£100 chefs knife set?
Discussion
I would like a set of 3 decent knives for cooking - I'm no expert, just do most of the meals at home.
I have wanted some decent knives for a while and would like a combination of 3, chefs, paring or utility, and a chopping knife which seems to be called a Santoku..
Anyway I'm looking for informed advice if there is any, on a set for no more than £100 which I hope would be passably good?
Thanks,
I have wanted some decent knives for a while and would like a combination of 3, chefs, paring or utility, and a chopping knife which seems to be called a Santoku..
Anyway I'm looking for informed advice if there is any, on a set for no more than £100 which I hope would be passably good?
Thanks,
Have a look at https://www.kitchenknives.co.uk/
A lot of sets around your budget but consider a rack and a basic steel to maintain them.
A lot of sets around your budget but consider a rack and a basic steel to maintain them.
TGCOTF-dewey said:
TBH you're better off with a cheap knife and a chef's choice professional electric grinding/honing machine.
Yes a good knife will hold an edge longer, but it's irrelevant if it's not sharpened very often.
I get that, was wondering what peoples opinion of this is? Yes a good knife will hold an edge longer, but it's irrelevant if it's not sharpened very often.
https://www.horl.com/gb/en/sharpeners/horl2/?gclid...
I used to do a lot of wood carving and all my Mora blades were razor sharp using a tiny Falkniven CC4 and DC4, but that was a knack i had on small blades - so on top of the knives I would like a decent sharpening kit, preferably manual I think.
thebraketester said:
pokethepope said:
I'd recommend Victorinox at that budget
That's what I was due to say. Take your pick on there website and go for the wooden handled ones if you want a bit more purchase satisfaction. They are superb knives for the money.
mikef said:
Good spot!J3JCV said:
I get that, was wondering what peoples opinion of this is?
https://www.horl.com/gb/en/sharpeners/horl2/?gclid...
I used to do a lot of wood carving and all my Mora blades were razor sharp using a tiny Falkniven CC4 and DC4, but that was a knack i had on small blades - so on top of the knives I would like a decent sharpening kit, preferably manual I think.
Can't comment on the sharpener having never used it. Looks very nice though as a piece of product design. https://www.horl.com/gb/en/sharpeners/horl2/?gclid...
I used to do a lot of wood carving and all my Mora blades were razor sharp using a tiny Falkniven CC4 and DC4, but that was a knack i had on small blades - so on top of the knives I would like a decent sharpening kit, preferably manual I think.
Only thing I would say about manual sharpening (I have a few blocks - late father was a tool maker - and spiderco system so have used them a lot) is they just don't have the utility of something like the chef's choice stuff. I'm sure other kit is available.
I can get a slightly sharper edge using the spiderco... But it takes ages, and the advantage is gone after the first use.
From taking it out the cupboard to razor sharp blade is well under a minute. So food prep is always done with a razor sharp blade. A much nicer cooking experience.
J3JCV said:
I get that, was wondering what peoples opinion of this is?
https://www.horl.com/gb/en/sharpeners/horl2/?gclid...
I used to do a lot of wood carving and all my Mora blades were razor sharp using a tiny Falkniven CC4 and DC4, but that was a knack i had on small blades - so on top of the knives I would like a decent sharpening kit, preferably manual I think.
Looks smart, but with a £100 knife budget spending £139 on a sharpener...https://www.horl.com/gb/en/sharpeners/horl2/?gclid...
I used to do a lot of wood carving and all my Mora blades were razor sharp using a tiny Falkniven CC4 and DC4, but that was a knack i had on small blades - so on top of the knives I would like a decent sharpening kit, preferably manual I think.
The simple ceramic rod sharpeners are ideal for kitchen use. Numerous designs around and priced from £2-45 for the Wusthof version.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/W%C3%BCsthof-Wusthof-Shar...
You can buy a few and have them in draws. After you've hand washed your knife give it 3 draws through the ceramic/fine section and it'll be as sharp as you want a kitchen knife. Don't use the coarse/carbide section, like all those things on a fine edge they can take chunk out!
And use a suitable chopping board/mat. The plastic sheet ones are great, don't look posh, but are functionally best.
J3JCV said:
I get that, was wondering what peoples opinion of this is?
https://www.horl.com/gb/en/sharpeners/horl2/?gclid...
My initial thought is if you are looking at £100+ for a sharpener you might want to rethink your knife choice.https://www.horl.com/gb/en/sharpeners/horl2/?gclid...
Personally I'd buy one half decent chefs knife as that does 99% of the work in a kitchen. If you like Victorinox go for it but avoid the fibrox handled stuff, get a fully forged knife.
You certainly do not need a santoku, a normal chefs knife serves the same purpose. The advantage some santoku's offer is they are fluted which helps prevent whatever is being cut stick to the blade when chopping. Useful if you are doing a lot of veg prep for example. But, plenty of chefs knifes offer the same if that's important to you.
Normally I'd suggest a serrated knife of some sort, the usual suggestion is a pastry knife as this doubles for carving, bread etc and if you wanted Victorinox do a very nice one. They also do smaller tomato knives for a few quid.
However, if you are into sharpening there is no need. They're nice to have and will do the job but a sharp chefs knife will do an equal job for occasional use.
The only job a chefs knife is bloody awkward to use for is filleting fish or boning meat. It can be done but it really is the wrong tool for the job so a good flexible knife would be on my list as I regularly skin/fillet/bone stuff out etc. If you don't it may not be important to you.
The other consideration is the thickness of the blade, finer blades make life easier but they are lighter and not as well suited to heavy duty jobs. This tends to be the case with a lot of Japanese or Japanese "type" blades whereas European knives tend to be a little heavier.
As for a paring knife, Victorinox do very cheap fibrox ones which are pretty much disposable.
Your initial thoughts of a few knives rather than a crappy set of 20 is the right thing but it sounds like you may do even better by starting off with something of even higher quality and adding as you go along.
As above, I’d spend the money on a single chefs knife. If you have great one of those it’s very rare to need another knife.
A friend got me a wustoff Grand Prix based off a chefs recommendation and while I’ve got some nice Japanese steel for veggies, paring etc the wustoff is really all I need.
A friend got me a wustoff Grand Prix based off a chefs recommendation and while I’ve got some nice Japanese steel for veggies, paring etc the wustoff is really all I need.
I bought a full set of Global knives years ago (about £750 as I recall) but to be honest I have recently bought a few Pro Cook knives and I prefer them.
The Pro cook kit is excellent value, holds an edge well but crucially are easy to hones and sharpen. I gently hone my chefs knife after every use with a steel and it is always sharp and ready to go.
The Globals were supernaturally sharp when I got them but they are an absolute sod to sharpen because the steel is so hard.
I now have a few Professional X50 Micarta knives and this chefs knife - https://www.procook.co.uk/product/procook-elite-x8...
All of them are really good for the money.
The Pro cook kit is excellent value, holds an edge well but crucially are easy to hones and sharpen. I gently hone my chefs knife after every use with a steel and it is always sharp and ready to go.
The Globals were supernaturally sharp when I got them but they are an absolute sod to sharpen because the steel is so hard.
I now have a few Professional X50 Micarta knives and this chefs knife - https://www.procook.co.uk/product/procook-elite-x8...
All of them are really good for the money.
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