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Knives and Other Cutlery
Always purchase the best quality knives that you can afford and store them properly either encased in a wooden block or hung on a wall in your kitchen, secured by magnetized rods. Generally, the best knives are meticulously “hammered” out of long, thick pieces of high carbon stainless steel. The perfect recipe for a great knife is having enough carbon steel, to keep the blade sharp longer, and enough stainless steel to keep the blade looking good, after being exposed to corrosives, like citrus, tomatoes, salts, etc. This painstaking process, which takes numerous steps to accomplish, is blatantly reflected in the knife’s inflated price. But without good knives, basic cooking chores take much longer to accomplish, and using a dull or poorly made knife is one of the largest causes of accidents in the kitchen. So, it’s best to purchase only a few all-purpose blades instead of buying an entire set of knives of a lesser quality.
Before buying a knife, lift it and caress the handle. It’s important to be comfortable with the weight of it. The knife should feel “weighty” but not heavy and clumsy. The handle should feel smooth, and any rivets (visible bolts) should be flush with the surface. Avoid knives with a space between the handle and the blade since it’s a perfect spot for food to lodge and get stuck while chopping.
Whether you buy a set or individual knives, you should have one of each of the knives included in Must Haves.
Must Haves
Wooden block: To store knives safely (or to save counter space, use magnetized wall rods).
Long steel rod: Or another good quality (pull-the-blade-through) device, for sharpening.
8- to 10-inch chef’s knife: Called a “utility knife,” this is used for general cutting and chopping and is essential to even a barely stocked kitchen. If you have a large family or frequently cook big and freeze, I suggest the longer knife since it chops larger amounts more efficiently.
4-inch paring knife: Light and basic, this knife is used for many kitchen jobs such as cutting, trimming, slicing and peeling.
8- to 10-inch serrated knife: This long knife with a ragged edge, most commonly called a “bread knife,” should also be used to slice tomatoes, which will dull the blade of a chef’s knife when done repeatedly.
10-inch carving knife: This long thin blade is perfect to slice roasts with a single stroke. Although carving knives come shorter for other cutting chores, the longer one is more practical for the basic kitchen.
4- to 6-inch boning knife: This thin sharp knife comes either with a rigid or flexible blade and is the best knife for separating flesh from bone on poultry, meat, pork or fish. When choosing, select the more versatile knife, which I feel is the one with the rigid blade.
12-to 16-inches long (cake): Sharp, serrated and especially long, this knife is used to divide cake layers horizontally. The blade should be 12 to 16 inches long.
Scissors: Sharp kitchen shears. It’s preferable to purchase a strong pair of kitchen scissors made by a reputable knife company. This is an essential tool to accomplish many basic kitchen chores.
Scissors (Poultry shears): essential when cutting through poultry, as the enclosed thumb ring of regular kitchen shears can bruise your finger after applying the pressure needed to penetrate the bones. Although these can be quite expensive, one of lesser quality will often break, so do buy only from a reputable knife company.
