Kitchen Knives and Other Weapons

There is nothing more frustrating than trying to work in the kitchen while handicapped by a set of bad knives. You may remember the last time you tried to cut and chop with the knives provided at a holiday rental property. Good knives are expensive but they are a joy to use and last for decades. Also, contrary to the impression given by many knife manufacturers, one does not need a large butcher's block filled with them. In fact, those of us not in the restaurant business rarely need more than five different kitchen knives: (i) chef, (ii) carving, (iii) boning, (iv) paring and (v) bread. One could even dispense with the boning knife and get a combined carving/bread knife which would reduce the number of essential knives to three.
(i) The chef's knife is the most important knife in the kitchen and usually has a blade between 8" and 10" in length. This knife is used for most general purpose chopping of vegetables and cutting of meat, fish and poultry. If you are going to spend money on any kitchen knife, this is the one. (ii) The functions of the carving knife are obvious. The carver is usually longer than a chef's knife. If you want a combined carver/bread knife you will need a knife with a serrated edge. However, in my experience, a serrated edge does not make for a good carving knife and I recommend buying a dedicated carving knife with a straight edge. (iii) The boning knife is relatively short and is used for meat and poultry; its edge is concave as opposed to the convex shape of most other knive blades. (iv) A paring knife is between 3-6" long and is useful for a variety of kitchen jobs. (v) The bread knife is long, serrated and sharp; it can also be used for cutting soft fruit and is ideal for tomatoes.

How to choose a knife. As with most kitchen equipment, you get more or less what you pay for and it is well worth making an investment in a tool that with proper care will last for decades. I suggest that you confine your choices to products made by reliable and high quality manufacturers of which there is no shortage. Until relatively recently, the majority of high quality kitchen knives sold in the U.S. were made in either Germany or France. With the increasing popularity and availability of Japanese knives, the first major decision one now needs to make is whether one wants a European or a Japanese knife. It is important to distinguish between the western-style Japanese knives discussed here, which are based on the familiar European model, and 'original' Japanese knives that are used in Japan and by sushi chefs around the world. European knives tend to be heavier, not as sharp, and less expensive than their Japanese counterparts but have the great advantage of being relatively easy to maintain. Japanese knives are usually light, delicate, esthetically pleasing, and with a very sharp blade which holds for a long time; however, these knives are expensive, need special care because of a tendency to chip, and are difficult to sharpen properly. Therefore, if one wants a good knife that requires minimal care and attention, I would recommend buying a European knife. The following manufacturers all make good quality knives: Wusthof, Henckels, Victorinox, Merrermeister, Sabatier, Viking, Chicago Cutlery, Culinary Instituate of America. My personal favorites are Wusthof, Henckels and Merrermeister. On the other hand, if one places a high value on esthetics, one is willing to expend the effort required for proper care and sharpening (ideally with whetstones), and comfortable with forsaking the dishwasher entirely, then the Japanese knife is the way to go. There is a bewildering number of manufacturers that produce Japanese knives including: Shun, MAC, Hiromoto, Masamoto, Global, Hattori, Misono, and Tojiro. For those new to Japanese knives, the MAC Professional, Shun Classic or any of the excellent value Tojiro knives would be a good place to begin. My favorites manufacturers are Hiromoto, Masamoto, and Misono. Additional information on Japanese knives can be found at www.japanesechefsknife.com or www.korin.com. Ultimately, one's choice of knife is on the basis of personal preference and there is no substitute for handling several different knives in a good kitchen shop before making a decision. One should take note of the weight and balance of the knife and whether the handle is comfortable; a knife that feels perfect to one may appear too heavy or awkward to another. I do not advocate testing knives in a kitchen shop and then making your purchase on the internet (as suggested the the host of a popular radio food show) though one may save a little money. If we were all to behave like this, kitchen shops would disappear and we would never have the opportunity to test the product before purchase. Good knives should not be put in the dishwasher though most European knives are forgiving if one forgets.