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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Kitchen knife set?

8 replies

south345 · 29/12/2011 19:50

Can anyone recommend a good knife set please? Ours are awful so need new ones but not sure which to go for?

OP posts:
south345 · 29/12/2011 21:33

Anyone please?

OP posts:
pengymum · 29/12/2011 21:45

how much do you have to spend?
Best knives are the Global, Wusthof or Henkels ones but they are not cheap!
Can get good deals for starter set of 3 knives which will be good starting point. Buy a sharpening steel and you will have good set for most needs. Can add specialist knives as and when you need or can afford eg filleting knife or cleaver or carving set.

Good Starter Set

HTH

pengymum · 29/12/2011 21:48

sorry should read Henckels - also if you go for these, check to make sure is the genuine Henckels made in Germany NOT the looky likey cheaper version Henckels International brand which is not same quality and made in China.

PigletJohn · 31/12/2011 01:30

this is a good time of year to buy them - the christmas cooking season is just gone.

How much do you want to spend?

good knives are heavy. Pick up a few. If you look at a good one, you will see that the thickness of the blade is tapered both lengthwise - thick at the handle, thin at the tip - and depthwise - thick on the back, thin on the cutting edge.

better knives (think traditional old sabatier style) also have a full metal tang, in one piece with the blade, running right through the handle, with the plastic scales rivetted on, and a metal bolster at the end og the handle, made in one piece with the blade.

You will have to sharpen them sometimes, and steel them frequently.

The better, harder metals are not completely stainless so you will have to use a pan scourer on them to keep them bright. This is because true stainless is not as hard and does not keep such a good edge.

A set is almost always cheaper than buying them individually, but three knoves will probably be all you need. You will use the short 4"/100mm knife probably more than any other.

PigletJohn · 31/12/2011 01:49

p.s. I just looked up some cheaper knives, and the description says

"Judge Sabatier knives are constructed from high-grade stainless steel, with edges ground to exacting standards. The blades are machine stamped, a process where the shape is stamped from a continous sheet of steel. This is less expensive than forged knives but produces a durable blade ideal for everyday use."

This "stamped from steel sheet" is a very inferior way of making knives (except ham or salmon knives) and you will easily recognise it from the lack of tapered thickness.

There are several different factories and brands set up by members of the Sabatier family, of varying quality. The name is no longer a guarantee.

You can buy forged stainless knives much cheaper than the Henckels which most of us can't afford, and they will give good service.

There are also knives in a Japanese design which is quite different from the Euoropean style, and I have never been able to get on with them.

You need to store your knives on a magnetic rack or a block, so that the cutting edges cannot knock against each other, or anything else, which will damage, blunt and notch them. This will also happen if you put them in the cutlery rack of a dishwasher.

pengymum · 02/01/2012 00:16

If you are looking for cheaper knives, you could try Kitchen Devils range of knives - I had the French Cook's Knife, serrated utility knife and small paring knife for about 15 years before I got my Henckels set and they were very good (can't guarantee that they are same quality nowadays though as everything seems to be getting shoddier quality and construction!)
I think Kitchen Devil sets in a block are on offer instore in Asda at the moment - about £20

The most important thing, with any knife, is to keep it sharp - a few strokes on a steel each time you use it will keep them in tip top condition and for minimal effort. Let a knife go blunt and it is harder to resharpen, also a blunt knife is more dangerous as more chance of it slipping. A sharp blade will bite into whatever you are cutting and not slip, IFYSWIM.
HTH

fuzzywuzzy · 02/01/2012 00:19

this is my favourite.

butterfliesinmytummy · 02/01/2012 00:41

Try this site. I have been using the same Wusthof knives for 10 years and with regular sharpening (using a steel), they are as good as new. I have a cooks knife, bread knife and utility knife.

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