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The sharpness of knives - pros vs us ! |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Birkenhead, Merseyside.
Posts: 9,712
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The sharpness of knives - pros vs us !
Are the knives that we buy purposely dull compared to a professional chefs knives ?
When you watch chefs on programmes like Masterchef etc, their knives go through meat like butter. Or is it that they know what they are doing ?
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#2 |
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Join Date: Feb 2006
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I bought a nice set from Debenhams a while back. The small and medium knife seem to be quite dull. They both fail the cheese test although they're ok for general chopping. However the large knife is surgically sharp. It goes through meat like nobody's business. Thinly slicing anything for stir frying for example is a joy. Deskinning a fish is also straightforward with it.
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#3 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 57
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Hi Andy Birkenhead, they just keep them really sharp. I saved up and bought myself a Japanese chef's knife and a water sharpener. It is the bees knees and I sharpen it often. I also have a filleting knife I also keep that extremely sharp and I have a small vegetable paring knife. With these three I can cope with most kitchen prep.
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#4 |
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Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 57
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I don't know what the cheese test is? I always thought the test of a really sharp knife was to be able to slice a tomato easily with no pressure.
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#5 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Up North
Posts: 58,791
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At the moment, until I can afford a decent chef's knife or set, i'm using a £10 procook knife and sharpen it regularly with an AnySharp.
It does the job for home cooking. The last chef I worked for used a couple of forged steel knives from Tesco. They are around £20 each. |
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#6 |
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 14,441
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Quote:
I don't know what the cheese test is? I always thought the test of a really sharp knife was to be able to slice a tomato easily with no pressure.
I always use the bread knife on tomatoes. The serration means instant cutting. |
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#7 |
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 256
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The quality of the steel is important, the better the quality the finer the blade can be ground. I get my knives sharpened by a local person, once or twice a year. I then use a diamond steel to keep the edge nice and fine.
I have 4 Gustav knives that I have been collecting, the oldest one is about 15 years old and looks brand new. |
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#8 |
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Cathedral of Motorcycle Racing
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A Dutch consumer programme tackled the problem of dull "out of the box" knives. It turns out to be a cost cutting (no pun...) measure. Most brands, even the most expensive, do not sharpen the knives the way they should be sharpened, because they use automated sharpeners that can't sharpen at the best angle.
There are only a few companies, like Herder Solingen, that sharpen the knives to the highest standard by hand. The best thing to do is to take your newly bought knives to a specialist (instrument) sharpener. He\she will change the angle of sharpening to the correct one. It will cost you a few shillings, but the difference in sharpness is remarkable. |
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#9 |
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 10,268
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I can't abide a blunt knife so I was extreemly annoyed when my steel disappeared during our last move. Since then I've bought other steels, electric sharpeners, stone sharpeners and so on with no success. Then one day OH brought home a £1.99 plastic jobbie with the three opposing rollers inside, if you know what I mean, and it's brilliant. I sharpen my knives every 3-4 weeks and they just glide through anything. I don't know about the cheese test but I can slice tomatoes wafer thin.
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Birkenhead, Merseyside.
Posts: 9,712
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They say the most dangerous thing in a kitchen is a blunt knife !
I saw a thing on a shopping channel where the knife was so sharp, the fella placed a tomato on a table and he took a knife. Without holding the tomato, he cut a wafer thin slice off the top ! I was like...
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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 10,268
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Quote:
They say the most dangerous thing in a kitchen is a blunt knife !
I saw a thing on a shopping channel where the knife was so sharp, the fella placed a tomato on a table and he took a knife. Without holding the tomato, he cut a wafer thin slice off the top ! I was like... ![]() |
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#12 |
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Cathedral of Motorcycle Racing
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I have a plastic knife, yes plastic, that can cut tomatoes wafer thin. The secret? It has a serrated edge.
Shopping channels use tricks like shorlty freezing the tomatoes to firm them up. |
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#13 |
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Up North
Posts: 58,791
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Quote:
I have a plastic knife, yes plastic, that can cut tomatoes wafer thin. The secret? It has a serrated edge.
Shopping channels use tricks like shorlty freezing the tomatoes to firm them up. |
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#14 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 57
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Quote:
They say the most dangerous thing in a kitchen is a blunt knife !
I saw a thing on a shopping channel where the knife was so sharp, the fella placed a tomato on a table and he took a knife. Without holding the tomato, he cut a wafer thin slice off the top ! I was like... ![]() The type of sharpener that earthling mentioned is brilliant too, I had one of those that worked amazingly well before I saved and bought my pride and joy and it's recommended sharpener. |
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#15 |
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 588
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Pro knives are pretty much the same just a lot more expensive as they need to be more robust keeping them sharp is very important I personally use a Buffalo G310 machine, a Whetstone and a Diamond Sharpening Steel, the idea is don't let them get blunt or you're F*d esp if like me you have about 60 knives ( a tad excessive but I like knives)
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#16 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 14,441
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Had a google for knife sharpeners. Blimey, it's a minefield. Is it really worth spending £20-30 on a gadget?
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#17 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 588
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A good electric knife sharpener is about £100 not sure about "gadget's" my stone is about 30 yrs old and my steel was about £70
Try Nesbets http://www.nisbets.co.uk/Homepage.action get them to send you a Catalogue as it has good descriptions in it and see if you can get the stuff cheaper somewhere else. I've used Nesbits for 25-30 years their good. |
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#18 |
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 56
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Don't bother wasting money on a knife sharpener, they're rubbish, invest in a steel or a knife block and learn how to use them (see Youtube if needed).
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#19 |
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 588
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Sorry but you''re wrong have been using Buffalo sharpeners for 30 odd tears now in professional Kitchen's and they work esp if you do a lot of prep & Larder work.
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#20 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 4,251
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First and third Weds of the month my local supermarket has a knife sharpener in and he sharpens your first 3 knives for free. When I lived in the UK I used to get my local butcher to do them too.
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#21 |
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 56
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Quote:
Sorry but you''re wrong have been using Buffalo sharpeners for 30 odd tears now in professional Kitchen's and they work esp if you do a lot of prep & Larder work.
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#22 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 250
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I treated myself to a set of Global knives a little while. Amazing difference. 3 years on they just need 'steeling' before and after use and remain very sharp.
The G2 cooks knife is the one to get to begin with . Will last a lifetime if you're careful with them, so not a bad return! |
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#23 |
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Fylde Coast
Posts: 8,103
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Quote:
I'm not wrong and although I haven't been in kitchens for quite as long as you I've never found a 'sharpener' that works as well as a steel. There's a reason why steels remain so popular even though there are numerous sharpeners on the market.
I have both an electronic sharpener and a Chantry steel unit. The Chantry is used every day and the sharpener once a year. |
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#24 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 30,072
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Quote:
They have different purposes though, the sharpener is to put the edge onto the knife and the steel is to straighten up that very thin edge after it become bent through use.
I have both an electronic sharpener and a Chantry steel unit. The Chantry is used every day and the sharpener once a year. |
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#25 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 588
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Quote:
I'm not wrong and although I haven't been in kitchens for quite as long as you I've never found a 'sharpener' that works as well as a steel. There's a reason why steels remain so popular even though there are numerous sharpeners on the market.
I use the machine about every 3 months stone weekly steel hourly. the secret is not to let your blade get to blunt otrdamaged |
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