Kitchen Knife Set - Recommendations Please?

[Sheffield Tony]

I wouldn't put anything I cherished through a dishwasher.

Just to mention you can still get Sheffield made knives - Richardson 1839 range. I use some older Richardson knives, sharpened with the kit I use for everything else - wet grinder and oilstone.

 

[AJB Temple]

Dishwasher is fine. It's the salts that do the damage

My knives have never seen a dishwasher. A wifey accident in this regard with a brand new Will Catcheside slicer, nearly caused a divorce. I bought some knives just for her so she can wreck them if she wishes.

 

[Bm101]

Buy a santoku. Unless you know you want another shape. Ie paring. Get what you can afford without getting carried away on Japanese *tradition. Mine is made by mcusta. It wont rust but it doesn't go in the dishwasher either. I have a heavy british brand Richardson cleaver that keeps a great edge.
I want to make a vegetable cleaver and maybe a nakiri from O1 stock. Strangely, I've been pondering this a lot lately.

 

[AJB Temple]

An alternative is follow the Chinese approach. Typically they use a big, razor sharp, knife that looks like a chopper, for absolutely everything, including very fine work. (Hopeless for boning out meat though). It is very skilled and takes some getting used to. I have not mastered the skill. Just one knife though. Also a superb scoop for food to pan.

 

[Sideways]

Plenty of classic reputable brands have been recommended and the advice on quality Japanese knives is enlightening.
One note of caution: counterfeiting of Global knives is rife, be careful of your source. Personally I find them uncomfortable and overpriced.
I have a Kasumi paring knife - damascus around a solid core - a pretty thing.
I also rate the Spyderco triangle sharpmaker.
With your given budget, I'd take a look at the Robert Welch Signature knives stocked by Lakeland.
£200 would buy you four, maybe five. I find them comfortable in the hand and I like the smaller vegetable knives. I'd add a couple of larger sizes according to your needs / taste. Build your own small set as a standard selection is unlikely to be just right.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

I buy my butchering knives at the local market - they are €20 each, and sharp enough to break down 3 pigs without trouble. Very thin cross section and take a really good edge. Some random east - European make, possibly Polish but I would have to Czech (so sorry). I wonder what I am missing out on? Do £500 japanese knives really cut that much better? Would my chops taste better? Is it the chance to pretend I am samurai that makes it value for money?

I don't have a budget for fancy knives, so I will probably never know. My kitchen set came from Trago Mills probably 25 years ago but as with everyone else I only use the big one and a small paring knife. Keep them sharp and all is good. I did buy a boning knife, but it was from Lidl so does it count?

 

[LBCarpentry]

I own a set of globals and absolutely love. Very good feel and balance with reputation to match. Can’t complain.

 

[Togalosh]

I have 3 knives I use for almost everything. The Global G5 is by far my favourite & 2 (150mm bladed) Sabatier are very nice too - they have lasted +30 yrs but my other half has a very annoying habit of putting them in the dishwasher & look worse for wear now. That's an arguement for later. The flexible blade of the fish knife is good for certain fruit & veg prep. I like fish skin so I rarely use it for fish. I have a Chinese clever & 'cooks knives' for bigger duties.

I think Sabatier have different ranges with varying quality. Nisbets do a full set for £125 so maybe they are the cheap ones. Nisbets do Global & others too & have shops so you can go & get your hands on them. I don't think they'd let you chop up a bag of carrots on the counter though.

As already said, if you cannot easily sharpen them then even a very expensive knife will soon be rubbish to use.

 

[clogs]

I'm cheap, bought a couple of sets from Lidil....one for the holiday rental and the other for me.....
they are very sharp and go in the dishwasher......
have a nice diamond sharper when necc.....
Cant understand all the fuss unless u have people to impress.....and what would they know about decent knives anyway...

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Dishwasher is fine. It's the salts that do the damage

My knives have never seen a dishwasher. A wifey accident in this regard with a brand new Will Catcheside slicer, nearly caused a divorce. I bought some knives just for her so she can wreck them if she wishes.

Your wife put your knives through the dishwasher?? Mine put my bread tins through one.

 

[Racers]

These are two I made.

Cocobolo and O1 steel knives by Racers, on Flickr

Pete

 

[Steve Maskery]

Pete, that's just showing off.

I have two proper Jap ones. I can't remember the name. They wer about £150 each, 15 or 20 years ago. Presents. The cleaver hardly ever goes in the drawer, let alone the dishwasher (Aaaarrrggghhh!), it is my go-to knife, I use it every day.

I also have this ProCook set. The knives themselves are quite nice to use, but the block is is useless. The knives go in (and therefore have to come out) vertically, which means that the wall cabinets get in the way for all but the shortest knives. Also, the smallest knife is always falling over, as the handle is heavier than the blade and there is nothing to restrain it in the block. But if you are making you own block (make it at an angle so they can live under a wall cabinet) then I would recommend them. Good knives that don't cost the earth.

Having said that, I use my nan's carbon steel bread knife and I bet I've used the carving knife just once, if at all. So the advice about buying singles is probably very sound.

 

[pe2dave]

Wusthoff. Bread knife, two veg knives (small and 6 or 8"). Sharpen easily on a standard steel.
Great quality.

 

[TJC]

As most have said, one large, one small is a good starting point. If you are doing mainly veg prep consider a santoku or nakiri shape.

The globals are consistently good for the money, personally I like the small ones, but find the handles uncomfortable on larger knives.

It's worth feeling them in your hand, that's the ultimate test. Robert Welch make some nice mid price knives that are worth considering.

 

[sammy.se]

In terms of bread knife - This is excellent. Don't let the price fool you, it's really very good. You can save some money on the bread knife and put it towards the other knives.

Mercer bread knife

(and it's very, very good for slicing rockwool slab insulation with no mess - shhhh, don't tell the Mrs.)

 

[TJC]

Oh yeah, there's no reason to spend more than £15 on a bread knife unless you want a posh handle.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I had a small Robert Welch which was beautifully designed and made, but I found it near impossible to sharpen and keep sharp.

Not very classy, but for a bread knife these take some beating for the money -

Mercer Culinary Millennia Wide Bread Knife, Stainless Steel, Black, 10-Inch (Amazon)

I have a longer one which was less than £20.

I have two knives, one ten inch, one six, that I bought at a car boot years ago. They looked to be decent so I asked how much they were - the chap replied that they were good ones, and that he wanted a pound. I said I'd take the chance.
I tore off the tape as I walked away and in the sunshine I saw two faint etchings - Hand Forged by Sabatier for Elizabeth David Ltd.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

In terms of bread knife - This is excellent. Don't let the price fool you, it's really very good. You can save some money on the bread knife and put it towards the other knives.
Mercer bread knife

Sorry, I posted without looking at the intervening posts. Great minds think alike.

 

[TJC]

I had a small Robert Welch which was beautifully designed and made, but I found it near impossible to sharpen and keep sharp.

That's interesting, my mother has a couple that we bought together, she only uses one of those Minosharp block things, but has been happy with them. I'll have to check them now next time I'm back home!

 

[TheBeeBoyKid]

Ignore sets. Buy a good 10" chefs knife and a paring knife. Or of personnally i like japanese style blades like santuko shape but with a western handle. I do almost everything with one. But I'm unusual. Dont bother with Damascus,it looks good ish, till it gets polished away. A posers knife rather than a good knife.
Buy a decent steel. This is way more important and will help keep your knifes sharp. Theres 2 types, one sharpens to an extent the other hones.
Ill type more when im on a computer.

Yeah, I do everything with a Japanese Santuko too. One good knife, keep it sharp, beautiful!!