wanna see some knives?
Remember I've recently bought a knife sharpener.....
these are my knives. chop, slice, dice....
the ones I paid serious money for, (not too serious, they were at a half price sale)
the first four are the same brand, but not a set. I chose individually according to my needs, the block wasn't bought until a year later, I just liked it better than the original angled block I had.
That little knife on the end is a different brand,
a finely serrated tomato knife.
the bread knife is the only one still carrying the brand on its blade.
it's been scrubbed or worn off all the other blades. I've had these since 1996-7.
And never sharpened them.
now for my favourites....
the cheap cleavers/choppers I bought at an Asian supermarket. Seriously cheap. Bought in 1998, the biggest one was just over $3, the third one in line was $2.50 if I remember correctly.
oooh, shiny. I like the cute little mini chopper, I don't use it much, mostly for cutting cheese into cubes.
on the small blade, (not the mini one) the stamp reads made in Thailand, that's something I never noticed until recently. Up until now I've called them my Chinese blades, but they're clearly not.
Here they are again. The curved one at the front, 28cm, blade 16cm x 4.5cm, is my favourite, it's small and balances nicely in my hand. I use it for small or soft vegetables like beans, broccoli and for fruit. The one at the back is bigger, slightly curved, 31cm, blade 18.5cm x 6cm and I use it for chopping harder vegetables, potatoes, carrots, onions...and slicing fat off meat before cooking.
The biggest one, square 31cm, blade 19cm x 6.2cm(okay, rectangle) under the others, is for slicing through a pizza, also for chopping chickens into parts; it chops through the bones quite easily.
I hadn't sharpened them since I bought them and they still cut well, but now that I've sharpened them I can really feel the difference.
and finally...
my steak knives. Not part of a set, bought individually, I only have two. Because they weren't cheap, even on sale. $8. Each. They are 25cm long with the serrated tip blades being 12.2cm long and 2.8cm wide. I think it was 2004 when I bought them.
Very sharp. Very, very, sharp. I don't eat steak often so these haven't needed sharpening yet.
They're chunky, a decent weight and very comfortable in the hand.
I have other knives, but we all know what table cutlery looks like so there's no photos of those.
these are my knives. chop, slice, dice....
That little knife on the end is a different brand,
the bread knife is the only one still carrying the brand on its blade.
And never sharpened them.
now for my favourites....
The biggest one, square 31cm, blade 19cm x 6.2cm(okay, rectangle) under the others, is for slicing through a pizza, also for chopping chickens into parts; it chops through the bones quite easily.
I hadn't sharpened them since I bought them and they still cut well, but now that I've sharpened them I can really feel the difference.
and finally...
Very sharp. Very, very, sharp. I don't eat steak often so these haven't needed sharpening yet.
They're chunky, a decent weight and very comfortable in the hand.
I have other knives, but we all know what table cutlery looks like so there's no photos of those.
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Nice knives. Some of those cleavers look dangerous. What brand are your steak knives? They are so pretty.
ReplyDeleteLove them. I haven't ever warmed to cleavers though... Some day perhaps.
ReplyDeleteSome of our knives come from my parent's home. Goodness knows how old they are - thirty, forty years at least.
The array is impressive enough to say if I cooked I'd seriously want them.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to have an array of knives. I love my knives.
ReplyDeleteI used to always feel safe driving home late at night from work because I always had my knives beside me on the passenger seat of my car. They weren't concealed or unconcealed weapons...they were my tools of trade!
That's some arsenal you've got there, River.
ReplyDeleteI really like your knife block, can I ask what brand it is? It's a nice neat size.
Glad you're happy with your sharpener.
Our friends, who are in hospitality and have worked in large hotel kitchens, always say to keep knives sharp.
They cut more efficiently, and when handled safely, are better than dull knives that cause far more accidents in the kitchen due to excessive force used when trying to cut cleanly.
Makes good sense.
I like good sharp knives and have the skill of sharpening them to a fine edge, over the years Ive bought a few expensive and very good knives but use the same few for everything.
ReplyDeleteI do like a good knife and a lot of them are not so good.
ReplyDeleteMerle.............
`A mere male would feel daunted by the owner of such a frightening collection.
ReplyDeleteLinda; Tramontina. I bought them at a shop called King of Knives which has since closed down although they have an online shop. They carried a large range of different brands, but I can't find the steak knives there.
ReplyDeleteElephant's Child; I've like cleavers ever since I saw an Asian man in a movie, working in a restaurant kitchen and chopping chickens into bits.
Joanne; thank you. You don't cook? Or you don't chop?
Lee; they'd certainly come in handy if anyone tried to get into your car..
Vicki; the knife block has a small metal disc with Ethos stamped into it, but I've never seen one like it before or since.
Kymbo; my dad was great at sharpening with a steel, our knives were always sharp. I find I tend to use the smallest of the cheap knives and the largest slicer of the other set more than any others.
Merle; if you're in the market for a good kitchen knife or two, I'd recommend visiting a specialty knife shop for advice. Mundial is a good brand in knives and there is another brand I can't quite remember, has a hyphenated name, I think Trident-Wusthoff? Expensive, but worth the money.
Vest; I seriously doubt that.
ReplyDeleteGood knives are worth their weight in gold. I have never owned a chopper nor do I think I want to. Have managed without so far so perhaps not. I am so glad you have got your money's worth out of your new knife sharpener.
ReplyDeleteWhen my friend Judy died her son gave me a set of 6 steak knives (still in their little packet) and they are wonderful especially for steak or pork which we do eat occasionally.
Phil loves our big knife which did cost about $30 years back but I find it too heavy for my silly hands these days.
Mimsie; I'm finding my biggest chopper a bit too heavy now, so don't use it except to slice a pizza in half, then wedges. I used to use it a lot to chop the tips off chicken wings back when I'd do 3-4kg of devilled chicken at a time, when the kids were still at home or visiting a lot. Also to chop whole chickens into portions for casseroles. I may pass that chopper to my son who barbecues a lot.
ReplyDeleteThat's a collection any chef would be happy to own River. Gosh, I've never seen such a collection. Very, very impressive! I feel bound to own up - my collection of knives for chopping/slicing etc consists of.....3!
ReplyDeleteGoodness, that knife sharpener will be kept busy.
ReplyDeleteMy knives have been acquired individually over the years according to need. I avoid buying knife sets as there are invariably a couple of knives in there that I'd never use, so it seems a waste of money.
I tend to use a favourite knife for most of my cutting and chopping, although I also like a serrated bread knife for slicing bread. I like your knife block, but I'd never use one as it looks like a paradise for germs and bacteria (yeah, I'm a bit paranoid about that sort of thing).
Good God, woman! You've got some pretty impressive choppers!
ReplyDeletePearl
Hi River,
ReplyDeleteThose cleavers look lethal. We have a set of knives but I've never seen any use for cleavers to be honest.
:-)
Cheers
PM
Oh they are lovely!! Esp. the handle on that steak knife! :)
ReplyDelete