Mandatory Kitchen Equipment 1 - Knives

September 11, 2015

Mandatory Kitchen Equipment 1

KNIVES

I mentioned a little bit about my thoughts on knives in yesterday's post. Today, in lieu of a recipe, because we went to a friends house for dinner, I am going to go more in depth on my thoughts on knives: What you need, what you don't need, and what is nice to have. Plus whatever other thoughts come to mind as I meander my way through this post.

First off, as I have said before, you don't need to break the bank to get good knives, but you are going to need to spend some money. I am pretty sure the most expensive knife that I have in my block retails for around $100, and it is a 10 inch carving “scimitar”(a nice to have but not necessary knife). The most important things to look for are good quality steel and a comfortable handle.  I am partial to the brand Victorinox, the makers of swiss army knives. They are very reasonably priced if you shop around, last a very long time, have a great selection, and are made of the highest quality swiss steel, which takes an edge and holds it very well. I have also used, among others, Cuisinart, Cutco, Kitchenaid, Henckel, and even a few Wusthofs, and I prefer the feel and edge of a Victorinox. They aren't the prettiest knife at the show, but they do the job.

Caring for your knives is important. The most important thing you can do is never to put it in the dishwasher. Dishwashing your knife will take the edge off very quickly, discolour the steel and the handle, and just be all around bad for your knife. DON’T DO IT. A knife is very easy to clean if you do it right away. Wash, dry and put away as soon as you are done with it, and your knife will last you many many many years.

The knives I would say are absolutely essential are actually very few. Steak knives of good quality are often overlooked, and this is a pity. There are so many things that you can do with a good steak knife, and they are cheap enough to be abused. The ones I use are actually called a tomato knife, because they aren't pointy at the end. I have enough of these that everyone at the dinner table can have one, with a few to spare. I even put them through the dishwasher (gasp), but they stay sharp forever, and can be used for many many things, including cutting bagels, slicing tomatoes, peeling vegetables, and small dicing jobs. I even managed to cut my fingertip off with one once. And if you've ever tried to eat a nice steak with a bad knife, you know how important it is to have good knives for actual steak.

The second knife that is a must-have is a good chef knife. I personally use a 7 inch Santoku, which is slightly shorter than the classic 8 inch chef knife. I prefer the santoku feel to a classic chef knife, but either way this is the workhorse of the kitchen. Chopping, dicing, and slicing, the large majority of vegetable work and just in general a large portion of all your knife work can be done with one of these. Make sure you keep it sharp and clean.

The third and final must have is a flexible boning/fillet knife. In order for this to be effective, it needs to be very, very sharp, and fairly flexible. With this knife I can break down a whole chicken, carve a turkey, fillet a fish, and break down a large joint of pork, beef or wild game. I use this knife when I buy large cuts of meat to trim and carve. I like to buy whole pork loins, trim them, remove the silverskin and cut into roasts and chops. This knife can do all of that.

Another must have, while not a knife, does go along with them. A sharpening steel is what allows you to keep your good knives in good shape. Without a steel you are basically throwing away any money you spend on a knife. There are other ways to keep a knife sharp, but a good still is fast, easy, and very effective. Buy one, learn to use it, and USE it every time you use your knife, it is much easier to keep a knife sharp then to take a dull knife and get it back into good shape.

Some knives that are nice to have: 10 or 12 inch carving knife. I would recommend the 12, you can use a chef’s knife for most smaller roasts, so you might as well have the 12 for bigger ones, and you can use it for other applications (watermelons)

Editor's Note:  Again I must interject,  although a chef's knife will get the job done with smaller roasts, a proper carving knife may seem way to big for the job at first, but you will get a much cleaner cut, making your meat more uniform and more presentable.

Author's Note; That's why I put it first.

A 10 inch bread knife, for breads, cakes, and other light and soft cutting.

A second chef’s knife, for when you have a helper in the kitchen

That's pretty much it. With the three to 6 knives you can do 99% of the cutting that you would ever want to do. Keep them sharp, keep them clean, and never ever put them in the dishwasher. Find the ones that feel right, and don't spend a fortune.

Cheers and best wishes!

The Omnomnivore.