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What about knives?

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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.

I’ve had the Edge of Belgravia Precision set in the past, which retails at around £70 at the moment, and while mine still gets a lot of use, although I am now missing the paring knife, as it got removed to go to a fishing trip, and never got returned.  Remind me why I let my hub and teens into the kitchen again !
As much as I love the remaining knives left in this set, I’m again, on the hunt for a vegetable knife…
What I look for:
  • 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 thought on “What about knives?

  1. I have a real thing for a good sharp knife, and have been known to bring my knives with me to holiday homes and even to my mother in law’s. I once left my whole roll of knives in a cottage on Tiree, and was distraught, but the lovely owners helped them find their way home to me.

    I have just started a blog about food and fatherhood – http://www.eatdrinkdad.com – and I’ll be posting about my knives soon. It would be great if you felt compelled to follow and/or share the blog.

    Thanks
    Ru

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