Lesson in Cutlery

I keep referring to knives, today we are going to discuss the different types of knives in the industry. Quality, you get what you pay for, so going out to by a 30 dollar set of knives will not cut it. If you are a serious cook, aspiring cook, or want to be a chef you can buy full sets of quality knives for $130.00 - $1500.00 from companies like Hinckel, Wustoff, and Shun. I recommend for the beginner or just the home cook who would like quality knives buy what you need. There are several department stores that sell them at a substantial discount. Kohles.com ,for example, sells Hinckel and Chicago Cutlery at 45% off.

We will be reviewing different styles of knives i have put together in my collection. Keep in mind that these are what work best for me and are the basic that every chef caries in their cutlery bag.

1. The paring Knife-
There are several different styles

This is a flat edge paring knife which is used for garnishes like segmenting citrus fruits. The flat edge of this type knife makes it easy to cut straight and evenly to keep a uniform shape and size in your final product.

The standard paring knife which is used for everything else from coring tomatoes and other vegetables to chopping and dicing shallots. This type of is a must have in any level cooks arsenal.

2. The utility knife - A multiple purpose tool

Shown here are two different size utility knives the first one (the white one) is a 5 inch Bakery- Chef brand with a anti microbial handle. the 5 inch is good to use if you are wanting to take apart a roasted chicken or duck and can also be used to cut small to medium size vegetables.

The other is a 10 inch blade utility which is real nice to cut cooked meats like ham, flank steaks and virtually anything else. I like its longer blade for this purpose because these cuts of meat are larger and the the blade is not flexible like a meat slicing knife.

3. The Santoku -

This knife originated in japan and is considered to be the general purpose knife in the kitchen. You can find them ranging in sizes from 3 to 7 inches with a sheep footed blade which makes cutting through anything including bone easier.

4. Serrated Bread Knife -

Seen here is a 8 inch blade, These knives a very inportant if you bake fresh bread or even if you buy whole loaves of bread. The serrated edge lets you cut through cleanly where a smooth blade will smash the bread.

5. the steel- This is a diamond tip carbon steel, rather inexpensive you can usually find them in any kitchen supply store between $15.00 and $20.00. Knife maintenance is very important, even the most expensive knife out there has to sharpened. Blades get dull and Even get nicks in the blade from use. This is natural so don't think there is something wrong. A good sharpening steel will help prevent this from happening. I hope i have increased your knowledge about the different uses and the importance of quality cutlery. Everyone talks about the quality in the food but as you now see the quality starts with the knife.