Spion said:
I've read back through the thread and all you've said is things like, 'oh, you'd know if you'd used one'. You have failed to give me one good reason why I should spend 15-20 times more on a knife.
*sigh*
Right. You'll only accuse me of being subjective, but just to show willing...
If you have a good knife - that probably means anything from a Sabatier upwards - you'll quickly notice two things about it.
The first is that it will take an edge in a way that cheaper knives just can't manage. I have a £20 John Lewis Sabatier-style knife (in stainless steel). I can sharpen that until the cows come home, but the sharpness of that knife is always a long way off what I'd achieve when I sharpen the £40 Global. That's just how it is - it'll be to do with the type and quality of the steel. If I only had the JL knife, I'd probably be quite happy with it, but I'd probably carry a lot more scars on my hands where it slips off stuff when I'm cutting.
The second is how well it holds that edge. The other thing about the JL knife is that it needs resharpening pretty much every time I use it: the edge I get on it - such as it is - doesn't last any time at all. Sure, if I want to brandish the knife around like an axe, it does the trick. The Global (or, for that matter, my little plastic-handled Victorinox veggie knife) will hold the edge for a good week or two's regular use, especially now I've prevailed on Ms Pembrokestephen to get rid of the glass chopping board
.
The difference between using a second-rate knife and a really good one, in my view, is the difference between watching carefully that the knife isn't going to skid off whatever you're cutting, or needs pressure to get it to cut, and knowing that when you put that blade on something and move it, it's going to cut exactly where you want it to, not slip half a centimetre into the side of your finger and THEN start cutting. There's a "bite" that a decent edged knife gives you when you start to cut that you just don't get with an inferior one. When you're chopping 4 onions, or want a solid blade to slap down just so on your garlic to loosen the skin, you don't want to be faffing around with some plastic-handled lightweight thing that can't actually take an edge.
Spion said:
Once again, I'm not a chef, I don't cook for 8 hours a day, my knife is sharpened regularly and cuts well in general use. I don't dispute that expensive knives are better made of better quality steel that takes a sharper edge that maybe stays sharper longer. What I'm saying is that for people cooking in the home the extra outlay is not worth it and to say you simply must have these or those 50+ quid knives is snobbery.
I'm not a professional chef, either, far from it. I don't cook for 8 hours a day. I cook for fun, and because I like food and its preparation. And, for me, part of the fun of that experience is having tools I can enjoy using. That means knives that cut reliably, feel comfortable (well, actually, the Global isn't "comfortable", but it's balanced and a good weight), and perhaps even look good. It's my money I spend when I buy those tools, whether it's knives or saucepans, and I'm happy to spend it. I know that, with the level of use I give it, that Global will outlast me. I'm happy that that's the case. It's not snobbery - it's the enjoyment of a bit of quality.
If you're happy with your three quid ASDA knife then that's great, and I really don't know why you're reacting so defensively to those of us who are saying that we like decent (okok, expensive) cutlery. Maybe you have different priorities: perhaps your sound system is out of this world, or maybe you collect fine art. Good luck to you: I don't have an out of this world sound system, or any fine art, but I do like nice cooking equipment.
And slinging round unfounded accusations of snobbery isn't exactly live-and-let-live, is it?
