factory/museum but now they have online or mail order. You can visit the website at www.warthers.com if you are wondering what I'm talking about. I live in Ohio so it would be kinda neat to support the local craftsmen.

Cindy

I find the best knives to be Kyocera Ceramics. I just love these knives. They never fail me! I got a really great deal at Metrokitchen.com, too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Metrokitchen.com

I keep an arsenal of knives. My husband is a butcher and I inherited his wonderful collection, along with some Amish made small knives and a few antique knives. I believe in the the old saying "the right tool for the right job" and having the proper knife, kept sharpened, certainly makes the serious home canner or chef's job much easier. My fav big knife is the machete my husband refers to as a steak knife. My fav small knife is a tiny straight bladed Amish jobbie. Your steel and stone are your best friends. I keep a steel in my knife block and use it.

When I was a very young, and enthusiastic newbie to homemaking, I spent entirely too much money on a set of Henkels Four Star knives. Then, I fretted and stressed about keeping them from getting banged around, wouldn't put them in the dishwasher, and obsessed about keeping them sharp.

I ended up losing them during a move (long tale of woe) and I hadn't the money to replace them but still had to cook. So, while shopping in Chinatown one day, I picked up a cheapie cleaver and a few anonymous kitchen knives and realized that I could keep them sharp and not worry about them getting banged around as I could replace them at will.

There is a brand, KIWI (made in Thailand), that these little stores carry, and my favorite is 6 1/2 inch long, appx. 2 inch wide blade with a very slight curve in the cutting edge. The end of the blade looks as though it was supposed to be a couple of inches longer, but someone chopped off the end at an angle, with the shorter side of the angle being the blunt side of the knife.

These knives are wonderfully sharp when you buy them, made of stainless steel, easy to sharpen on a stone and they cost about $2 a piece. So, I put them in the dishwasher, and throw them in a knife drawer without worry because if one gets knicked or bent, I can simply replace it.

My favorite knife is my cleaver.

Talk about timely subjects.. I went to a Pampered Chef party last night and was impressed with the apparent quality of their Santoku knife.. it had the ridges on the blade.. I didn't buy it, but would like to know if anyone else has, and their thoughts?

One of my favorites is an Old Hickory, it sharpens good, cuts good, looks terrible (it's very old and used) but it works. Other favorite is a huge chef knife, no brand, got for .50 at a garage sale, works good! Shammie

If you go with Kershaw knives, and you are ok spending a bit more, be sure to check out the Kershaw K9900-7 9900 Series. Top notch. The blade material is 420J High Carbon. Nice stuff...

Here is a link that might be useful: Kershaw

The last exchange I received a Cutco Santuko 7" knife and now that's my favorite. LOL

Linda

Different knives should be used for different purposes. I use a 10 inch Chef knife from Gunter Wilhelm for all slicing and dicing. For chopping I use an Asian Cleaver.
For bread and skinned fruits, I use an offset bread knife. A friend of mine got me a whole set from Gunter Wilhelm and I have to say, they have been great. Its also important to know how to use a sharpening steel.

Here is a link that might be useful: great knives

I ONLY use these knives. I threw out all my other once.
KYOCERA all the way for me.

Here is a link that might be useful: I buy all my supplies here

What would you do if the ceramic was chipped or has gone dull?? I would hate to accidentially drop one of these and have it smash hitting the floor. An expensive knife!! Here, all my metal knives (about 25 or more) seem to go dull all at once. Luckily, I use a Chefs Choice knife sharpener for most.

The most useful purchase I ever made was one of those Chefs Choice knife sharpeners. I use Chicago Cutlery 2nds, and sharpen them up with that thing every few weeks. I dunno why, but they all seem to get dull at once - maybe its contagious.

I do have some absurdly expensive German-made 11 " slicer, which is wonderful for watermelons and big squash. A machete would do the same.

Someday, I'll win the lottery and getting a set of those Ken Shun Onion knives with the swirly blades.

Here is a link that might be useful: In my dreams, I cut my thumb with a set of these guys...