Folders for food prep?

Discuss Spyderco's products and history.
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Wartstein
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#21

Post by Wartstein »

Peter1960 wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 3:11 am
Blade geometry from Spyderco folders (which are more or less tactical) are diametrically opposed to my food preparations. And why should I make my live more complicated than needed, when I use a folder instead of a fixed blade, when it comes also to cleaning after food preparation?

To each his own, but for me a clear yes, I prefer fixed blades designed for kitchen uses!

Peter, not sure I got you right: You actually think, Spyderco folders are more or less "tactical"?
Or just compared to a dedicated kitchen knife?

Cause one of the things I like in Spyderco folders is, that compared to many other brands they are NOT "tactical"at all (in the realm of EDC folders!) but rather "just" high end cutting tools, and in being that quite good in food prep tasks either (sure, an ffg Endura still is not a kitchen knife, but it really does ok if pressed in that role)
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
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VooDooChild
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#22

Post by VooDooChild »

Wartstein wrote:
Peter1960 wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 3:11 am
Blade geometry from Spyderco folders (which are more or less tactical) are diametrically opposed to my food preparations. And why should I make my live more complicated than needed, when I use a folder instead of a fixed blade, when it comes also to cleaning after food preparation?

To each his own, but for me a clear yes, I prefer fixed blades designed for kitchen uses!

Peter, not sure I got you right: You actually think, Spyderco folders are more or less "tactical"?
Or just compared to a dedicated kitchen knife?

Cause one of the things I like in Spyderco folders is, that compared to many other brands they are NOT "tactical"at all (in the realm of EDC folders!) but rather "just" high end cutting tools, and in being that quite good in food prep tasks either (sure, an ffg Endura still is not a kitchen knife, but it really does ok if pressed in that role)
Spyderco is all over the map. Some tactical, some slicers, some hard use, some for fine cutting. And some can even be both. I would argue the police 4 (and the new lightweight version) is both tactical and a rediculously good slicer. And one of the few folders that would actually be pretty good at food prep, mostly because of its size and blade geometry.
"Rome's greatest contribution to mathematics was the killing of Archimedes."
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Wartstein
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#23

Post by Wartstein »

VooDooChild wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 11:49 am
Wartstein wrote:
Peter1960 wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 3:11 am
Blade geometry from Spyderco folders (which are more or less tactical) are diametrically opposed to my food preparations. And why should I make my live more complicated than needed, when I use a folder instead of a fixed blade, when it comes also to cleaning after food preparation?

To each his own, but for me a clear yes, I prefer fixed blades designed for kitchen uses!

Peter, not sure I got you right: You actually think, Spyderco folders are more or less "tactical"?
Or just compared to a dedicated kitchen knife?

Cause one of the things I like in Spyderco folders is, that compared to many other brands they are NOT "tactical"at all (in the realm of EDC folders!) but rather "just" high end cutting tools, and in being that quite good in food prep tasks either (sure, an ffg Endura still is not a kitchen knife, but it really does ok if pressed in that role)

Spyderco is all over the map. Some tactical, some slicers, some hard use, some for fine cutting. And some can even be both
. I would argue the police 4 (and the new lightweight version) is both tactical and a rediculously good slicer. And one of the few folders that would actually be pretty good at food prep, mostly because of its size and blade geometry.

Can´t argue that, you are absolutely right and I should have been more precise: The Spydercos I personally choose are almost exclusivly rather thin bladed, slicing oriented models. And I still think Spyderco is leaning a bit more in that direction than other brands.

And I have to admit: Maybe I am not even 100% sure what "tactical" means when it comes to knives. I think there is no exact equivalent in German for this word.

Anyway, would you agree that the ffg Endura also is quite ok for food prep, in many aspects being a not TOO much shorter Police 2?
And the Stretch with its thin slicey blade and more belly towards the tip than Endura or Police also works very well for cutting smaller vegetables for example.

But, once more: No doubt a dedicated, well sharpened kitchen knife will always be the better choice (BUT: I´ve been in kitchens when visiting friends for example where my Endura clearly was the best "kitchen" knife available, cause all other blades were terribly dull... ;) )
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
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Evil D
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#24

Post by Evil D »

To be fair I have a few Spyderco folders that are better slicers than a lot of kitchen knives I've used.
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Archimedes
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#25

Post by Archimedes »

I literally own the worlds crappiest old kitchen knives.They are very sharp, but very low quality. I have always wanted to buy better knives but never cared enough to do it. Maybe this year..

That said, I use my Spyderco Military a for a lot of quick food prep. Cutting Tomatoes or Apples. Trimming meat and so on. The Military is a great small kitchen knife.
zhyla
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#26

Post by zhyla »

Evil D wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 10:32 am
Just depends on what you're cutting. I don't need a 10 inch chef's knife to cut up carrots
Yes you do. There's a reason kitchen knives are long, it's so you can anchor them on a board and lift them up high enough to clear what you're cutting. Folders don't have that length and are best compared to a paring knife. Paring knives are great for certain tasks but the bulk of food prep is best done with larger chef's knives (or the Japanese equivalents).
Albatross wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 10:44 am
I've used folders for food prep, and it's not enjoyable at all. The geometry is terrible for food prep, when compared to actual kitchen knives.
Yes. The Spyderco in my pocket right now is of similar proportions as a paring knife but it's positively chunky in terms of blade geometry. Which is fine, paring knives aren't meant to see anything tougher than a vegetable anyway.
Wartstein wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 10:52 am
Don´t think anybody said this.. ?!
It's said often in this forum. And I get it, we all need something to cut when we get a new knife. I've done it. I've got a folder that is Spydiechef proportioned (not a Spyderco) and it gets the job done. It's more a curiosity than a serious use case.
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Evil D
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#27

Post by Evil D »

Well heck I guess I don't know how to use a kitchen knife then :(
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VooDooChild
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#28

Post by VooDooChild »

Evil D wrote: Well heck I guess I don't know how to use a kitchen knife then :(
Skill over equipment. People used to field dress animals with sharpened rocks.
"Rome's greatest contribution to mathematics was the killing of Archimedes."
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Evil D
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#29

Post by Evil D »

VooDooChild wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 2:55 pm
Evil D wrote: Well heck I guess I don't know how to use a kitchen knife then :(
Skill over equipment. People used to field dress animals with sharpened rocks.
Well I also do heavy yard work with a folder. Maybe I'm just hard headed.
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#30

Post by The Meat man »

My wife is the chef in our home, so I don't do a lot of food prep, but when I do I often use the knife in my pocket. Why? Simply put, I enjoy using it. Plus, it is usually a lot sharper than any of our kitchen knives.
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BornIn1500
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#31

Post by BornIn1500 »

zhyla wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 2:09 pm
Evil D wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 10:32 am
Just depends on what you're cutting. I don't need a 10 inch chef's knife to cut up carrots
Yes you do.

I think the point is the word "need". You certainly don't "need" a 10 inch knife. There are other ways to cut up carrots than that video shows. In the end, it's only a preference and not a necessity.
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#32

Post by jpm2 »

Away from home and feeding just myself, I cut meats and cheeses, chop onions/jalapenos/mushrooms, halve/core/peel apples, etc with my pocket knife(s). There's no telling how much wild meat I've processed with a pocket knife. It's never crossed my mind I shouldn't.
zhyla
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#33

Post by zhyla »

Evil D wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 2:43 pm
Well heck I guess I don't know how to use a kitchen knife then :(
Most people don’t!
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#34

Post by Evil D »

zhyla wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 3:39 pm
Evil D wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 2:43 pm
Well heck I guess I don't know how to use a kitchen knife then :(
Most people don’t!


Maybe it's YOU that doesn't know how to use a folder in the kitchen :confused:
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zhyla
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#35

Post by zhyla »

Evil D wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 4:01 pm
zhyla wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 3:39 pm
Evil D wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 2:43 pm
Well heck I guess I don't know how to use a kitchen knife then :(
Most people don’t!


Maybe it's YOU that doesn't know how to use a folder in the kitchen :confused:
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#36

Post by GarageBoy »

Can you be a knife nerd and have dull kitchen knives? Geometry cuts and a sharp kitchen knife with good steel is amazing. I certainly use my kitchen knives way more than my pocket ones - so I definitely try to invest in those
Notsurewhy
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#37

Post by Notsurewhy »

Kitchen knives for food prep unless away from home. If I'm camping or on a picnic, sure I'll use a folder. Can I dice an onion with my kapara? Sure, but it takes about twice as long as with my chef knife and won't be as neat. As someone already mentioned, Folders in the kitchen generally work as overly thick paring knives.

Of course it's personal preference, but if a 4in folder work as well for you in food prep as a 8-10in chef knife, you may want to look up some food cutting and chopping techniques, they can really save you time in the kitchen if you cook often. I'm sure there are videos on YouTube. Getting a whole block of knives isn't necessary. You can do 95% of kitchen tasks with a 8 in chef and a 3.5-4in paring knife. Maybe add a 9-10 serrated knife if you like fresh bread.

I will say that the centofante makes a great cheese knife. Very thin for a folder (2mm?) And the hollow grind keeps it from binding. Nearly all kitchen knives are flat ground and bind up in firm cheese.
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Albatross
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#38

Post by Albatross »

Notsurewhy wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 4:26 pm
Kitchen knives for food prep unless away from home. If I'm camping or on a picnic, sure I'll use a folder. Can I dice an onion with my kapara? Sure, but it takes about twice as long as with my chef knife and won't be as neat. As someone already mentioned, Folders in the kitchen generally work as overly thick paring knives.

Of course it's personal preference, but if a 4in folder work as well for you in food prep as a 8-10in chef knife, you may want to look up some food cutting and chopping techniques, they can really save you time in the kitchen if you cook often. I'm sure there are videos on YouTube. Getting a whole block of knives isn't necessary. You can do 95% of kitchen tasks with a 8 in chef and a 3.5-4in paring knife. Maybe add a 9-10 serrated knife if you like fresh bread.

I will say that the centofante makes a great cheese knife. Very thin for a folder (2mm?) And the hollow grind keeps it from binding. Nearly all kitchen knives are flat ground and bind up in firm cheese.
Chalk it up to marketing, but I always felt like a caveman using just 1 knife in the kitchen, until I stopped caring. Everyone I know has a knife block full of dull steel, and I would be willing to bet that they don't use most of the knives anyway. I did make a shelter to camp in, with nothing more than a SAK, so IMO, the bushcraft crowd is being sold things they don't need as well, it's not just kitchen knives that are over-marketed by the consumers themselves.
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#39

Post by Evil D »

GarageBoy wrote:
Sun Dec 15, 2019 4:25 pm
Can you be a knife nerd and have dull kitchen knives? Geometry cuts and a sharp kitchen knife with good steel is amazing. I certainly use my kitchen knives way more than my pocket ones - so I definitely try to invest in those


I think so. I only have one decent chef's knife and it gets used for practically everything and gets run through the dishwasher and used by everyone in the house so it takes a beating. I sharpen it on the diamond rods only because there's no point in refining the edge any further. My wife is actually a chef and even she isn't an edge junky, so long as it'll cleanly slice a tomato she's perfectly happy.
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Re: Folders for food prep?

#40

Post by Larry_Mott »

Well there are people who has killed big African game with .44 magnum handguns, so of course folders work ..ish in the kitchen.
Personally i wouldn't do either though.
Right tool/s for the job gets the job done infinitely better and faster (and in case of big game hunting, which i don't really like, more humane, safer and faster)
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