Knife Skills and recommendations

Hello to all,
I understand that it has been over a year since my last blog. For that I am sorry, I have of course made multiple new dishes all of which were delicious and tasty! Well at least most were. I have been asked by a friend to do a blog on knives and I figure as my return i will do just that. So Beth this is for you, I hope others get things out of it as well.

The knives we use when cooking should be an extension of our hand. In saying this I mean that they should fit comfortably in our hand and we should be able to use them with ease. Your knives should be sharp at all times and dent free. All knives will have a factor razor edge when you buy them, but depending on how you use them and the quality will determine how fast you will have to resharpen them.

There are only really 3 knives that are a must: chef, paring, and boning (filet).  The chef is the all purpose does everything knife, it is the most commonly used knife by any chef. The paring knife is a 2-3" bladed knife used for the small things that a chefs knife is just too big to do. A boning knife is exactly what it sounds like it, a knife used for removing meat from a bone, it has an extremely flexible blade. As you grow you can add knives to your collection. A few of my favorites are offset bread knife, 10" slicer, 5" Santoku, and my 8" Santoku.

So lets start looking at the big things that make the difference.

Comfort:
This is a big one!! How can the knife act as an extension to your hand if it doesn't feel good on your hand? For instance Cutco knives are held in high regard by some for their sharpness and unique handles. I for one cannot stand the handles. I do not like the way the handle feel in my hand and the slightest wetness makes them too slippery in my hand and the round handle makes them easy to turn on you. I actually borrowed someones knives instead of walking 20 feet to get mine and cut the edge of my thumb off.

Weight: 
Not only does the grip need to be factored in, but the weight also needs to be considered. If you have a small hand then a huge 10" blade might not be the best knife for you. The longer the blade on a knife usually tends to make it heavier. I am capable of using a 10", but I much prefer to use my 8" Santoku.

Quality: 
When it comes to knives you truly get what you pay for. If you go to Wal-Mart and buy a Mainstay knife for $10, than you can expect the knife to dull quickly and probably get dinged up easily. On the other hand that doesn't mean everyone (or anyone really) needs a $150 Shun knife. While I do suggest biting the bullet and buying a good set rather then settling for just a decent set, if you don't use them all the time you don't need them.

Durability: 
Blade quality is mostly determined on blade thickness. If your blade is too thin on a knife that shouldn't have a thin blade then it can easily get bent or even break. So make sure you have a decent thickness on your blade! One thing to make sure your knife has is a tang that goes all the way through your handle. The tang is the anchor for the blade in the handle. Basically your blade is a long piece of metal that runs from the sharp tip all the way down to inside the handle. By having a full tang your handle is less likely to break over the years and your blade is less likely to loosen.


Brands that I suggest are Henckel and Wustoff. These are very nice knives, but can get expensive. Chicago Cutlery is a good inexpensive brand.

When I was a kid I actually used to bang my mom's knives into the edge of the counter. If I found my child doing that I don't think they would be able to sit for a week. So let's talk knife care!

NEVER PUT YOUR KNIVES IN THE DISHWASHER. That's pretty much knife care. Oh and make sure you keep your knives sharp by using a steel and a sharpener when needed. A steel should be used every time or every other time before you using your knife. For the sharpener any store bought sharpener will suffice, but always hone the knife on the steel after the sharpener is used.

Well that's all I got right now, if you have any questions I would be more than happy to share my thoughts.