Hello everyone,
I'm thinking of buying a few new knives. I haven't bought any for a while and was wondering if anyone had any special favourite brands. Anyone using Furi?
Have just found this site a few days ago (it was mentioned on Delia's message board) and think it is great! One of the best food sites. Does anyone have any other good sites? I haven't found one this good in Oz.

Marilyn, can you give us the web address for Fun?
We have almost more knives than we need - (two knife collections married on a second time around partnership!) - but our best ones are French and German and so well-used that it's hard to read what is etched on the blades - Solingen made, Trident, I think - and Sabatier.
Stephanie

Furi address is www.furitechnics.com.au.
Their knives look great and everything I've read about them is positive, so thought I might give the locals a go. I want to get a good knife for my son and I'm sure he'd go for the stream-lined look! Trouble is I get on the computer and start researching everything till I'm totally confused!! ?:-(

I, too have Sabatier knives, bought years ago at huge expense. For the last 15 or so years I have been converted to Victorinox knives - not overly expensive and great friends. I started with the straight edge ones which require sharpening, but do hold their edge quite well, but now buy the serated ones, which do not require sharpening. Although I have a fairly large collection of them I still buy more as I put them in the dishwasher and often "run out". If cleaning them in the dishwasher, put the blades down, as they are lethal!

Incidentally, if I go away on holiday, I always take a few knives - there's nothing like my own!!

Janet

I am now using a few furi knives since I started stocking them on foodlovers I thought I should use them to see what I thought.
I love my furi paring knife, also the east/west and cooks knife.
I also think that they are well priced.
helen - foodlovers

Hi Marilyn,
out of curiosity where was foodlovers mentioned on Delias message board?
thanks
Helen - foodlovers

Hi Helen,
I heard about Foodlovers in "Can anyone help?" section of Delia's messageboard. It was a post by Ruby titled "Message for Gillian Fernyhough", dated 13th July. So glad I saw it!!
Thanks for reply about knives. I was interested in the east-west furi, but wasn't sure which size to go for. Maybe the smaller one? I also thought they were quite well-priced.
Thanks also to Stephanie and Janet, for the in-put. I have Mundial and Victorinox, but was rather taken with the Furis. Mind you, I just love kitchen equipment. While my friends go to the clothes department, I head straight for the kitchen section!!
Marilyn.

Hi Janet
You have got me intrigued. You mean you ONLY use serrated knives now preferring them over straight edged ones?
Most of my knives are Vitrinox, but the thought that I wouldn't have to sharpen them ever sounds too good to be true.
Please tell me it is.

I didn't read the bit about serrated - I am curious too as how could you just use serrated knives??
Furi have a great range and we sell them on foodlovers - check out our market place.
Helen

Hi Marilyn, I too am looking at buying new knives and have been doing some research. I have the book "Tools fo Cooks"and this is what they say about choosing a knife.

Choose knives individually - don't be tempted to buy sets. When you hold the knife it should be heavy for its size and evenly weighted, neither front - not back. Do not be put off by weight - a heavy knife is more efficient than a light one, and requires less effort to use. The handle of the knife should be comfortable to hold. Make sure the bolster fuses smoothly with the handle. (The bolster is the splayed metal section on a forged blade that butts up flush to the handle. It strengthens the blade and keeps your hand away from the cutting area) Each knife is designed for a specific purpose, so think about the types of food you regularly prepare before making a choice. If funds are short, opt for the best quality and fewer knives. It is possible to manage with one decent cooks knife and a paring knife.

Blades are either forged or stamped, and the difference in quality is obvious. Forged blades are evenly balanced and beautifully tapered at the cutting edge, which results in greater flexibility. Most good knives are made in Solingen in Germany or Sheffield in Germany. Although some may say the Japanese are making a good knife now?

As I said I have been looking at knives and I have almost decided to by Henckel brand. These are made in Solingen in Germany and are forged. They come in various grades. I am looking at the ones with the full 'Tang' This is the unsharpened part of the knife blade that extends into the handle. Apparently the longer the tang, the better balanced the knife will be. If you search on the web under Henckle, a "Cooking Shop'site comes up and you can go in there to find out more about them. They also sell them on this site.

Knives should be stored in a block or wall mount. Don't store them loose in the drawer as the cutting edges can be damaged by impact the other knives and utensils. Some knives are dishwasher proof, but if not it is recommended that they are washed individually immediately after use.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for that Anne-Maree. I also have "Tools for Cooks", but had completely forgotten about it. On-line research taken over!! I'll have to go and have a read. I do agree with what they say about the weight of a knife. I never mind a heavier knife. Seems to make the job easier. All depends what you get used to I suppose.
I haven't seen any Henckle knives where I live, but have almost decided to try a Furi east-west. ( After I do the rounds a few more times, no doubt!!)
As for serrated knives, I couldn't do without them for tomatoes, peeling fruit etc., but have you tried cutting raw meat with a serrated knife? Puts my teeth on edge just thinking about it!!!

Gidday,

We have many expensive German ,Japanese, Austrian knives in our home used for preparing food.

The knife we use the most is the Green River brand it cost about $30 dollars. Another is Victorinox also cheap one and as good as Green River. We use it because it is always the sharpest. Those expensive Euro knives are great but difficult to keep a sharp edge. Paring knives are not such a problem but when you use any knife on meat (where you encounter the bone, and sinews etc) you need a quick sharpening knife. The Green Riveror Victorinox knives are easily sharpened with a steel and hardly ever need to be honed on a stone.

Check what your butchers using - bet ya it 's a Green River or probably Victorinox (GR are not so common) . Why ? it wont be becuase its cheap. Becuase they cut up and bone a lot of meat everyday and probably find they sharpen well.

To buy a knife in Auckland go to D M Dunninghams look them up in the phone book they are a butcher supplies wholesaler check them out and dont waste your money on an expensive Geman knife that will probably remain blunt for a life time. ( i admit they look good hangin up in designer kitchens but you cna always put the other in a draw!!)

My victorinox serated knives I've been using for 10 or more years, and I use them for almost everything. Yes, the new ones are SLIGHTLY sharper, but I can't tell which are the oldest (bluntest), so the difference is only slight. The older ones I use the most (middle sized) have a rounded end, and the new ones I've bought in the last year or so have a pointed end, which of course makes it easier to core tomatoes, etc.

The only thing I can think of that I definitely use my Sabatiers (straight edge, and don't appear to hold their edge as well as the straight Victorinoxs) is raw meat, but I'm usually doing very large amounts at a time, eg legs of venison, and need to sharpen the knives several times.

Incidentally, my favourite Sabatier is not stainless, and I have to confess that I don't use it much as it doesn't like the dishwasher - but there's nothing quite like a non-stainless knife for sharpness.

Janet

If using a knife block for storage always slide knife in 'upside down' to prevent spoiling knifes edge.

I gotta say- the thought of putting a high quality knife in the dish washer horrifies me. This is very rough treatment of a presicion tool.

You're quite right Virgil, but ......
On the positive side, there's less chance of cutting yourself - provided you put them point down. My Cuisineart recommends washing in the dishwasher for just that reason.

Janet

For those interested in purchasing knives we are going to run an August special......... will keep you posted.
Helen - foodlovers

Dishwashers are harmful to any knife - even ones that say they are dish washer safe. This is because the alkalinity of the detergents used causes electrolysis between the knife steel and the dishwasher itself and/or other metal items that are present. The net effect is that a small amount of the knife metal will be eaten away, and this will cause your knives to go blunt more quickly. Knives that have wooden handles and/or riveted handles will suffer damage to these components also, and will deteriorate at a relatively rapid rate. Therefore I always recommend hand washing no matter what brand of chefs knives you have.

Most German and Japanese knives contain an element called vanadium in their stainless steel, this helps make them very corrosion resistant but also them hard to sharpen. This is why people often find that their old carbon steel knives hold their edge better and are also easier to sharpen.

Hope this helps

Mark Whittaker
Füri NZ

Over August we have sharpened (excuse the pun) our prices on two of the furi knives and can do;
furi East West 7" at $130.00 instead of $163.00
furi paring knife at $50 instead of $59.90
These prices include GST but exclude postage.
We can process credit cards but until our shopping cart is up and running the number is to be faxed or phoned through.
For prices and full product range take a look at our foodlovers market place.
[www.foodlovers.co.nz]

Helen - foodlovers

Helen
Do you have the brand of knife that Richard spoke about on his message?
Green River or Victorinox, they sound like they are a great price and a great knife. I have a real problem with knives, I love to buy them, and have lots but find it hard to keep them sharp, and get disappointed with the end product.
Am I the only one with an addiction to knives?
I also have a problem with fry pans, I like them as well, not something I should tell people maybe.
Pat

Pat

You should be aware that Victorinox knives have Vanadium in their stainless steel and are similar to other European knives to sharpen. Victorinox are well priced and good quality though.

Most problems with knife sharpening are down to 2 things.
- Home users tend to let their knives get too blunt before they use a steel and this makes a steel ineffective. Steels should be used little and often.

- Most people don't have the skills of a butcher and/or chef at using a steel and don't usually control the angle between the knife and steel accurately enough to do a good job.

I suggest getting any blunt knives you have professionally re-edged (most kitchen shops offer this service) and then purchase a device like the Furi Diamond Fingers to use in place of a steel and you will always enjoy sharp knives!

Helen can source these for you.

Mark Whittaker
Furi NZ

Hi all. I can't believe the number of hits this topic has had. Especially after I put a call out for pots and pans on this site but got no response. Not to worry.

Anyway back to the subject. A few responses ago Richard suggested asking your butcher what he uses and this I have done. He uses Vitorinox. When I asked him where I could purchase them from he told me he sells them.

So if anyone wants to know where to purchase them from the details are as follows:

Seaview Meats
52 East Coast Road,
MILFORD

PH: 410 5401 and ask for David, he is the owner. He said if you mention my name, Anne-Maree he will consider a discount...!!

I think they also have a web site, but I've never been on it. www.seaviewmeats.co.nz

By the way they also sell very good quality meat.

Anne-Maree

Was in Mitre 10 to buy padlocks and recognised the Victorinox knive brand name from the message that Richard posted, so of course bought one to try.