Kitchen knives - how much?

NotAGolf

NotAGolf

NotAGolf

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Got really hacked off with my rubbish knife today so I think I'm going to replace it. I was wondering if anyone's got any suggestions as to what to get?

I think I'll only need two knives; a big one and a little one (no idea of the correct terminology!) and some way of sharpening them.

I don't need anything fancy, just something that wont rust or go blunt straight away. Not really sure how much I should be looking at, perhaps under £40?
 
I think (correct me if i'm wrong) but you need to be looking at ceramic knives?


Not sure on 'specific' models though.


Lot's to look at on the rainforest website
 
Search - these threads are always coming up. I got some Stellar model knives for Christmas. It was on a half price offer - usually £90 but was £45 for a block of 6 knives. Good quality.
 
I wouldn't buy a ceramic knife, they're prone to chipping.

Victorniox make the best knives < £20 a piece, their rosewood handled ones are pretty decent.

For keeping them sharp a honing steel is best, I use a Kyocera ceramic one I got for about £20, same as the Global one that goes fo much more.
 
A (steel) steel does not sharpen a knife, everyone needs to get that out of your head before they spend more than £10 on a knife.

A steel "hones" a knife, it removes any deformation from the blade and can give the illusion of making it sharper, however there is practically no sharpening involved in the literal sense, you can't sharpen a steel knife with another piece of steel. Also you shouldn't do it too often because you'll just ruin the edge.

My sisters boyfriend (a chef) uses Global at work, bought my mother a set for Christmas and they are great, they are pricy though.

p.s, Big knife = chefs knife, there are variations but I don't know what they are called specifically, Small knife = paring knife.
 
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I've got a sharpenning steel but for the life of me can't use one

i've seen countless videos on youtube of how to do it, but never manage to make the knife any sharper, and if anything usually make it blunter.

As a result all our knifes are crap lol. We ended up using a bread knife to carve the turkey with this year, as it was the only thing sharp enough.
 
Forde said:
Speaking of sharpening them...do you need to buy a high quality steel? Or will cheapo ones do?
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If you have good knives and a cheap steel, basically the metal on the knives will be harder than that on the steel, and you'll and up shaving the steel rather than sharpening your knives.

When you buy kitchen knives there's usually a steel available from the same brand. I usually go with this one.

Avoid Kitchen Devils as they aren't very good quality for the money. Buy Globals if you like them but not everyone likes the handles (I don't). Some people prefer Sabatier style knives, others prefer Victorinox, Wusthof, that other German sounding brand, that Japanese brand etc :p
 
mpledge52 said:
Got really hacked off with my rubbish knife today so I think I'm going to replace it. I was wondering if anyone's got any suggestions as to what to get?
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Current cheap-ish favourites of mine are the Robert Welch Signature range.

The only minor issue with them is that it takes a slightly different approach to using them as the blades are curved, but once you get over that it makes proper chopping a doddle.

mpledge52 said:
I think I'll only need two knives; a big one and a little one (no idea of the correct terminology!) and some way of sharpening them.
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18cm Cook's Knife and 12cm Kitchen knife would be my choice. Along with the Knife Sharpener.

I might well have tripled your budget though...

mpledge52 said:
I don't need anything fancy, just something that wont rust or go blunt straight away. Not really sure how much I should be looking at, perhaps under £40?
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Christ, rust? I'd bloody hope not.

Go blunt? Depends on how you look after them and what chopping board you're using. Wood or plastic being preferably, glass and slate being the work of the devil himself.
 
You need to be careful with a steel, you can ruin a good knife if you are not careful, practice on a cheaper knife.

Websites such as Wusthof and Kin say you should never swipe the same side of the blade in succession.
 
My best advice is to go to a cook shop and hold some different knives to see what you like. Brands to look out for are Global, Whustof, Henckel and I.O. Shen.

The best way to properly look after a knife, is to use a whetstone to sharpen it and a decent steel to maintain the edge.

To start out get a chefs knife and a paring knife and see what else you need when it comes to it. Avoid ceramic knives too.

It can be an expensive initial purchase, but will give you years and years of joy, especially if you are serious about cooking.
 
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