The Chefs Knife

Welcome to my August installment of Equipment Corner. The Chefs Knife is in my opinion the most essential kitchen tool no home cook should ever be without. The Chefs Knife will be the most important knife you will own. Choose an 8 to 10 inch blade. The longer blade edge of a Chefs Knife makes kitchen use versatile and efficient. The more blade you have the more work it can do for you and easier slicing through say, butternut squash and watermelon. Ninety percent of daily tasks you will do in the kitchen, the Chefs Knife will be your go-to tool. When it comes to slicing and dicing meats, fish, fruits, and vegetables, this is your knife. The weight and feel may take some time getting use to if you’re new and not familiar with a good knife. I have been using the Chefs Knife I own for about 20 years now. Can’t imagine not having this tool in my kitchen, however, this knife shouldn’t be used for peeling or removing skin from vegetables like squash or butchering poultry. Use smaller knives for these task because of safety factors along with ease of use. View how-to videos from Epicurious.com for tips and uses of a chefs knife.

The Chefs Knife

I recommend not skimping on price when purchasing a good Chefs Knife. The better the quality, the longer your knife will last you which should be forever. Visit your local stores that sell quality knives like Bed, Bath and Beyond or Williams-Sonoma to touch, hold, and feel what a good quality knife is like. Some popular brands are Wusthof, Messermeister, Global and Shun which is favorite of mine. A good quality knife can be found for around $100. All kitchen knives should be professionally sharpened once a year. A dull knife is a dangerous knife. Keep all knives in a knife block or blade shields to protect sharp blades and unnecessary injuries. Keeping blades protected also helps them stay sharper longer because they won’t be banging against other tools. So go ahead and explore. Treat yourself to a new element in your kitchen you’ll be using for years and years to come. You’ll be glad you did.

Happy Slicing!