This is a lesson I and my wallet learned the hard way – there is not tool in your kitchen more valuable than a basic set of good sharp knives. A recurring theme on this site will be me trying to cheap out on something only to have to replace it with what I should have bought in the first place. This is as true of coffee makers as it is of today’s subject: Kitchen Knives.
A decent set of high quality well maintained (read sharp) knives are the at foundation of good cooking owning a set make you a better cook. Buying a set of cheap stamped knives will at best result in frustration and at worst an injury. Blades stamped out of a sheet of metal bend and dull much faster than forged blades. This results in uneven cutting and potentially injury should something slip or bend when you are not expecting it to.
Sharp consistent knives promote better knife skills, promote more even chopping and more even cooking. This is key because if your ingredients are not of some what consistent sizes you will have under and over-cooked pieces ruining the flavor of your dishes.
About Knives:
Knives range wildly in cost and construction type. You have no doubt picked up above, we are fans of heavier forged Knives. Now with that said there is a cheaper option: Stamped Knives. Stamped are cut from a sheet of metal and sharpened. Stamped are cheaper, flimsier, and will not stay sharp for as long. If you are on a budget and cannot spring for a low end forged knife, the way to go in this space is the Victornix 8 inch chef’s knife just make sure you buy a good electric sharpener.
What You Need:
I should be clear I tools, especially sharp stabby ones, I enjoy the thought, construction, and the craftsmanship that goes into expensive knives. You do not under any circumstance need the dozen odd knives I have, you do need a few staples. They are as follows:
– Chef’s Knife. The most important knife you’ll buy spend the most money on it, care for it carefully and get the biggest one you can handle. For most people this means a 7 or 8 inch knife. I’d also recommend going with a forged product here.
– Boning Knife. Going cheap here is not a great idea. Boning is dangerous work and a slip of the knife means a cut of your finger.
– Paring Knife. Short in the 3-4 inch range, you can get by with stamped or ceramic here.
– Bread/Serrated Knife. As the name would imply this is for slicing things like bread, but also roasted meats.
The first set of knives I bought was a cheap one. I hated them so I bought a nice stamped set repeating my mistake. I finally came to my senses when I started using the forged Henckles unit my wife had purchased.