Talk to me about knives...

[LBOCS]

I currently have a set of Sebatier knives, which are great but because they're wooden handled, don't go in the dishwasher. This is obviously a problem, as I loathe washing up. What should I have instead? Are the Global knives any good? What about those colourful ones? I'm prepared to spend maybe £100 on a set.

Any decent knives shouldn't go in the dishwasher I'm afraid.
We have a combination of Global (lightweight and ideal for my smaller hands) & Wusthof knives (chunkier and better for DHs giant ones) . I also loathe washing up but neither recommend dishwashing if you want them to last.

Bum. But I really really hate washing up!

The two professional chefs in my family recommend Global knives. They're not cheap but they last and do the job well.

It really depends on how much you want to spend and how much use you'll get out of them. I wouldn't go to the expense as I dislike cooking and do as little as possible - there's no fancy catering going on here unless someone else is doing it, in which case they use their own knives. That's why mine are a colourful set of £50 Viners in a block which I've had for five years now and which have and continue to serve me well.

I have coloured ceramic ones, they stay sharp for ages, but they're not really heavy enough for me - I like a heavy knife.

You have to go to a shop and handle the knives. They all have different shapes, weight, balance. The preferance for one over an other is v personal. washing up a knife takes seconds if you do it right away.
Don't get an expensive set if it going to go in the dishwasher.

Find a good independent cook shop and ask if you can try. I've been using wusthof knives for 15 years after spending an hour chopping carrots in my local shop. Work out what you need. I have a bread knife, a cooks knife, a paring knife, an 8" serrated tomato knife and a steel for sharpening. 3 are 15 years old, still as good as new.

And they're in the dishwasher nearly every day, no problem.

We have global knives and some Japanese ones. All go in the dishwasher on the top shelf. DH doesnt know this and hasn't made any remarks in the past 7 years we have been married!

Global knives are nice but I would try to buy them second hand. You can easily sharpen them and they are like new.