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Buying knives

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  • Registered Users Posts: 617 ✭✭✭S.R.F.C.




  • Registered Users Posts: 16,664 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu


    S.R.F.C. wrote: »

    Both!

    There are people here a lot more knowledgeable on knife sharpening but as I understand it a steel will merely maintain and edge on a knife and you need a separate sharpening system - you should use the steel daily and then every few weeks or months sharpen it.
    I bought an oil stone for sharpening but wasn't getting good results so I bought one of these. I found it a bit harsh on the knives and it wore away pretty quickly itself so last week I bought one of these -€35.90. Too early to tell if it's any good or not but the shop (Brennan's, Cork) swore by them and they know me as a customer and are pretty reliable.
    I think cheaper sharpeners will wear away your knife quickly so if you have good knives, it's worth investing in a good sharpener.

    I'd like to hear other peoples take on this too.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,625 ✭✭✭✭BaZmO*


    ...so last week I bought one of these -€35.90. Too early to tell if it's any good or not but the shop (Brennan's, Cork) swore by them and they know me as a customer and are pretty reliable.
    It's strange that that sharpener is described as...
    "At the heart of the machines are two small butchers' steels, the same hardness, temper and cut as a professional steel. The steels are pre-set at the optimum edge angle and are spring loaded so as not to damage the knife. Just run any knife blade between the steels four or five times and your knife is sharpened."

    So you'd essentially be using a steel to sharpen your knife? Kinda goes against the principle of what a steel is for.


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,664 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu


    BaZmO* wrote: »
    It's strange that that sharpener is described as...



    So you'd essentially be using a steel to sharpen your knife? Kinda goes against the principle of what a steel is for.

    Yeah I came across that too but was sort of ignoring it:rolleyes:


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,674 ✭✭✭nompere


    I've been using one of these for the last few years.

    http://www.bestknifesharpenerreviews.info/furi-ozitech-diamond-fingers-pro-knife-sharpener/

    If you look on amazon you;ll see one or two adverse comments about the build-quality, and there's no doubt that it is a bit flimsy. But it still does the job it was bought for, and I just have to keep my fingers out of the way.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 334 ✭✭breakfast roll




  • Registered Users Posts: 622 ✭✭✭Deise Musashi


    I sharpen knives as a hobby, made a post about it in the Hunting forum.

    It's a tutorial type thing equally applies to my kitchen knives.

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=72714711

    Hope this helps!

    Eric.


  • Registered Users Posts: 32,370 ✭✭✭✭rubadub


    mildews wrote: »
    Does anyone know if there is a place in Dublin where I can buy Ceramic Knives made by Kyocera?
    Thanks.
    I want to know this too, or just any place to get any brand. Would TK maxx usually have them?


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,664 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu


    rubadub wrote: »
    I want to know this too, or just any place to get any brand. Would TK maxx usually have them?

    TKMax often have knives that look like they're ceramic but they're not - just coloured metal so be careful.


  • Registered Users Posts: 540 ✭✭✭Intothesea


    Here's a handy comparison for (mostly) stainless double-beveled (Western-style) Japanese knives:

    http://news.korin.com/media_images/news134/news134.html

    These guys ship all over the world:

    http://korin.com/Shop/Western-Style-Knives

    I have a couple of Masamoto knives and splitting hairs has never been so enjoyable, or quick :pac:


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  • Registered Users Posts: 622 ✭✭✭Deise Musashi


    I like to buy knives from

    http://japanesechefsknife.com/products.html

    http://www.watanabeblade.com/english/

    http://www.chefknivestogo.com/

    http://www.edenwebshops.co.uk/en/ct/kitchen-knives.htm

    http://www.cartercutlery.com/
    I have a couple of Masamoto knives and splitting hairs has never been so enjoyable

    Keep them stropped and they will keep cutting like that for a long, long time!

    Of course you can contact a bunch of makers on BritishBlades and ask them to make a custom job for you, like these!

    http://customkitchenknives.blogspot.com/p/kitchen-knives-gallery.html




  • Hi there,
    Looking for a set of decent knives for a chef-wannabe as a gift.
    Looking to spend 100-150 for a quality set. Any recommendations of good deals?


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,653 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    Merged with existing thread.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,107 ✭✭✭enfield


    I was a chef and left it in the 70s to go my merry way. One of those merry ways was engineering. When I went back to the cooking there was this thick bladed knife in the kitchen, you know the type, 3mm blade and hard to push through a turnip. Merging my culinary experience with my engineering ones, I brought it home. Laid it on its side horizontally in a 4 inch vice. I plugged in my 110 transformered 4 inch grinder and stuck on a flap disc. I gently sanded the left hand side of the blade edge, then I turned it over in the vice and did it the same on the other side, making sure all the time that the disc is grinding away from the blade edge. The blade should be laid flat and the grinding disc almost flat when grinding. This gets me a knife that will zip through the softest tomatoes and anything you want to put it through.
    Ask your husband to do this if he has a 4 inch grinder, the whole exercise takes no more than three minutes and you are left with a knife with a better edge than when it left the cutlers. We (the old culinary ones) use to buy our knives in the United Yeast Company opposite Trinity College, from what I hear they are still there and most helpful.
    When I worked in the Russell Hotel on St Stephens Green under Head Chef, Pierre Roland in the 1960's, our knives were sent out regularly to be sharpened. The Meat and vegetable corners would use a steel to keep the sharp.
    Cheers.
    Tom.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 18,173 CMod ✭✭✭✭The Black Oil


    Have a voucher for 'Stock Design Store' in Dublin, they might have knives. Must invest in a good set.


  • Registered Users Posts: 622 ✭✭✭Deise Musashi


    I brought it home. Laid it on its side horizontally in a 4 inch vice. I plugged in my 110 transformered 4 inch grinder and stuck on a flap disc. I gently sanded the left hand side of the blade edge, then I turned it over in the vice and did it the same on the other side, making sure all the time that the disc is grinding away from the blade edge. The blade should be laid flat and the grinding disc almost flat when grinding. This gets me a knife that will zip through the softest tomatoes and anything you want to put it through.
    I have a Viell 1x42 belt sander for doing this type of thinning, must fit a motor to it this year. :D The main thing using power tools on your knives is to watch heat build up at the edge. If it's too hot to hold with bare hands then you need to dip in water quick!

    A light touch and keeping the edge cool will give a thinned blade that will cut very well. A quick convexing can be done at the same time depending if you grind on the platen or in the slacker belt section above the platen.
    I like a convex on softer steel knives as it supports the edge, and can help hold on to carbides in the edge, rather than having them tear out.

    Failing a belt sander, a buffer or power file could be used with great care!

    A buffer is one of the most dangerous tools to use with a knife, it can grab and fling the knife in an act.

    Eye protection is a must also, let's not hurt ourselves for lack of PPE.


  • Registered Users Posts: 961 ✭✭✭Longranger


    Hi all,first time poster so excuse me if I sound like an idiot. Just wondering if anyone has used the santoku knives from tesco. They're about 35 quid and look ok. Any opinions?


  • Registered Users Posts: 22,734 ✭✭✭✭The Hill Billy


    Threads merged.

    tHB


  • Registered Users Posts: 622 ✭✭✭Deise Musashi


    santoku knives from tesco.
    Just had a look on the Tesco website, is it the "Professional" range knives?

    AW08203-5706TPS332122.jpg

    They don't say what steel is used, stainless is all that's mentioned? Did it say on the knife itself? Something like 8Cr13MoV or VG-10 possibly?

    If it's the same one I'm not mad about the bolster running onto the heel of the blade. That's just my own preference though, like this very similar one from Eden webshops.

    eden-quality-japan-santoku-eq2010-418-d1.jpg

    €35 would buy a nice decent knife, so if the tesco one is mystery steel I would give it a miss and buy something else.

    Or try it out and let us know if they are any good! :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 961 ✭✭✭Longranger


    All it says is "japanese Molybdenum steel". The only knives I have a good knowledge of are filleting knives and gutting/skinning knives so I don't know what to make of this one. I just thought it looked like a good knife.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 622 ✭✭✭Deise Musashi


    Japanese steel is generally good, some Japanese makers use Swedish steel which is also very good.

    Worth a go if you are looking for a kitchen knife. I like the Santoku shape a lot, I have two of them, a Hattori and a Watanabe :D

    Fillet knives are handy slicers and boners in the kitchen too, I like Martinni and Mora.


  • Registered Users Posts: 838 ✭✭✭bluecherry74


    I'm cooking a turkey for the first time this year and have just realised that I don't have a carving knife. I usually just use a chef's knife for smaller roasts, but it doesn't make for very neat slices.

    Can someone recommend a decent one that isn't too expensive?

    And should I got for electric or traditional?

    Thanks!


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 18,300 ✭✭✭✭Seaneh


    Traditional, all the way.

    No need to spend a fortune either.

    Something like this would be perfect.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,950 ✭✭✭Mike Litoris


    For just cutting turkey, really any aul carving knife will do but what Seaneh recommended above is excellent.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,625 ✭✭✭✭BaZmO*


    Seaneh wrote: »
    Traditional, all the way.

    No need to spend a fortune either.

    Something like this would be perfect.

    Yeah definitely. A couple of Christmas's ago my brother-in-law (who's a chef) brought one of those types up to the house for Christmas dinner to carve the turkey with. Couldn't believe how effective it was.

    You can get one even cheaper in Sweeney O'Rourke's.

    You don't use them that much so once you leave them covered when stored they stay sharp for years.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 8,057 ✭✭✭MissFlitworth


    Seaneh wrote: »
    Traditional, all the way.

    No need to spend a fortune either.

    Something like this would be perfect.

    Oh hello my old nemesis. I very nearly sliced the fingerprint off my thumb using one of these, being an unattentive div slicing some bread or something, slid right through it. Really is a lovely knife for carving!


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 18,300 ✭✭✭✭Seaneh


    slicing some bread

    :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
    Slicing bread with a carving knife?!
    A sure way to blunt the poor thing, you'd end up with a salmon knife in no time :P

    Seriously though, they do blunt up fierce quickly when used as a bread knife. Amazing for meats though. When used along with a carving fork you can get the most amazingly thin and uniform slices.


  • Registered Users Posts: 838 ✭✭✭bluecherry74


    Thanks for all the replies. :) I'll think I'll buy that one since so many people recommend it.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 8,057 ✭✭✭MissFlitworth


    Seaneh wrote: »
    Slicing bread with a carving knife?!

    I have only very, very recently realised that bread knives & carving knives are 2 different animals!


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  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,653 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    I have only very, very recently realised that bread knives & carving knives are 2 different animals!

    This is news to me... What's the difference between them?


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