Sabatier Knives

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lewismalpas

Assistant Cook
Joined
Nov 6, 2012
Messages
13
Hi DC,

My father in law has asked me for some recommendations regarding kitchen knives as he has recently taken up cooking as knows I have a small set of Wüsthof Classics which I use daily and enjoy.

He seems pretty set on Sebatier knives which might be a good fit as he is accustomed to German knives, however I wanted to get some opinions on which ranges are worth looking at as I often see Sebatier's heavily discounted in supermarkets etc.

I'm not sure how much he is willing to spend but I know he would be prepared to spend a considerable amount (Perharps £30-£60GBP per knife) if the quality is justified. As he only recently took a serious interest in cooking I will recommend that he buys a 16cm or 18cm chefs knife and a paring knife to get started, avoiding sets which will sit unused.

I can imagine him being too interested in honing and sharpening the knives regularly so something which maintains a sharp edge and doesn't dull too quickly would be ideal.

Many thanks for your help,

Lewis.
 
If your FIL buys any quality knife worth having, he will have to deal with honing after each use and periodic sharpening to keep the knives performing well.

While I am not familiar with the Sabatier brand, a quick look at their website suggests he would be happiest with one of the top three grades.
 
Friend of mine had a set of Sabatier knives, and he end-up exchanging them for Wustoff Classic in the end. Though he did say they were good knives. For a man I would also recommend a bigger chefs knife, at least 20 centimeters if not 25.
 
I would add that nobody should purchase a knife without holding it in their hand first.
Pictures can't tell you what you need to know about the all important grip and balance of the tool.
 
sabatier is more a generic description, it is not a specific brand. wiki is not always the best info, but check this article because I'm not going to type out the hundreds of years of history....
Sabatier - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

as generalities, sabatiers are of the "European slash German" design - fatter 'belly' to the blade versus the Japanese 'very shallow curve' to the blade.

typically carbon steel vs stainless - carbon steel stains, rusts if left uncared for, but does develop a patina.

typically non-round(ish) handles as frequently found on Japanese
carbon steel is often harder than stainless; hence it tends to keep an edge longer; but it is harder/more time consuming to sharpen.

they will require sharpening; all knives eventually do. if no one is going to take care of the sharpening/honing, don't spend much money on the knives because an expensive dull knife is no better than a ultra-cheap dull knife.

going to super-extraordinary hardness knives can be disastrous. careless use of a too hard edge can result in chipping - sometimes really big chips - as in "knife not useful nomore" chips.

they come in $10 to $1000 versions.

60 GBP is a bit light for a good quality larger chef's knife - I'd suggest 20cm for a starter - and get a wood cutting board min. 30 cm front to back. you can't use a big knife on a tongue depressor size cutting board.
 

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