I want good Chefs Knives

[dirtysanta]

Im looking for a set for my kitchen. They must be extremely durable and very sharp. I dont want to buy any shit. But i know nothing. Can anyone enlighten me as a to a good brand.

Cheers

 

[spanglechick]

it's approaching a cliche, but sabatier are the dog's.

half price sets here - £150

 

[Ms T]

Global are great, but fearsomely expensive. A good, cheaper option is Victorinex.

 

[Madusa]

Global knives are quite good too.

e2a - fuck too slow!

 

[H.Dot]

Global are great, but fearsomely expensive.

but they pay for themselves over the years. I have two, which I bought six years ago; I've never even thought of buying anything else since. Except maybe more Global knives.

 

[tarannau]

There are so many types of Sabatier though that I'd hesitate to recommend them. I had some excellent Lion Sabatier carbon knives once, but I've also used some awful <insert different name here> Sabatier blades in the past.

If you're a home chef I'd strongly recommend some Japanese style vanadium/molbendum steel blades - a kind of superhard stainless steel that tends to hold its edge longer, useful if you're not dedicated with your sharpening stone. I really rate Globals, which I've used for the last 6-7 years - they're beautifully balanced, razor sharp and very collectible...but also costly.

They're also lack a bit of heft (imo) if you're cooking commercially and chopping large quantities I reckon you're on safer ground with more traditional blades - I'd recommend Gustav Emil Erns, Wurtzhof or Henckels as good alternatives.

Get thee to a cooking shop and get a feel for the different ranges. They're such a long lasting investment that it's worth checking.

 

[sheothebudworths]

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8404914/Trail/C%24cip%3D43106.Kitchen%2Band%2Blaundry%3EC%24cip%3D43137.Kitchenware%3EC%24cip%3D43149.Knife%2Bblocks.htm




<prepares next post ahead of time>


I knew you'd say that tarannau....

 

[moose]

Personally I don't like Globals - they're too big for my hands. I like Henckel and Wusthof.

 

[Jenerys]

My ex landlord had managed to break one of his global knives wtf

 

[sheothebudworths]

((( moose )))

 

[Fruitloop]

All the names mentioned so far are great - Global, Sabatier, Wustof etc. The main thing with the brands that make various grades of knife (like Sabatier) is how the knives are made, as they can either be stamped out of sheets of steel or molded. Knives that have been made by pouring the steel into a mold will hold an edge longer and won't break, but they're also more expensive.

BTW, you don't really need a huge set - a decent chef's knife, a paring knife and a cleaver is a decent enough set to start off with. You can get all that other stuff like corers etc as and when you need them, and the quality probably isn't so important as you won't use them nearly as much.

 

[dirtysanta]

Cheers

 

[tarannau]

Globals aren't invulnerable - a housemate managed to take a big chunk out of the blade trying to hack through a lamb bone with my poncey carving knife. I wasn't too impressed at the time, but it all worked out.

That said I fucked a Henckels 5 Star knife on a block of cheese once. You can just be unlucky....

 

[subversplat]

Globals are good. I used my cheffy mate's set and they just fit perfectly in my (normal sized) hands and handle awesomely

But they're too pricey! I couldn't justify spending that much money on something that'll spend half its time acting as a can opener

 

[tarannau]

But they're too pricey! I couldn't justify spending that much money on something that'll spend half its time acting as a can opener

Aargh. The thought of that alone makes me wince. You kind of grow attached to your knives after a while. Can't you just buy a can opener?



Does anyone know the deal with Sabatier btw? Why are there so many Sabatier brands and why are they so variable? I don't think some of them are knock-offs, but they almost seem to outsource or franchise the name out.

 

[pembrokestephen]

Global are great, but fearsomely expensive. A good, cheaper option is Victorinex.

Global good.

Knife sets...save your money, and buy two, MAYBE three really good knives instead. It's like having a bigger kitchen

 

[Shandril19]

Personally I don't like Globals - they're too big for my hands. I like Henckel and Wusthof.

That surprises me. I chose Global largely because they fit into my girly hands much better than any other brand.

I also really like that the handle seamlessly blends to the blade. Allows me to choke up on the blade if I want without any discomfort.

The Shun are nice too, but the handle is ergonomically designed for right-handers. Not that my left-handed dad had any trouble with them.

 

[trashpony]

All the names mentioned so far are great - Global, Sabatier, Wustof etc. The main thing with the brands that make various grades of knife (like Sabatier) is how the knives are made, as they can either be stamped out of sheets of steel or molded. Knives that have been made by pouring the steel into a mold will hold an edge longer and won't break, but they're also more expensive.

BTW, you don't really need a huge set - a decent chef's knife, a paring knife and a cleaver is a decent enough set to start off with. You can get all that other stuff like corers etc as and when you need them, and the quality probably isn't so important as you won't use them nearly as much.

I don't think I have ever in my life felt the need for a cleaver

I have two sabatiers which are pretty good - a big one and a little one. And a serrated little Kitchen Devil which is actually quite useful.

 

[Fruitloop]

Well, if you've ever broken a knife 'cos it wasn't strong enough for whatever you were cutting then you probably actually needed a cleaver. If not, maybe you just don't need to cut big things to cook. You can do cool stuff with them, though, like whacking whole chickens or ducks into bits, either before or after they're cooked, in a sort of Chinese restaurant style. They're a nice flat surface for crushing things, too.

 

[XerxesVargas]

I got a set of Global. They rock! Oh yes.

Stuff like that is the beinift of the wedding list - its almost worth getting married for the prezzies.

 

[kazza23]

Waitrose have good deals on Sabatier knifes at the moment. I bought 2 and they are lovely to use, and look nice too.

 

[pembrokestephen]

My ex landlord had managed to break one of his global knives wtf

Oh, you could do that OK. They're not indestructible.

I don't know what someone's been doing with MINE, but I've just had to put it to the grindstone to get an edge back on it...

But, apart from handling qualities, what marks out a good knife for me is its ability to take, but more importantly keep, an edge. The Global is incomparable versus my £20 Sheffield John Lewis job; I have no experience of Wusthof or Henckel, though they're highly spoken of.

 

[trashpony]

Well, if you've ever broken a knife 'cos it wasn't strong enough for whatever you were cutting then you probably actually needed a cleaver. If not, maybe you just don't need to cut big things to cook. You can do cool stuff with them, though, like whacking whole chickens or ducks into bits, either before or after they're cooked, in a sort of Chinese restaurant style. They're a nice flat surface for crushing things, too.

Nope - I've never broken a knife. My cutting tends to be a bit girly - I've cut a chicken up but I don't whack it

 

[chriswill]

I really don't like globals, posuers knives if you ask me.

They are difficult to keep sharp and a collegue of mine required about 30 stitches after he caught one on a bone and his hand slipped onto the heel of the knife.

I bought a set of Henckels when I qualified as a chef and have only ever replaced one in nearly 8 years now.

And they take some hammer.

 

[tendril]

my work knives are all different brands. Don't go out and buy a set of knives. Go out and buy one knife. One nice 10" cooks knife. Go for balance and feel in your hand. Ignore the brand, the top ones are much of a muchness. Then build up from there when you need to. You don't need to collect a set from the same brand, some of my knives are pretty much disposable, others are high quality, dependant on use.

But if I was going to go out and buy one nice general purpose knife I would go for something like

Tojiro DP Damascus 17cm Japanese chef's knife (santoku)

Price: £63

 

[sheothebudworths]

I'd never pay £63 for a knife (simply can't afford it), but blimey that's a sexy looking knife....


<fans face>

 

[Orangesanlemons]

Tendril gives good advice. Get one or two decent knives and leave it as that. Personally I find a well-sharpened plastic-handled standard restaurant kitchen knife will do the job as well as a 'brand' model. Unless you're a sushi master you probably won't find there's too much in it.
As far as Global go, I'd give them the thumbs-down. I used a set for 12 hours a day at one place and using a chopping action they dug into the palm of my hand so badly that I had to get rid of them. Agony, really badly-designed imo, although the blade was adequate.
Sharp blade, balanced, comfortable for your hand. That's the lot really...

 

[Skim]

I don't have loads of knives, and get by quite happily on my trusty bread knife (an American one, bought it years ago, have no idea of brand) and – until I lost it in my recent move – a small Sabatier. I do need a replacement, I miss that little thing.

 

[lyra_k]

I've got 2 really expensive knives (a big one and a small one, can't get more technical than that I'm afraid ), and although I do use them for cutting meat, for everything else I tend to fall back on my cheap and cheerful set-of-6 steak knives....slightly serrated (which seems to minimise resistance when cutting cheese and raw fruit/vegetables) and...I dunno, they're just always what I grab.

 

[aqua]

I buy (or rather they're bought for me ) Rosendhal knives, fucking wonderful things they are