The Extension of my Hand (Part 1 of 2)

Cooking Class

Real Cooking Made Simple

By Chef Kurt Michael Friese

The Extension of my Hand (Part 1 of 2)

The Knife.  No other tool is so elemental, so representative of the cook than the well-honed blade.  Any Chef worth her salt would consider them an extension of her hand.  Every cuisine uses them, every culture has variations on them, no kitchen is a kitchen without them.  Yet, few tools in the contemporary American home are treated with such callous disregard. 

The typical home cook has 2 or 3 knives, purchased for 2 or 3 bucks from the "impulse" rack on an endcap at the local grocery store, and carelessly stored with the can opener and that gadget they got for Christmas for which they never quite knew the purpose.  This person is not what one might call the "sharpest knife in the drawer," especially if his knives are in a drawer.

In order to discuss choosing a good knife, let us first get over one hurdle – yes, they are expensive.  I suggest though that unless you are a cook who is also a carpenter, there will be no tool in your life that you will use more often, and it should therefore command a certain respect, even reverence.  Our use of tools, after all, is one of the things that distinguishes us as a species.  In addition, a well-made knife, well cared for, is something you will leave to your grandchildren, and they to theirs – a once in many lifetimes purchase.

There is disagreement among chefs as to how many knives are absolutely necessary in a kitchen.  One school holds that there is a need for dozens of varieties, a different tool for each specific task.  A few chefs believe they can do any job with just 1 or 2.  While I own perhaps 30 knives, I consider 4 of them to be indispensable, and 1 more to be nearly so.

The "Chef's" knife, or French knife, is the one you probably imagine automatically when you think of a kitchen knife.  It has a wide hilt, and a straight, sharp edge that tapers to a point.  They range in length from 6 to 14 inches, but an 8-10 inch blade is sufficient for any task.

A boning knife is smaller, with a 6 inch blade roughly as wide as the handle and a straight edge that curves up toward the tip.

The paring knife is smaller still, 3 to 5 inches long and narrow as the handle, it is used for finer, more intricate work.

The serrated knife comes in many shapes and sizes, but I prefer one that is about 8 inches long and is offset to prevent scraping one's knuckles on the cutting board.

Then there is the knife that is gaining wide popularity in Western kitchens, although it has been essential in Asian kitchens for centuries.  What the Japanese call a "santoku" has come to be known as a "snub" in professional American kitchens because of the rounded shape of the tip.  It is versatile and light, and in the "desert island" scenario, this would be the knife I would choose.

Which brand to choose is a matter of personal preference, and in some cases, a matter of loyalty.  While there are more well made knives out there, in most professional kitchens you will find chefs who swear by 1 of 3 brands: Henkel, Wüsthof-Trident, or Global.  Discussions on the merits of these can become so heated that you might prefer that the participants not actually be holding said knives.

More on those differences next time.