Good knives?

kdean · 4 August 2007 at 7:57AM

I have some Sabatier knives and they are much better than anything else I have tried. I could not afford to buy the whole lot in one go and Boots were (at the time, don't know if they still do) selling them individually. I saved up boots points and bought them one at a time, this was all before I even moved out of my parents house, I started collecting as soon as I knew I was going to move in with my (now) husband. I did also buy the sharpening steel to match and although I had never used one before, I did find it quite easy to get the hang of and 5 years later they are all still as good as new.

Swan_2 · 4 August 2007 at 8:57AM

vixtress wrote: »

i am thinking about getting some new knives i was going to get a sabatier set but i have read some less than great reviews.
i will spend up to about £100.
any recomendations ?

as some of the others have said, spend as much as you can afford, you'll get decent knives for your £100, but you don't need lots of different ones. I only have an 8" cook's knife & a 5" cook's knife & they do everything I want (have a slotted peeler too, and an ancient but sturdy bread knife, but don't think they really count) but of course what you buy depends on what you cook
also agree with the others that you need to handle a knife before you buy, what feels good & well-balanced to one person may not to the next

it constantly amazes me the number of kitchens I go into where people have spent tens of thousands making the place look good, but have a set of '20-for-a-fiver' knives with dangerous wobbly blunt blades that will barely cut butter

the thing about Sabatiers is that there are Sabatiers & there are Sabatiers ... someone told me this a long time ago, but I'd never really looked into it till your question piqued my interest & I did a bit of Googling & found some interesting information at Yahoo Answers some of it's a bit long-winded, but does seem to suggest that just about any manufacturer can call their knives Sabatier, possibly to do with the way the knife is made? for instance, search for Sabatier on Amazon & you'll get results showing at least 4 different manufacturers
also have a look at Sabatier.com FAQ

anyway enough waffle from me, there's lots of good advice in the previous posts

happy knife hunting

dwhl · 4 August 2007 at 9:13AM

hi there,
agree with what people say about the knives....don't buy a cheap one...you'll end up regretting it.

more importantly is to sharpen it properly...
found a video which demonstrates how to sharpen it
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/get_cooking/ (click on launch cooking)
then click on a-z index
then click on "K"
then click on "knives, sharpening knives"

hope that helps someone
david

Swan_2 · 4 August 2007 at 9:27AM

many thanks for that dwhl :T

I've always been really picky about my knives, but in the past have had to ask a man to sharpen them for me (hangs head in shame)

independence here I come!

dannahaz · 4 August 2007 at 9:46AM

You should hold the knives before you buy them. See how they feel in your hand, both weight and balance wise. Imagine working with them - how do they feel for doing their job.

It's usually cheaper to buy a set, but you might find you end up with knives you don't need or use. I have an assortment of knives from different manufacturers, I git what felt right for the job. I have some made my Global, one made by a trendy japanese knife maker (Kin Knives I think), and I also have a cheap kitchen devil knife which has lasted well.

Mine are stored on a magnetic knife rack, which is much better than a block as I can see which knife is which - and I don't care that they don't match. They aren't ornaments, after all!

Good luck with your search!

divorcingjack · 4 August 2007 at 10:47AM

We have a set of Globals and I have found them fantastic so far. Nice and light, although really well balanced. I can personally attest that they are EXTREMELY sharp - I went to pick it up and accidentally squeezed my thumb really lightly against the blade and got a very painful and deep cut for my troubles!

They look nice too!

dj

Crazychik · 4 August 2007 at 11:35AM

As an ex chef, I always use (and nothing else but) sabatier & victorinox.

I have 1 of each chef knives
1 of each paring knife

amongst other knives I keep in my briefcase, these are the main ones I use.
Ive had them for nearly 16yrs now, and still going strong!

stepbar · 4 August 2007 at 1:14PM

Just bought a set of Wustof knives after an instore demo. They were very expensive, but well worth it.

The trick is to ALWAYS run the knife over a steel before EVERY use - two or three swipes is all it takes to keep the knives completely sharp.

And to backup what's been said above, paying more for a set of quality knives really is worth it. You'll never get the same edge on a cheap knife, it won't last, won't feel as good, be tiring to use etc.

A good way to check for a good knife? If you can slice a whole tomato into more than 20 wafer thin slices with ease, it's a good knife!

jfdi · 4 August 2007 at 1:32PM

As OH is a chef I have MANY knives at my disposal - but I find the best ones for regular kitchen use - veggies etc - are the cheap ones I've bought in the markets in Spain / Portugal! NOT off the 'kitchen' stalls but either from the hunting or specialist knife stalls. So if you're off on hols soon.......

My carving knife & bread knives are jumble sale buys from when I first married, No idea of the make - one's got a plastic handle, one bone (or bone style!) - they're brilliant, and I got them coz they 'felt' right - & I knew OH could sharpen them.

HTH

A

odds-n-sods · 5 August 2007 at 8:20AM

if you'd like to look here - https://www.nisbets.co.uk for knives - the victorinox are good and a good price.

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