Fed up trying to cook with one of the (many!) shonky knives we have somehow collected over the years that never seem to be sharp enough. I realise I’m probably opening a can of worms, but. why do people pay hundreds of dollars for a ‘name’ knife, and what’s a good one that my wife can buy me for my birthday without breaking the bank. ?I know that balance is important- they seem to “rock” them on TV while cutting.
Cutting- (yes, I get it) through all the &#@ whats a good one to start with?
davidt4,
Jan 15, 2:29am
I like Global knives. They are mid-priced, light and well balanced, and you can buy a special water sharpener that is very easy to use. The prices vary quite a bit so shop around on line before you buy.
Here's one link. This is the knife I use most often.
There are many good knife brands, maybe ask at a specialist knife shop. House of Knives or something. The thing too is when you get a good knife, which you should get yourself so it is balanced for you, keep it properly sharpened. You can take it to your local butcher and he may be happy to sharpen it properly for you. and NEVER put it in the dishwasher. If you work in a kitchen a chef is likely to stab you if you put his knives in a dishwasher. lol. A blunt knife is a dangerous knife. You are more likely to cut yourself on a blunt one than a really sharp one.
cleggyboy,
Jan 15, 2:38am
I recently purchased 4 knives from Kamikoto they are fantastic.
coolnzmum,
Jan 15, 2:50am
Victorinox make good knifes at a reasonable price. We had the same issue, hubby would get so fed up with blunt knifes and I got sick of always buying different knifes in the hope it would be better than the last one. So after doing some research and finding the small Victorinox paring knifes for sale in local shop, I purchased one of them and then I purchased a single large knife off here to test before buying him a set of 5. We've had them for a few years now, still very happy with them.
snapperheadrkp,
Jan 15, 3:00am
Tap up Mundial Chefs Knife sets on both Trademe and Google. I had a jumbled mixture of of Wustof, Victornox, and Zwilling Chefs Knives in both Stainless and Carbon Steel but purchased a 7 piece set of Stainless Mundial Knives (made in Brazil) about 10 years ago. They have been EXCELLENT and a few swipes on the Steel (in the set) has them cutting like razors. Mundial is probably the most common entry level knife for Apprentice Chefs when training at Polytech, but for home use will last you a lifetime Sold all my other knives here on Trademe
coralsnake,
Jan 15, 3:37am
I have 3 - one is a tv special serrated blade that since I bought in 1977 and has never needed sharpening. The other two are Preston which I got at Briscoes but not sure if they carry them any more.
I have some smaller ones, one a straight blade that is getting thinner as it's been sharpened so many times; another is a smaller serrated blade which I got in the US and again has never been sharpened.
I use the sharpener on the back of my can opener for all my 'cheap' knives.
There is a garden centre in ChCh that has a regular visiting scissors and knife sharpener.
samanya,
Jan 15, 6:07am
Like the OP I get sick of buying supposedly 'quality' knives & they seem to blunt up quite quickly & my sharpening skills are not that wonderful . that sounds a good proposition. All I want is quality knives that I can sharpen . no need for a Samurai expert to hand make them for me. edited to add . thanks for the link.
paora-tm,
Jan 15, 6:24am
I buy $5 knives from a dollar store. They're razor sharp for a while. I can't sharpen knives to save my life so I just chuck blunt ones in a draw and buy new ones. I've had (in the blunt draw now) proper chef's knives - not sure they were any better than my $5 ones. I should say the dollar store knives I buy are not the really lightweight ones that many dollar stores sell.
marcs,
Jan 15, 8:24am
I have worked in commercial kitchens for a few years. Global knives are good but can be expensive. Victorinox knives are just as good and a little cheaper. I find them to be lighter as I use them all day long. Thing with knives is never wash them in dishwashers. Do have a steal to sharpen them as no matter how expensive the knife, they don't remain sharp for ever. I am in Perth and picked up a victorinox chef knife for $60. Have a look at this site. http://www.kitchenwarehouse.com.au/Brands/Victorinox You can also look up global knives on the same site.
marcs,
Jan 15, 8:30am
I have a set of Mundial knives. I took them with me to work (in a kitchen) and found that they are heavy and go blunt easily. The other thing I don't like about mundial is when I put it on the bench and are not paying attention it turns itself the sharp side up. So many times I have almost cut myself. They were my best knives till I started working with victorinox.
It does come down how much you really can afford remembering that very good quality is in the beholder and not the knife itself, just like a glove, got to be the right one for the individual using it.
Cheers
bassmo1,
Jan 16, 4:17am
I disagree about taking knives to the local butcher for sharpening, ours ruined mine. I'm so mad about it. He put it on a grinder and roughed up the smooth sides of the chef's knife. The edge was sharp but then it gripped whatever it was supposed to slide past, I doubt it can be remedied.
valentino,
Jan 16, 6:37am
Should had been in the holder. not beholder, damn typos and bad English.
Cheers
devonwrecked,
Jan 16, 7:48am
I bought a French Sabatier knife many moons ago - was told to buy non stainless as they keep their edge better. Putting it in the dishwasher is therefore a hanging offence. I've sharpened it so often it's nearly disappeared, but it's still my weapon of choice.
amasser,
Jan 17, 1:25am
Do you have a knife sharpener?
bottynoodle,
Jan 17, 1:52am
A pet hate of mine. drawers not draws
buzzy110,
Jan 18, 1:51am
So true. I'd never trust my knives to a butcher. If you live in Auckland and can be bothered, there is a brilliant knife sharpener who goes to the French Market every 2nd weekend. He is only one of two knife sharpeners that I know of who use whet stones which prevent heating during sharpening. Heating alters the temper of the steel causing it to go blunt easier and quicker.
I have two excellent, really cheap knives that I bought from Marsics Fish Shop in Glen Innes. They are Victory knives. Made in NZ from good quality Damascus steel. They supply knives to Butchers, chefs, fish shops and fisheries throughout NZ. I can cut tomatoes without holding onto the tomato. The are the easiest knives ever to sharpen.
My preference for general kitchen use is a Santoku style.
Check out a site from the selection of Victory Knives:
Just go and buy the Stevens brand when on special. Bought mine 2 yrs ago. Just needs a little tickle now and then. Can't go wrong for $15.
devonwrecked,
Jan 18, 5:34am
I use a steel.
buzzy110,
Jan 19, 2:21am
Dishwasher and those pull through knife sharpeners are both hanging offences imo. A steel is good as is a ceramic 'steel'. My knives get rather a hard time, especially when we go fishing. I used to use an oil stone to get a really sharp edge but found it took a long time to get a decent edge so I got my hands on a decent whet stone. It has proven itself to be worth every cent.
Sharpening knives on a stone is easy peasy. You don't even have to go all the way to Japan to learn techniques from master sharpeners there who spend 10 years learning how to put an edge onto a knife. A few minutes watching videos on U-Tube and you are in business.
karlymouse,
Jan 19, 11:14am
Why would you think that any knife would not reqire sharpening. and is sharpening knives such a skill that you cannot master ?
nauru,
Nov 2, 6:46am
I'm sure that I will be shot down by the purists but I use the knife sharpener on my electric can opener to sharpen my set of (not expensive) knives, works a treat and hasn't ruined any of them. BTW, I don't ever put my knives in the dishwasher (always hand wash, dry immediately and put back in the knife block) or use those glass cutting boards, a big no-no. My serrated knife which I use all the time has been in use since the early 70's and has never needed sharpening, bought at a home show and was 2 for £1, my friend got the other one.
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