How to buy a kitchen knife?

Egg box construction and paper laminate is quality these days :)

Some of their thin hardboard they use for the backs of the cabinets/bookshelves/chest of drawers etc. is a lot better than can be found is some of the sheds :)

Try a tackle shop that sell sea fishing gear. Doesn't have to be near the sea. I got mine from a tackle shop that is about as far from the sea as you can get.

A filleting knife is hardly a top seller so I wouldn't expect many places to give it shelf space except perhaps in a specialised cookware shop.

A quick Google for grapefruit knife brings up many hits.

Yes, real shop die because no-one used them. It much like some old buildings in the town where I live "that must be saved by the council" because "I went there regularly 50 years ago and it was busy" but I still live in the town but haven't been back to the building for 49 years.

What's the point (erm) of a kitchen knife having a point?

By the time things get to the kitchen, they are dead?

They still need stabbing from time to time To make sure

Doesn't always work...

"They stab it with their steely knives But they just can't kill the beast"

(With acknowledgements to The Eagles) ;-)

Have you ever been to Ikea and looked closely at the kitchen knives? Or are you just having a bad day?

Cheers

Dave R

Let's see you cut a Winter Squash. The green ones, the skin on them is like armor. You have to push the point of a knife into them, to start the cut. You can't get through one of these, by "sawing at it". I'm pretty sure a band saw would work.

But to get more of the good bits from it, you can also *peel* a dry squash. Even that paring knife isn't up to the task, and there is a high risk of cutting yourself while working an item like that. The vegetable peeler is no match for the skin either.

The green coloured parts are bitter, so when preparing the material, if the intention is to mash it after it is cooked, there can't be any green colour in it. That's how you know how much to peel off it.

I don't eat more than two of those a season, as the preparation time is just not worth it. And there is a reasonably high risk of cutting yourself.

Paul

Or try opening packaging. Yes, you can use a Stanley knife, but I don't keep one of those in the kitchen and the blade will just rust if washed.

Everything I have ever seen from Ikea - I have never purchased anything myself - has been of s*it quality. I see no reason why their knives would be any different

I sleep on an Ikea bed which is falling to pieces. A gift from a previous occupant I should hot glue it back together sometime

I bought a hacksaw on Saturday. I had to wait while the assistant called the supervisor and took a photo of the supervisor's identity badge as part of the sale.

In many cases its just functional if not subject to abuse.

I've got some of their box type storage units that I use both to hold storage boxes and as a bookcase. Chipboard covered in a plastic laminate. They look reasonable good, hold the weight of books without deforming but I wouldn't use it as a step to stand on :) Overall crap quality but looks good and is functional but I only paid around £100 for

I had a couple of their coffee tables. Egg box construction as a core and a surprisingly thick robust veneer and overall light weight. They lasted well for about 5 years indoors and a further 5 years in a shed until they got damp. Again they were dirt cheap. Lack @ £10 Top: Particleboard, Fibreboard, Plastic edging, Printed and embossed acrylic paint, Clear acrylic lacquer Filling material: Honeycomb structure paper filling (min. 70% recycled) Leg: Particleboard, Fibreboard, Paper foil

I have one of their white chest of drawers. It is heavy and well designed. The drawers slide in and out with ease and some thought has gone into the construction of the drawers. I would rate this as medium quality.

How old was the assistant? If underage they themselves are not permitted to sell certain items (such as alcohol and perhaps blades) without the physical presence of a supervisor.

Good point. I offered her my driving licence but she declined so the issue may well have been with her. It reminds me of the time approval was needed at Waitrose to buy a Keira Knightley DVD to establish that I was over 12.

Unlike many stores, IKEA often offers a range of qualities. I have lots of IVAR shelving and Billy bookcases. There are solid, last well and reasonably priced.

They also sell cheaper shelving and book cases, but they are also poorer quality...

I am currently also sleeping on an Ikea bed. It is a "cheapy" but it has a steel frame and isn't going to fall apart any time soon.

Dave

I think Ikea cost-engineer all their products to the bone, as you say they do stand up to normal use, but not to abuse.

Odd, one of my Ikea double beds is 45 years old. The other, around 30. Both still going strong.

when my daughter was ordained (about 25 years ago). the officiating bishop, in his sermon, said "We are told that 60% of children are concieved in an IKEA bed. It must be a very big bed."

My wife has one of these:

But if I was buying a filleting knife I would go for the the Victorinox option.