Kitchen knives needed budget £500?

[singlecoil]

My wife is fed up of her old Sabatiers which were never a set in the first place, and she'd like something a bit better. Sharpening might be an issue, I'm not much good at freehand knife sharpening so any suggestions on that aspect as well as the knives themselves would be much appreciated.

If paying more would be advisable then that would be ok.

[Aunty Pasty]

I wouldn't look to buy a set but just the knives you really need or would use. In a set there's usually one or two items which never really get used.

I would look for forged knives rather than stamped. You should try to see and feel the knives first-hand if you can. Everybody's grip is different and some handles may suit some more than others. Also see if the handles have any ridges or imperfections which may irritate when in use.

The other thing I would consider doing is shy away from brands that seem to be just on Amazon / Ebay and nowhere else. May be fake or deceptive marketing. Their selling point should not be how sharp the knife is. They're all sharp, out the factory.

I personally have and like Wusthof Ikon Classic but that's just one brand.

[Jimjimhim]

You only need a couple of different types of knives in a kitchen and it's much better to buy a good one of each type rather than blowing £500 on a set. Use the left over money to get some knife skills training, that's much more worthwhile than an expensive knife that you don't know how to use.

[Nightmare]

I would suggest watching this video…..despite the slightly unusual delivery style!

https://youtu.be/AcLD4SKY9Js?si=cuteEjGTOrNKezeR

[tomsugden]

I wouldn't look any further than I O Shen, they're brilliant

https://ioshen.co.uk/product-category/all-knives/

[Sebring440]

singlecoil said:

My wife is fed up of her old Sabatiers which were never a set in the first place, and she'd like something a bit better. Sharpening might be an issue, I'm not much good at freehand knife sharpening so any suggestions on that aspect as well as the knives themselves would be much appreciated.

If paying more would be advisable then that would be ok.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=192&t=1962988

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[LooneyTunes]

singlecoil said:

Sharpening might be an issue, I'm not much good at freehand knife sharpening so any suggestions on that aspect as well as the knives themselves would be much appreciated.

Look up the knife sharpening thread and send some of your money into a decent electric sharpener.

Fwiw I use a Chef’s Choice 1520, and really rate it.

[oddman]

Jimjimhim said:

You only need a couple of different types of knives in a kitchen and it's much better to buy a good one of each type rather than blowing £500 on a set. Use the left over money to get some knife skills training, that's much more worthwhile than an expensive knife that you don't know how to use.

Agree. Focus on finding one knife that she really gels with. It's really personal and some eg. Global may feel like a toy to some people and Wüsthof might feel unwieldy and heavy to another.

Most of the knives in a knife set won't get an outing - if she's not doing butchering or fish prep the filleting knife won't be used. The specialist knives such as bread knives which come in sets are rarely as good as quite cheap alternatives. Opinel make an excellent bread knife and other specialist knives.

Sounds like you should be allocating a chunk of the budget to the sharpener and that electric one posted looks great.

[21TonyK]

OP, have a good read of the links Sebring posted and this...

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Discendo Discimus]

I have a fancy Japanese knife that I use daily:
https://cuttingedgeknives.co.uk/products/tsunehisa...

Probably a bit overkill though, with hindsight I'd probably get a cheap carbon steel chef's knife from https://www.nisbets.co.uk/ and buy some sharpening stones and a honing rod.

[Lotobear]

Discendo Discimus said:

I have a fancy Japanese knife that I use daily:
https://cuttingedgeknives.co.uk/products/tsunehisa...

Probably a bit overkill though, with hindsight I'd probably get a cheap carbon steel chef's knife from https://www.nisbets.co.uk/ and buy some sharpening stones and a honing rod.

I purchased that one last year albeit with the European handle - I love it and it does everything I need in a single knife. A few drags on the ceramic 'steel' every now and then and it stays wonderfully sharp.

[Discendo Discimus]

Lotobear said:

Discendo Discimus said:

I have a fancy Japanese knife that I use daily:
https://cuttingedgeknives.co.uk/products/tsunehisa...

Probably a bit overkill though, with hindsight I'd probably get a cheap carbon steel chef's knife from https://www.nisbets.co.uk/ and buy some sharpening stones and a honing rod.

I purchased that one last year albeit with the European handle - I love it and it does everything I need in a single knife. A few drags on the ceramic 'steel' every now and then and it stays wonderfully sharp.

Wonderful after a hone isn't it? I purposefully seek out dishes that involve finely chopped onions / tomatoes / herbs. Wife thinks I'm mad.

[Lotobear]

Discendo Discimus said:

Lotobear said:

Discendo Discimus said:

I have a fancy Japanese knife that I use daily:
https://cuttingedgeknives.co.uk/products/tsunehisa...

Probably a bit overkill though, with hindsight I'd probably get a cheap carbon steel chef's knife from https://www.nisbets.co.uk/ and buy some sharpening stones and a honing rod.

I purchased that one last year albeit with the European handle - I love it and it does everything I need in a single knife. A few drags on the ceramic 'steel' every now and then and it stays wonderfully sharp.

Wonderful after a hone isn't it? I purposefully seek out dishes that involve finely chopped onions / tomatoes / herbs. Wife thinks I'm mad.

.....I still keep mine in it's box, in the drawer, and no one else is allowed to use it

[21TonyK]

OP, curious if you got any further with your choice(s)?

[JuanCarlosFandango]

Never spent that much on knives but I have had decent sets and cheap ones. Never found anything better thabnew knives. I just stick to the cheapies now and buy new when they're done. Interested to hear how much better good ones are.l though.

[Jimjimhim]

JuanCarlosFandango said:

Never spent that much on knives but I have had decent sets and cheap ones. Never found anything better thabnew knives. I just stick to the cheapies now and buy new when they're done. Interested to hear how much better good ones are.l though.

There isn't really much in it, fancy ones look fancier. The key with knives is knowing what you're doing with them and not how fancy they look.

[rambo19]

TBH, £500 for a set of kitchen knives is mad.
I bought a set from a cooking shop about 4 yrs ago for about £50.

I do look after my knives and have become very good at sharpening.

[808 Estate]

Enjoy looking at the delights on offer here. Excellent service, highly recommended.
https://japanesechefsknife.com/

[21TonyK]

JuanCarlosFandango said:

Interested to hear how much better good ones are.l though.

I think "better" is very much subjective. At work I use a decent but not silly expensive knife, 180 from memory. It holds an edge for 10+ hours hard use and after a bit of customisation is ergonomical for me. So much so that others who use it comment almost immediately how comfortable it is.

Better quality steel, better design, ergonomics. Thats about it really if you aren't into pretty, shiny things.