Making the Cut: Choosing a Knife

Ask any good chef (or just watch Food Network) and you will see time and time again that it is agreed by virtually everyone that a good knife is the most important tool you will ever own when it comes to cooking. The first time you try to slice through an onion with a sharp knife your life will be forever changed.

A sharp knife is essential for so many different reasons. First, you are far more likely to hurt yourself using a dull knife. Even though it's probably not sharp enough to do the job, it's sharp enough to chop a finger. Second, prepping everything will go so much faster when your knife works efficiently. This will make cooking so much more enjoyable. Third, you'll look and feel like a real professional when you're using the right tools!

What do I really need?

Sometimes the variety of different types, brands, sizes, sets can be overwhelming when you don't know what you're looking for. The price points can also definitely make you just say forget it! But, don't worry all that you really need is a good chef's knife and a paring knife (Some chef's opinions will vary on this. I have found that since I'm just cooking for myself these two are sufficient to do the job.). Step away from the knife sets. While they are probably a fabulous deal and not awful knives, you'll be much better off purchasing piece by piece. Once you have get comfortable you can look at expanding your collection to more specific purpose knives.

When it comes to choosing a chef's knife what is most important is that it is comfortable to you. I personally have two different chef's knives that I use because I like both of them for different reasons! You can choose between a 8-10" blade. They do go up to larger sizes, but it's mostly unnecessary for the home cook. Your blade can be forged or stamped steel. Forged is when the knife is created from a single bar of steel. They tend to be heavier and more expensive. Stamped is when the knife is cut out from a large sheet of metal and tends to be lighter and slightly less expensive. I have both kinds and it really just depends on your personal preference. You can read more about this here.

What brands should I look for?

I am personally a big fan of Victorinox is you can spend a little extra ($50+). The Victorinox Fibrox Chef's knife has been voted America's Test Kitchen's favorite for the last 20 years. Any knives of this brand will be of excellent quality and well worth the money.

Wustoff is also an great choice that has a wide variety of price ranges. The Wusthof Pro Cook's Knife is what I use myself and is a great price at about $25 on Amazon. It is nice and light and the blade has a curved edge that makes for a nice rocking motion.

If you are looking for something a little pricey this article from The Kitchn provides some great options.

You can get a paring knife from Victorinox or Wusthof for under $10. I know I keep mentioning these brands over and over, but they are everyone's favorite for a reason!

How do I care for my knives?

Now that you have a high quality knife you probably think you are ready to go! But, wait! Even if you own the most expensive knife in the world it won't do you much good if you don't properly care for it. Knives do not magically maintain their sharp edges forever. You should plan on sending them somewhere to get sharpened (usually only a couple dollars a knife) or sharping them yourself every 6 months, more or less depending on how often you use them. Quality knives will maintain their edge longer, but not forever.

In between sharpening there are two different things you can do to make that sharp edge last longer. One, DO NOT STORE IN A DRAWER. Not only is it incredibly dangerous to just stick your hand in a drawer full of knives, it will also dull the edge by bumping against everything. If it must go in a drawer get a sheath to keep it in. You can buy them cheaply on Amazon or at Walmart even.

Two, DO NOT PUT THEM IN THE DISHWASHER. I don't care if it says it's dishwasher safe. Nothing of quality is usually dishwasher safe. The problem is two-fold. The knife will bump around, dulling the edge and it will be moist for an extended period of time, also dulling the edge. Just hand wash your knives as soon as you are done using them and dry immediately. It takes under 30 seconds, but will save you trouble in the future! Washing them off immediately also helps to keep corrosive liquids from dulling the blade (think lemons, limes, tomatoes).

If you have the counter/wall space I recommend either a knife block or a magnetic strip to store them. Not only does it let you display them to guests it also keeps them in easy reach whenever you need them.

Hopefully this is helpful in giving you a little more guidance in the right direction when it comes to choosing a kitchen knife. I can only pray that you have gone to your silverware drawer and now thrown away your camo colored abomination that was passing as a knife in your trash.

If you have any further questions, comments, suggestions please let me know!



Made with Love,
Hayley