[Closed] Please recommend me some...kitchen knives?

Christmas present from one son to another Wusthof Classic

Link for illustration purposes only. My lad bought these for a lot less than the sale price above. The Sabatier knife in our kitchen is falling apart after 30 years of hard use & these look to me to be even better quality. Obvs sharp but feel nice and balanced in the hand.

D.

Assuming you're not a professional chef, and just want some decent knifes for normal everyday cooking, get thee to TKMaxx and see what they have. We picked up a nice set of German knives for not much cash.

I treated myself to one of these at the tail end of last year:

https://www.johnlewis.com/anolon-classic-japanese-stainless-steel-utility-knife-l15cm/p3410987

A 15cm Anolon utility knife. It is really nice to use with a good weight, comfy handle & it's bloody sharp!

I think you can get a set of 3 for around £85, although I found this on sale, which looks like a bargain:

https://www.housingunits.co.uk/anolon-advanced-6-piece-knife-block-set.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiApbzhBRDKARIsAIvZue_FGH83_xzqI68kKfbhj2VDAHLQJU5J-ylyr4TRAckJslDRlVUQkMIaAqDeEALw_wcB

I would recommend Wusthof too, a decent steel and a bloody big sigh telling your mother in law not to put the bloody things in the dishwasher. I have had mine well over ten years and they are still going very strong. I think I paid £60 for my set inc. a storage block when they were on offer.

be aware that "Sabatier" is not really a manufacturer/brand, more like an AOC. There are Sabatier and there are Sabatier.

Ive become a big fan of Anolon pans, and that knife looks promising but I dont like silicone handles as they tend to sweat/leach fats over the years. I ought to look at getting some new knives but I quite like stone sharpening my cheap and cheerful ones fairly often. The better forged ones naturally are nicer to use though. My most used knife is just a basic cleaver though.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabatier

Victorinox are excellent. If you feel flush go for the rosewood handles.
They sharpen well, are well balanced and last a long time.
My mate works in a 2* Michelin resto and they nearly all use them. "You don't need expensive knives to be a good chef" is roughly what he said when I asked about knives.

PS Wüsthof were also recommended albeit slightly more £s

get thee to TKMaxx and see what they have.

I agree - Taylor's Eye Witness Ti coated. Never had a knife so sharp. Kept cutting my fingers when I first got them, have to be extra careful as they just fall through stuff like tomatoes.
(But, gosh they were about £20, so obviously not suitable for whatever he OP has planned...)
Just seen - they actually make Sabatier knives.

Stoner -Member

Ive become a big fan of Anolon pans, and that knife looks promising but I dont like silicone handles as they tend to sweat/leach fats over the years.

Yeah, we've got a set of Anolon pans that have done well, although the hard anodise is starting to go on the top lip on the most frequently used ones.

I agree about silicon (soft feel rubber) handles. The knife I bought (JL link) has a hard handle; I don't think it is a silicon insert or anything like that.
I think it is a different handle type to the ones I linked the in the knife block set.

When buying that Anolon one, I went along to John Lewis and asked to see a few of the knives out of the locked display before deciding on that one. One of the others I was considering had a soft-touch handle and I ruled it out for the exact reason you mention; over time, the soft-touch material tends to degrade & I didn't want to end up with a knife with a nice blade, but a knackered handle.

Every day's a school day.

Now I wanna know who made my Sabatier knives.

Henckels/Zwilling are excellent and deals can be found if you shop around, e.g.
https://www.hartsofstur.com/henckels-four-star-3-piece-sale-set-35168-100.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlq70xvjT3wIVR7DtCh1WFAbmEAQYByABEgJMbfD_BwE

You can on occasion find henckels/zwilling in tk maxx for not a lot. I'd check there first. Failing that then victorianox either in rosewood or fibrox handles.

Buy separates, you don't need a set really. Large chefs knife, large serated/bread knife and a small paring knife are all you need and I'd add a boning knife if you joint your own chickens or do any other butchery.

Don't neglect something to keep them sharp either.

Robert Welch prestige are good.

Very happy with my Richardson KYU knives. Very sharp when new and sharpen easily with a whetstone.

I bought a set of 3 Wusthof Classic kitchen knives and they are very well made. They are v sharp, well balanced and on the chunkier/heavier side. They feel like they'll last a lifetime (domestic use):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wusthof-Classic-3-Piece-Knife-Set/dp/B00005MEGJ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1546602308&sr=8-3&keywords=wusthof+classic

At the time this set of 3 was the cheapest way to start putting together a small set from Wusthof covering my needs. I have since added a Wusthof bread knife and a Bodum universal brush block to store them in: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XKV3DXB/ref=asc_df_B06XKV3DXB57852798/?tag=googshopuk-21&creative=22110&creativeASIN=B06XKV3DXB&linkCode=df0&hvadid=231935824989&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13837845126487494673&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045955&hvtargid=pla-350576339703&th=1&psc=1

I too would be wary of knives with a soft touch handle for the reasons given above. Also don't put decent kitchen knives in the dishwasher - it'll wreck the blade.

I've been super impressed by my David Mellor knives - we've got a chef knife, bread knife and a paring knife. Those 3 do 95% of my knife requirements. They are superb... Have had them years and have never sharpened them... still razor sharp.

20% off at the moment too

https://www.davidmellordesign.com/kitchen-knives-and-boards/kitchen-knives

I think everyone above has covered it, but TK MAXX is a good start - Victorinox or Wustof great value for money - don't bother buying a set - 3 separates will be enough - don't put them in the dishwasher - get a decent steel for edge maintenance, and a waterstone for proper sharpening.

£100 should get you 3 very nice knives - spending much over £50 on a chefs knife is pretty pointless for home use - unless you have a particular interest in Japanese knives/damascus steel/etc.

Shun knives are great, you could actually cut your finger off without realising

And get a good sharpener while you are out buying knives.
I have drawer full of different knives and curiously my Sabatier-Deg 'chef quality' knives are almost impossible to put an edge on while Victorinox just needs a sight of the steel to get back razor sharp.
Most impressive has been the Taylor EW. I inherited these and they not only take an edge but keep it longer than the Sabatier.
Never done it but always wondered about just buying Tesco knives and binning them after a couple of years for new.
I only use a carver, bread knife, pairing knife, tomato knife, and a chopping knife but do have a boning and filleting knife that I rarely use. Trouble is everything is duplicated a couple of times over.

I got this for my birthday last year...

https://flic.kr/p/2dZYyiV

Miyabi/Zwilling. It's like a scalpel & I think it was around £60.

Our Wusthof knives are well over 10 years old now and still going strong. Forget a steel - they only hone, not sharpen, and unless you know what you're doing you'll wreck the edge. After trying many different things now use one of these which gives sharp knives without needing any skill.

Robert Welch are best domestic bang for buck IMO. Seen a fair few TV chefs using them too in footage from restaurant kitchens (but that might just still be sponsorship?).

Also been pretty impressed with knives I've got from Aldi special offers. Not far from the decent knives I've got when you take cost into account.

Just avoid Global.

Thanks all-

Ended up going for the Taylors (affordable and available) but will bear all of this in mind for future purchases-

Regarding kitchen knives, ad sharpness thereof, take a shufti at this video...