[fatkid2000]

I'm in the market for a new set of knives.

Just looking for some recommendations from the trendy cooks on here.

I got a global cooks knife for Christmas - which is really good - much better than my others.
I also got a wusthof paring knife. which also seems equally good ( but heard reports they blunt really quickly)

I'm thinking of buying a couple more as I seem to need at least 3 when having a cooking session.
I kind of thought global knives were all hype but am actually pretty impressed.

Any other suggestions would be great before I spend any cash.

[GCW]

Personally I prefer Wusthof to Global, just the feel of things really.

[butters]

Wusthof all the way for me - lovely things to use and as long as you know how to use a Steel then you can keep an edge on them no problem but that is true for any knife not just Wusthof.

Never handled a Global knife so no opinion on them but if they are the ones that I am thinking of (the ones with the metal handles) then I have an entirely irrational dislike of them.

There is another thread here discussing such things as well.

Oh and buy a Wusthof Bread Knife - goes through bread like a laser! 

[fatdoc]

my wusthofs need very frequent sharpening, compared to my old le cruset set.

the handles and feel are lovely.

I'd buy again.

[lukeh]

I'd not go for another global, after the g4 oriental knife being my main knife for quite a while.



Whilst the steel itself is great (sharpness etc) I didn't get on with the handle at all. I found my hand would slide down the handle with my index finger resting on the bottom of the blade, which would get very uncomfortable after a while. Looking at other global handles I can see this being a problem that would transfer.

Sorry for the lack of positive endorsements, my plan is to go to somewhere like http://www.kitchenscookshop.co.uk/ and have play/stare at knives for a few hours!

[fried]

My best Christmas present this year was a Wusthof classic ikon 16" cook's knife (obviously bought by me). I really don't know how I've managed to cook all these years without one, absolutely beautiful to hold. In the first couple of weeks it even led to arguements about who got to slice the onion.

I also like sharpening knives, it make me look like a real man in the kithchen

[fatkid2000]

I do prefer the handle on my wusthof especially if my hands are greasy or wet. So I think looking at their more positive reviews these may win.

The other advantage of these is my local kitchen gadget shop (Abbot's) stock Wusthof.

[Ruarl]

I had a look at the knives in John Lewis'. The John Lewis own brand ones cost a fraction of the "pro" knives, and have similar profiles to the blades. I have no problem keeping mine sharp enough to cut tomatoes with very little pressure, with a sharpening every fortnight or so.

[Dutch]

I use Robert Welch knives. Pretty sharp and the handle sits well nice in the hand. Also try the David Mellor knives from the metal work place in hathersage. Very nice and quality steel.

[TobyD]

Also try the David Mellor knives from the metal work place in hathersage. Very nice and quality steel.

had one for years. Brilliant.

[moodyboy]

I bought a number of  the FA porsche 301.....for an elderly in- law and having used them several types can say they are superb.

http://www.chromaknives.co.uk/item/111/136/type-301-designed-by-fa-porsche/p-1-24-cm-chef-s-knife/


very trendy

[horn]

My knives are a bit mix and match, but I was reluctant to splash out on a whole set then decide I didn't like it. Used a lot of different knives over the years so I'm quite anal about these things.

This is what I have at the mo:

Global Deba - single sided blade cuts very accurately, but has to be sharpened on a whetstone which ain't a bad thing at home but a pain in the arse for pro use, when a normal blade and a  few strokes on a steel throughout the day is much more convenient. Handle can get slippy and is a little on the small side for my massive hands (I've had serious blisters on my forefinger from where it rests on the blade).  Beautiful balance though.

Kin Kobe Petty - they're 'Kin sharp  - classic japanese knife, the blade is handmade folded carbon steel, you can see the folds in it, looks stunning, like a wood grain. Easy to sharpen to a razor edge(whetstone only, no steels near this baby) but you've got to look after it, keep it clean, dry and oiled or it will rust. Minor rust can just be scoured off mind. Handle is large, simple and comfortable, balance is good. Probably should have got the Santoku instead of the Petty for better knuckle clearance, but I'm very happy with this one.

Kin chef boning knife - one piece stainless filleting knife, flexible blade. Similar to global but with much better handles - larger and a lot less slippy.

Victorinox tomato knife - little plastic handle serrated blade - this knife is fucking amazing!!! costs about £4 and usually the first knife I reach for for general veg prep and delicate stuff. Bitch to resharpen, consider them disposable.

Opinel no.8 or is it no.10? Great for camping, stainless blade is much easier to look after. Can finely dice an onion in 30 secs using the back of a frisbee as a chopping board.

Used to have a 10" Sabatier with a very heavy blade which was great for hacking through bone and not much else. Shite handles though, left me with more blisters than an afternoon on x-videos. Quite glad I've lost it now.


Other things I've used over the years:

Henckels four star - decent stainless blades but horrible handles

Victorinox are excellent value, sharpen them daily cos once they lose their edge its hard to get back. Fibrox handles are comfy and easy to look after, even in a dishwasher  . Rosewood handles are nice too.

Shun Kaji - Oh my gosh these are the Kingdingaling. Best knife I've ever had the pleasure of using, although I only had it in my hands for an hour or so. Perfect balance seem solidly made and really nice handles.

Whatever you get, make sure you have a decent steel or better, a stone with guide rails and sharpen little and often - its easier to gently hone the blade than get a blunt knife properly sharp, especially if you've gone for a stainless blade. Get a block or wrap to keep them in, don't let them rattle around your cutlery draw.

[fatdoc]

 

[SamT]

For what its worth - I've just got a couple of the David Mellor knives - Black Handle... (I know, I know its what the range is called)

Best knife I've ever handled, but I'm not exactly Hung Huynh. Worth checking them out in the 'Sheffield Shop' on eccy road.  Hand made in Hathersage so supporting local business and all that.

[butters]

Now this "no steel" rule seems to be rather odd to me - I was a butcher for 10-12 years and so it seems perfectly natural to me to straighten an edge (which is pretty much what a steel does) on a knife rather than stone it every time which was a weekly job. The knives I was using were preferably Sani-Safe (if I could get them) as the carbon content was higher which had its pluses and minuses (better edge but more brittle) and overall were a far better knife than either a Taylors Eye or even worse Victorinox in that situation.

As for sharpened on one side blades - no thanks! I want a knife I can whetstone myself as opposed to something like that.

Also I am in the process of resurrecting this poor old thing that someone gave me...


Dirty Chopper by blue-brad, on Flickr

1960's I think and a lovely piece of kit but badly treated. I think I am going to have to go back to the 120 grit to remove the rest of the pitting on it but it is a hell of a lot better than it was - so far it has been given a good going over with some 120 and then flatted with some 320 wet and dry. Once I get it to a stage where I am happy with it then I will spend a fair bit of time on it with some 600 wet and dry and then maybe down to 1000 to hide the "repair work" as  best I can. 

[horn]

Personally I find it much easier to get a knife truly sharp on a whetstone than a steel, mainly because you can keep the blade at a constant angle all the time. With a normal knife you can clip on a guide rail to keep that angle correct. With a single bevelled knife you only sharpen the flat side (which is usually slightly concave), flipping it over for a few strokes at the end to take the burr off.

With a steel every stroke will have a slight change in angle, leading to a gradual rounding off over time. Off course the blade will still be sharp enough, but not as sharp as it could be.

In practice, if the knife is being used constantly, all day every day, you'll get a bit pissed off with having to get the stone out everday, and a steel will do a reasonable job. Now that I'm not cooking everyday I prefer the stone.


Good luck polishing your rusty chopper!

[fatdoc]

i will never stop being amazed with the diversity and depth of knowledge on this forum.

a true forum....

I learn so much from here... cheers peeps!

[fatkid2000]

As often happens on this forum some great knowledge on a fairly abstract subject comes about.

AS Horn recommended - I bought a Victorinox serrated tomatotoe knife. For £4.20 its amazing. May have to have a look at his other recommendations now.

[robertostallioni]

Dexter knows.

Big fuck-off shiny ones.....
The less noise they make the more likely we are to use them.

[Johnny Brown]

Not got beyond John Lewis' own and Sabatier in the kitchen, but for camping I've got a couple of Kuhn Rikon knives that are absolutely brilliant, and cheap to boot. Plastic sheath for packing, and non-stick sides to the blade for easy cleaning. Wicked sharp obvs.

[underground]

I have to admit to not liking waterstones because I've never got to the stage of consistency in use to get an even edge. My steeling always seemed to take lumps out of the edge of my Richardson sabatier knives (cheap and cheerful but I'm prepared to share them with my wife who doesn't take care of things as a rule)

So I opted for a Spyderco Sharpmaker which helps keeping a consistent angle.

What I found with the cheaper blades is that the machine ground edge is a bit fat due to them grinding two bevels, makes it sharp enough at first but it's soon dull and it's a twat to set the angle again. So I zip tied fairly aggressive grit wet and dry paper onto the stones and took it down properly. I find a bit of polish on the ceramic stone is enough to keep a decent working edge especially when stropped on my jeans.

May be stating the obvious but avoid using glass etc. chopping boards as they'll dull an edge sharpish. Wood or plastic us better

[fried]

My butcher also told me not to cut onions with a decent chefs' knife but to use a serrated knife instead, onions are apparently like paper for scissors.

And the name Sabatier has no legal status and as such is meaningless, you can buy any number of cheap ones. To get a decent one you need to get one that comes from a proper maker in Thiers, I believe Sabatier K is O.K  but you'd need to do some research to make sure you end up with the real thing.

[underground]

Yup, my knives are definitely of no pedigree.

[Jim]

My butcher also told me not to cut onions with a decent chefs' knife but to use a serrated knife instead, onions are apparently like paper for scissors.

this makes no sense
serrated knifes are good for sawing action or drag-cutting, not good for cutting up onions IMO

[fried]

I agree with you, but onions do blunt knives quickly. I think she gave me this advice because I used to get her to sharpen my knives before I learned to do it myself.