Knife set recommendations?

popeye85

popeye85

Senior Member
Joined
1 Sep 2019
Local time
10:42 PM
Messages
42
Location
East Lothian
Can anyone recommend a decent knife set? I'm looking at about the £200-250 price range for a set of about 8 knives.
Any help would be greatly appreciated 😁😁😁
 
I don't recommend buying knives in sets. Knives need to feel comfortable in your hand and with most sets maybe one will feel right. We have mixed knives in our block.
 
Try a professional cookshop, one that serves the catering industry, and as Craig suggests buy the knives you need not a set. My tip when selecting a knife is to try to balance it on your finger at the point you would normally hold it near the heel. It should balance nicely and will give you greatest control. If either the blade or the handle is much heavier than the other end then you will always be fighting it.

Edit: invest in a decent sharpener too.
 
Another vote against knife sets - manufacturers will put a couple of knives in there that you really want, like a chef's knife and a paring knife, then fill out the rest of the set with knives you'll never/rarely use. You're better just to shop for a good price on individual knives and get exactly the ones you want.
 
+4 from me. Buy the knives you need, and will use separately, and hold them in your hand, if possible. A knife set will will eventually become a half set, as the other half you will never use.

A good kitchen store can help you pick out just a few knives you like, and will use.

CD
 
When I worked for a catering co., I bought most of my knives from the guy who came out to sharpen the knives from there. They still work great!! I've bought an electric knife sharpener to keep them working fine!! :wink:
 
popeye85 said:
I'm looking at about the £200-250 price range
Click to expand...

That is big money - I really don't think you need to spend so much. And as others say, buy the knives you need. I use one big knife and a few smaller ones. If you fillet fish then a filleting knife is also important.
 
Morning Glory said:
That is big money - I really don't think you need to spend so much. And as others say, buy the knives you need. I use one big knife and a few smaller ones. If you fillet fish then a filleting knife is also important.
Click to expand...
I use a large and a small general purpose knife, carving knife and a bread knife. I think it is possible to spend £200 on some decent knives, a block and a sharpener. That must be about the value of mine but I've had them 20 years and I trust they will last 20 more, so they are a good investment.
 
If you have room, I suggest looking into a magnetic strip to hold your knives. Frees up valuable counter space, if nothing else, and probably a lot cheaper than a block.
 
42113


Or get one of THESE to keep them in until you're ready to use them. I have one that I keep my knives in! It's only $9 at Home Depot.
 
Agree with what's been said, I have a large knife bought from harrods in 98, that's my carving and heavy knife, cost me about $100 back then. Then my first and most used is a smaller one, about $15, then I have two paring or boning knives worth about $10 and my go to bread knife is worth about $5.
I sharpen all my own on a steel. Stolen from an abatoir. Not me, but I swapped. :)

Russ
 
Thanks for the comments-interesting to hear that most people would rather not get a set and just buy individually. That being said I think that as I am a just a amateur with a passing interest in cooking I will probably stick with plan A of just getting a set. Can anyone suggest some decent brands/ranges?
Thanks again!!
 
popeye85 said:
Thanks for the comments-interesting to hear that most people would rather not get a set and just buy individually. That being said I think that as I am a just a amateur with a passing interest in cooking I will probably stick with plan A of just getting a set. Can anyone suggest some decent brands/ranges?
Thanks again!!
Click to expand...

Check out ProCook. I have some knives from them. I'd say that either of these would be good value:

ProCook Professional X50 Knife Set

42131

ProCook Professional X50 Knife Set

42132
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom