Should you get these IKEA knives for your kitchen? We think we’ve finally found a cheap knife set you won’t be frustrated with.
When you buy knives for your kitchen, the inconvenient truth is that you get what you pay for. Cheap knife sets are often dull, bendy, twisty, and downright useless.
And then there are the rare cases where you get more. That’s the case with the IKEA ÄNDLIG, a set of three knives you can buy for $9.99 at your local IKEA store. After testing them for 45 days, we think these knives are much better than you can expect from a three-knife set for ten bucks. Read on below to find out why.
The ÄNDLIG knife set consists of three knives:
- An 8-inch paring knife with a 4-inch blade
- An 11-inch chef’s knife with a 5¾-inch blade
- A 13¾-inch bread knife with a 9-inch blade
With this set, beginner cooks can equip themselves with the three knives they need for everyday cooking, in good quality and at a very reasonable price. The value for money is undoubtedly there and better than the flimsy knife sets sold in supermarket chains and big-box stores.
The blades of these knives are made of stainless steel, and the handles are made of polypropylene and synthetic rubber. The white polypropylene is hard and makes a sound when tapped with the fingertip; the gray rubber is soft and gives a firmer grip to the hand.
The first thing you notice when unpacking these knives is that they are sturdy and sharp—as sturdy and sharp as you can expect from a set that you just paid ten bucks for.
On all three knives, the blades are thick at the handles, and they don’t bend as easily as most cheap knives do. The quality of the blade exceeds the price tag many times. This gives you more control over cutting and allows you to use the knives more safely.
The chef’s knife is the one you will use most often. It’s an all-purpose knife for trimming the fat from beef, butterflying chicken breasts, cubing pork loin, and slicing, chopping, dicing, and mincing fruits, vegetables, and fresh herbs.
The paring knife is intended for peeling fruits and vegetables or cutting them into small pieces when the chef’s knife is too large and impractical. In other words, it’s the knife you use for precision work.
The bread knife is more or less self-explanatory. It’s for slicing rustic loaves of bread, halving French baguettes, and cutting cakes or pies. The serrated blade allows the knife to penetrate crusty surfaces and cut through soft interiors as if through butter.
I tested this knife set for 45 days. The blades of the chef’s and paring knife stayed sharp between uses and didn’t need honing as often as your typical supermarket knife set. The knives worked well; I found them a pleasure to use for home cooking.
Note that these knives have no place in the dishwasher. Instead, clean them by hand with warm, soapy water and a soft, non-scratch scrub sponge.
It’s best to wash (or at least thoroughly rinse) the knife before food residue dries on the blade. Once it does, that residue is challenging to scrub off. Pay special attention to where the blade meets the handle. If you don’t wash it well, food residue can dry in between.
The verdict:
You can’t get a better knife set than the IKEA ÄNDLIG for this price. If you’re only willing to spend $9.99 on cutlery, you get a lot for your money with this knife set. If you buy it, our verdict is you won’t end up disappointed.
