14 December 2013

Product Test: Global Cooks Knife 20 cm and Stanley Rogers Acacia Butchers Block from Kitchenware Superstore (14 Dec 2013)



Feeling like a MasterChef

Thanks to Elle O'Connor from Kitchenware Superstore for inviting me to receive some products of my choosing to kitchen test. After checking out the extensive website of pretty much everything and anything you'd want for a kitchen I decided on the Global 2pc Starter Set ($109.95) and Stanley Rogers Acacia Butchers Block ($55.95). I've never had a knife that I've been completely happy with so was hoping the Global Cooks Knife 20 cm would do the trick since it's the same one they use on MasterChef which the contestants keep cutting their fingers with. I don't do a lot of home cooking but since using the Global knife and block it's made it a more pleasurable experience having a knife that actually feels good to hold and is so sharp compared to everything else I have. I was actually quite scared at first time I'd be cutting my fingers like the MasterChef contestants but so far so good and I'm getting more used to using it now.

The knife has performed well in general fruit and vegetable cutting but there's one test that seems to beat all knives I've tried it with and that's when you very slowing press the blade down on a tomato without a slicing motion. It must be something about the skin of a tomato that's resilient to knife blades when you're not using it in a slicing action. Eventually it did slice through and did it quite cleanly. I'm thankfully very happy with the Global Cooks Knife and Butchers Block which have performed well to my expectations and have become a great asset to my kitchen. I could probably put away all my other knives and just use this one with the block for most tasks. I find the block is a good size, not being too small or too large to be able to pickup and wash. It's also very sturdy having four rubber feet. I've yet to try the Global minosharp water sharpener because the knife is still sharp and I'm also scared I might blunt my knife from using it which I guess is a silly thing to think. My philosophy is if it ain't broke don't fix it but perhaps I should be using the sharpener all the time to help maintain the sharp edge better — any advice?

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
PROS: Knife is very sharp, well designed and comfortable to hold. Butchers block is sturdy with rubber legs, has a large surface area, handy grooves on side for picking up and holds up well to cutting.
CONS: Butchers Board can be a little heavy to lift and awkward to wash down in a small sink but it's built to last.
MUST TRY: Testing the Global minosharp water sharpener but I'm fearing I'll do it wrong and blunt my knife
VERDICT: Would definitely recommend the knife and butchers block. Would make a great Christmas present for any foodie that loves to cook at home.
 Global 2pc Starter Set ($109.95) and Stanley Rogers Acacia Butchers Block ($55.95)
Global Cooks Knife 20 cm — responsible for all those bleeding fingers on MasterChef
Global minosharp water sharpener 
Stanley Rogers Acacia Butchers Block ($55.95)
Handy side grip for picking up and moving around the bench
Rubber feet make it very sturdy to cut on

Apparently natural wood can kill bacteria — how's that work?

Back edge of knife flat making it suitable for scraping cuttings off board
Passed the paper test
None of my knives have ever cut an apple this fine before
Cleanly cuts and doesn't squash bread. So sharp it left the paper underneath sliced up



Good sized board to work with cutting up watermelon
Lots of area for cutting





Try the tomato test on your knives

After a bit of pressure the knife followed through and cut cleanly

Who else cries when they cut onions?

Suitable for my magnetic wall holder and a great addition to the kitchen

9 comments:

Christine @ Cooking Crusade said...

Wow, can't believe the sharpness of this knife. This really has reminded me I need to get my knives sharpened lol!

Richard Elliot said...

I've got the exact same knife and sharpener. My advice would be to enjoy the factory sharpness for three or four months, but then I would start sharpening it. It is a lot easier to maintain a sharp knife than to sharpen one after it has become blunt.

I've never sliced a tomato successfully with anything other than a serrated knife. As you say, I think it is something to do with the skin.

Unknown said...

whoah that's some dam sharp knife! and love how you hanged them up in the kitchen!

Padaek said...

Hi Simon! Great review! I'm really impressed with both your slicing/knife skills and the knife itself. That sliced apple fan is impressive. Wow! :) I like the look and idea of a one piece knife like this one - less worry of it breaking or falling apart. I had a look at the other boards on the site, and there are smaller serving boards which look more practical to me too. I like the charm of wooden boards. Thanks for sharing this info. Best wishes!

Amanda@ChewTown said...

Didn't expect the knife to perform so well to be honest! Definitely a great addition to any kitchen.

Grace said...

Cutting the tomato like that is amazing! The impossible has become possible.

Simon Leong said...

hi christine, sharp knives definitely make a difference that's for sure

hi richard, thanks for the advice and great tips. one day i hope to find a knife that can cut a tomato super easily — i'm thinking this Tojiro might do the trick http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T0eu9o2C5U

hi shanshan, best way to hang them i think — easy access

hi padaek, I'm usually a small board fan due to limited space in the kitchen but after using this larger board i'm really happy with it

hi amanda, i was skeptical it would perform that well too. the real test will be how it will perform now over time

hi grace, i'd still like to find a knife that can cut a tomato like a razer blade :-)

Anonymous said...


Dear Simon,

Please go back to the good ol' days when you wrote about places out of your own curious and investigative nature rather than because some PR company or organisation gives you freebies.

Your blog used to be one of my favourites for finding out about new places to try, but now i feel like all i get are product endorsements.

I think it's great that the perks of being a well-know blog is getting freebies - you deserve something for all your work.

But the constant barrage of advertisements (it feels like every [2nd] blog post now/FB update) disguised as information is very upsetting. Your blog has changed so much in the last 2 years, you've lost credibility in my eyes and definitely my trust.

Sadly, i feel this is one of those cases where you've gotten too big for your own good and selling out is just a consequence.

your former reader and fan.

Simon Leong said...

hi Anonymous, i totally understand where you're coming from and agree the blog has changed to now feature both my own foodie adventures and also those of events i've been invited to or products i've sampled. rest assure i've still remained totally honest in my reviews, both for my own and invited posts. if there's something that i really love or enjoy i'll say so plus if there's something that i think needs constructive feedback i'll make sure my readers are aware of this was well. i have got to a point where my posts tend to swap between personal and invited at the moment. i do tend to learn from those events that i am invited to about venues that might be worth knowing about so i can put it in my knowledge set of what's happening around town when i get requests for recommendations. also i'd never recommend a place if i wasn't confident it would suit what someone is looking for. thank you for your support in the past and hopefully i can gain your support again in the future. i appreciate the time you've taken to provide feedback about the blog and it's something that's good to be aware of.

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