What about knives?

Collaborative Post

If you’re a food fan, admit it, an addiction to knives begins to stalk us.  It’s even worse if we’ve had a great knife, lost it, and have never managed to replace it.

I have to admit, that I’d love to be a bit of a knife snob, and I’ve written about different knife sets in the past, however, the loss of my favourite large chopping knife, that cost me £70, way back when I was a student, hit me hard.  I’d cared for, nurtured, and sharpened that knife lovingly for years.  Not only that, but the rest of the knives in my knife roll also went missing during a kitchen refit.  I  have no idea if I threw them out by mistake, or if my hubby did, or if they got lifted.  Whatever the reason for them leaving my home, I’ve sadly missed having them in my life and I can’t even remember the brand.  For the whole set, I know I’d be talking many many hundreds of pounds these days, and it’s just not an option for our budget.

For me, right this moment, it’s all about the vegetable knife.  Mine is incredibly bad.  I did love one that I bought from Tesco years ago, and liked it so much, I bought another.  My middle child used one to open a tin of paint, and snapped the whole top off.  The the other one was the victim of a teenage frying pan accident, where it was left in the pan while it was on, and melted the rubber grip.  When I tried to find a replacement, I couldn’t find one I liked.  I’ve never got on with tattie peelers and much prefer a knife with a small blade, but the ones these days seem to have quite long blades, and are a bit uncomfortable to hold.

Anyway, I think we all get the message, that great quality knives make cooking far easier than heavy blunt lumps of metal, but finding a full quality set for under 200 £ is a mission for all of us.

• Good quality at a great price.
• Sharp.  Actually, can I add this about four or five times.  I really dislike buying blunt knives.
• Comfortable handle.  Not slippery, shiny or metal.  Nobody wants a sharp implement slipping out of their hands like a freshly caught fish.
• Non rusting.  Perhaps this isn’t an issue these days with modern technology.  Over the years, I’ve thrown out knives due to the start of red rot.
• Has a knife block that fits on my counter.  I do like the Edge of Belgravia one much more than regular knife blocks where crumbs can gather in the slots.
• 3″ blade for paring/vegetable knife, with comfortable rubber handle.

You know what, as I wrote this post, I hunted out the vegetable knife I am using, and I’m so ashamed of it, I can’t bring myself to post an image of the battered, half melted piece of metal.

I managed to figure out it’s a Kitchen Devils knife, so I started a hunt for it.

When I checked Lakeland, I found out it has been discontinued, I headed over to Amazon.    Yes, I round my knife, although it’s £8.95, but to be honest, for what it’s worth to me, as a great wee vegetable and fruit knife, I instantly popped 3 into my shopping bag to buy.  1 for now, and 2 to hide for the future, just in case kids and the man decide to use one of them as a fishing wire tool too…..

I don’t know about you, but guarantees on a knife don’t tend to be something I tend to look for, as I never have any idea whatsoever where the receipt is after a few years.  I doubt the Kitchen Devil people would take back my current sad excuse for a veggie knife.

What do you think about when you’re looking for a new knife set?  Happy knife hunting all.