I bought a cheap one (part of John Lewis’ ‘House’ collection) and it doesn’t hold an edge at all. In fact it’s pretty hard to give it one in the first place! So I’m looking for a better one. However I am a student so I’m looking for good value, not three-figure artisan madness. Where’s a good place to start?

I find the world of cooking knives a bit bewildering to be honest, the price range is sooo enormous and the reviews tend to contain more hyperbolics than hi-fi stuff, which tends to be pretty hyperbolickey indeed!

Wüsthof Classic 16cm. Not too expensive, knife for life.

Go to a professional supplier, i still have mine from being a catering student 20 years ago.  Back then i thought i was spending a fortune, c 300 for 3 knives but buy cheap buy twice.  Look after them and keep them sharp.

Wüsthof Classic 16cm

Just had a quick google, they’re £50, so I’m guessing that’s the sort of price I should be prepared to spend? That’s a lot of money for me right now but worth spending if it’s worth spending, if you know what I mean..

Victorinox are also more than fine for around £30

£50 on a decent Robert Welch one (plus £20 for the hone/sharperner, as most people (including me) can sharper knives properly and it’s a different angle on welch stuff, but can be used on other knives too) has worked well for me.
Used for the summer season in cafe kitchen & now at home.
Get the biggest knife you can handle, I have the 200mm one which is a reasonable size they do do a 250 but I thought too big although will probably get one.
my other knives are Sabatier which are also pretty reasonable (make sure it the higher quality ones)
Go to a proper kitchen shop and try the handles as you’ll get on better with some more than others.

To be honest I think knives are quite a personal thing. Go and hold some, you will find one you like.

Best one we have was free. Bought a nice frying pan and it was free with it.

Go to TK Max and look at what they’ve got. I’ve bought 3 Wüsthof knives over the last couple of years and never paid more than £25 for one. (inc a Wüsthof Classic 16cm for <£20)

Yep, agree you should be able to get something decent for £40-£50 from Wüsthof or Victorinox.
I personally think you are into the world of diminishing returns once you spend much over £100 on a knife.

I have a very good ikea one which cost £25 – don;t have them any more though.

I have a john lewis one – similar cost, not quite as nice.

Key is to keep them sharp.

Yep, agree you should be able to get something decent for £40-£50 from Wüsthof or Victorinox.
I personally think you are into the world of diminishing returns once you spend much over £10 0 on a knife.

FTFY

Buy a knife, pretty much anything apart from those horrible cheap serrated ones with plastic handles will do.
Buy a steel.
Never wash knife with anything more than a damp cloth.
Use Steel before chopping stuff.

Thisisnotaspoon – reformed knife snob after his OH refused to not put them in the dishwasher

We bought a set of Zwilling/Henckels knives when we got married in 2005. Last year one of the handles cracked, so I contacted the company asking about how best to replace the handle.

They asked me to send it in for inspection, and then sent me a completely brand new knife without any prompting – I certainly didn’t expect it to be dealt with like that!

They’re expensive but in my experience very much worth it.

What are you doing at the moment to put an edge on knife you have at the moment?

I paid £80 for a Zwilling chef’s knife and fine it is. I look after it as that’s a load of money for me to shell out on a blade so it should last a couple of decades.

I use a reasonable dual side stone to get it properly sharp and a steel for regular maintenence.

Lot’s of professionals will use something day in day out that only cost about £10-15. It won’t look as good in your kitchen as some of the more expensive options though.

My friend uses bright coloured plastic handled things like these from here.

https://www.nisbets.co.uk/kitchenware-and-knives/chefs-knives/_/a33-2?q=%3Ap_type%3Achefs20knives

16quid at Tesco will see you right.

https://www.tesco.com/direct/richardson-sheffield-v-sabatier-cooks-knife/144-7470.prd?skuId=144-7470&pageLevel=sku&sc_cmp=ppc*PX+-+Home*PX+-+Shopping+GSC+-+Generic+-+Cook+%26+Dine*PRODUCT+GROUP144-7470*&ds_kid=92700021930389057&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-L-XwK7z2AIVFm4bCh2kwwLEEAQYAyABEgKp4fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CIfPm8au89gCFcY-GwodJ28Bqw

Add a simple OXO good grips sharpener, don’t let it rattle around the cutlery drawer and it’ll last you a decade. Plenty sharp enough to cut without deviating or tearing. We’ve had a set for about 8 years and the handles are starting to go from dishwasher every day, but very decent knives.

As others have said, keeping decent knives out of the dishwasher is vital..
A prolonged blast with hot, salty water is not going to do them any good at all.

“What are you doing at the moment to put an edge on knife you have at the moment?”

Sharpening stone to get an edge on it, then steel to keep the edge in a line between sharpening. I store it on a magnetic strip. Don’t own a dishwasher, it gets washed in a bowl with all the other stuff

“Add a simple OXO good grips sharpener, ”

They don’t seem to make these anymore, but I think I know what you mean..

“I use a reasonable dual side stone to get it properly sharp and a steel for regular maintenence.”

I’m starting to think that this is where I might have been going wrong, because I was using one of those ‘V’ shaped sharpener. Just tried it with one of those flat ones and it does seem to get a much better edge…

” Never wash knife with anything more than a damp cloth.”

Is this hygenic?

Sharpening wise I use a Robert welch sharpener/hone as it’s quicker and very effective . All knives get done once a week as I cook everyday even at home. Washing wise goes in the bowl on own or dishwasher for cheaper sabatiers ( low grade ones) so not to worried about handle life as have already snapped one of the small knives itself.

Our set cost me £65 about 20 years ago and all still going strong after being used every day.

They are about as unglamorous as you can get: Boots branded Sabatier set.

I’ve got a beautiful 40+ year old Sabatier.  Non-stainless that is easy to get a really sharp (non lasting) edge.  A pleasure to use.  If Mrs BigJohn happens to be using it when we’re cooking together I’m quite happy to pick up the TK Maxx cheapie.

Food tastes just as good.

I bought mine perhaps 15 years in little boutique kitchen shop on Upper Street when I lived in Islington. I’d just been to Waitrose too. Can’t confirm if I was on the way to Ottolenghis, I think it was all about Carlucchios back then.  Life goals of the middle classes

Get yourself to a decent Chinese supermarket. Some very good knives for about a tenner. Sharpen up quickly and hold the edge. Perhaps not as.long as the expensive Japanese ones, but much better as a daily use knife

I know a chef in a Michelin starred restaurant and he told me to just buy a Victorinox knife as they can be sharpened easily. You can get the plastic handle for £25 and the fancy rosewood handle one for £35.

If you can’t get a good edge sometimes you will have to re-do the bevels taking a lot of material off, one side at a time so you get a burr then really carefully stone it off.
Stone sharpening and honing is a lot to do with learning the feel of the bevels, make sure you don’t knock the edge off with holding and inconsistent angle. All knifes shape objects will take an edge but a good blade steel will be able to be sharper and hold it for longer.

If you wand a new knife have a play with them to get a feel of the shape and size. As others have said spending more doesn’t necessarily mean a much better knife.

I went to TK Maxx a few years ago and Googled what brands they had on offer.

Some absolutely cracking German and Japanese knives for not very much.

[Quote]I bought mine perhaps 15 years in little boutique kitchen shop on Upper Street when I lived in Islington. I’d just been to Waitrose too. Can’t confirm if I was on the way to Ottolenghis, I think it was all about Carlucchios back then.  Life goals of the middle classes[/quote]

Howsyoudad1 is the Monty Python ‘Four Yorkshiremen’ sketch and I claim my £5

<span style=”color: #444444;”>I’m starting to think that this is where I might have been going wrong, because I was using one of those ‘V’ shaped sharpener. Just tried it with one of those flat ones and it does seem to get a much better edge…</span>

I started with one of those things – t’was ok, but quite obvious to me that it could be done better. Youtube showed me how to do it well, it’s not hard to get it nice and sharp. And I’ve found nice and sharp more than makes up for a lack of chopping skills.

<p style=”margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: #eeeeee; line-height: 1.2em; color: #444444;”>” Never wash knife with anything more than a damp cloth.”</p>
<p style=”margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: #eeeeee; line-height: 1.2em; color: #444444;”>Is this hygenic?</p>

Can’t be. Sounds like the kind of received wisdom that has people not washing their coffee stovetops pots without thinking about why.

Every chef I’ve worked with would suggest Victorinox.

Price wise yes, their potato peelers are amazing too (have a number hoarded 😉 )

“<span style=”color: #444444; font-size: 12.8px;”>Not too expensive, knife for life.”</span>

Knife for life, eh?  Who the hell breaks knives?

I use cheap ones, yet to break one, my vegetables are chopped with little effort.  A lot of snobbery in this area.

My dad got me shun knives for my wedding, they are amazingly sharp but quite fragile, not sure on price or if you can get them here but they are a decent price in the US. I broke one though, thought I could cut chicken bones with it, I was very sad.🙁

A dollar according to this;

https://youtu.be/0P6klz6BTek

I have a kitchen knife which I bought in Prisunic in 1978. It’s still my favourite knife and it cost about £1 in today’s money. Bad workman etc. #MeNotAtAll.

Molegrips, I think the last one broke cutting a butternut squash lengthways, probably cos I’m double hard & stuff 😉 & it was a rubbish £25 for a set of 6 from Morrisons

Also, I’ve had one of these before, and it exceeded expectations:

Ikea cooks knife – £12

I broke a large Sabatier while vigorously chopping carrots. It simply snapped at a handle rivet causing the blade to fall off. Replaced it with a forged Morrisons own brand chef’s knife for £9. Handle is more comfortable and blade just as keen after a quick go on the steel. Seriously impressed.