Choosing Your Kitchen Knife
A knife is an extension of your hand, not a piece of hardware to be collected. If you can handle three well-maintained tools, you will rarely find yourself wishing for another.
Hold before you buy.
Never purchase a knife without holding it. The spine should feel solid, the bolster should offer a secure pivot point, and the weight should feel distributed evenly between the blade and handle.
- Cutting board (wood or high-density plastic)
- Honing steel
- Knife block or magnetic strip
Control at the heel
Do not wrap your entire hand around the handle. Pinch the back of the blade between your thumb and index finger, then wrap your remaining fingers around the handle for superior leverage and stability.
The method.
Select an 8-inch chef's knife
This is your primary tool. When testing it, place the blade on a board. The heel should be wide enough to protect your knuckles, and the curve should allow for a smooth rocking motion during mincing.
Select a serrated knife
Look for deep, scalloped teeth rather than small, jagged ones. A long, thin blade works best for slicing through crusty loaves or soft tomatoes without crushing them.
Select a paring knife
A 3-inch or 4-inch blade is sufficient. You want a stiff, sharp point for peeling, coring, or hulling where a larger blade would be clumsy.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Always store knives on a magnetic strip or in a block; loose knives in a drawer dull the edge against other metal.
Hone your knife before every use to realign the edge, but save sharpening with a stone for when the blade no longer bites into a tomato skin.
If a knife feels too heavy, it will tire your wrist after ten minutes of prep; if it feels too light, you will have to exert extra force to cut through dense vegetables.
The ones that keep coming up.
Should I buy a full set?
Most blocks are filled with filler knives you will never use. Build your own set of three high-quality knives instead of buying a pre-packaged collection of eight.
How do I know if a knife is sharp?
A sharp knife glides through a sheet of paper without tearing. If it catches or requires a sawing motion, it needs to be honed or sharpened.
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