A
Cut Above
The
only three knives you need to handle most of your cooking chores.
Written by
Kay Chun, Photographs by Francesco Mosto - Real Simple, November
2000
|
The
three basics, from top: paring knife, Classic
eight-inch chef's knife, eight-inch serrated bread
knife.
|
|
How
many knives do you own? How many do you use? Chances are
you've got a drawerful and not one is ever sharp enough
for what you're trying to do. And every time a housewares
catalog arrives in the mail, you look at all those pictures
of knife sets ($300 and up) and dream of the kind of cooking
you could do with those expensive, shiny beauties.
Stop right there.
A good cook doesn't need a set of 7, 9, or 11 knives,
and she certainly doesn't need to spend a fortune on
them. Three good, well-cared-for knives will handle
almost all kitchen tasks: A chef's knife will do the
slicing, chopping, and mincing, a paring knife will
handle peeling and detailed cutting, and a serrated
knife will slice through tomatoes and bread. That's
all. Keep them in good shape and they'll serve you well
for a long time.
Here's
another surprise: It's smarter to mix brands and
price ranges. "There's an incredible range
of knives to choose from, and the most expensive
is not always the best," says Jacques Pépin,
one of the great masters of French cooking technique
and theory. |
The knife that
should be of highest quality is the chef's knife. This
all-purpose utensil will be used the most, so it's worth
the investment. Also called a French knife, the chef's
knife has a heavy, wide blade that is anywhere from
8 to 14 inches long. Besides being the best at chopping,
it can be used to slice through tough rinds and tendons.
The flat side of the blade can be used to crush garlic
and transfer ingredients from the cutting board to the
pan. Shop around
to see which knife feels most comfortable in your hand.
The weight of the blade should do most of the work,
but it shouldn't be so heavy that it will tire your
hand over and extended period of time. The most commonly
used chef's knives are the 8- and 10-inch models, but
choose what feels like the most natural extension of
your hand.
A
paring knife has a thin, narrow blade with a sawtooth
edge. Its teeth
can "bite" into food, making it useful for
slicing bread and soft foods such as tomatoes and pastries.
Serrated knives are available in varying lengths, but
a longer, 8- or 10-inch blade is more versatile. It's
not necessary to spend a lot of money on a serrated
knife, especially since it can't be resharpened. Once
it finally dulls, you'll need to get a new one.
Even
though there three basics will handle everything, you
may want to add two more to your collection eventually
- a utility knife and a carving knife (handy for Thanksgiving,
of course). A utility knife is smaller than a chef's
knife but larger than a paring knife; it has a thin
five- to seven-inch blade. Some cooks find this size
more comfortable in the hand, and it's capable of chopping
and slicing smaller foods.
Blades
should be made of high-carbon stainless steel. "It
sharpens well and holds its edge longer than the original
carbon-steel knives," says Pépin. "You want
the knife to be hard enough to perform but soft enough
to be sharpened."
|
| The
extras: In addition to the three basics, a carving
knife and a utility knife might be a useful part
of your collection. |
|
The
strength of a chef's knife mainly depends on whether the
metal blade extends through the entire length of the handle.
If it does, the knife is one continuous piece, which also
means that it will be well balanced, since the metal in
the handle offsets the weight of the metal blade. If the
blade ends halfway through the handle, the knife is susceptible
to breaking in two over time.
Wood
has a good feel and you'll find it on many higher-quality
knives. Smooth plastic
handles can become slippery when in contact with grease
or water, creating a greater chance of injury. Most manufacturers
make several lines to provide a range of handle materials
and sizes.
Finally, the safest
knife is a sharp one. A sharp knife does the work for you
and makes chopping and slicing satisfying, even therapeutic.
A dull knife makes you work harder, and kitchen tasks seem
messy, difficult, and frustrating. And because you're exerting
more force and energy, there's a greater chance the knife
will slip out of control. On the following pages, you'll find
information on sharpening and storing knives.
NEXT : SHARPENING >>
PAGE
1, 2, 3
|
