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How to Buy a Knife
By Noelle Munaretto
Aside from stocking your kitchen with quality ingredients, one of the best ways to ensure culinary success at home is to stock your kitchen with quality tools. Having the right tools handy not only makes your task seem easier, but it also makes you a more efficient cook. And, when it comes to getting down to the nitty gritty prep work you undertake before presenting a final dish, nothing gets the job done faster or better than a well made knife. Choosing the right types of knives for your kitchen, however, can prove to be a daunting task. With so many options on the market, and a knife that seemingly matches every possible kitchen task, it's no wonder that shopping for the sharpest tool in the kitchen can leave you feeling a little dull.
With hopes of answering some of the many questions you may have when it comes to purchasing knives for home use, Gremolata has gotten some insider tips from a couple of people who know a lot about this kitchen tool. Peter Hertzmann is the author of Knife Skills Illustrated: A User's Manual, a passionate teacher of knife skills and an overall lover of French and Chinese cookery. Also offering advice on how to buy and maintain your knives is Barbara Ackerman of the Toronto specialty kitchenware store The Cook's Place. For over ten years she's stocked some of the best kitchen knives the city has to offer, and helped curious customers find the right knife for the right job.
The Essentials
Both Hertzmann and Ackerman insist that there are only two knives the home cook needs to get successful results in the kitchen: a chefs' knife and a pairing knife. "The runaway bestseller at our stores is the eight-inch chef's knife," said Ackerman. She finds that most of her customers like the size and feel of the standard eight-inch blade compared to some of the longer more daunting knives. While Hertzmann also agrees that the standard eight-inch chef's knife is popular across the board, he instead encourages people to work with the longest possible blade they feel comfortable with. "There's a number of advantages with the longer knife," explained Hertzmann, adding that longer knives are easier to rock back and forth in a sawing motion, easier on the arm, and give you "a longer push through your food." The reason why the chef's knife is considered a kitchen essential has to do with its versatility. Where some knives are touted as fish-filleting, tomato-slicing, or de-boning, a standard chef's knife can accomplish all of these tasks and more.
The paring knife is another key tool that can make the smaller and more finicky kitchen prep tasks a lot less frustrating. Herztmann, who still uses daily the first pointy paring knife he purchased, advises that this knife works well for chopping shallots and peeling garlic. It can also be used to remove root tips from certain vegetables, bone chicken, carve fruits and veggies, mince smaller ingredients, and to pick food scraps off of wooden cutting boards. Though you may be able to get both a chef's knife and a pairing knife in a standard knife set Hertzmann feels strongly that staying away from pre-packed knife kits is the way to go. "You don't need most of those knives… especially the boning knife," said Hertzmann. "It becomes a letter opener later on because people don't know what to do with it." Ackerman also echoes this sentiment. "Knife sets are not what they're cracked up to be and for the extra money you're paying you aren't getting essentials," she said. In addition to both the chef's and pairing types, Ackerman said that another knife staple could be a long, serrated bread knife. She recommends one with at least a ten-inch blade so you can easily slice through larger loaves. After you purchase these three knives, Ackerman then suggests that you expand your knife collection according to what tasks you find yourself repeating in the kitchen. "You really want to tailor the other knives to what you do," said Ackerman. So, if you constantly find yourself struggling with a Sunday roast, feel free to invest in a flexible carving knife. Or, if you prefer to do your own butchering at home, grabbing a solid meat cleaver is the way to go. "You want to say ‘What do I cook, so what do I need?'," said Ackerman.
The Feel
"First of all, you need to buy a knife that feels good," exclaimed Hertzmann. "It's not about size its about feel." Hertzmann noted that one of the key factors in having a successful knife shopping experience is to visit a shop that lets you hold and test the knives. "It's better to go to a store that doesn't have the knives behind the glass," said Hertzmann. At the Cook's Place, Ackerman may keep her many knives behind the glass, but she's the first to encourage you to try them out in-store. "We always recommend if you buy a knife to come in, bring a few fruits and vegetables and play," she said. "If you're going to a reputable dealer, and you know they carry good knives with good sharp edges, the most important thing you should do is see how it feels," she added. Some women with smaller grips may prefer a standard eight-inch blade in a lighter make. Other chefs prefer something that has a greater weight and length to it, whereas men with larger hands are more likely to go for knives with thicker handles. Certain knives even come in left-handed and right-handed models allowing people to find shape that perfectly matches their grip. At the end of the day, no matter how glitzy or glamorous the kitchen store you shop at is, you don't want to buy knives there unless they let you take the blades on a test drive. Ackerman herself likens the act of buying a knife to that of buying a car too. "Everyone feels comfortable in a different car," she said.
Ultimately there are many options to choose from. Knives with wood handles, knives with steel handles, ones with handles that show off the tang (the extension of the blade that is firmly held in the handle), knives with solid bolsters, knives without bolsters, ones with non-stick pockets called ‘grantons', knives with rounded spines, knives with exposed heels, and the list goes on and on. Instead of worrying too much about all these characteristics in advance, it's better to visit a kitchen store that specializes in knives and get a feel for all these options in person. Then, you'll be able to make an informed decision based on both the staff's knowledge, and also your own personal experience with that knife. Oh, and be sure that when you go and try chef's knives that you hold them using what Hertzmann calls a ‘pinch grip'. In Knife Skills Illustrated, he describes the grip as follows: "Pinch the blade just in front of the handle with your thumb and forefinger. Wrap your other three fingers around the handle. Use this grip whether you are cutting perpendicular to, at an angle, or parallel to the cutting board. The Pinch grip works both with large and small knives."
The Price
Despite what you might think, the price of a knife doesn't always have a direct correlation to its quality. "If you can't afford a $200 knife there are actually amazing low-priced selections that work just as well," said Ackerman. In her store she stocks a pink, resin-dipped chef's knife that slices like a dream and retails for just over $30. Due to the fact that the manufacturer doesn't finish the steel blade completely, but instead dips the majority of it in a candy-coloured resin coating, the price drops dramatically without killing the quality. In fact, Ackerman insists that resin-dipped knife will last at least ten to fifteen years, if not more. Most of the chef's knife sold and stocked at the store often fall into what Ackerman likes to call the ‘mid-range'. This classification features knives that cost around $100 to $150. Of course, you can spend much more on a chef's knife. Hertzmann just received a prototype for one that would retail at around $600, but admitted it really didn't do much for him. And, though Hertzmann may have an extensive collection of chef's knives in his teaching kit, he still prefers to use his trusty $60 version from Portugal. Once again this shows that price can be a misleading factor when it comes to purchasing knives. Basically, it's best to find out what feels good first instead of establishing a price point before buying your knife.
Knife Care
Now that you've purchased a beautiful pairing knife and chef's knife, one of the best ways to maintain the longevity of your knife is through proper care. "You buy a good tool, you look after it and you maintain it," said Ackerman. Hertzmann swears by a wooden cutting board in the kitchen since it doesn't damage the knife's blade. Slicing and dicing on materials like plastic and glass will wear out the knife over time and make it harder to sharpen. To keep your knife clean simply run it under very hot tap water, which Hertzmann called a "phenomenal solvent", or give it a light wash with some dish soap. Then, dry the blade immediately. "Never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, put it in the dishwasher!" stressed Ackerman. "The force of the water bangs the knife around and the detergent puts pits in the metal." She recommends that you store clean, dry knives in one of three ways: in a knife block (if your knife fits the standard eight-inch block), on a magnetic strip, or in sturdy plastic sleeves. Knife care also translates into how you cut with the knife. Don't forcefully bang the knife through your food and down against the cutting board. Work with the tip of the knife on the cutting board, and move the handle in long rocking or sawing motions for less stress on the blade. To get a clear visual of how this works, check out Hertzmann's video on proper knife techniques here.
Another crucial step involved in keeping your knife in shape is sharpening. Yes, that means you should buy a knife that requires actual sharpening. "If a knife says on it that you never have to sharpen it, chances are you'll never have a sharp knife," said Ackerman. Sharpening your knife at home can be complicated, since the type of sharpener you should use often depends on the angle your knife blade. That angle isn't usually specified when you purchase your knife, so to avoid any damage to the blade at home, seek out a trustworthy knife sharpener in the industry. Ask top butchers or chefs where they get their knives sharpened and try out whoever they recommend. Following all these tips can help extend the life and comfort of your knife, meaning you may actually start to enjoy cutting and chopping after all. "A good knife and a wooden spoon makes you feel like a real cook," gushed Ackerman, who also shared that "to have a tool that feels great in your hand, one that makes your life easier… well that's what makes me smile."
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