Lost my favourite knife, really grieving

Day Lewin

I know this is a bit like the "which knife should I buy" thread but...I was already in love with my favourite knife, for many years.
I'd had it so long the blade sang in the wind: sliced thin as paper, warmed to my hand.

Lo and behold, we went off on our holliers to Australia for three weeks, leaving our home in tender care of a 23 yr old student.

And when we got home, the best kitchen knife was gone.

I want to ask the collective wisdom of boards, is there anywhere in Dublin I can buy another exactly like this one?
It was bought in Reads, of course, long years ago. :-(
This is a photograph of my lost darling:

http://thetastebudtest.blogspot.ie/2012/08/the-best-carrot-cake-youve-ever-tasted.html

You will note, she is carbon steel, the kind that rusts: that's the kind I want. Not engaging in the debate about stainless, not right here and now.

I didn't take her measurements, but the blade was about 6ins long from heel to toe.

Would really welcome your recommendations for where to get a replacement.

the beer revolu

No direct aid, I'm afraid but I'd be looking at Japanese knives to replace that.

RasTa

You'll have to go online.

Something like this would be the best

http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-180374/

This one is cheaper and not as high end as the first link

http://korin.com/Togiharu-Virgin-Carbon-Steel-Gyutou

Day Lewin

Thank you very much, @the beer revolu and @RasTa
I appreciate your input.

Time was, you could buy those knives in a range of lengths, at ordinary shops. Tempus fugit!

I will follow the online links.

CJhaughey

Looks like a carbon steel Sabatier, I have an 8" version of the same knife.
Try checking Ebay.fr also .co.uk and .de as well as the US site.
You'll find another like it.
The newer Sabatiers are all stainless but there are plenty of the carbon ones still knocking around.

biketard

Can you not have a word with the student and get the knife back, OP?

kylith

CJhaughey wrote: »

Looks like a carbon steel Sabatier, I have an 8" version of the same knife.
Try checking Ebay.fr also .co.uk and .de as well as the US site.
You'll find another like it.
The newer Sabatiers are all stainless but there are plenty of the carbon ones still knocking around.

I love my Sabiatier knife. It holds an edge brilliantly and I'd be heartbroken if I lost it.

I wish I could suggest where to get one, but I found mine in a hedge.

kylith

kylith wrote: »

I wish I could suggest where to get one, but I found mine in a hedge.

This gave me a massive LOL! I love it! :pac::):P

quaalude

katemarch wrote: »

This is a photograph of my lost darling:

http://thetastebudtest.blogspot.ie/2012/08/the-best-carrot-cake-youve-ever-tasted.html

It sucks you lost your knife - but I'm glad you posted the carrot cake recipe, I've been looking for a good one and that sounds both simple and delicious. I hope to try making it at the weekend.

Good luck with the knife search!

0lddog

I have a knife just like that. It came from Reads too.

Searched "knives steel -stainless site:sweeneyorourke.com" with google ( just because S O'R are handy for me ).

( Lots of stuff came up. I wonder if stainless steel is now presumed and no longer worthy of mention in a knife description. )

How about something like

http://www.sweeneyorourke.com/ebstore/so/product.asp?p_part_code=K-F6R

At least it will be easy to find the red handle

Day Lewin

@quaalude - good luck with the carrot cake; I searched many a mile and tried many a recipe for that one! (ask me anything)

dmc17

Something like this?

Day Lewin

@dmc17 - thank you - absolutely like that. Must be the kind that rusts, though, not stainless.

I found an online reference to a shop in London that you can go into and feel the knife, test the weight of it in your hand, etc

They are expensive, good knives: and I cook a LOT: That is one reason that I'm a little hesitant to buy online for such a pricey and personal item.
What if you spend a hundred quid for something to be hand-ground and sent from faraway Japan, and then the knife just doesn't "feel" right?

The balance and "heft" matters a lot, and I have quite small hands.

As it happens, I will be visiting London next weekend, so have planned a visit to this shop and hope to spend serious money ;-)

http://www.sohoknives.com/shop.asp

heldel00

Be careful if you are only bringing hand luggage when travelling to London.
Imagine being forced to put your lovely knives in the bin at the airport!

dmc17

katemarch wrote: »

@dmc17 - thank you - absolutely like that. Must be the kind that rusts, though, not stainless.

I found an online reference to a shop in London that you can go into and feel the knife, test the weight of it in your hand, etc

They are expensive, good knives: and I cook a LOT: That is one reason that I'm a little hesitant to buy online for such a pricey and personal item.
What if you spend a hundred quid for something to be hand-ground and sent from faraway Japan, and then the knife just doesn't "feel" right?

The balance and "heft" matters a lot, and I have quite small hands.

As it happens, I will be visiting London next weekend, so have planned a visit to this shop and hope to spend serious money ;-)

http://www.sohoknives.com/shop.asp

Here is the same one on Amazon

True Carbon. The knife blade can Rust and will Oxidize. They do require a bit more maintenance then stainless blades.

th283

Hi if you are looking for knives in London I would reccomend the japenese knife shop or Denny's chef shop both in Shaftesbury avenue. Other than that i have found nisbets.ie great for knives and other kitchen equipment

quaalude

katemarch wrote: »

@quaalude - good luck with the carrot cake; I searched many a mile and tried many a recipe for that one! (ask me anything)

Made this carrot cake yesterday and it was all going so well...until I took it out of the oven and dropped it on the kitchen floor, ruining the cake and breaking a favourite dish. You know, the thing you always worry will happen but never does.

The one bit of cake I picked off the top that wasn't full of floor or broken glass showed promise though.

I made a nice coleslaw with some of the remaining carrots so the day was a bit saved.

Will try it again this weekend!

Day Lewin

@quaalude - I'm so sorry a nice dish got broken!

In general I'd recommend using a traditional tin - not only that it doesn't break if dropped, LOL, but the thin metal disperses heat quickly, whereas if you use Pyrex or something of that kind, the vessel retains heat and the baked thing may end up with a thicker crust, and possibly rise less.

New Home

If you don't find it in the shops you're visiting in London, try and look for a hotel kitchen supply shop - or whatever they're called... You'll definitely find it there.

New Home

kylith wrote: »

I love my Sabiatier knife. It holds an edge brilliantly and I'd be heartbroken if I lost it.

I wish I could suggest where to get one, but I found mine in a hedge.

Just re-reading this. To be honest, in your shoes I'd have probably brought it to the Gardaí just in case... It's an unlikely place for a knife, I doubt it came from the lesser-spotted 'knife-tree' , and almost certainly it wasn't left behind after a picnic... But then again, I always see the sinister side of things...

Delphinium

I too had this knife from Reads, bought 1973. Lost some years ago. It did rust of course but, with care, was the best knife ever. Still miss it and hope it turns up.

kylith

New Home wrote: »

Just re-reading this. To be honest, in your shoes I'd have probably brought it to the Gardaí just in case... It's an unlikely place for a knife, I doubt it came from the lesser-spotted 'knife-tree' , and almost certainly it wasn't left behind after a picnic... But then again, I always see the sinister side of things...

I probably should have, and living where I do it's likely that it'd been use for nefarious activity, but it honestly didn't cross my mind to do it until after it'd been cleaned and handled by half my family. It'd probably been in the hedge for months at that stage anyway. I comfort myself with the thought that if it'd been used on anyone it was probably during an inter-gang drug war.

New Home

'Cutting drugs' takes on a whole new, waaaay more literal, meaning...

Anyway, apologies, my comments had nothing to do with the OP's question.

Day Lewin

Update: I was in London over the weekend so in high hopes I hied me to the Soho Knife Shop and explained my needs to the very expert and very understanding men at the counter. They understood me well, but alas they could not help.
To quote one of them:
"You won't be able to find one of those retail in London. Because these kind of shops sell to chefs, and chefs don't want carbon steel knives: they rust, and you have to maintain them just about every time you use them."
I nod, we both know that you have to wipe those knives or wash and dry immediately.
The other chipped in
"And you can't chuck them in a dishwasher, they must be washed by hand"

well, we agreed, you don't just throw around a good carbon knife, you have to love them.

(and as we have seen from the posts above, their owners do love them- dearly!)

However, what they were able to do for me, was - they said that Sabatier in Thiers still do grind those knives: I was able to handle several sizes and shapes (in stainless) and establish that a 6in. cooks knife is still a good all-purpose choice, and I have the website to write to them, and still looking on ebay -(as recommended by @CJhaughey, above) in case a decent 2nd-hand one turns up.

So there it rests for now, but the hunt goes on.

Thank you all for your entertaining and helpful input. :-)

Not G.R

Try the ever eccentric Fingal Ferguson. He's the guy behind Gubeen (Cheese and cured meats) He also makes knives. I'm sure he'd make one to a similar spec to what you what with the steel you want and with a weight you want. Pricey though and the waiting list is a little long but you'll have a unique knife that will last a lifetime.

Good luck!

th283

Hi OP, it may be worth checking tk maxx if you're close to one. I was browsing in the knife aisle there today and they had a few carbon steel options similar to this one http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stellar-Damask-Carbon-Steel-Santoku/dp/B004XZ4WAW

Day Lewin

@th283 --ooh, thank you!!