Cooking Basics: Selecting and Using Knives

Knives are probably the most important tool you will use in the kitchen. Selecting knives is also a very personal decision. It is so important that chefs be comfortable with the knives they use that most have their own personal set that they carry with them.

You have probably heard this advice many times, but it is just as true, if not more so, for knives as with any other tool. Buy the best quality knives you can afford. Knives are not something you want to buy at the local dollar store. Good knives can be pricey, but will actually be a better value in the long run. Quality knives will last longer than those of inferior quality. They will also hold a sharp edge better and will be easier to work with. I bought my knives one at a time as I could afford them. After about a year, I owned a complete set that I have been very happy with and have had for many years.

I suggest you visit a cutlery store where you can actually hold and try a variety of knives. It is very important that you purchase knives that feel comfortable in your hand and that you can use properly. Once you've tried them, you can purchase them wherever you like. You might be able to find some good deals online. If you do order online, just make sure that you are ordering the same knife that you selected in the store. Most quality manufacturers have several different lines.

The links below have some good general information about selecting and caring for knives.

Nice and Sharp
Video from LeGourmet.tv
Choosing Knives from Epinions.com

The two manufacturers I see television chefs use most often are J.A. Henckels and Wusthof, but I’m sure these aren’t the only manufacturers that make good quality knives. The knives I use in my kitchen are made by J.A. Henckels. Their Web site has a lot of good information about their knives, as well as how to select and care for them. There are also videos showing how to use the different types of knives. Wusthof has similar information available on its Web site. I have included links to both Web sites below.

Wusthof
J.A. Henckels


Types of Knives
So how many knives should a well-equipped kitchen have? You can probably accomplish most any chopping, dicing or slicing task with three knives – a chef’s knife, a paring knife and a serrated knife. If budget is a concern, purchase a good chef’s knife first – it is used more often than any other knife and can perform almost any kitchen job if necessary. Next purchase the paring knife and then the serrated knife. After you have these three basic knives, then you might consider adding specialty knives that you might have a need for. For example, if you cut a lot of your own meat, a butcher knife will be handy. If you debone a lot of chickens, then you might want to purchase a boning knife.

Here is specific information about each type of knife.

Chef’s Knife

The chef’s knife (also sometimes called the cook’s knife) is the all around workhorse knife of the kitchen. It is used for everything from dicing onions to slicing vegetables, mincing garlic. It can also be used for peeling larger fruits and vegetables. I use my chef’s knife to peel pineapple. The curved blade allows the knife to be rocked against the cutting board for quick cutting. (That’s the skill I somehow haven’t been able to master.). The knife comes in a variety of lengths. The most popular length is 8”. You should try different lengths to determine which you are most comfortable with.

While I have a chef’s knife, I tend to prefer the Santoku knife. You may have seen television chefs, in particular Rachael Ray, using this type of knife. This is an Asian style knife with a broad blade and very sharp edge. Those little dents on the side of the blade allow you to slice very thinly as they keep the food from sticking to the blade. It works well for many of the same tasks as the chef’s knife. Because the blade isn’t curved, it can’t be rocked like the chef’s knife, and because of this, some chefs do not like to use it for mincing or chopping. I believe it is a matter of personal preference. I find myself reaching for my Santoku much more often than my chef’s knife – especially since I can’t seem to get the hang of that rocking thing anyway.

Paring Knife
The paring knife is used for cleaning, paring, peeling and slicing small fruits and vegetables. The small blade makes it seem like an extension of your thumb and forefinger, which allows it to be very efficient.

I also use a utility knife for the same tasks as a paring knife. They are very similar, but the utility knife has a much longer blade and can also be used for carving and for small chopping or dicing tasks. If you can only afford one of these knives, you may find the utility knife to be more versatile. While I do use my paring knife, I probably use the utility knife about twice as often.

Serrated Knife
A serrated knife, also called a bread knife, can be used to cut bread, cakes, tomatoes or other soft foods without squishing them. They are used with a kind of sawing motion to cut through the food. You should never cut meat with a serrated knife because it will not produce smooth, even slices. Despite what the Ginsu commercial says, you shouldn’t cut soda cans with them either.

Knife Storage and Care
Knives should be stored so that the blades do not bump against other things and become damaged. Professional chefs have cool little cases that they carry their knives in. I found some plastic covers that fit over the various types of knives. This protects the blades and also keeps you from cutting yourself when reaching into the drawer. A knife block is another option, but I don’t have enough counter space for one of those.

You should always wash your knives by hand and dry them immediately. This will help keep the blades sharp and prevent rusting. Dishwasher detergents and movement inside the dishwasher can dull the blades.

Use a butcher’s steel on your knives regularly to keep the edges aligned. Using the steel prior to each use is recommended, but I find using it every three or four uses keeps the blades sharp. If your knives need to be sharpened, I recommend having it professionally done unless you are experienced with sharpening. It’s easy to make things worse if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Always use your knives on a cutting surface that gives with the knife. Cutting surfaces should be made of wood or plastic. Hard boards, such as glass and ceramic can dull the knives.

Knife Skills
The more you practice, the more comfortable you will become with using knives. If you take the time to learn and practice proper techniques, cooking will be more enjoyable and will take less effort. That being said, you may never be able to chop and mince like a professional chef. If I try to move my knife really fast like they do, I just end up cutting myself. Just find a technique that you are comfortable with and works for you. I think the best way to learn techniques like this is by watching, so I have included some links to videos that demonstrate knife skills and cutting techniques.

Basic Chef Knife Technique 1
Basic Chef Knife Technique 2

Howcast.com - how to julienne, chop, and dice.
Expert Village

This is a series of 16 videos on how to use a variety of different types of knives, including a pineapple knife – I didn’t even know there was such a thing.