I want to buy a set of good quality kitchen knives as a house warming present. I had it in mind to get Sabatier (the ones from Thiers, France - not cheap imitations). So a couple of questions please. Do you think these are still a good buy or are there alternatives on the market which are as good/better? And can you recommend suppliers please as a quick look on Google was mind-blowing!
G x
Too many to choose from, but a thought:
I find that 'sets' frequently include knives that are seldom if ever used. I know that they are a gift package, but I would rather select shapes which I know are vital & handles which I know are comfortable.
Despite all my previous waffling about style & quality, my most used is a 6" £2 chef's knife.
OK, it has to be sharpened everytime it is used, but so.....??
Add a Chantry sharpener to make up the present!
I think the problem with buying a cheaper range of knives is that you constantly having to sharpen them as already mentioned added to which they tend to bend all over the place when cutting.
Ray swears by his kitchen devil professional, holds it's sharpness well, me..I just use whatever comes to hand..mind you, they are always sharp ;D
it all depends on what you are wanting to spend, having been a chef for many years i have a complete set of victorinox knives (about 30 types) with rosewood handles (cant be washed in a dish washer) and these are fantastic whether you are in a pro kitchen or home kitchen i also have a lot of sabatier and global knives, i like the global very very much and they are my main used knives now, very light, good feel and weight balance between blade and handle is first class and they sharpen like a dream. but its all down to how much you want to spend.
You have to sharpen all steel knives, whatever the quality!
My sharpest knife is a ceramic one which (almost) never needs sharpening & not just because it sits at the back of the drawer. For cutting you need the slight variations - a perfectly sharp edge isn't very good for most jobs!
A mate recently bought a Kasumi & he is in love with it!
we got some new knives about a year or so ago, and chose Henckles. Liked the weight, the feel, the design, the make etc. We bought them from a cook shop in Brighton, and their staff there were really helpful and explained the different qualities, the difference between European and Japanese knives etc. Maybe worth a try to pop into a shop and have a chat (even if you don't buy them there)?
1066
Great open-ended subject!
Not knocking expert advice, but I find Global very difficult to sharpen well, & slippery when wet.
I like Granton's range for great blade design & I like these for comfort....
And no real help, Georgie, but for spooky blades - Mogent Tichet Expert!
Tim your right its all down to personal preference and how the knife feels to the user so we can only give our own opinions and hope we give some opinions that people can make an informed decision of what they think would be most suited for who they are buying for ( I hope) :D
My most used knife appears to be made by "Stainless Steel", that well known manufacturer!
I don't know if Sabattier are still a good buy but OH got a roll at college in 1979 and we are still using them... even the small one which went in the water too often, and got thrown into the compost with the peelings... I use it on the lottie with the handle taped together..
I'm no expert, but Jean-Patrique often have good offers and the knives we've had from them have been good.
http://www.jean-patrique.co.uk/11/list.html (http://www.jean-patrique.co.uk/11/list.html)
Again, in the best of spirits - no!! Anyone constantly ofrfering £100 off a set of knives is hiding something? Isn't this a 'feel good' situation??
Difficult to sharpen & slippery to hold. Or is that just me??
Great weight for cutting cabbages in the field!
Tim you didnt fall for the Jean-Patrique marketing ploy did you :o
I'm a sucker for putting my toe into anyone's water!!
And, just thinking again - don't get a straight edged Bread knife - & do include a good Filleting knife.
And for carving - a really flexible one so you really feel the meat!
WOW, this is clearly a subject close to some people's hearts. Thanks for all your replies so far. :)
I'm looking to spend around £100 for, say, four to five knives. The person concerned is no 'master chef' so I'm thinking a carving knife, bread knife and two or three 'utility type' knives will probably do the trick.
Does that help?
G x
3" paring knife 6" chefs knife 10" chefs knife carving/bread knive are the main knives used everyday to day by almost anyone, you can get a very good brand of these knives for around £100.
try http://www.nisbets.co.uk/products/ProductCategory.asp?TopGroupCode=C2
I was really lucky and found a set of 8 Global knives at a car boot for £70!! included was the Sharpener and carving fork - having said that I still occasionally use my old knife that was my favourite and was on offer with BBC Food magazine about 10 years ago. I think it was Kitchen Craft.
Personally I wouldn't go for Sabatier now - I have about 5 of them still but they are not as good as they used to be. I still won't get rid of them though! I would look at individual knives - if you go to one of the good kitchen shops you should be able to get a selection. I would, personally, not get them a bread knife as not everyone uses them and prefers pre sliced bread - not me though - my bread knife is jprobably 50 years old with the old bone handle and still going strong!
O B
I am not at all sure that for a non-chef it is worth paying out a fortune for knives. I have had a cheapish set for many years and have also inherited (now unobtainable as new) sheffield stainless steel ones.
My best buy was in fact an electric knife sharpener because I can not use one of those rod steel things, I have tried and failed to sharpen a knife to the razor sharpness the sharpener does and I do use all of my knives all the time. Including a Chinese one with a blade on only one side. it depends on the job. and with a selection, I do not have to wash up the one used to chop onions or peel garlic so that I can chop some fruit with it.
My suggestion is to get a reasonable set and an electric knife sharpener to go with them.
I was told people cut themselves more often with blunt knives because they slip and need more pressure to cut through.
Most people just use a vegetable knife and one of those double sided serated ones and forget the rest. Sadly that means you are fretting about buying something which wont be used.
To avoid this I always take the boring option of giving money NEVER gift tokens because they are restricting. 00