Choosing a Quality Knife Set
So, it’s time to buy a real knife set - a nice one! Luck for you, there are some quality knives available in Panama. Places to check include Do It Center, Arrocha, and Novey.
The two most popular style of quality knives is either a German knife or Japanese knife. Chefs say that German knives are very utilitarian whereas, Japanese knives are for finer, more delicate slicing work.
That being said a Japanese knife requires a little more attention because they are thinner, they can chip.
A quality knife will be made of steel, however, know that not all steel is created equal. Some steel is much harder than others. The Rockwell scale is used to define just how hard a piece of steel is: the higher the number, the harder the steel. German knives come in around 57 on the scale, whereas Japanese knives are closer to 60 to 63.
Unless they’re made for the Western market (brands like (Shun, Global and Miyabi), the edges of the Japanese blade aren’t symmetrical—the cutting edge is angled toward a right-handed user 70/30, which means left-handed consumers can’t properly use the knife and will have to buy one specifically for lefties. German knives are always balanced and symmetrical and can be used by right- or left-handed cooks.
