Chef’s Knife - Essential Equipment
March 9, 2008
A vital piece of equipment for any cook is a good knife. You’ll use this constantly and it makes cooking both easier and faster. I cook with my girlfriend every weekend in her apartment which lacks a decent knife; it is aggravating and slow. Invest some money (it doesn’t have to be much) in a chef’s knife and keep it sharp. It’s worth it and once you switch, you’ll never go back.
Materials
There are four materials that you’ll see when shopping for knives: stainless steel, carbon steel, high-carbon steel, and ceramic. Plain stainless steel knives are generally lower end knives and have blocked construction (see below). As per Food Network, once dull, these cannot be resharpened. Carbon steel knives maintain a good edge and can be resharpened, but they discolor over time, leading many to buy high-carbon steel. The only difference between carbon and high-carbon is that high-carbon knives maintain their color - they cut and last equally. Last, ceramic knives maintain their edge for a long time but are easier to break and must be sharpened by a professional.
High-carbon steel sounds like the way to go for most people. Regular stainless are the cheap $5 knives you see on display in the grocery store. Carbon steel has unnecessary maintenance and ceramic may be too much hassle with professional sharpening for the average cook. Additionally, reasonable quality high-carbon steel knives are available for ~$30. Not too shabby I say.
Construction
Knives are either forged, blocked/stamped, or sintered. Forged knives are heated and pounded out from pieces of steel - these are generally considered the best, having better balance and thicker bolsters. Stamped knives are cut-out as one piece from a sheet of metal and ground to create an edge. These are lower quality but still not bad. Sinter construction is generally for Asian style knives with cool cylindrical handles. The blade is created separately from the tang (the metal portion that goes inside the handle) and then they are forged together. Theoretically forged knives are better balanced and more durable. Forged is probably the way to go here, but it’s not clear how much of an advantage forged is over stamped. I don’t have the experience to discern.
Parts
Just a quick rundown of the parts of a knife. Reluctant Gourmet has a good discussion with images if you’d like to check that out. The blade is the main metal section that cuts while the edge is the sharp part of the blade. Captivating, I know. The tang is the metal portion attached to the blade and encased by the handle. Naturally, the handle is what surrounds the tang. Last, the bolster is a thicker portion between the blade and tang meant to protect the hand when cutting.
Style
The traditional western style is a chef’s knife as shown at the top right. A longer, slimmer version is the French style and is better for slicing, while the German style is shorter and better for chopping - I wouldn’t worry about these sub-styles too much. The popular newcomer to the American scene is the Santoku style Japanese knife (below), the eastern equivalent of the chef’s knife. Traditionally this knife has only one side of the edge sharpened, which supposedly gives a sharper cut. I don’t think all Santoku knives, however, at least in America, conform to this standard.
The consensus opinion on which style is better is that there is no consensus. Both work very well for whatever the home chef needs. Some enjoy the point on a chef’s knife while others like the wide blade and slightly more maneuverable (and shorter) Santoku knife. Because Santoku knives are traditionally lighter, some find them a bit fragile for cutting bone and large meats. Still, some Santoku knives are hefty enough to handle these tasks - it depends on the knife. Especially if you are a new cook, it probably doesn’t matter which one you get. Buy whichever you think looks the coolest.
What to Buy?
Ah yes, the eternal recommendation of what actually to buy. First, look for high-carbon steel. It is the best and does not have to be expensive. Second, from what I’ve read, the most important thing is comfort. Take the time to hold many knives in your hand and try them on a cutting board if at all possible. Choose whatever feels the most comfortable. You’ll find as many favorites for knives as there are people. Third, you don’t have to buy an expensive knife. Cook’s Illustrated rates the Victorinox Fibrox 8″ Chef Knife about as well as any more expensive knife. It is high-carbon steel and comfortable for most people. I gave the Victorinox 8″ Chef Knife for my brother for Christmas and had a chance to handle it, but I found it light for my tastes. I own a Calphalon 7″ Santoku knife which I love, a wonderful gift from my wonderful girlfriend. I prefer the heavier weight of my Calphalon Santoku.
One thing to keep in mind is that every knife will go dull over time. From the most expensive to the cheapest. With the high-carbon steel, these can either be sharpened by a professional, on a whetstone, or with a personal sharpening machine (something I will discuss in a later post). A steel - that metal rod you see chefs use - is also important to keep the blade honed (again, a topic for a later post.) Personally, I would rather have a cheaper knife with a sharpener and steel than an expensive knife with no sharpener. Consider it when buying your knife if you want to save a little money. The cheaper knives can cut nearly as well as the expensive ones, and you may have money left over for a sharpener and/or steel. Of course, some swear by their high-end knives, and if they are the most comfortable, then by all means go with them.
In summary:
- Buy high-carbon steel for durability and easy resharpening
- Buy a knife that feels comfortable
- Don’t forget to consider a sharpener and steel
- A good chef’s knife is probably the most important tool you have in your kitchen. It will save you time and frustration and improve your safety. Not to mention, who doesn’t like buying cool knives?
What are your knives of choice?
Posted in Equipment |
content rss
March 10th, 2008 at 8:52 am
The single most important thing is that the knife is comfortable in your hand for the task you are performing. And simply because you like the 10 Henckles Pro Chef’s knife does not mean that you will like the Henckles Pro Santuko.
The second most important thing is the edge, how sharp is it. Carbon steel will take a better edge, high carbon will hold the edge better. Damascus steel, that is a process from Damascus but is also very common in very high end Japanese knives, will take and hold the best edge, they will also leave a huge hole in your pocket.
The third is what are you going to do with it? A single chef’s knife will do everything you need except possibly chop bone, however it is clumsy for peeling a potato (hint use a potato peeler), for that you want a good paring knife. If you bone a lot of meat, get a boning knife, and carving is easiest with a slicer (serated edge, thinner than a bread knife). A Santuko is great for tomatoes and thin, fine slicing. And if you are going to chop bone or do a lot of Chinese cooking get the appropriate cleaver. Heavy for the bone, thin for the Chinese.
Steel the blade before each use, and possibly during the use as needed. Either learn how to use a stone (electric sharpeners are to be avoided, especially by non-pros - although they will take nicks out of blades) or find a kitchen professional who will sharpen them for you. Don’t take them to a hardware store. I took a course in knife skills at the CIA and one of the other students had had his Henckles Pro Chef’s knife hardware store sharpened in anticipation (I brought a whetstone). The Chef explained that his $100+ knife had been ruined as the blade no longer met the bolster and couldn’t cut through on a chop, because the blade didn’t get within 1/16 of the board.
All in all a fine post
March 10th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
This is a great little article. I love the feel of the Santoku knife - that is the next knife I am getting - right now I have a chef’s knife - but it isn’t really the best one out there - a new knife is on my list!
Thanks for the nice comment on my blog!
March 10th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
@ntsc: Thanks for the advice. The Damascus steel sounds interesting - I will have to look into it more. Also, how hard is it to learn to use a whetstone?
@JennDZ: Thanks for the comment. I enjoy my santoku a lot, although I don’t have much experience with a normal chef’s knife to compare it to.
March 11th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
A Professional Chef’s store that sells whetstones, which come in dry, wet and oil varieties, will be able to give you some instruction. If you can get one on a handle, I’ve one with two different grains, it is not unlike a steel. Practice on an old knife, and soon you will have an old but sharp knife.
A knife is sharp enough when the edge is pulled against the edge of a piece of typing paper and the paper cuts. An 8″ knife should cause a cut of from 6-8 inches.
A Santuko or a boning knife will need to be sharper than that.
http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/images/Img548.jpg
or
http://www.americastestkitchen.com/ibb/posts.aspx?postID=228711&postRepeater1-p=2
about half way down the page is a good picture of a really good knife
March 13th, 2008 at 3:19 am
What a great post!I love my Santuko knife & I agree with the fact that one has to feel comfortable with what one’s used to. I would be quite lost without mine. The other thing I love is my microplaner…still wonder how I managed before I owned it! Cheers
March 13th, 2008 at 8:03 am
I’ve been frustrated with trying to keep knives sharp until I read an article on Cook’s Illustrated Web site about testing knife sharpeners. I didn’t want to buy another expensive electrical appliance, so when they said the AccuSharp Knife and Tool Sharpener ($11.71) was better than many of the $100-plus electric models, I ordered one online and it works like a charm.
March 13th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Thanks for the comments. I have been considering what sort of sharpener to buy (or not buy), so I’ll definitely look into the AccuSharp Knife and Tool Sharpener. It looks like it might be exactly what I need.
March 19th, 2008 at 9:03 am
[...] If you’ve seen Iron Chefs dice onions faster than you can peel one, you may be wondering how they do it. Unfortunately, I can’t answer that; I don’t know. I do know, however, that the proper grip on food when cutting is imperative for improving both safety and speed. It is not a difficult technique, but it feels awkward at first. It is slowly becoming more natural as I continue to use it. In a future post I will discuss actual cutting techniques, but learning how to hold the food will go a long way towards increasing your safety and improving your speed and comfort while you slice and dice. If you don’t already have one, you’ll need a chef’s knife. [...]
April 7th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
[...] flat at the end of your pepper, and move it horizontally along the pepper, removing the ribs. A sharp knife helps for [...]
April 12th, 2008 at 9:43 am
[...] Chef’s knife: Used very frequently. [...]
May 17th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
[...] The Amateur Gourmet tries out a ceramic knife and loves it, although it is not quite as versatile as a high-carbon steel knife. [...]
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:46 am
Knives IMHO are the most important part of a well stocked kitchen. Use different knives (chef’s, paring, boning, serrated, carving, cleaver etc) for different tasks. Purchase (if you don’t already have them) a steel, whetstone and honing oil. Use the steel before EVERY use - that will keep the knives sharp. Learning to use a whetstone is easy. If the knife blade won’t cut into your thumbnail with very light pressure, it’s probably not sharp enough, so pull out the whetstone. The more frequently you use the steel, the less frequently you’ll need to resharpen with the whetstone. When “dragging” your knife along the cutting board to gather the pieces you’ve just cut, use the dull side. If I’m using a knife for more than 10 minutes (depending on what I’m cutting/dicing etc), I’ll use the steel repeatedly. If forced to work with one knife it would be my 10″ chef’s knife. I have owned Henckel 4-stars for almost 30 years. They work as well today as they did when I bought them, and as are sharp today as when I bought them. USE THE STEEL OFTEN!! Enjoy.
July 5th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Holding a knife properly is important too. Think about the center of balance of the knife. Your right hand (for us righty’s) should be equally spaced on either side of the center of the knife. That probably means you’re holding part of the blade closest to the hosel. This holds true for a small paring knife as it does for a 10″ chef’s knife. You’ll end up with much better control of your knife. And as my previous post mentions, keep your knives sharp. USE THE STEEL OFTEN!! Enjoy.