Sabatier Knives

[237SJ]

Are they actually a reputable brand? Most of my kitchen knives are Sabatier and they have all become blunt very quickly

[Islay]

The are a very reputable brand, I have had a set for 28 years and have used them every day. How do you keep them? Wash them? Store them?

[granny grump]

Hubby - ex chef - says they always were a good brand and is still using some he has had a long time and they sharpen well But like a lot of things they may not be as good as the were We have some steak knives - eating irons - and they don't seem any better than non-branded ones They are also branded 'Sabatier Judge' rather than just Sabatier So they may have merged and reduced their quality

[237SJ]

I leave them in the kitchen drawer and I use one of those sharpening steels which doesn't seem to do anything

[Islay]

If they are in the drawer the could be bouncing off of each other, try and get a knife roll, the steels are ok for maintaining sharpness but knives need a good sharpen against a professional stone. Knives should never be put in a dish washer or a sink.

[zebo]

You need to make sure you're buying true Sabatiers and invest in a good sharpener.

[jno]

interesting: apparently they aren't a registered brand name, so anyone can make them. Could that be the case with yours?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabatier

[granny grump]

Hubby never keeps them in the cutlery drawer When he was working as a chef he used to have a canvas wrap left over from his navy days Now he keeps them on a magnetic rack on the wall There is a knack to sharpening a knife and it is an experience watching him do it. I don't know how he still has all his fingers ha ha

[granny grump]

http://www.sabatier.com/gb/ecole/conseils_entr etien.html

[237SJ]

Maybe mine are not true Sabatiers after all. I have a nice Robert Welsh signiture knife - maybe I will just bin the so called Sabatiers and buy more of those.

[Islay]

how much did you pay for them if you don't mind me asking.

When I bought my original set 28 years ago 7 knives cost me £300+

[237SJ]

I can`t remember. I bought them as odd ones rather than buying a set. A couple of them were gifts as well. My Mum used to sharpen the carving knife on our back steps when I was a child. I had completely forgotten about that until recently. She did that for decades and in my mind, I can still hear the sound of her doing that.

[EDDIE51]

They are up there with the very best but any chef knows you have to sharpen your knives all the time. Most chefs will sharpen their knives at every service or even more than once in a service. A good chef will never allow anyone else to sharpen their knives and many will never allow anyone else to use their knives.
Sabatier are made of mild steel not stainless steel. This means they need sharpening regularly , mild steel is a slightly softer than stainless which is why it needs constant resharpening.

[237SJ]

Thanks Eddie. I think I need to get a better sharpener then

[Islay]

Get an oil stone sweetie

[EDDIE51]

^^ Yes an oil stone for blunt knifes and a 'steel' for everyday sharpening.

[237SJ]

I was looking at a whetstone in the States the other day. Will that do?

[Islay]

Thank you for backing me up Eddie it is very kind of you!

[Islay]

Yes it will do the same thing. I used to keep my oil stone in a box and once a week do a proper sharpen as did the chefs I trained under.

[Fitzer]

Sabatier is just a licensing deal these days so all manner of stuff can have the name. Knives shouldn't be stored in a drawer but a block or a magnetic rack and should be sharpened on a steel on every use. The recommendation of a stone is good but takes a lot of practice to get right, perfectionists will finish sharpening by stropping on newspaper! I used to swear by Henckels but found their quality had dropped off and use Wusthof classic now.

[EDDIE51]

Sabatier 'Steel'
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Professional-Sabatier-Knife-Sharpening-Steel/dp/B006EJFPJW
As Islay says if they are actually blunt rather than having just 'lost their edge' you need to use an oil stone first.