chef's knives : Fri Mar 23, 2012 10:36 pm  

I love cooking but struggle to find a decent set of knives. Any budding chef's out there that can recommend anything. Money no object.

Re: chef's knives : Sat Mar 24, 2012 7:20 am  

Personally, I'd look at some Sabatiers. And if you can, try to find someone who'll show you how to use a steel properly to sharpen them, as it's way better than the pull-through sharpeners.

Re: chef's knives : Sat Mar 24, 2012 7:22 am  

What specific job can't you find a knife to do ?

There are several high street specialist cooks suppliers who will sell you professional equipment for whatever price you want to pay and if you're happy to do that then fine, but there aren't that many domestic cooking jobs that need a £200 knife when a £10 one will do - are you regularly de-boned joints of meat or fish ?

My mother-in-law made the most blissful range of savoury and sweet pies all of her life with the same bone-handled dinner knife on a table top that was only three feet square

Re: chef's knives : Sat Mar 24, 2012 7:51 am  

Mintball wrote: Personally, I'd look at some Sabatiers. And if you can, try to find someone who'll show you how to use a steel properly to sharpen them, as it's way better than the pull-through sharpeners. I agree that spending a few quid on buying a butcher a couple of pints is worth it to learn how to keep an edge on a blade but if that blade ever loses its edge, there isn't a steel in the world that will give you it back. The blade will need to be re-ground. I have a Mino-Sharp Plus 3 pull-through ceramic sharpener that I use on my Global & Satake knives. If I'm using my filleting knife (Marttiini) or using my Satake sashimi knife (single honed edge), I use a wetstone and finish with a steel. I also give a couple of strokes with the steel between each job. Most professional kitchens now rent knives and use a sharpening service from someone like Nella

Mintball wrote: Personally, I'd look at some Sabatiers. And if you can, try to find someone who'll show you how to use a steel properly to sharpen them, as it's way better than the pull-through sharpeners. I agree that spending a few quid on buying a butcher a couple of pints is worth it to learn how to keep an edge on a blade but if that blade ever loses its edge, there isn't a steel in the world that will give you it back. The blade will need to be re-ground. I have a Mino-Sharp Plus 3 pull-through ceramic sharpener that I use on my Global & Satake knives. If I'm using my filleting knife (Marttiini) or using my Satake sashimi knife (single honed edge), I use a wetstone and finish with a steel. I also give a couple of strokes with the steel between each job. Most professional kitchens now rent knives and use a sharpening service from someone like Nella

Re: chef's knives : Sat Mar 24, 2012 5:58 pm  

THECherry&Whites wrote:

I love cooking but struggle to find a decent set of knives. Any budding chef's out there that can recommend anything. Money no object.

See all those expensive knives you see top chefs promoting and using on TV? In real life they wouldn't touch them with a barge pole, as Coddy has said they use decent quality knives that get sharpened often.

I'd go for a mid-price set of Sabatier and a decent sharpener rather than pay a small fortune for stuff like Global, they don't make the food taste any better.

Re: chef's knives : Sat Mar 24, 2012 6:07 pm  

Two of my best knives are vintage carbon steel: one a boning knife, the other a salmon knife, they keep an edge beautifully. Both were bought from an old geezer who used to sell previously-owned knives at the Yorkshire Steam Fair at Harewood and can't have cost more than a fiver each.

That Marttiini filleting knife was about £40 but was well worth the money. I mostly require a flexible-bladed knife when filleting fish because I want as much meat on my plate as I can get off the bone. Mind you, sod-all is wasted, the heads and frames are either boiled or roasted and the meat recovered from them too

Re: chef's knives : Sat Mar 24, 2012 6:37 pm  

cod'ead wrote:

That Marttiini filleting knife was about £40 but was well worth the money. I mostly require a flexible-bladed knife when filleting fish because I want as much meat on my plate as I can get off the bone. Mind you, sod-all is wasted, the heads and frames are either boiled or roasted and the meat recovered from them too

I have a vision of you as Kevin Costner in that marvellous success of a film of his, "Waterworld", dressed from head to foot in fish skins.

Re: chef's knives : Sat Mar 24, 2012 7:00 pm  

McLaren_Field wrote:

I have a vision of you as Kevin Costner in that marvellous success of a film of his, "Waterworld", dressed from head to foot in fish skins.

I've got a sharkskin suit, does that count?

Real Mad Man me

Re: chef's knives : Sat Mar 24, 2012 7:21 pm  

Ceramic knives - any good?

Re: chef's knives : Sat Mar 24, 2012 7:33 pm  

G.O.B. wrote:

Ceramic knives - any good?

Try dropping one and then come back

Stick with steel