Quality Knife Set

Orm

Orm

Orm

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10 Jan 2006
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Entering the domain of becoming a professional chef.

Does anyone have recommendations of a fantastic knife set to buy?
 
Depends on your budget, Victorinox would be fine for work. Good knives, cheap and easy to keep sharp.

I prefer the rosewood handled ones, they're lighter than the fibrox/plastic handled ones.
 
Go for ones with the bolster ground down to the blade so you can make a full cut.

Mine are Wusthof 'Le Cordon Bleu' and they're great. But then it's the only decent set I've used, which is true of many (lots of people will just recommend the brand they've got) and therein lies the problem with asking people for recommendations.

My mum has a set of Globals and they're truly awesome, but don't have that classic look. Depends what you want really.
 
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The standard advice is to get yourself down to John Lewis / other large department store / equivalent where they have a range of knives from different manufacturers and try them out for size, shape and weight. Only you can recommend yourself a knife set.

I like Global knives, but many people find them too light. They also lack a bolster and guard, which is a matter of personal preference. Personally, I'd avoid knives with a guard, as it prevents really smooth use of a whetstone. On the subject of whetstones, buy yourself a decent set. The knives and everything you need to keep them in top condition won't come cheap as a package, so factor this in.

If you prefer, buy them online when you've decided, but be EXTREMELY careful you're not buying forgeries. If the deal's too good to be true, it almost certainly is.
 
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Orm said:
Entering the domain of becoming a professional chef.

Does anyone have recommendations of a fantastic knife set to buy?
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If you're cheffing professionally you won't need a set of decent knives as you'll soon find they get lost, damaged, borrowed by other chefs, used to open cans and generally abused.

Get a few decent knives (paring, utility, chef's and possibly boning/filleting) for use at home and a set of the plastic-handled cheap ones from Nisbets for work.

I've rarely sat foot in a professional kitchen where the chefs brought their own knives to work with them. If you did that in most places you'd be laughed at.
 
glitch - was going to ask why proper chefs never seem to use expensive branded knives in the kitchen. Same question for butchers. Looks like you answered my question :p
 
Butchers always seem to have the sharpest ****ing knives going. Even though they look like cheap plastic tat, they glide through pork skin like butter.
 
Jonny69 said:
glitch - was going to ask why proper chefs never seem to use expensive branded knives in the kitchen. Same question for butchers. Looks like you answered my question :p
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I guess it really comes down to the restaurant in question and the chefs themselves.

Some kitchens/chefs will be 'sponsored' by various brands and get given as many knives as they want at cost (or whatever the deal) in order for them to promote said brand - posh knives in professional kitchens are mainly for show.

Others will just use the 'cheap' plastic-handled knives that are common in most restaurant kitchens as they are easily replaceable and it doesn't matter if they get knackered.

That being said, I've been in gastropub and cookery school kitchens with top-end branded knives and Michelin-starred places who use knives bought from the local supermarket and use them until they lose their edge.

As we know, the more you use a knife the quicker it loses its edge and the more you have to sharpen it. And the more you sharpen it the more metal gets lost and eventually that means it's new knife time.

If you can afford to get a new £180 Tojiro Senkou every time that happens, that's what you get, but most will stick with the cheaper option.

Robbie G said:
Butchers always seem to have the sharpest ****ing knives going. Even though they look like cheap plastic tat, they glide through pork skin like butter.
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Probably due to them not giving a toss about their knives. They'll butcher (pardon the pun) the blade to give the best cutting edge and then replace it when it wears down.
 
I use a mix of Kasumi knives and stuff my wife brings home when she visits home. They are good no doubt, but i'd not use them if someone else had access to them.
 
When i worked at the butchers, wednesday afternoon used to be knife sharpening day. We used to mainly use Victorinox 6-8" boning & 10-12" steak knives (as seen here http://www.scobiesdirect.com/KnifeChart.asp ) and cleavers. Sharpening used to consist of using one of these http://www.scobiesdirect.com/ItemInfo.asp?ItemDesc=Whetstone+Knife+Grinding&ItemNo=WH00001 until you got the edge required (looking for one single fluid motion across the stone) followed by a fine sharpening stone and then a couple of rubs on a steel. Then just general steel rubbing to to keep the edge on them.

If you werent careful with the grinding machine you could easily destry a knife. Boning knifes used to last around 6-8 months before they were too thin to use or sharpen easily, steak knifes got replaced most years. Cleavers lasted for ages.
 
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Search for "knife" in this forum and you will get hundreds of threads about knives, this question must get asked monthly.
 
Edward01 said:
Not a fan personally, mainly because I find them almost impossible to grip / use if your hands are wet.
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I've found them to be above average in that respect - you seem to get a little suction effect between your wet skin and the dimples on the handles.

kefkef said:
If you werent careful with the grinding machine you could easily destry a knife.
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I've just checked out some videos of that thing in action - you're not kidding, are you?!
 
Robbie G said:
My mum has a set of Globals and they're truly awesome, but don't have that classic look. Depends what you want really.
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Having worked in a kitchen for some time I've used a lot of knives and Globals are average at best, really uncomfortable but decent blades.

You want something cheap, easy to keep sharp and comfortable for working in a kitchen, the Victorinox are pretty much ideal for this at £10-25 a piece.

Robbie G said:
Butchers always seem to have the sharpest ****ing knives going. Even though they look like cheap plastic tat, they glide through pork skin like butter.
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Swibos, usually. Although it's more a case of honing/sharpening them after every use than the knife being that amazing. But again they're pretty good and cheap.
 
You'll want a carbon steel knife. As opposed to stainless steel. You can hone carbon edges far better than stainless steel. It'll also remain sharper for longer than a stainless blade. The downside is they require more maintenance to keep rust free than stainless.
 
Not a professional chef in the slightest however I do enjoy cooking and will do the family meal most nights.

I was fortunate in that my wife bought me a full set for Christmas a couple of years ago. They are great knives but I take care of them and have a proper whetstone for keeping them sharp.

I dont expect to replace them for a long time yet as I have the full range to use and alternate between them.
 
I'm biased because I work in a shop that sells them and have had them demo'd to me but Robert Welsh's signature range is fantastic, german steel with a japanease edge. Was much more impressed with them than the equivilant global demo, even though global are much more pricey.
 
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