August 7, 2007
Kitchen Essentials: One Sharp Knife
We spent this past weekend in a tranqil cabin on a lake (ahhh). Cooking was a big part of the weekend, and although the kitchen was relatively well-equipped with the basics, we realized very quickly that there was one thing that would have made it even better -- one solid, sharp chef's knife. One sharp knife is better than several dull ones, and it can make up for the lack of other tools, like a vegetable peeler.
If you are stocking a kitchen for the first time or are looking to upgrade, save up some money and buy yourself a good chef's knife. When you're shopping for knives, buy the best you can afford -- a high-quality knife may run you upwards of $80, but consider it to be a long-term investment (provided you take care of it). Look for a knife with a full tang -- the portion of the metal that runs through the handle and to which it is attached. A chef's knife is generally in the neighborhood of 6 to 10 inches long, with an 8 inch knife being the most common. Make sure you handle the knives in the store -- you will want a knife that feels balanced in your hand, comfortable and solid in your grip, and generally like an extension of your own hand. We'd recommend a Global 8'' chef's knife ($89), a Wusthof 8" chef's knife ($95), or a Shun 8" chef's knife ($119). Go to a store and pick each one up to see what you like or dislike about each, and go from there.
Once you've purchased your knife, you will need to keep it in good shape, which involves keeping it sharpened. We've given you a few suggestions about where you can get that done in the city, but wanted to give you two updates. First, Henry Westpfal has been forced out of their old location (a developer is building condos in the old space), and they are slated to move to 115 West 25th Street "in about 3 weeks." Call 212-563-5990 before you go just to check. Second, for the Brooklynites, Brooklyn Kitchen now offers knife sharpening for $3.50 per knife up to 8", a bit more for longer or damaged blades.
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Definitely go to a store and feel the knife out before you buy. I love the Shun you recommend - japanese style chef's knife, which means the blade is thinner (and sharper), but also lighter and abit more delicate. People who prefer a knife with alittle more heft should look at the Wustof.
I wonder if "Applewares", an offshoot opening soon of Applewood in Park Slope will offer sharpening as well? It would be great for folks in the South Slope to have that as a resource.
Any idea where the knife sharpening truck in park slope is located and on what day?
Better to buy four Ginsu Knifves for $19.99 each.
Bourdain recommmends the Global. It must be good.
That's funny, I spent a week in a house by a lake for a family vacation, our focus was on cooking, and I actually brought my Wusthof 7" Santoku with me, knowing that the rental house knives would probably be dull and cheap. It was the most important thing anyone brought with them.
Czech, obviously you don't cook.
And I wouldn't trust the knife sharpening truck with my knives. I've heard some horror stories about wrecked bevels and misaligned edges. Japanese knives are particularly tricky because they have a lower sharpening angle.
I cook more and better than you probably, and I'd rather have a knife with a stay sharp blade that cuts just as well as any expensive knife and which I don't have to get into a fit over about it's care and which I never have to sharpen (as that sucks) and which, when it gets dull, I can throw away. Simple really. I have had expensive Wusthof knives and they get dull and then I have to sharpen them. A real pain in the ass. I hate the sound of a knife being sharpened.
why buy a expensive knife that you still have to sharpen? Better buy a cheapo ten buck knife that you use in a year and then throw away and buy another the next. Steel is recylable YO!
There's more to a good knife than whether or not the blade is sharp.
Any knife that "never needs to be resharpened" is made from such crappy, hard steel that it CAN'T be resharpened. Don't fall for it, guys. As someone who has spent 20+ years as a cook & chef, buy a real chef's knife a,d a steel. Have someone teach you how to use the steel, and don't use the knife without giving it a few licks on the steel.It takes all of 5 seconds, and it will maintain the edge, so your knife will cut well, and will cut where you want it to. I still have knives I bought when I was an apprentice, and they cut beautifully. Cheap knives will not hold an edge. They will slip and they will cut you.
Just by your response Czech, I know that you have no f'ing clue as to what you're talking about. Not even worth arguing....
I like ceramic knives, kidding. I don't care.
knife geeks usually belong to the same group as gun geeks. then comes ham radios and flashlights.
put the pedal to the metal, come'on
breaker breaker, come'on
breaker one nine, breaker one nine, you got a smokey with a pokey doing the hokey.
This information was better when I read it in Dwell this month. Then I promptly canceled my subscription to that prissy rag.
It's nice to have an $80 or $100 knife, but a Forshner Fibrox Chef's knife is just as good as those and costs about 20 bucks.
yea knife geeks are like photography geeks. can't cook worth a damn. czech is actually correct. I buy cheap knives for our restaurant in bulk and toss them in the recycling when they are done.
I guess you don't need good knives if you work in a taco bar.
you should check out the book KNIFE SKILLS ILLUSTRATED which is coming out soon or maybe just came out.
Yay Brooklyn Kitchen!
seriously the forschner is great, maybe not the best weighting for everyone but good all around, and at a bargain price. but trying out whatever you buy at the store first is key. interestingly, bittman did a piece not too long ago on kitchen equipment where he endorsed using the $10 chef's knives they sell in the restaurant supply stores on the bowery.
Seriously, I'll third the other commenters and say go for the Forshner (Victorionox) - recommended by America's Test Kitchen. I have three of them, and I've very satisfied!
I still know I can cook a sitload better than you Roxcknrope. Anyday. It's not how you cut the food, it's how you cook it. I'm glad you feel so superior because you have a big sharp knife. Dumbass.
I have three expensive things - a 10" chefs knife, a nice paring knife, and a 12" heavy aluminum saute pan, all of which are about seven years old. All are worth the price. Everything else (stockpots, baking sheets, bread knives, mixing bowls) are from Bowery restaurant supplies or Brooklyn 99 cent stores. That is all.
I agree about going into a store to get a feel for a knife. Everyone has their own personal preference. Another great knife is a Messermeister. It has the same degree edge as a Japanese knife, like a Shun, but it is made out of German steel. I can't believe anyone wants to buy never-needs-sharpening-knives. You'll definitely save $ in the long run buying good knives and even though you can "recycle" them, the probably don't get recycled; a waste of resources.