Knives recommendations please

[Littlemiss74]

I need a new set of knives as mine are ancient and rubbish. I have arthritis so doing any sort of food prep I find difficult so I’d like to buy a decent set that might make things a bit easier. I see there are different types for different tasks but what are the main most useful ones and is there an especially good make to look for? I’ve never done much proper cooking but I’d like to change this if I can.

The ikea 365 knives are great. getting a sharpener is a good idea. Everything is easier with a sharp knife.

if you have arthritis, getting a mini food processor to chop things is very helpful.

@SoggyPaper thank you I like the sound of the mini food processor, I will have a look at that

You can do almost everything with one excellent chef's knife. And then perhaps one smaller paring knife. I find that's all I really need.

It'll come down to personal preference I should think, but I find just using a good quality, 5 inch utility knife works well for most day to day stuff like filleted meat and veg (though nothing like a melon!). It's a nice size to handle easily, without being as small and fiddly as a paring knife. Having a full tang (where the steel that forms the blade runs the full length of the handle as well) feels sturdy and robust too.

I'll add in a proper chef's knife at some point too, though I'd find it a bit oversized to use for everything.

Serrated can be good for things like tomatoes, although a properly sharpened straight blade will work just as well. Similarly, Germans think we're mad for using serrated bread knives since they tug at the bread, and a sharpened straight blade will glide right through. Keeping them sharp will also cause less strain on your hands from trying to wrestle through things.

Very much not an expert, but some good brands are Wusthof, Zwilling J.A. Henckels, Global and Robert Welch. Not cheap, but expected to last for donkeys. Harts of Stur are usually good on prices if you want to have a peruse of different brands, and they run the gamut from "cheap as chips" to "sell a kidney".

In general I wouldn’t advise a set of knives, as invariably you won’t use all of them and so you’d be better putting your budget to fewer, better knives. I only use a paring/utility knife, a chefs knife and a bread knife. And I’m very much the opposite to notyour as I use my chefs knife for almost everything, and only use my utility knife occasionally. If you can, I’d see if I can go to a shop and handle the knives and see what feels good to you, as it’s so personal, just like my favourite pair of jeans might not suit you! Especially if you are arthritic, then feeling might be even more important.

Maintaining the knife is as important as buying a good one though. Hand wash only and towel dry immediately. If you can’t sharpen your knives, then I know some people’s butchers will do it for them.

I’ve got a chefs knife, a bread knife, a couple of santoku knives and a paring knife (all ikea). I almost never use the paying knife and use the santoku knives most often.

The key thing is keeping them sharp though. Everything is so much easier with a sharp knife. It will make an even bigger difference with arthritis in your hands.

Finding other ways to save chopping etc is really helpful. As well as getting a food processor to do it for you, buying things like frozen base mix (finely chopped onion, pepper and celery) makes a big difference. You can start so many meals with little or no chopping required.

I have a set of 5 global knives. Eye wateringly expensive and they are lovely to look at but I can't use them due to the arthritis in my hand. Honestly the best I've found up to now is a soft handled Taylor's knife. . I use it for everything apart from carving meat. I'll add a photo

Zyliss are very sharp and affordable. Don't put them in the dishwasher.

You don't really need a set of knives, just one or two. Maybe and chefs knife and a utility knife. I have 3 global knives, and sharpen them after every use.

Those that sharpen your knives regularly what knife sharpener you use/recommend?

I've used a steel and various sharpeners over the years, current kitchen devils one doesn't seem to be very effective

@Joyfulflowers The Chefknives subreddit is a great resource for knives (if a little intimidating!). There's a section here on keeping knives sharp and they don't recommend pull through sharpeners, which I think a Kitchen Devil is. The best way to sharpen a knife is with a whetstone and there are lots of videos on YouTube but . I find knife sharpening videos really quite calming actually. Top tips are to use a sharpie to colour in the edge so you know if you are sharpening in the right place, and to use a scale to try to gauge how much pressure you are actually applying to try to calibrate yourself.

Whether you should hone a knife is contentious, but I hone my knife a few times a week to maintain the edge. Lot of places will say that a honing rod just realigns the edge and doesn't remove any metal, but that't not true. I do find a difference though, especially if I've not done it for a while.

Don't buy a set. As some PPs have said, buy a couple: chef's knife; paring knife. My favourite brand is Global.

This

https://www.knivesfromjapan.co.uk/accessories-c11/-c81/minosharp-shinkansen-sharpener-black-red-p127/s127?utmsource=google&utmmmedium=cpc&utmterm=minosharp-shinkansen-sharpener-black-amp-red-sh-220-br&utmmcampaign=product%2Blisting%2Bads&cid=GBP&glCurrency=GBP&glCountry=GB&gclid=CjwKCAjwj42UBhAAEiwACIhADk0hhXIlk1T-Rd5y2xDaTj-RLajiTwyDQxWK3DLVAcgSq8cbwlDrTxoCrBQQAvD_BwE

Thanks for your replies, will watch that video and see if I think I can get to grips with a whetstone.

I've used a knife steel in the past but you do need to get the angle right.

My friend has Tower ones and they are literally on my list of things I need to acquire ASAP! They cut through a tomato like it's butter! I bought this expensive chef's knife a while back and it's not as good!