Any chef or cook worth their salt will tell you that you absolutely HAVE to have a good quality, sharp “Chef’s” knife to do anything correctly. A Chef’s knife is the classic you always think of when you think of cooking. A slightly curved long blade, at least 8” in length with a comfortable handle. There is a way to hold it to reduce fatigue. There are maintenance tasks you must do to keep your workhorse of a knife in good shape. There are things to look for when purchasing to make sure you are getting what you need, what you want and NOT pay an arm and a leg for something you don’t need or want. And do you really need a whole set? Maybe, maybe not.
I grew up with a butcher in the house so our knives were always sharp, but it is a source of personal embarrassment and frustration to me that I can’t sharpen a damn knife! I am NOT talking about honing a knife to keep it in alignment (honing also helps to keep your knife sharper longer) with a steel, I can do that. My step father never taught me. John tried to teach me, but you know how that goes when one spouse is trying to teach the other ANYTHING. I even paid close attention in school when they taught us how to sharpen our own knives. But still, I can’t get a really good edge on a knife. I must have a learning disability when it comes to this aspect of use and care of my tools. Here is the short answer:
• You are supposed to use several coarseness grades of whet stone and appropriate oil
• Holding the knife at a deep angle and gradually more and more narrow angles, you run the blade, from bolster to tip along the coarsest stone first, working your way to the finest one.
• When you do it correctly, you should be able to slice a piece of paper.
This is a BASIC Chef’s Knife. If you click on the link for “bolster” above all the anatomy is explained.
I have the whetting stones, I have the oil, but apparently I don’t possess the skill set to correctly sharpen my knives! Knife lovers will also tell you to never take them to a grinder and have the blade ground to sharpen it, but most of the Chefs I know do it at least once a year. But if you can’t maintain your blades on your own, what’s a girl to do? I visit Jay’s twice a year and hone my blades in between visits. It’s all I can do.
So now that you know my personal shame and embarrassment, here are some knife tips (and shopping tips) for you to think over:
• You are more likely to cut yourself with a DULL blade than a sharp one. A dull blade won’t “bite” into the food, it will slide off and into your flesh. I am not saying you CAN’T cut yourself with a sharp blade, but it’s more likely to happen with a dull blade. (Moment of Truth: I cut my hand spectacularly while teaching a class to more than 20 co-workers with a very sharp knife. The blade was so sharp, I didn’t even feel the cut. I needed 8 stitches and I have a lovely scar on my left index finger.).
• If you cut lettuce with a stainless steel blade it won’t brown. Downer to stainless knives is that they don’t hold a good edge, so don’t spend a lot of money on them (more than $30 for a large stainless Chef’s knife is crazy) and don’t cut anything like bones with them, they tend to nick easily.
• Your index finger is NOT meant to ride the spine of the knife! It’s meant to grip the blade close to the bolster so you have more control. Watch chefs on TV and LOOK at their hands for a tutorial.
• Each manufacturer has a different handle and blade, so pick up and hold several before you buy. Some stores even have veggies to cut so you can sample the blades. If you have big hands, a thicker handle might be better for you. If you have small hands, a narrower handle will be a better choice.
• Look for knives that are “full tang” – that means the blade is a solid piece all the way through the handle.
• Other than a stainless knife to avoid browning, your knives should be forged steel. Forged steel is heated and cooled and pounded into shape, not stamped out of a sheet of metal. Forged steel is more durable, holds an edge longer, and is less likely to break.
• Personally, I avoid ceramic knives and you should too unless you are a sushi chef. Keep in mind – drop it on the floor once and it shatters and it becomes garbage.
• Like cookware, you DON’T need a set! MOST people only need the following 3 knives:
o Chef’s Knife – 8” minimum blade length
o Paring Knife – 3-4” blade length
o Boning Knife – 6-7” blade length
o Anthony Bourdain has said if his Chef’s knife is sharp enough, he doesn’t even need the paring knife. My knife skills aren’t as good as his…
• Just because it is pretty, doesn’t mean it is the right knife for you. Feel it, hold it, use it. Is it too heavy? Is the grip on the handle too thick?
• Be prepared to spend a few hundred dollars to get the 3 knives mentioned above for GOOD quality. You CAN spend thousands if you are looking at the one of a kind, hand crafted knives. And no, I don’t have any of them.
• If you spend wisely, your knives will last a lifetime. I have a set of Wustof knives that John purchased for me in Europe in 1990. I have only had to replace the knife block and the scissors.
• And speaking of knife blocks: put your knives in, blades UP. Resting on the blade is a good way to dull them!
Not my fave, but it’s really pretty:
This is the one I have, but mine is 20 years old and made in Germany:
