Knife Block Set - Any Chefs on here?

[eXc]

Hi All,

I am getting married in April, and we are going to put a knife block set on the gift registry.
Can anyone shed some light on;

1) what the good cheaper stuff is?

2) and what the really good stuff is?

3) Is there a crossover point - ie "if you don't spend $600+, then any of the $100 ones are just as good as the $500 ones"

4) What are the bare neccesities for a block set?

5) Sharpening - Get a steel? Automatic? How do I learn?

This one any good? Mundail?
http://www.petersofkensington.com.au/Product/ProductInfo.aspx?id=1273351

Thanks!

Chris

 

[Paul Do]

I'm not a chef and can only recommend knives I've used or tried.

For a great conversation piece, but still good knives, try these http://www.amazon.com/5-Piece-Unique-Designed-Raffaele-Iannello/dp/B000IXINLC - they also nearly match your usename.

Global are very good quality, sharp and well balanced knives. http://www.amazon.com/Global-G888-91ST-9-Piece-Knife/dp/B000RI6VP8/ref=pd_sbs_k_3

If you like Mundial, try the Future ones.

 

[Riasta]

Global are fantastic mid-tier and often on good specials.

I too would be interested to hear more about best methods for sharpening though!

 

[travelbug]

I LOVE my Global knives. My daughter ended up getting a set out of her wedding money.

We've had Mondial ones for years but I love the Global feel, weight etc.

This is the set we have. They are more expensive at a lot of places.
We paid $275 at Victoria's basement.

http://www.kitchenwaredirect.com.au/Global

We used to buy cheap knives, frypans etc but they just don't last. Now I only buy good stuff. It works out more economical in the long run. I've had a Jamie Oliver frypan for 5 years and it still looks new (yes I do cook with it).

 

[depreciator]

I'm 99.9% sure there would be a knife forum out there. There is a forum for most things. Lots of the people on it would either a bit loopy or a bit anal, but I bet your question gets asked often.

Scott

 

[tobe]

Im a qualified chef, although I havent worked in the industry for about 10 years.
My personal opinion is unless you know how to use and take care of a knife, your better off buying a cheapie.

knives dont go in dishwashers, knives arent left on the bench, clean or dirty, knives are sharpened and cleaned by the owner/user regularly. Knives arent used for anything not fit for purpose, and each knife in the set has a diferent purpose.

cant tell you how many times Ive been to someones kitchen and seen a dull abused set of expensive knives. It breaks my heart. the knifeblock is full of kitchen grease and dust, and the knives are useless to cut anything well.

Spend your money on doing a tafe course on knife handling, its one of the first units in an apprentiship course. You'll learn how to handle and sharpen a knife. how to cut diferent vegies, meat and fish etc The diferent kinds of cuts, batons, dice etc. Then buy one good knife, and add to it as you go.

 

[imonmyway]

I have had a mundial set of knives for about 15 years always took good care of them they have been excellant. As said in previouse posts never put them n the dish washer sharpen them regularly and store them correctly I have a in draw storage unit.

Last year I bought a Global Santoku knife, cost me about $150 I think and I have pretty much stopped using all the other knives except the big heavy chefs knife when I cut muddies up : ).

It is even better then my specialist bread knife I have for slicing bread. You need to get a different sharpner for them but a sharp Santoku Global knife is the best kitchen implement I have ever bought.

 

[Indifference]

tobe, well said!

I love cooking. I'm not even a chef's toenail, but I appreciate a fine blade. For the average punter, a couple of decent Ceramic Knives can work very well for home use, BUT they are fragile if used for anything other than their intended purpose. Ie. they can snap if used as a wedge, lever, bent sideways or any other ridiculous purpose.

I am a big fan of Damascus Steel knives. These are the ones with the folded steel patterns throughout the blade like a fine samurai sword. Very strong, can be sharpened to an incredible edge and will last a lifetime if cared for properly.

I also have some Mundials which are a decent knife.

 

[softmonkey]

cant tell you how many times Ive been to someones kitchen and seen a dull abused set of expensive knives.

That'd be me. I got a really nice set of knives but had no idea how to take care of them and was too scared of damaging them with the stone. My advice would be to cut your teeth on an average set first, messing about freely and frequently with steels and stones for a couple of years. You can still put a nice set on the gift registry, of course.

 

[buzzlightyear]

I purchased a 9piece Scanpan knife set recently. Danish brand, great design, thick handle, a heavier knife compared to others. Have a look at their website. Or go to House (retail store), they have a large range of knife brands, to give you an indication of the range, design and cost.

 

[The Y-man]

Global are fantastic mid-tier and often on good specials.

I too would be interested to hear more about best methods for sharpening though!

Another Global fan.

I use a ceramic sharpener like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/BNIB-GLOBAL-...051727QQihZ012QQcategoryZ116005QQcmdZViewItem

The Y-man

 

[Wunderbar]

I concur. Global knives are very good but you have to take care of them (or any other good knife). Wash them asap after using and wipe them dry before putting them back into the block!

 

[Witzl]

Another vote for Global.
I bought a set for home about a year ago, and they are FANTASTIC.

Another friend bought some Scanpan ones, and found that they rusted, despite looking after them properly.

Also, Mundial knives are made in Brazil now... but global is made in Japan - i like japanese steel over brazilian steel


For best prices - check out victoria's basement.

http://www.victoriasbasement.com.au...tID=KN&SubCat1=KNKBS&SubCat2=&ProductID=26498

http://www.victoriasbasement.com.au...tID=KN&SubCat1=KNKBS&SubCat2=&ProductID=22738


... and to look after them, it's DEFINITELY worth buying one of these "wetstone" sharpeners - so easy to use and brings the knife back to as-new sharpness every time.

http://www.victoriasbasement.com.au...tID=KN&SubCat1=KNKAC&SubCat2=&ProductID=13849


If its a gift registry... i would probably not include the knives. Even at EOFY sales, Myer etc hardly sell them for less than $300 for the set... whereas i picked up my 6pc set for around $180 on sale at Victoria's basement.
Put something else on the registry, and buy the knives yourselves

 

[craigb]

mundial set has been in this home for 18 years from the trade they are sharpened by stone and steel but you need to know/learn, what your doing,