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The sharpness of knives - pros vs us !


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Old 02-09-2012, 18:53
Andy Birkenhead
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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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Old 02-09-2012, 19:05
Ginger Nut
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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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Old 02-09-2012, 19:07
acerbicacid
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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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Old 02-09-2012, 19:09
acerbicacid
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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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Old 02-09-2012, 19:13
degsyhufc
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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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Old 02-09-2012, 19:23
Ginger Nut
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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.
After a couple of slices they both give up cutting through even reasonably softish cheese.

I always use the bread knife on tomatoes. The serration means instant cutting.
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Old 02-09-2012, 20:14
Evilclive
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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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Old 02-09-2012, 20:23
breppo
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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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Old 02-09-2012, 21:17
earthling13
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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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Old 02-09-2012, 22:54
Andy Birkenhead
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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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Old 02-09-2012, 23:06
earthling13
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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...
That is so true. As I said, once sharpened, I can slice a tomato wafer thin.
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Old 03-09-2012, 04:21
breppo
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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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Old 03-09-2012, 15:59
degsyhufc
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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.
Yep, plus their bog standard set that you can buy for 49.99 has probably been to a professional sharpener for the demo.
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Old 03-09-2012, 16:12
acerbicacid
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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...
My Japanese knife can do that, when it is sharpened properly. Even my cheapo (little devil) vegetable/paring knife is super sharp, again when I use the water sharpener.

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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Old 03-09-2012, 16:25
Robbie_Craig
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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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Old 05-09-2012, 22:07
Ginger Nut
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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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Old 06-09-2012, 17:09
Robbie_Craig
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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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Old 06-09-2012, 20:55
jaymmu
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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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Old 06-09-2012, 21:28
Robbie_Craig
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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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Old 06-09-2012, 21:29
Studmuffin
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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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Old 07-09-2012, 21:35
jaymmu
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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.
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.
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Old 08-09-2012, 09:01
TopNotch
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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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Old 08-09-2012, 16:02
diablo
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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.
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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Old 08-09-2012, 16:53
whoever,hey
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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.
Yep, steels don't sharpen, they align.
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Old 08-09-2012, 17:12
Robbie_Craig
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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.
Have you ever tried keeping your cleaver sharp with a steel?
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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