The top ranges are not cheap: a four-inch Wusthof Trident paring knife in the Grand Prix series costs pounds 21
The top ranges are not cheap: a four-inch Wusthof Trident paring knife in the “Grand Prix” series costs pounds 21.95; a ten-inch cook’s knife pounds 57.Granton, the established British knife company, last year entered the race with a range called Le Chef In keeping with the name, a real chef designed them. Mark Gregory has already found success with his line in groovy kitchen gear; if you have wondered where Gary Rhodes gets his racetrack print trousers, now you know.Looking for a new challenge, Gregory had the idea of producing a British range to compete with the Continentals. It was fortuitous that early into developing the knives he met Peter Kirby of Granton, whose family has been in business since 1601. They are perhaps best known for their scallop- edged carving knife.Together the two started to develop a unique British style of knife, first inserting a groove along the blade. The idea derived from the design of bayonets for the British army, and from hunting knives which have an “air groove” – to reduce suction. Unappetising, but true.It is also true that manufacturers of good kitchen knives dabble in other useful blades such as machetes, sabres, and scalpels – in fact this could be seen as a recommendation. Wusthof advertise that each knife is hand-forged from a single piece of steel.
The bread knife, carving knife and sharpening steel are no doubt already members of your menage.The German companies Wusthof Trident and JA Henckels go back a long way, and it would be hard to say which is superior. Anyone who has chased a tomato around a plate knows that a serrated knife saves on plasters. A Japanese square-bladed chopper also deserves a mention as an all-rounder. Four essentials are a three-to-four-inch paring knife, and six-, eight- and ten-inch chopping knives (also called chef’s knives) which can be used for boning and filleting if necessary. But while knife companies urge you to buy an entire range, I advise shopping across the brands.Select knives that suit the way you cook, to make up a collection that is right for you.
It is easy enough to handle a kitchen knife and tell, from its finish and balance, how well it has been made, but the customer cannot assess the quality of the steel (we go into Rockwell units here: the degree to which the steel has been hardened), or judge how easily it will sharpen, or how resistant it will be to corrosion and staining.Label snobbery is not only forgivable, it is advisable: by selecting a decent brand you guarantee a sound investment. Today, other brands reign supreme, particularly those from Germany, although a handful of companies, such as Sabatier Perrier and K Sabatier, still produce knives that are every bit as good as their German competitors. Others are hardly worth the cheap aluminium used to make them.
The quality of a knife is dependent on the craftsmanship and materials used in making it. Unfortunately the old man had not registered the company properly, and they all began making knives under the name of Sabatier, to hugely different standards. Each of these women married, and trouble began as couples quarrelled about the rights to the name. Until the early Eighties, the knife rack of any serious cook would boast a batterie of razor-sharp Sabatiers.
But then the brand lost its reputation and its edge: Bonnet Sabatier had two sons, one of whom had seven daughters, and the other, two. In fact it couldn’t have been, because Bonnet Sabatier only began to manufacture knives in 1840 – about 50 years too late for David. The familiarity arises because Sabatier based his knife on the classic French design. Mix in the peanuts and breadcrumbs, heat through, and pour into a bowl. Look closely at David’s The Death of Marat (above) and you will see, lying beside the murdered revolutionary, a knife that looks like a typical Sabatier.
