Why knives matter.

I’m not a true believer when it comes to kitchen gadgets. I don’t want people to waste their money and fill up their precious kitchen storage space with little bits of plastic and metal that are only good for doing one or two cooking jobs. You really don’t need that many tools in your drawers to cook well. What you do need is a few high quality tools that you can use to do just about everything. This is why knives matter.

If you cook daily – as most of us who have to make dinner every night do – than you will be using your knives constantly. It is worth investing in good quality knives. Knives that are forged. Knives that can be sharpened. Most importantly, you want knives that feel comfortable in your hand. Chances are pretty good that you don’t need an entire knife set – although the fancy cooking stores and the fancy knife manufacturers would like you to think so. The basic knives that you will use every day are: A chef’s knife, a paring knife and a bread knife. A Santoku knife – which is all the rage on cooking shows these days – is also worth considering.

Some quality knife brands are Wustoff, Henkel, Global and Shun. Even these brands make lesser quality knives with stamped blades so look carefully and make sure that you are trying out their best knives. A stamped blade will be thinner, the tang of the knife will probably not run all the way through the handle, it will feel lighter and most importantly it will not last as long and be as sturdy as a forged knife.

Before you buy – hold the knife. Try different styles. See what feels best in your hand. I’ve sold knives to countless customers at the cooking store where I work and one thing that never fails to amaze me is that a customer knows immediately, by the feel of the knife in their hand, if they like it or not.

Take care of your knives. Don’t wash them in the dishwasher no what anyone says. Wash them by hand, dry them and put them away after you use them. If you leave them in the sink their blades will get knocked around and dulled.

Consider getting at least one ceramic bladed knife. Although they do get dull eventually, I’ve had a ceramic bladed knife for 10 years and it is still as sharp as the day I first opened the package. In addition to being low maintenance, ceramic knives are great for cutting up lettuce for a salad because they won’t cause the edges to brown. Two Ceramic Knife brands are Kyocera and Boker.

Keep your knives sharp. Either learn to sharpen them properly yourself or invest in a knife sharpening system – such as Cook’s Choice – or bring them to be professionally sharpened. Even the best quality knives will get dull and loose their edge. Knives need regular maintenance to keep them performing at their top level.

Great knife article link: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/15/dining/15KNIF.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5090&en=1642923fe13c16f3&ex=1260853200&partner=rssuserland