Recommendation? Kitchen knife advice

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andykelly87

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Apr 22, 2024
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Hi, newbie here in the UK, appreciate some advice.

I'm a novice when it comes to all things knives. I was bought a Mac Pro chefs knife about 2 years ago. It's the only knife I own which isn't very cheap and nasty. I love it and have just about got to grips with sharpening it on a whetstone.

Now I can sharpen it myself, I've decided I'd quite like a couple of other decent knives for the kitchen so I don't just have the one chefs knife.

I'm keen on the idea of MAC Pro as I know I get on with my existing one and know I can sharpen it.

I have about £200 to get another 2 knives.

What 2 knives (either from the MAC Pro range or another range) would you reccomend to complement my existing one to give me 3 knives which cover most bases in the kitchen.

Thanks
 
I'm no expert, but I've used and given many high end kitchen knives/sets over the years. Shun Premier, MAC Pro, Whusthof, etc. I personally feel that MAC has the top performers for the most part.

Lately I've been trying to switch it up and give field knives as part of kitchen sets. Gave my brother a BM meatcrafter for his kitchen. He loves it and feels that it performs as well as all of the others, even in significantly higher price brackets.

My order of purchase for piece at a time sets is. 8" chef, 5" utility, boning, chopper, paring, 10" chef, bread, steaks.. YMMV.
 
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Usually you can get by with a large chef knife and a paring knife. What else you might need depends on what you typically cook, and your preferred style of knife. Even within one category of knife, for instance: chef knives can be thin and delicate "lasers" or heavy European style ones, with blade shapes optimized for either draw cuts or rolling cuts.

Mac is more of a thin Japanese style of knife; Tojiro is also pretty popular as an easy to recommend entry into that style of knife. Wusthof is the go-to for heavy European style knives. I've heard they're a better value in Europe than here in the States.

There are also some less expensive ones now that still perform quite well if you're looking to add more types of knives and still stay under your budget.
 
Thanks for the replies. Sticking with the Mac Pro range they do a 5" Paring and a 6" Utility knife. They look identical in design despite being called different things. Between the 2 is there a strong feeling for which would be more versatile and useful along side my 8" chef's knife?

My instinct is to go with the 5" but others may think otherwise
 
I’ve been real happy with my Mac nakiri that we were gifted by our son for Christmas. Holds a great edge and gets very sharp.
 
if you like the MAC, I"d say stick with the MAC.

in addition to the Chef, I would get a paring knife in the 3 to 4 " range.
After that, if you wanted a 3rd knife to compliment those two, a 6 or 7 inch boning or utility, or prep knife.
 
If you are serious about cooking, you need a at least 10" chefs knife. Cry once and buy a Yu Kosusaki fujin Or a Kunosuke SDK. Invest another $20 on a heavy duty cleaver that can tackle bones and $60 on a decent paring knife.
 
Mac makes a fine knife! Another Japanese brand is Global that I’ve always liked & many professional chefs use. They are one piece! No handle slabs. Very clean & sanitary design…The 6-7” Santuko is the most popular size for household cooks in Japan. It’s the rounded nose pattern and an excellent design. Enjoy! Laurence
 
Forschner knives are used by many professional chefs and me. They are reasonably priced and a Victorinox brand. My local cutlery store carries several brands but says they are the best quality for the price.
 
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