By Kathryn van
When it comes to equipping your kitchen, one thing that is worth spending some money on is a well-made set of knives.
A professional chef has his own set of knives that belongs to him, not the restaurant he works for. The chef will tend to them carefully, keeping them clean and sharp. No one else uses them, and the chef will go so far as to carry them home every night – some are rumored to keep them next to their beds at night.
A good set of sharp knives makes cooking anything easier. A good knife can chop tomatoes without crushing them or slice through crusty French bread without squashing it flat. It cuts through even the toughest carrots with ease and can shear off paper-thin slices of roast beef. A good knife has a handle that is easy to grip and is well balanced and strong, reducing fatigue to the hands and arms during those marathon cooking sessions.
Unfortunately, a good set of knives is also expensive – a single knife can cost as much as $150 and a set can cost you $400 or more. The good news is you can start with one good knife and build your collection slowly – and good knives last a lifetime or longer.
Of course, the downside of good, sharp knives is that they are – you guessed it – sharp. Yes, they cut through veggies like butter. They can do the same with your fingers. I have found that when I use dull knives I cut myself more often because it takes more effort to slice through whatever I’m cutting. The cuts, however, tend to be minor.
With sharp knives I cut myself rarely, but when I do I tend to cause serious damage. I recently got a new utility knife and I was reveling in how good it felt in my hand as I sliced tomatoes for salsa. I let myself get distracted for less than a second and the next thing I knew a piece of my finger was sitting on the cutting board with the perfect little cubes of tomato. Needless to say I scrapped that batch of salsa – and I couldn’t type for weeks because of the huge wad of bandages on the end of me left index finger.
So get your self a couple of good, sharp knives, but use care when using them.
Finding good knives
There is no one knife that will suit everyone. You will want to check several different knives before you buy, and be sure to try them in your hand to see how they feel before forking over any dough.
A few things to think about:
* Forged steel is stronger and tends to hold an edge better than stamped or die-cut, but forged steel is also more expensive.
* You want a knife that has a full tang – that means the metal from the blade continues through the handle.
* German knives have blades that are curved, allowing a rocking motion while cutting. French knives are straight. Japanese knives are curved and thinner than German knives. Which you prefer depends on personal taste.
* Some good brands to look at are Wusthof, Henkels, Pampered Chef and Shun. These brands have consistent high quality and have life-time warranties on their forged knives. Other brands also have good knives – it pays to shop around for bargains.
* When you get a good knife, get a honing tool as well to keep it in good condition. A good knife should be honed regularly and professionally sharpened every couple of years.
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