If, like many people, you are looking to get some new kitchen knives for either yourself or a friend or family member this Christmas, you may be wondering where to start and how to proceed with tracking down the most suitable and, therefore, the best kitchen knife for your needs.
It is probably a bit of an understatement to say that there a thousands of different kitchen knives out there on the market, and it is a literal minefield when it comes to buying a few new knives or even a knife set - one false move, and your kitchen knife and cooking dreams could be toast.
However, it does not need to be that hard if you bear a few important things in mind when you are shopping around. You must make sure you do not get persuaded by supermarket and local store offers when they try and sell you generic kitchen knives without a proper brand. Yes, these may be cheap, but they are FAR from the best kitchen knives.
Here are a few tips to bear in mind when shopping around or online:
Many reviews you read will be written by people who take kitchen knives a little bit too seriously. We love them here, and think there is a great beauty in them, but we recognize that they are just tools to get a job done.
It is a market place, and product, where price does actually reflect quality and reliability. Generally, and up to a certain point, the more money you are able to spend on a kitchen knife, the chances are the better it will be.
That said, there are many very excellent knife forgers and manufacturers who just make really good quality knives - have done for ages and will continue to do so. Some of these makers do good prices that do not seem as scary, and above a certain point you will just be paying for a brand or stying.
You really want to avoid cheap generic imports - especially if you are buying a gift for someone else. They are just rubbish bits of plastic or wood attached to a poorly formed stainless steel knife and blade - they will be blunt within a month, and the steel is not folded properly so you can not sharpen it as you would need to.
Cheaper kitchen knives are not only far from the best, but they tend to break within a year (snapping blades, handles fall off) rendering them totally useful, so once you have done with it in that time, you will need to head back to the shops to pick up some more.
Spending a little bit more money on your purchase ensures that this will not happen, and you end up with a great set of knives that will easily last a decade if not beyond. And hey, if there is a fault in one of the knives, you have bought from a reputable buyer, so they will do all they can to ensure you are happy with your purchase.
Kitchen Knives are a great present and a touching gift for those that like to be in the kitchen cooking. If you invest a bit of time and effort in researching which knives or knife set to get, and are comfortable with just spending a little bit more money, you will be amazed at how pleased you will be with finding the best kitchen knife possible!