Knives and You
Dec 20 '99
Having been around kitchens, food, great cooks & chefs, and restaurants most of my life after choosing cooking as one of my chief hobby interests in life, I can say that early on I realized that anyone wanting to explore creativity in the kitchen must first learn the value of using a knife really well.
Knives have been designed in many sizes, shapes, styles, etc. with each having a specific use but a few things cannot be ignored:
1)The quality of any knife is in its steel.
2)The quality of any knife determines its cost.
3)The life of any knife, is determined by the care given it.
4)The most common enemy of any knife is water.
5)The cause of all knife dullness is use and neglect.
Now, with the basics out of the way, my mentioning a product or two may help you along a little. I like TWO readily available knife products very much. J.A. Henckels and Chicago Cutlery are two manufacturers that you can trust and there is a basic difference between the two. Henckels makes an expensive line of knives and also an everyday (less expensive) line. Chicago makes one. For the homeowner gourmet, I recommend the everyday line. With todays hi-tech manufacturing knowledge, plastic handles are just as durable as wooden handles (especially in and around water). You don't cut with the handle. Also the quality difference of the steel (both having excellent stainless properties) is practically undetectable. One thing I have always liked about Chicago Cutlery is that they make an excellent quality knife block in which to store your knives that is very attractive. Sold separately or as a package with the knives, this helps to protect and maintain your knives in excellent working order as well as always knowing where they are.
Henckels makes a wider variety of blade styles than Chicago with the latter staying with a dozen or so blades suited to 90% of the tasks a kitchen knife is needed for. Extremely reliable, the Chicago product can stay with you literally for life - if taken care of. The Henckels product may require slightly more loving care but, in some cases, will out-perform Chicago on given individual tasks. I particularly like their small-knife designs extremely well. Their "garnish" knife set of 3 knives, all having blades approximately 3" long, is excellent. My favorite knife for small work (ultra small) is their "Bird Beak" knife which comes in the above set of 3 (for about $12.00!!)This is a curved blade, ultra-thin, ultra-sharp, that when drawn toward the user, supplies its own "slicing motion" by virtues of its curved shape. Amazing. I use this knife daily.
Whether starting your own kitchen, buying a gift, or selecting a truly fine piece for life, these two manufacturers can supply what you need.
A couple parting thoughts from experience:
1) NEVER put a knife in the dishwasher.
2) 15 seconds of sharpening daily after or before each use, and you'll never have a dull knife.
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Epinions.com ID:
davea888
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Member: Dave Andrews
Location: Lake Havasu, AZ and Lahaina, Maui
Reviews written: 87
Trusted by: 36 members
About Me:
That woman knows how to rob a train...
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