Serrated Steak Knives?

I'll swear by my Ginsu knives. They are great for slicing open cans, ripe tomatoes and the occasional cinder block.

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Seriously, I like a nice serrated knife for slicing bread, despite their tendency to make a few crumbs. Friends (?!) and family using the kitchen utensils are not conducive to keeping knives sharp.
 
I'm a rancher/country boy and I am very rarely without a knife and I ALMOST NEVER use the supplied knives in steakhouses. Lately I've used a fairly small Josh Rider in AEB-L that cuts a fine piece of steak and trims the fat and gristle well. FWIW my desired steak cooking level is wounded. I cut on ceramic plates and, if the knife is sharp, rarely have to actually contact the plate.

Of course, most of the time I'm wearing bib overalls and there is plenty of room for carrying a small slicer besides my pocket knife. In NYC they probably wouldn't let me in the door, but in Dallas, money talks and they are used to less than immaculate dining dress.
 
Not opposed to pulling my gerber folder out of my pocket while dining out.. at home.. I have other options.
 
I'm just impressed by you guys being able to afford steak so often you need a special knife for it. :) I just use a paring knife.
 
I'm just impressed by you guys being able to afford steak so often you need a special knife for it. :) I just use a paring knife.

If you have a friend who is a butcher, and a freezer, you should ask him if he can get you a case of "no-roll" ribeyes. Typically they have a bit more fat, less marbling, more trimming needed, etc than trimmed steaks, and usually come in a case of 4 or 5 backstraps, about 75-80 pounds. I am buying them for just over $4/lb. By the time you trim them, give your butcher something for ordering them for you, your cost will rise about 20% for final cooking weights. Even so, you wind up with a damn fine eating steak for less than $5/lb. We usually cut them about 1 3/8 to 1 1/2 inch thick and cook them barely (very rare).
 
I want you guys to think about something.

Ever been to one of those hibachi restaurants, where you sit around a hot grill, and the cook does his entertaining schtick while he cooks for you?
Notice that he cuts the food right there on the steel grill surface....why doesn't his knife get dull?
Because only the very tip contacts the steel surface.
When I cut a steak or any meat on a china plate, I use a blade with either a straight edge, or (by far my favorite) my bird's beak or "turning" knife.
The first 1/8 mm of the tip gets dull, sure, and it has zero effect on the cutting ability of the rest of the edge.
Cut all you want on a plate and the knife is still excruciatingly sharp, unless you're dragging it against bone.

But no, they'll say, "Everybody knows steak knives have a curved cutting edge, THAT'S THE WAY WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT."

I'd actually love to hear why I'm wrong...am I missing something important?
 
I don't like serrations personally but they are probably OK on steak knives. Steak knives don't do that much cutting and usually bear against a hard plate. The serrations will allow them to cut better as they dull than straight edge knives would.
 
Drives my wife crazy but I refuse to use our serrated steak knives. (Not for other meat either). Food just tastes better when it hasn't been shredded.

As was said already Technique matters. Only the tip of the knife should touch the plate. The rest should be sharp enough to cut effortlessly through the food.

At home/my parents house/friends. I have no problem whipping out whatever I have in my pocket. They know I'm a knife/sharpening nut. No one gets offended. (Wife is still embarrassed). If i know were going to have something nice Ill bring a nice sheathed fixed blade. Right now my favorite is a D2 with a wood handle. Pretty thick grind for a steak knife but i keep it nice and sharp. Way Way better than anything else out there. At home usually its a Tojiro Petty or a Spyderco mule. Also have a set of forgecraft knockoffs i got dirt cheap. Take killer edges but rust like crazy. Not wife friendly.

Did i mention this all drives my wife crazy?
 
Large serrations on a blade are the best way to guarantee that your knife will continue cutting through your lamb chops with ease, even with repeated abuse against a plate. A serrated edge will cut meat into sightly more ragged bites than a sharp straight edge will.
 
As for a serrated steak knife my mother got a set of I want to say 6 for a wedding present. They cut through steak like butter and were the best steak knife I ever used. She still has them and they get used sometimes but are nothing like when new. They still will cut steak pretty darn good though. Those knives have to be over 15 years old for sure. They have never been sharpened and ran through the dishwasher who knows how many times. I imagine if I could sharpen them they could be as good as new. They are small compared to your traditional steak knife. Maybe 1/2" tall for the blade and the handle is similar. All one piece stainless of some sort.
 
KAI and Shun have personal steak knives. They look sort of like a higonokami.
 
I am actually going to be going to my mother's tonight as it is her birthday. I will try to remember to take a picture of the steak knives. They cut so well and didnt require maintenance I am not sure others knives would be much better or even worth it
 
Not opposed to pulling my gerber folder out of my pocket while dining out.. at home.. I have other options.

I use an Opinel folder for steak when I eat out, and a Victorinox utility/paring knife at home.
 
A couple of years back I found a set of non-serrated Queen steak knives. They have great looking bone handles and are real slicers and easy to keep sharp. I admit to being careful to limit contact with ceramic plates. I like Stuart's idea of cutting the meat in half and using one piece on the bottom to keep the blade from contacting the plate.

When at a restaurant, I prefer a serrated blade because every straight edged knife I've ever been given has an edge similar to a baseball bat.
 
When I need to cut something on a ceramic plate, I use a $4 paring knife, made by KAI, which is very sharp, but is a relatively soft (53 HRC) stainless steel. The plate dulls it. I use a honing steel on it and it is right back to sharp for the next usage. Few passes on an Arkansas stone and a strop if it really needs it.
 
we have 6 10" "steak plates" that i turned out of walnut a few years back my fam knows what a good sharp knife is and when they are under 90% full sharpness they see touching up (i keep a 1200 grit DMT sharpener in the kitchen ) as for teeth on blades not in my house but as said i made wood plates. just finitse up a set of 4 plain edge steak knives for a buyer and he asked if i knew of anyone makeing steak cutting boards for service. told him i have made them and how i liked my 10n inch plates .... he wanted bigger tho for epic steak meals so his plates are 14 inch walnut monsters just think of the meal you coudl put on these guys DSC09748sm.jpg
 
What do you guys think aboit the Saji R2 Black Damascus steak knife folder. Its a seriously classy, yet fully modern piece...
 
I find them frustrating at home because my wife feels they're actually utility knives. Need to open a bubble pack? Grab a steak knife. Need to open a bag of dog food? Grab a steak knife. Need to cut a baguette? Grab a steak knife.

At least she knows not to put them in dishwasher.

For me I use the matching kitchen, or utility knife, or pull out a knife from my pocket. And for steak I use a butter knife since I like nice tender cuts cooked rare so I don't need to saw away at it like I was cutting lumber.

And yes she has pocket knives too but won't use her SAK etc. for those tasks. Plan A) is always straight to the cutlery drawer for a steak knife.

A common thread....

My wife has assembled a bunch of oddball knives over the years, but one or two serrated "steak" knives are her go to for all things cutting.
 
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