Knives for cooking

I work in a kitchen shop and have demo'd a fair few, I'm hardly a pro chef or anything like that but we have a range of global knives and also robert welsh signature knives. The Robert Welsh ones are better imo, use german steel with a japanese edge and they just feel fantastic in the hand, lovely things.
 
Detroit_Waves said:
I wish I had a GCSE understanding. Which is why I said Im sure there are areas of law that would stop people from getting away with it. With your obvious higher understanding of the technical legalities involved....maybe you could tell us why legally in practice its definitely considered theft.

Just curious :D
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I think this used to be called theft by deception when I worked in retail, you could be prosecuted for it just by the act of changing the labels iirc. I think they changed it recently to fraud by something, probably misrepresentation.

On the subject of knives I could never get along with a set. I always find myself using favourites and even after getting a set, going out and buying a different knife to replace one because of the feel/balance/edge etc.
 
If you're looking for a paring knife then these are really cool:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kuhn-Rikon-...r_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1302724500&sr=1-3

My mum just bought three for £10.99 from homebargains (aka tk maxx). They do look like toys, but are actually really nice to use, and very sharp. They come with sleeves (as you can see in the picture) so are ideal for picnics. How well they sharpen remains to be seen as we've only had them for two days, but i'll let you know.

She also bought their chef's knife (about 7") which I havn't used but it feels a little light for me.
 
Cybermyk said:
I think this used to be called theft by deception when I worked in retail, you could be prosecuted for it just by the act of changing the labels iirc. I think they changed it recently to fraud by something, probably misrepresentation.
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It used to be covered by the Theft Act of 1968 but was repealed in 2006. The Fraud Act of 2006 came in and replaced it as you pointed out.

The importants parts are highlighted below :

Fraud by false representation

(1)A person is in breach of this section if he—

(a)dishonestly makes a false representation, and

(b)intends, by making the representation—

(i)to make a gain for himself or another, or

(ii)to cause loss to another or to expose another to a risk of loss.

(2)A representation is false if—

(a)it is untrue or misleading, and

(b)the person making it knows that it is, or might be, untrue or misleading.

(3)“Representation” means any representation as to fact or law, including a representation as to the state of mind of—

(a)the person making the representation, or

(b)any other person.

(4)A representation may be express or implied.

(5)For the purposes of this section a representation may be regarded as made if it (or anything implying it) is submitted in any form to any system or device designed to receive, convey or respond to communications (with or without human intervention).
 
Hunders said:
I'm looking into buying some decent knives because the one knife we have is shocking!

I've heard Global knives are good so had a quick look and found this set which seems pretty good as it is on offer.

Are there any other knives worth looking at?

Cheers.
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Unfortunately what always happens when someone asks about buying good quality cookings knives is a bunch of people harp on about Japanese knives (case and point for this thread).

Don't get me wrong, my knife set consists MAINLY of Globals, however, so many people go out and buy Japanese knives on the merit of their quality, ill-informed hype and popularity with 'enthusiasts'.

What you want to do, is head out to a decent cook shop (if you have one local, steamer trading cookshop is the best for this, who endorse a range of brands and styles for professional knives. You'll be looking for an opportunity to try out knives, particularly to assess their weight and feel in your hand and if they support your cutting style.

By way of example, a few years back I went out and bought an I.O Shen sashimi knife (which is a fantastic blade) but the knife simply doesn't work for my cutting style and it's ended up as £75 worth of knife sitting in the cupboard.

I for one, am a big fan of a Global as my larger cook's knife, whilst for paring jobs I use a Wusthof. You'll want to give consideration to how you use a chef's knife and how you use a smaller knife as a set may not be the best investment for you.

A lot of people take issue with the handle of a Global, if you're not cutting every day and you don't want to develop calluses on your hands, you may find it utterly uncomfortable. If you find you like the feel of a Japanese blade but the handle on Globals is too harsh for you, try seeing if an I.O Shen feels right for you.

I'd also suggest you try the feel of a Wusthof, Lion Sabatier or Henckels Chef's knife, if you check the balance in your hand, the tilt and balance point on your finger, you may prefer the feel.

If you're worried about sharpening options, don't worry and certainly don't listen to anyone who tells you you'll need whetstones, there are good rollers available for both knife types.

If anyone tries to tell you Japanese knives are shaper, simply don't listen to them, it's a common misconception. The mechanism for a Japanese blade relies on the fact that one edge is sharpened tall and the other thick; it is not an equal-angled blade. This means if you prefer a sliding motion, it will create an easier cutting action for you. Western knives are drop forged so can only be sharpened at equal angles on either side, but the actual fine point of the blade is sharper, however the style compliments a cutting style which involves dropping the blade.

Anyway, have a look at Global and I.O Shen, but please, don't make the mistake so many people do and buy knives that will simply give the impression of quality but don't compliment your style and have a look at German knives as well, because I bet half these people would have a better experience with a £20 Victorinox knife than an £80.00 Japanese knife..
 
-BA- said:
Is a whetstone absolutely necessary then? I would also like to invest in some good knives, although don't want to spend too much. Is a steel not enough?
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A whetstone is NOT necessary or advised.

For the same price as a full set of whetstones you can get a ceramic manual sharpener (rollers) producing the same effect.

For example with my globals I use a roller shaperner with 3 whetstone grades and my knives are as sharp now as they started 4 years ago.

A Steel isn't even relevant to sharpening; it will take nothing off the blade it will simply realign the particles to make the edge straighter. It's a temporary measure of maintaining the blade, not sharpening it.
 
shroomz said:
Nothing, just don't ever drop them.

I use Global knives (hand-me-downs from my chef Mum) and love them. What problems do people have with the handles?
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The one time i tried the Globals the handle seemed to be very small, my wife liked it, i didnt so i bought a Wusthof knife instead.

I love my Wusthof Knife....its a 14cm Classic cooks knife.
 
I love my Globals. Got a set from Costco for about £200 - a really good deal that they were still doing last time I was there. I've added some more individually after that. I've got big hands but dont find any of them too small and light - in fact I like the nimble and precise feel of them. And only the small dainty ones are small and dainty - my G17 and G12 are as big and weighty as you could want, and ideal for their respective tasks. I used to keep them sharp with whetstones (a two-sided fine/coarse one) but recently thought I'd give their minosharp plus thingy a go (a ceramic roller based device) and it does a great job in a fraction of the time/mess, though not quite the result I could get with the whetstone. Most global knives have symetrical blades, the difference between western blades being a longer more acute angle and thinner overall blade making them great for slicing. Only one of my Globals is the traditional Japanese-style sharpened one side only, for which I still use the whetstone. As above though, best to try some out and see what feels good.
 
I've got a lovely set of professional standard knives from a professioncal catering suppliers, they are lopvely to use, really nicely balanced and with lovely comfortable handles.

Also they are made of lovely hard steel and hold an amazing edge for a long time.

I use a Minosharp to keep the edge on them and they cut really well.

Best thing, they cost me 2 pence! My mum got them and gave them to me but for superstition reasons (I'm not really sure why) I had to give her money as you shouldn't give sharp things as gifts or something....
 
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