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GET THE POINT?
A knife is to a chef as a scalpel is to a
surgeon. They both have a myriad of other tools, but their blade is their
primary instrument. You can get away with that cheap peeler, and you
certainly don’t need a spoon rest, but a good knife is
indispensable. If you’re like most people, you have one larger knife for
most cutting chores, maybe from a set, that’s been in your drawer for years
banging its edge against your other gizmos. All it’s good for is a prop in
some B horror film.
The first and foremost thing a knife should
be is sharp. Higher quality knives achieve and maintain a superior edge. A
sharp knife cuts food easier, quicker, neater, and with less chance of
injury. A dull knife is more resistant to piercing food, and thus, is more
likely to slide sideways and cut the hand holding the food.
Carbon steel knives (a mixture of iron and
carbon), are the sharpest but vulnerable to corrosion and discoloration.
They just don’t last. Most professional grade knives are high-carbon
stainless steel, (a conglomeration of other metals with the iron and
carbon). They don’t rust or deteriorate. You sacrifice a little bit of
sharpness for indefinite durability. It is a good compromise.
Construction is also important. Better
quality knives are forged, i.e., the metal is heated to thousands of
degrees, placed in a mold and hammered into shape. This process increases
the strength and resiliency of the steel. You can recognize such a knife
because it has a full tang, which means the steel extends from the
point all the way to the end of the handle. It is heftier, durable, and has
a better balance. A forged, full tang knife, if properly cared for, can
last a lifetime. Cheaper knives are stamped or die-cut and only have a
partial tang, whereby the steel only partially extends into the handle.
Worse yet, they are sometimes imbedded in those shoddy plastic handles that
will inevitably become loose. Finally, always choose a knife that feels
comfortable in your hand.
Some chefs avow that he best way to sharpen a
knife is via a professional knife sharpening service. They have the
equipment and the expertise to regrind the edge to a pristine condition.
Others disagree claiming that their grinding procedures will degrade the
blade over time. They assert that the procedure of choice is to sharpen it
yourself on a sharpening stone. Forget all the crazy sharpening gadgets on
the market. Most of them are ineffective.
To use a stone you must lubricate it with
either mineral oil or water. Whichever you choose you must stick with it.
Switching between mediums will damage the stone. Lubricate the stone with
oil or submerge it in water for a few minutes and then repeatedly run each
side of the blade from the heel to the tip across the length of the stone.
The trick here is that the knife must be consistently held at a 22-degree
angle. Varying the angle at which you hold the knife will thwart the
sharpening process. Obviously this a skill that takes time and practice to
master. The number of strokes necessary will depend on the knife’s
dullness.
Every time before preparing food, you should
run the knife a few times across a sharpening steel on each side at the same
22 degree angle. Sharpening steels do not sharpen, they hone.
Remember playing with paper airplanes as a kid? You’d throw it across the
room and bounce it off the wall. The nose of the plane, although still
pointy, was then crooked. You had to straighten it with your fingers for the
next flight. This is what happens with your knife. Even one use can cause
the edge to angle to one side or the other. A steel re-straightens the
edge. Finally, store your knife in a block, on a magnetic strip, or any
contraption that protects the edge, and always wash it by hand. The heat of
a dishwasher can damage the handle over time, not to mention the possibility
of other items banging into the edge of the knife.
Professional chefs and more serious cooks
will possess an array of knives for various tasks. At the very least you
should have a standard chef’s knife and a paring knife. A high quality 8-10
inch chef’s knife, from a reputable manufacturer like Wusthof or Henckel
will cost you anywhere from $70 to $100. It is a worthwhile investment,
even for the home cook. The paring knife will run you $20 to $30. Avoid
knife sets. They may seem like a good deal but even the top brands make
cheaper knives and that’s usually what’s in the set.
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