UKC

No, not the covid situation! I need some new kitchen knives and the internet is the usual mix of adverts masquerading as reviews and people saying either 'you need to spend £500' or 'all knives are the same, get cheap ones'. I don't believe either, of course!

So, what i want is a set of decent sharp kitchen knives which will hold an edge, not need sharpening after each tomato, but not break the bank. I don't need 47 varieties, 5 or so will be fine! Any recommendations? 

I bought Opinel a few years ago and really like them. I use the santoku most; the bread knife is excellent, and the paring knife does its job. I have the large chef's knife too, but use the santoku more.

https://www.opinel.com/en/kitchen-knives/parallele-wood-handle

I do tonnes of cooking and, like many, fancy myself as an amateur chef (I did spend time as a pot wash and helped chefs). I have two 8 inch chefs knifes. I’ve had one for over 25 years and was about £20/25 back then. It had a ‘never needs sharpening’ tungsten edge. But I now use a simple file to sharpen it and it’s ace. The other was from Aldi I think, £15 ish and is very good. I like having two. I also have 2 paring knifes. It’s all you need. A bread knife for bread as well. 

People in the trade line Procook stuff:
 

https://www.procook.co.uk/product/procook-professional-x50-chefs-knife-20cm...

I went on a similar quest a few years back and spent ages getting sucked into reading about every permutation of knife I needed. In the end I bought a set of three Global knifes with the view to adding any additional knives I felt I actually needed. I still haven't added to the original three! Of the three, the one I use 99% of the time is the GS-5 

https://www.hartsofstur.com/global-3-piece-starter-set-g2515.html 

I have a double sided whetstone from Amazon I use far too infrequently and a ceramic "steel" from Ikea which is great for in between proper sharpening systems. 

My tip would be: make sure the blade, at its widest point, is deep enough to give knuckle clearance for when your doing mega chopping. I’ve used lots of expensive knives that are rubbish due to knuckle bashing. 

I use one large chef's knife for everything including bread and so long as I keep it nice and sharp it's great. Santoku are great but don't really work if you like to cut by rocking on the point end.

Not found a knife yet that keeps a properly sharp edge for any length of time, just give mine a quick go with a steel once a week and it's grand.

given they had in clearance some japanese X50 individual knives down from £40-60 each to 9.99(!) i've just gone for it.. thanks! Chefs, santoku, paring and utility for £50.. happy.

Wusthof. My wife was an au pair in Germany years ago and she was given a set of these as a leaving present. They seem pretty good to me and still look like new. I suspect they are quite expensive though.

If you can make it past the marketing materials without either vomiting or thinking you’re Andy McNab, I really like the Dalstrong “Shadow Black” series.  I really like the handles - both their shape and their weight/feel (for food prep anyway, not as a throwing knife…).  Handles are Garolite G10 and the blades are titanium nitride coating; what’s not to like about stocking your kitchen with materials you’re normally only going to see on a small fusion reactor or other interesting machine…

Victorinox do a good range. We use one as our large kitchen knife. I also have a smaller damascus steel Japanese knife which I like.

Also as someone said above opinel are good I have a large folding one for camping.

We sharpen ours on a regular basis but they don't really need it (I like a knife sharp enough that I can shave with it. It's a hang over from my horticultural days)

Go to TKMaxx, you'll get yourself loads of decent knives at a good price. Then get a decent sharpener. Screw whetstones; I used to spend a couple of hours every couple of weeks with various grades. Waste of time and really messy to do it properly.

I bought a fantastic tabletop sharpener which takes two or three swipes every week or two and I can cut squash with ease.

The internet is full of marketing BS and gear-nerds who will make you think you need to spend loads of money.

I don't think most people need a set of knives, just a main chef's knife and a paring knife. I've taken to using a chinese style chef's knife. It looks like a cleaver but is much thinner and not meant to cut through bone. They're great as you can use the knife as a big scoop to grab whatever you've just chopped.

If you can live with carbon steel I don't think you need to spend much money, in my experience it's both easier to sharpen and holds it's edge better than most stainless steels. You just have to dry it after washing or it will rust.

This is what I bought, it's hand forged and It doesn't take much to get it razor sharp and keep it that way. It's also £30 : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32968381566.html?spm=a2g0o.9042311.0.0.514a... (the gl-3).

Procook all the way…… 

TKmaxx do not sell knifes anymore (i went and asked!).  You need to enjoy the whetsone sharpness process - if you don't, i tend to agree about hassle

OP: Im in a similar boat and reviews i've seen suggest a lot of support for a decent 'beater knife' is the Mercer Culinary Millennia 8-Inch Stainless Steel Chef's ism about 16 quid from Amazon  or victorinox 8 inch chefs knife.

add a decent paring knife - and that'll cover most of the stuff i do. They are really the only 2 i use much, maybe  a 5inch untlity as well

posh Japaneses knife with super hard steel (60+) are normally $$$$ and probably not suitable as they need more care and may chip - so im told.. Amazon often has offers.

Oh no. They used to have loads in my local one. Ive got loads thankfully so in no immediate need.

The whetstone process is one of those classics where you do it a few times and then go, what on earth am I doing this for, I dont need to split the atom?

Wifey bought a Zwilling set and thinks they're superb.

Incidentally, she went on a knife course at a well known cookery school, and he said people hold the knife wrong. Apparently, your thumb and index finger should be on the blade, not the handle. She's a great cook, so works for me!

I know folk who would pay good money for a 5 inch untlity 

In that case, can I expand the question to include recommendations for a decent sharpener? A knife snob friend had convinced me that sharpeners all ruin knives so I had to learn to do it properly with a whetstone. I never got around to that so I've just been living with increasingly blunt knives, which is clearly daft.

Chef's Path.

Only have the one, not a set, but it's the best knife I've ever had and it's nowhere near the most expensive.

Look up the scary sharp system cheap and easy. 

My preferred option is the Lansky deluxe system, but I'm one of those nerds.

Japanese waterstones give a nice edge, but like all oil/waterstones they require a bit of practice. 

I haven't properly sharpened any of mine for at least a year - I just use a steel every few times I use them to restore the edge. They're still very sharp. Those pull through sharpeners really aren't great and I use a whetstone. It is worth learning how to do it. 

They are expensive but among the best.

OP: In the words of Anthony Bourdain, you need ONE good chef's knife. I have one big chef's knife (a Zwilling I think, from TK Maxx c.16 years ago) and loads of various Opinels. Never wanted anything else. Sharpening is a key skill, one that I don't have despite having all the gear.

I can make you some nice kitchen knives if you like? It's a part time hobby/business of mine and something I take great pride in, so let me know if that's of any interest.

Cheers!

I have a Zwilling chef's knife which I bought over 15 years ago and is still great.

If you really don't want to break the bank then I bought a couple from here:

https://www.chopchopchop.co.uk/488AK.html

They're Thai, and while the construction of them isn't super-high quality, the actual blades, particularly the "special blade" (high carbon stainless) are incredibly sharp and hold an edge very well. 

I actually use this more than the Zwilling one nowadays

Thought this would be about negotiating snowy knife edge ridges safely.

https://www.springfields.co.uk/lansky-deluxe-sharpening-system.html?utm_sou...

Very easy to use, doesn't destroy the blade like the pull through types. The Mrs bought a glass chopping board and I managed to get our knives back to shaving sharp in no time. 

I need new kitchen knives, but I’m struggling to figure out how to dispose of my old ones. Doesn’t feel right to put them in the bin.