Sabatier Knives

[lewismalpas]

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.

 

[Andy M.]

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.

 

[CharlieD]

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.

 

[Kayelle]

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.

 

[dcSaute]

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.