Friday's Food for Thought - Cut and Dry

Cut and Dry

You’re moving into your first apartment.  You’re assembling your wedding registry.  You’re standing in Williams-Sonoma thinking, “Do I really need a soft fruit knife?”  Figuring out what knives to buy for your kitchen can be a pretty daunting task. 

 

My first day of pastry school, I opened up my tool kit to find three knives.  What?!  No radish knife?  No 30” kitchen saber?  I felt robbed.  I was expecting an entire arsenal of cold steel in order to work my magic.  I learned very quickly that, in fact, all I needed was those three perfect blades.

Let’s cut to the chase.  (Sorry, I couldn’t help it.)

Before we talk about what knives to buy, I think it is important to address the topic of price.  When purchasing your knives, always take this into consideration:  You get what you pay for.  Good kitchen knives are not cheap.  That doesn’t mean you need to throw down a fat roll of Benjamins in order to have a quality tool.  Expect to spend a couple hundred dollars for three good knives.  Keep in mind, though, that you will probably never have to buy knives again.  (Unless you decide to cut through bricks or high heels, like they do in those infomercials.)

No matter the size of the knife, it is important to make sure that your knife has a full-tang construction.  “What in the hay is a full-tang, Miss Bee?!”  Deep breaths, it’s not complicated.  The tang is what joins the blade with the handle.  A full-tang construction will run the entire length of the handle.  That sexy stripe of stainless steel in the handle of your knife is not just for show.  The tang provides both security and stability.  Additionally, the tang should be riveted into the handle.  If you can’t see the tang and rivets throughout the handle,  there is a pretty good chance you are not working with a full-tang blade.

So, what knives make the cut?

Chef’s knife:  Size matters.

Bigger isn’t always necessarily better.  Most chef’s knives are 8-10” in length.  I prefer a traditional “French” or “German” style blade. The blade has a curved edge which allows a rocking motion to be used while chopping.  Santoku, or “Japanese” style blades are straight edged, with a curved top.  I’m not a big fan of these, but to each their own.  You want a knife that feels good in your hand.  It should have a comfortable heft to it, but shouldn’t be too heavy.  I prefer an 8” knife for that very reason. 

Serrated knife:  It’s got teeth.

Have you ever sliced a fresh loaf of bread and squished the living daylights out of it?  You were probably NOT using a serrated blade.  Serrated blades have a “toothed” or “scalloped” edge.  A lot of inexpensive, low quality knives get their cutting ability from being serrated.  (Ginzu, anybody?)  Aim for a 10”-12” blade here.  Remember, this knife is best for slicing, so a straight blade is ideal.  Serrated knives are generally somewhat flexible in nature, and usually lighter in the hand.  Ever wondered how the layers of a cake are cut so ridiculously even?  The flexible serrated blade is part of the reason why. 

Paring knife:  How handy!

When working with smaller hand-held tasks, slicing a banana or peeling a potato, for example, the paring knife is your friend.  The blade should look similar to that of a chef’s knife, but about 3”-4” in length.  Similar to the serrated knife, the paring knife should be lighter in your hand.  Most paring knives are not full tang, but still look for the rivets in the handle as this is  a sign of quality construction.

Cleaning and Storage

Avoid placing your knives in the dishwasher.  Dishwasher detergent is abrasive in nature and will impact how long your blade stays sharp.  Wash and dry those puppies by hand and store them where they will be most likely to stay dry.  I’m a big fan of magnetic knife strips.  If you’re using a knife block, store your knives with the edge of the blade up as this will keep them sharper, longer.

Sharpening and honing of your knives is a whole other story.  We will talk about that another time.

Take your time when making your choice of knives.  Good knives are an investment.  I still have my set from pastry school, 8 years ago.  I use them daily.  I love them dearly.