First BIG Step - Choosing and Purchasing a Knife
One of the things I love in the kitchen is the various tools available to us at home. These tools help make our lives a little easier when it comes to food preparation for busy families and are great if you have a ton of space to store them.
So what tool do I think is the most important tool in the kitchen?
For me it’s the Chef’s Knife. Also known as a French Knife, you will use this knife more than any other and choosing the right one for YOU will certainly pay off with a lifetime of use.
Things to look for when buying a Chef's Knife:
Full Tang: The best quality knives have what is called a full tang. This means that the blade extends all the way through the handle, as a single piece of steel, as opposed to a piece of steel attached separately to a wooden or plastic handle. A full tang provides a stronger knife, as the blade can not separate from the handle.
Forged Steel: Forged steel means that the blade of the knife was made from one piece of single steel, and pounded and heated into its shape. The other option is a cut or stamped knife, where the blades are cut or stamped out of a large piece of metal. A forged steel knife will cost a little bit more but both, if handled properly, will give many years of service.
Balance: The most important element of buying a knife is how it feels to you. A knife should feel balanced in your hand. Using two fingers hold the knife where the blade meets the handle and gently wrap you remaining three fingers around the handle; with a light grip it should feel balance. If the blade seems heavy and hard to keep horizontal then it is not balanced for your hold. Same for the handle; if it doesn’t feel balanced it is not the right knife for you. So hold many knives and find the one that has the right balance and feels effortless to hold for your use.
So you have chosen the knife. Excellent! The next important step is holding your knife.
Before we even make a cut, you need to make sure you are holding it correctly. Holding a knife properly provides the most comfort, control and safety. It will help you have the most fun in the kitchen prepping ingredients for your recipes. First step is to find the knife’s balance point; this should be where the blade meets the handle and you should find it almost every time without thinking, as you will have chosen this knife for your grip. Your thumb and index finger should be placed on opposite sides of the blade just above the balance point, while your remaining three fingers will rest on the handle, directly behind the balance point. Just remember, you are not defending yourself with the knife, you are preparing to slice and dice and generally having a great time prepping vegetables and meats in your kitchen, so a comfortable firm grip is all you need. There should be no white knuckles.
So have fun in the kitchen with your new tool and come back and visit the blog next week for how to hone your knife and keep it sharp.
Yours in food and knife skills,
James
