New kitchen knife

bushmins · 27 Dec 2011 at 13:04

I remember there being a few fellow cooks here. Im after a new kitchen knife, nothing over £20. My old one was one of the 'never have to sharpen' type and ive been using my steel on it ever since i got it!

What i have found is fairly unique with my current knife is that its just under 9" long and i have not been able to find another from all the normal house hold places that has that length.

I have a load of Amazon vouchers so would be good if i could get some ideas from there.

psd99 · 27 Dec 2011 at 13:09

world's sharpest knife?

Glaucus · 27 Dec 2011 at 14:57

Sounds like you have a carving knife.
To big really, but if that's what you want, for that price range look at

http://www.hartsofstur.com/acatalog/Stellar_Sabatier_Knives.html

8" £21 10" £29

I get around · 27 Dec 2011 at 15:27

psd99 said:
world's sharpest knife?

Worlds s***test knife, those are awful.

£20 isn't a lot for a knife tbh, you always have to sharpen a knife "never have to sharpen" and "worlds sharpest" are just lies.

For £20 the best you'll do is victorinox, get a decent wetstone to keep it sharp a steel doesn't sharpen, it hones.
Try this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Victorinox-Chefs-Knife-Broad-Blade/dp/B000IAZC3W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324999436&sr=8-1
I shouldn't think it'll be the best knife out there, probably a bit light and not great balance but you won't get better on that money.

Staffy50 · 27 Dec 2011 at 15:42

I am using a ceramic knife atm which i think are unbeatable. Pretty damn sharp, hardly any maintenance needed.

It was made Black rock i'll link you up when i find it!

EDIT: well I found the site, but I got my set on a massive discount. If you look around you should find one cheaper..

Glaucus · 27 Dec 2011 at 15:45

Are people missing the fact he wants to spen £20 and a 9" knife.

Also cermic is not a good universal knife they are brittle and should not be used on things like bone, also the chance of getting a sharp one for £20 is pretty much impossible.
I got a cheap one and it's terriable.
Closest black rock do is 7" at £70

Staffy50 · 27 Dec 2011 at 15:51

I must be lucky with the set I got then...

There a few on Amazon for £20-30 with positive reviews. If he keeps his old knife for bone, crushing etc then he can use the sharp ceramic on slicing meat and vegetables easily...

alexakasloth · 27 Dec 2011 at 20:58

Stellar Sabatier, have had this chefs knife for the last two years and I have been pleased with it for the price (around 25-30 pounds).

[edit] Or as Glaucus has linked!

I get around · 28 Dec 2011 at 10:28

All due respect people on amazon generally don't know what to look for in a good knife and they're just happy to have one which is sharp for a while. I've seen people say "kuhn rikon" are the best in the world, they're very sharp out of the box for a £5 knife but they go blunt within 5 minutes and are light as anything.
Whether a knife stands up to the myriad of proper technique and stays sharp for a long time is another thing, reviews don't mean a lot.

Had cheap ceramic knifes, naff, no weight and it wasn't very sharp and it's not like I can regrind the bevel because it's ceramic.
If knives are being sold at huge discounts they're usually fakes, I've bought a fake ham slicer before, supposed to be global but theres no way it actually is.

DcD · 28 Dec 2011 at 14:55

Save up some more money and get a set, will see you a lot longer and you'll be able to do a lot more with it!

I have a set of Tojiro knives, I care for them like they were my child.

Jolteh · 28 Dec 2011 at 17:25

Another recommendation for a Victorinox Fibrox.

Read around, they're the most widely recommended knives for good value for money (they're called Forschner Fibrox in America). They're also pretty widely used in commercial kitchens.

You can get em cheaper than they are on Amazon, but I guess if you've got vouchers to use it's as good a place as any.

DcD · 29 Dec 2011 at 00:16

Jolteh said:
Another recommendation for a Victorinox Fibrox.

Read around, they're the most widely recommended knives for good value for money (they're called Forschner Fibrox in America). They're also pretty widely used in commercial kitchens.

You can get em cheaper than they are on Amazon, but I guess if you've got vouchers to use it's as good a place as any.

Another +1 for Victorinox, I dont actually own any but I do know someone who does. Used their fillet knife a few times for some pretty big trout, nice knife. Definitely one of the better budget brands.

bushmins · 29 Dec 2011 at 00:58

There was one other thing that i have got use to with my current knife. The end of the knife (not the tip end!) is machined blunt for about 8mm, not sure why but i have got use to it, i bought a new knife years ago and it was sharp right to the end and i couldnt get used to it at all. What are the chances of finding another that is like this?

ZXSpectrum · 29 Dec 2011 at 01:18

Sorry to jump in... Can peeps recommend me a good knife set for all round cooking with a lot of fresh meat preparation? I am not a skilled chef by any means so a budget of about 60 quid maybe a bit more with some good steak knives would be nice. I too have some amazon vouchers I would like to use so preferable but not 100% required.

Jolteh · 29 Dec 2011 at 03:54

bushmins said:
There was one other thing that i have got use to with my current knife. The end of the knife (not the tip end!) is machined blunt for about 8mm, not sure why but i have got use to it, i bought a new knife years ago and it was sharp right to the end and i couldnt get used to it at all. What are the chances of finding another that is like this?

Maybe you should look into buying a santoku instead of a chef's knife, sounds a bit more like what you're describing.