Sep 7, 2010 Susan Caplan

High-quality knives can last a lifetime and make cooking preparation and serving easier. The best knives are made from high-carbon stainless steel blades that resist corrosion and discoloration and will sharpen easily because they aren’t as hard as regular stainless steel. Invest in the best knives that you can afford. Pick up different knives to determine which feel balanced and comfortable in your hand.

Four Knives for Every Kitchen

If you are looking at a knife block set and it has these four basic, essential knives, you should meet most of your kitchen needs.

• A bread knife usually has an 8-inch serrated blade that is good for slicing breads, bagels, cakes and tomatoes – foods with a tough exterior and a soft interior.
• Chef’s or cook’s knife with an 8-inch or 10-inch blade is an elongated, wedge-shape knife used for shopping, dicing, and mincing food.
• A 3-inch or 4-inch paring knife is used for peeling vegetables and fruits and cutting other small foods with its short blade.
• A utility knife with a thin, 6-inch blade is used for slicing fruits, cheeses, sandwiches, cakes, dessert bars, and other soft foods.

If you have the money and have a use for the following knives, add them into your kitchen utensils.

• A 10-inch carving knife has a long, thin blade that is used for carving meat and poultry.
• A boning knife has a narrow blade that works best at cutting meat off the bone.
• A fillet knife is a long, thin, and flexible blade that is useful in filleting fish.

Caring for Knives

Knives are the kitchen utensils that should last for a lifetime. They require a little conscientious care to keep them in the best possible condition.

• Always cut on a non-glass cutting board, not a plate.
• Wash knives in hot, soapy water after using them; rinse and wipe dry. Avoid allowing knives to soak in water or washing them in a dishwasher as the detergents are too harsh.
• Keep knives in a knife block or a protective case (which also protects the individual from sticking their hand in a drawer and slicing a finger against an exposed blade).

Sharpening Knives

Sharpen knives on a professional-style grind wheel or whetstone – or take them to a professional. Use a sharpening steel – a diamond-coated ridged rod made of steel or ceramic – to remove nicks and realign the edge.

Hold the sharpening steel vertically with the tip pressed against a stable surface. Place the knife blade against the steel near the handle at a 20 degree angle. In a slow, smooth motion, draw the blade down the full length of the steel, pulling it toward you. At the end of the motion, the tip of the blade should be near the tip of the steel. Repeat with the other side of the blade.

With four basic knives and a little care, most kitchens will be ready for the day-to-day cutting and chopping tasks a cook will face. Consider investing in the best knives that you can afford and devoting the small amount of time it takes to hand wash and dry the knives before putting them away after using them.

Sources

Betty Crocker Cookbook (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing, 2008), page 7.

Jan Miller (editor), Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (Des Moines, Iowa: Meredith Book, 2006), page 7.

• Basic Kitchen Knives – Photo by Susan Caplan

For all the Iron Chefs who want a shot at becoming a star cook, it’s imperative that you invest in a proper cutlery set. The geniuses at Garners Food Service Equipment have produced some of the most incredible kitchen equipment in the world, and their select knife collection is no exception. Global Knives are a state of the art set of knives that ensure that those who have even a fleeting desire to produce gourmet alternatives to beans on toast have the opportunity in their own kitchens.

The Global Knives set comes in four distinct series, all complete with the cutlery necessary in any kitchen. Beginning with the Global Knives G Series, these long-bladed knives are fitted with hollow handles. They are completely resistant to rust, stains, and metal corrosion, making these knives the perfect set for a lifelong of culinary excellence in your home. The visionary artists at Garners Food Service have crafted these knives to ensure that there are no traps in which food can become caked. The series includes an 18-cm Meat and Fish Slicer, a 21-cm Swedish Fillet Knife, a 16-cm Boning Knife, and 22-cm Roast Slicer, to name a few.

The Global Knives GS Series consist of smaller bladed knives, also equipped with weighted hollow handles. As with the G Series, these knives are completely rust, stain, and corrosion-resistant. Also, one can expect the same care to have been taken in their construction as the previous set of knives –again, ensuring that no food is able to become trapped in any hitches in your cutlery over time. Included in the GS series are a 20-cm Flexible Palette Knife, a 10-cm Paring Knife, a 14-cm Cheese Knife, and an 8-cm Tomato Knife.

Continuing to the Global Knives GSF Series, you can expect the same incredible quality and construction as with the previous two series. Again, completely rust, stain, and corrosion-resistant; again, equipped with a seamless construction ensuring no food and bacterial surprises in the serration. The only difference is these knives are built with solid handles. Included in the GSF Series, you will receive a 6-cm Curved Peeling Knife, an 8-cm Spearpoint Peeling Knife, a 15-cm Utility Knife, and an 11-cm Utility Knife.

Rounding out the group of incredible cutlery, Garners offers the Global Knives Carving Fork and Steels. No cutlery set would be complete without a carving fork for any Christmas feast and a steel to keep your knives as sharp as the day they were purchased. Again, you should expect nothing short of miraculous with these pieces. This set includes a 24-cm Carving Fork, 26- and 30-cm Diamond Steels, and a 24-cm Ceramic Sharpener.

If you?re interested in giving your culinary skills the upgrade you desire, check out garnersfoodserviceequipment.co.uk and get on the road to completing your cutlery set and giving you the fabulous culinary tools and Commercial Catering Equipment you need to become a five star chef in your own kitchen. Your family will be incredibly appreciative.

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Hunters, campers and outdoor enthusiasts appreciate equipment and tools that help them enjoy the outdoors more fully. Whether its fishing, hunting, or hiking, the following equipment can make great gift ideas that your outdoor enthusiast will look forward to using on the next outing.

A cast iron roaster and griddle is ideal for preparing wild game and one-pan meals. For instance, the Cabela Oval Cast Iron Roaster & Griddle provides quick and even cooking and the lid doubles as a convenient griddle. Although it can be used indoors, it’s best results are rendered for outdoor cooking.

No hunter or fisherman should be without a fillet knife. Like a very flexible boning knife, the fillet knife is used to fillet and prepare fish. They have a blade about 6 to 11 inches long that allows them to move easily along the backbone and under the skin of fish. The MAC Sole Fillet knife has an exceptionally thin and flexible blade designed for filleting sole or other delicate flat fish.

And while you’re considering a fillet knife, why not consider a knife block set for the serious hunter or fisherman. Professional quality-made knives feature paring, serrated utility, carving, and a cook’s knife – all contained in a knife block for easy and safe storage. Shop for high carbon stainless steel blades and poly handles with a no-slip grip for years of use.

A truly practical gift for the hunter, electric grinders come in a variety of sizes to meet various grinding needs. Choose one, like Cabela’s Commercial Grade Electric Grinders, that offer stainless steel necks, bases, plates, screws and blades, and also are certified for home or commercial use.

Nothing is more delicious than chicken prepared on a roaster, otherwise known as “beer butt chicken roasters.” These roasters come in either double or single size in stainless steel. Although these kinds of roasters were developed to roast the poultry using a beer can, other liquids such as juice or soda drinks can be used. The liquid provides steaming inside the chicken, which produces juicy, tender chicken that falls off the bone. These types of roasters require an outdoor grill with a high lid design to accommodate the chicken roasters.

Functional and convenient for the hunting camp, a slow cooker is ideal for the hunter who can prepare meat or stew ingredients with seasonings, and then heat out to hunt and return later to a warm, filling meal that’s ready to enjoy. Eastman makes a 3.5-quart slow cooker with a RealTree Hardwood Camo design.

Jerky is a food staple for many hunters and can be made from beef, venison, elk, turkey, and more. To prepare jerky, the chosen meat is thinly sliced, or pressed thinly, and drying commences at low temperatures, to avoid cooking or overdrying the meat. Multi-tiered jerky trays allow hunters to process a large batch of jerky. Look for trays with an easy-to-clean tray that catches drippings.

For the outdoor enthusiasts who need their morning java, a drip coffee maker designed to fit on a two- or three-burner gas stove, like the Coleman Drip Camp Coffee Maker, can be easily used on a camp or RV gas stove. The Coleman coffee maker also offers pause, serve, and easy pour features.

Once the hunter heads out, he or she can keep their coffee hot with vacuum bottles. The Cabela Camo Bullet Vacuum Bottle are made of stainless steel and are double-walled to keep beverages hot or cold and are extra tough for rugged conditions. The insulated lid doubles as a cup. The bottles come in various sizes.

Any outdoorsman knows that animal-proofing a campsite is important for both humans and animals. A chuck box is a convenient accessory to keep staples and cooking tools contained in a locked container. Cabela’s Chuck Box comes with utility hooks, shelf space, paper towel holder, carrying handles, and even a silverware tray. The formica top doubles as a work surface.

Are you ready to invest in an excellent set of kitchen knives, but don’t know where to start? A visit to your average K-Mart or Target will soon reveal pre-packaged knives encased in protective wrapping which makes it impossible for a potential buyer to handle the knife or test the sharpness of its blade.

You could always try your local gourmet store to see what types of knives they sell. They typically have a variety of knives to choose from, but they also typically have large price tags to go with them. Typically they sell knives separately and as sets, and have a diverse assortment of boning knives, chef knives, paring knives and slicing knives. The whole experience can be overwhelming.

You will find many knives at the gourmet store, and they will have a higher quality than those found at your local retail store. Generally, though, knives have developed over time so very few are of poor quality.

The kind of metal and how the knife is manufactured sets the overall price of the product. For instance, knives can be forged one by one or pressed from a sheet of metal. If you notice waves on the sides of the blade, that is from the process of folding the metal back on itself many times. That process is referred to as Damascus style. You can identify those styles that are Japanese because they usually have octagonal or “dee” shaped handles and their tips will be blunted. They are identified as Deba or Guyoto or Santoku or Usuba or Yanagi.

Your home kitchen will be well served by a limited selection of the right kind of knives. The kind of cutting you’ll need to do when preparing vegetables and/or meat for soups, casseroles, or stews requires a six or eight-inch chef’s knife. A paring or utility knife is ideal for the finer, more controlled cutting you’d need to do when slicing, sectioning or peeling smaller, less dense fruits and vegetables. You should definitely have a fillet knife or boning knife, used specifically to trim and/or de-bone either fish or meat. Remember to factor in a knife with a serrated (toothed) edge for slicing bread and a nice set of steak knives for your grilling masterpieces, and you’ll be set with the right blades for any situation.

If you feel like splurging, you can’t go wrong with a beautiful turkey slicer–complete with diamond coated honing steel, of course–just perfect for carving the bird and impressing the Thanksgiving guests. There are excellent blades to be had for any cutting task in your kitchen, and the knives listed here will get you off to a great start.

When you are searching for carving knife