Kitchen Knife recommendations

Mudball

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Was making breakfast today, and i realised that the only good knife we have was in the dishwasher.. everything else seems to have lost it edge. With the Boss's birthday due soon, I am thinking i can get her some new knives. Any recommendations on everyday knives - usual veggies, fruits, meats/fish type. I am assuming we need a set rather than a single one.. Mrs hates knives that go into a block (since they can be filled with bacteria). All knives go into drawers

While on the subject,.. one of the frying pan is gone. My social is filled with Ramsey flogging something called HexClad... any good?
 

RichA

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Procook knives are good.
Sabatier are very good.
Le Creuset heavy non-stick pans are expensive but will outlast you, as long as you buy some silicone stirrers to use with them. My Dad bought some Procook pans that are similar in style, but not as nice.
 

need_my_wedge

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Global knives are very good, as are any Japanese made cooks knives.

Tefal Ingenio are a great set of pans as well as ideal space savers. We’re on our second set, originals bought 22 years ago, this set been going strong for the last 12…. We did buy stainless pans without nonstick coating last time. The last frying pan we bought has the mineralia coating, which is excellent.
 

Lord Tyrion

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I'd agree with @RichA . No need to go crazy, which you can with knives. Also, get yourself a sharpener, it delays the inevitable and keeps them going for longer.

Incidentally, we bought one of those magnet holders from Pro Cook. Keeps them out in the open, easy to get to but not in a block. I really like it, worth getting one for your knives.
 

Blue in Munich

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Second the above; we have a full set of Sabatier Stellar that won’t be changed anytime soon. We were fortunate to get them in a closing down sale.

The one ProCook one that we were sent as a freebie when ordering something else is also very good.

If you order the Sabatiers, get their sharpener as well, works a treat.
 

Rooter

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Global - Over hyped, expensive and need a lot of attention to keep sharp.

You wont go wrong with Sabatier, they are the go to. I have a couple of Raymond Welch ones, they are very good and i even got their lazy sharpener which is after much huffing and puffing about it not being a proper steel, is in fact very good.

One of the biggest issues in a domestic kitchen is storage. I would try and keep them separate, either on a wall magnet or in a block. Dont keep them chucked in a drawer. And like TOAO said, wash by hand.
 

Jimaroid

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I use Global knives, I really like their style and feel. You do have to be careful when sharpening them though, their stainless steel needs a good quality stone to maintain their acute edge. They do not use a bevelled edge so using a sharpening steel like many sabatier style knives do is a no-no.

Personally I find the process of sharpening them properly a very enjoyable one, I have seen complaints of them going blunt and it’s due to them being sharpened incorrectly.
 

Rooter

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I use Global knives, I really like their style and feel. You do have to be careful when sharpening them though, their stainless steel needs a good quality stone to maintain their acute edge. They do not use a bevelled edge so using a sharpening steel like many sabatier style knives do is a no-no.

Personally I find the process of sharpening them properly a very enjoyable one, I have seen complaints of them going blunt and it’s due to them being sharpened incorrectly.

When i used them, i had a ceramic 'steel'
 

Dando

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Was making breakfast today, and i realised that the only good knife we have was in the dishwasher.. everything else seems to have lost it edge. With the Boss's birthday due soon, I am thinking i can get her some new knives. Any recommendations on everyday knives - usual veggies, fruits, meats/fish type. I am assuming we need a set rather than a single one.. Mrs hates knives that go into a block (since they can be filled with bacteria). All knives go into drawers

While on the subject,.. one of the frying pan is gone. My social is filled with Ramsey flogging something called HexClad... any good?

You shouldn’t put the knives in the dishwasher as it blunts them.

I’m fancy a set of Damascus steel knives and luckily eldest gets a 25% in John Lewis so they’re a bit more affordable
 

Jimaroid

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When i used them, i had a ceramic 'steel'

If I were reinvesting, didn’t have to consider the rigours of family use, and having learned more I’d be looking at carbon steel instead. But for most people (wife included) a knife that might go “rusty” is not acceptable. :(
 

Rooter

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If I were reinvesting, didn’t have to consider the rigours of family use, and having learned more I’d be looking at carbon steel instead. But for most people (wife included) a knife that might go “rusty” is not acceptable. :(

Honestly, i reckon i would go Sabatier. Unless they were on display and i wanted to show off, then it would probably be Global,
 

Voyager EMH

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Way back in the 1970s I had a Saturday job while in the 6th form in the butchery dept of Lewis in Leicester.
I learnt a lot about knives and how to sharpen them with a steel.

More importantly, I learned what type of knife to use for what type of job and the safest ways to use knives.

A few years ago I spotted two Sabatier knives in TKMax at ridiculously low prices. (They are very expensive at full price)
They really are the best I've ever had. I'll take a photo and add it to this post later.

EDIT:

You can carve really thin slices of ham etc with the long thin one, if you know how.
But I would not recommend it to the inexperienced - it might be lethal in untrained hands.

Sabatier.JPG

Sabatier - Copy.JPG
 
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Backache

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For everyday use the cheap ceramic knives that are on sale at Lidls on a regular basis work very well, might not look the best and certainly not a glamour buy for a present but they do work.
 

Fade and Die

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Was making breakfast today, and i realised that the only good knife we have was in the dishwasher.. everything else seems to have lost it edge. With the Boss's birthday due soon, I am thinking i can get her some new knives. Any recommendations on everyday knives - usual veggies, fruits, meats/fish type. I am assuming we need a set rather than a single one.. Mrs hates knives that go into a block (since they can be filled with bacteria). All knives go into drawers

While on the subject,.. one of the frying pan is gone. My social is filled with Ramsey flogging something called HexClad... any good?


My advice would be do not buy your wife knives for her birthday. Seriously, get her something nice, take her to a show or something.

Re Knives, no need to spend a fortune just a nice set (or individuals) from John Lewis.
 

nickjdavis

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You can carve really thin slices of ham etc with the long thin one, if you know how.
But I would not recommend it to the inexperienced - it might be lethal in untrained hands.

Probably be lethal in Mrs Mudballs hands if Mr Mudball buys them for her birthday!!
 
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