About Starrett
Starrett was founded in 1880 in Athol, Massachusetts, USA by Laroy Sunderland Starrett, believing that “I could do no greater good than help create a business that would give people employment and a chance to earn an honest living.” Back then it started with just one product; the Combination Square.
Starrett manufactures more than 5,000 variations of tools and saw blades for industrial, professional, and consumer markets worldwide. Setting the standard for fine precision tools in industry for over 140 years.
Starrett Barbecue Knife Kit
Back in February, Starrett sent me their Barbecue Knife Kit to try. I wanted to use them for a little while before writing this review.
This Starrett Barbecue Knife 6 Piece consisting of:
- Butchers Knife Narrow Triangular 6″
- Butchers Knife Wide Triangular 10”
- Butchers Knife Wide Curved 10″
- Sharpening Steel Knurled finish 10″
- Sharpening Steel Protector
- Sharpening Stone Double-sided: 120 and 320 grit 8″
The knives feature stainless steel blades with a textured handle that offers maximum grip and easy cleaning. They are also designed to inhibit the growth of fungi and bacteria.
The knives are NSF certified and carry a tracking number laser stamped on each blade, which enables you to trace their origin back to the factory so you can be confident that you’re getting only genuine Starrett knives.
The Importance of Knives
When I started my BBQ journey many years ago, knives were not really something I had thought of a great deal. I had a fairly decent set of kitchen knives but nothing specific
Over the years this has changed where not only is the right knife important in preparing your ingredients, but after you have spent hours on a cook, you need to make sure you have the right knife to slice your meat
There is a great knife article from Food Fire Friends which is well worth a read
I have invested in some new knives over time and you can obviously pay a significant amount for them. Some of the knives I own are lovely pieces, especially a couple from Blenheim Forge, but you pay for them.
Even if you spend a lot on knives, you need to care for them and ensure you keep them sharp. Even the best knives over time will become a little less effective. A great system to keep them sharp is from Horl. Their knife sharpening product is fantastic!!
Using the Starrett Knives
So my first impressions of the knives are that they feel very comfortable to use. I like the feel and overall shape of the handle. I use Wusthof knives generally, and these feel lighter than those, and actually remind me of a couple of the Fibrox knives from Victorinox.
My favourite from the set is the 6” Butcher’s Knife. I use it nearly every day, and I find it a great size for most preparation tasks that I have. It is also great for any slicing and cutting tasks once the meat has been cooked.
The two larger knives in the set are great for slicing larger pieces of meats, for example, Beef Topside or a Whole Chicken, where you need a larger knife to cleanly slice the meat. These knives certainly help you do that.
They feel incredibly sharp when you first start using them and I have been using the smaller 6” knife daily, I have only had to resharpen it once.
The set is also competitively priced at around £39.99. Considering you get 3 knives and the sharpening tools it is really good value.
The Verdict
I’m not a knife expert but these knives from Starrett more that do the job for most cuts you are going to use in your cooking. They are fairly lightweight, and personally, I prefer a little more weight in my knives. However, they are incredibly effective for any cutting and slicing tasks you may have.
The set is great value (shop around) and if you don’t own a dedicated set of knives for your cooking it is well worth considering these.
Take a look at the range of knives on the Starrett website.