Finding The Right Knife Set For Your Home

We never know quite how it happens, but yet again, you’ve been roped into cooking for the entire family at yet another impromptu gathering.  And to top it all off, your knife set needs replacing.  Oh, what to do?  I find it’s extremely important to know not only what a specific kitchen knife is meant for, but also what materials it can be made from, and how to ensure it will live a healthy, long life in the comfort of your kitchen.

First and foremost, there are two ways in which kitchen knives are made.  The first being the forged knife made by pressing hot steel into a mold which is then either hammered into a specific shape or put through several or processed through several different machines.  Your second option being stamped knives which are made by stamping them from a single sheet of steel that is then sharpened and finished.  The finished products are in fact fairly different:  while forged knives are more expensive, they offer a much more well balanced blade whereas stamped knives are much thinner and typically prone to imbalance.

Your best option for peeling potatoes and cutting small vegetables is going to be the paring knife, which is no more than four inches long thus offering increased maneuverability on a small surface.  Utility knives generally offer a blade anywhere from four to seven inches in length which can also be serrated or smooth; these are mainly suited for fruits, vegetables, herbs and the like.  Now serrated knives in and of themselves usually have a five to ten inch blade and are best for cutting fresh bread however, I wouldn’t recommend them for much of anything else as they cannot be sharpened and need to be replaced regularly for that reason.  Boning knives are intended for pulling meat from the bone and for that reason, the blade is five to six inches in length and very thin in order to ensure that they are effective at their task.

Cleavers have up to a six-inch blade, which is also very wide, making it your best bet for cutting anything thick or crushing garlic cloves, for example.  Chef’s knives are available anywhere from six to 12 inches in length, but keep in mind, bigger isn’t necessarily better as you want it to balance in your hand.  Therefore, smaller hands are best when handling smaller blades, as these particular knives are best suited for ubiquitous tasks such as chopping, dicing, mincing, and slicing.  Carving knives are meant for slicing cooked meats, typically sold with a carving fork in order to hold down whatever it is you’re cutting.  Usually around eight inches in length they are available with either a pointed or rounded tip and both are equally effective.

There are also different types of materials used to create the handles for your kitchen knives; exotic woods, stainless steel, and porcelain, just to name a few.  They do however have their own pluses and minuses as well as care and keeping tips.  Wooden handled knives, for example cannot be immersed in water because that would cause the wood to swell, thus damaging them.  But it is also recommended that you rub mineral or lemon oils on the handles occasionally in order to maintain them.  Ceramic handled knives are best known for their durability, but my favorites are the stainless steel handled knives; these are the least likely of the bunch to gather rust.

In order to keep your kitchen knives like new, it’s best that they be stored in a wooden knife block.  This not only keeps them sharp, it also keeps your hands safe as keeping them loose in a drawer is more likely to result in cuts and scrapes.  It is also best that your knives only be used on surfaces such as wood and plastic, not metal because that will wear down the blade.  As always, keep your knives out of the dishwasher and hand wash them immediately after each use.  Now, you may think the goal here is to find the cheapest option available to you, when in fact you really do get what you pay for.  So, as with so many other decisions one has to make, it comes down to whether you want to make one larger purchase or several smaller ones as you find yourself in need of replacing them again and again.

Finding The Right Knife Set For Your Home

We never know quite how it happens, but yet again, you’ve been roped into cooking for the entire family at yet another impromptu gathering.  And to top it all off, your knife set needs replacing.  Oh, what to do?  I find it’s extremely important to know not only what a specific kitchen knife is meant for, but also what materials it can be made from, and how to ensure it will live a healthy, long life in the comfort of your kitchen.

First and foremost, there are two ways in which kitchen knives are made.  The first being the forged knife made by pressing hot steel into a mold which is then either hammered into a specific shape or put through several or processed through several different machines.  Your second option being stamped knives which are made by stamping them from a single sheet of steel that is then sharpened and finished.  The finished products are in fact fairly different:  while forged knives are more expensive, they offer a much more well balanced blade whereas stamped knives are much thinner and typically prone to imbalance.

Your best option for peeling potatoes and cutting small vegetables is going to be the paring knife, which is no more than four inches long thus offering increased maneuverability on a small surface.  Utility knives generally offer a blade anywhere from four to seven inches in length which can also be serrated or smooth; these are mainly suited for fruits, vegetables, herbs and the like.  Now serrated knives in and of themselves usually have a five to ten inch blade and are best for cutting fresh bread however, I wouldn’t recommend them for much of anything else as they cannot be sharpened and need to be replaced regularly for that reason.  Boning knives are intended for pulling meat from the bone and for that reason, the blade is five to six inches in length and very thin in order to ensure that they are effective at their task.

Cleavers have up to a six-inch blade, which is also very wide, making it your best bet for cutting anything thick or crushing garlic cloves, for example.  Chef’s knives are available anywhere from six to 12 inches in length, but keep in mind, bigger isn’t necessarily better as you want it to balance in your hand.  Therefore, smaller hands are best when handling smaller blades, as these particular knives are best suited for ubiquitous tasks such as chopping, dicing, mincing, and slicing.  Carving knives are meant for slicing cooked meats, typically sold with a carving fork in order to hold down whatever it is you’re cutting.  Usually around eight inches in length they are available with either a pointed or rounded tip and both are equally effective.

There are also different types of materials used to create the handles for your kitchen knives; exotic woods, stainless steel, and porcelain, just to name a few.  They do however have their own pluses and minuses as well as care and keeping tips.  Wooden handled knives, for example cannot be immersed in water because that would cause the wood to swell, thus damaging them.  But it is also recommended that you rub mineral or lemon oils on the handles occasionally in order to maintain them.  Ceramic handled knives are best known for their durability, but my favorites are the stainless steel handled knives; these are the least likely of the bunch to gather rust.

In order to keep your kitchen knives like new, it’s best that they be stored in a wooden knife block.  This not only keeps them sharp, it also keeps your hands safe as keeping them loose in a drawer is more likely to result in cuts and scrapes.  It is also best that your knives only be used on surfaces such as wood and plastic, not metal because that will wear down the blade.  As always, keep your knives out of the dishwasher and hand wash them immediately after each use.  Now, you may think the goal here is to find the cheapest option available to you, when in fact you really do get what you pay for.  So, as with so many other decisions one has to make, it comes down to whether you want to make one larger purchase or several smaller ones as you find yourself in need of replacing them again and again.

Kitchen knives can be purchased in upscale kitchen stores, in department stores, and in discount shops. There are some that are very high quality and hardly ever need to be sharpened and there are those that might be good for a while but need to replaced often. Almost every famous chef has a set of knives they market to the public.

There are two different types of kitchen knives. The first is the forged knife where the blade is made by pressing hot steel into a mold. The blade is then run through several machines or hammered out to take a specific shape. This type of blade costs much more money but they are balanced much better.

The other type of knife is a stamped knife which is made by cutting the blade from a single sheet of steel. After it is cut out the blade goes through a process where it is finished and sharpened. The stamped style of blade is thinner than the forged type and they tend to be a little unbalanced.

There are different styles of knives that must be in every kitchen. The first one is called the boning knife which is suitable for cutting the bone away from meat with a 5 to 6 inch blade. The narrow blade makes it easier to move and cut the meat from the bones. If the size of the bone is large then the knife should also be large.

A Chef. ’s knife is a must have in the kitchen because you use it in so many various techniques. You can get a chef. ’s knife in 6, 8, 10 or 12 inch lengths. If you have small hands do not expect to be able to control a 12 inch knife well. The smaller the hand the smaller the blade should be. Use a chef. ’s knife to dice, mince, slice or chop.

A cleaver is a good knife to have in the kitchen if you frequently cut thick items or you need to chop through a bone. Cleavers resemble an axe with a thick blade that can reach 6 inches in length. Use a cleaver to pound food or to crush it and to chop.

It is advisable to always have a serrated knife handing to cut things that tend to have a hard outside and inside be soft like bread. The blade is notched or has teeth like wedges on the 5 to 10 inch blade. Other knives can be sharpened but a serrated knife can not so this is the one that must be purchased on a regular basis.

A carving knife is generally used to slice cooked meat. There are pointed tipped and round tipped carving knives. The blade is rigid and is usually around 8 inches long. The pointed tip is used to get around bone when carving. It most often comes with a carving fork that helps to keep food still while cutting with the knife.

Utility knives can be used for just about anything. The blade is usually around four to seven inches long and you can cut vegetables, apples and other fruit, garlic and herbs. On occasion you can find a utility knife with a serrated edge.

The smallest knife in the pack is the paring knife. This knife is used to cut small things like apple slices or small vegetables and more often to remove skin from potatoes or apples. Paring knife blades are slender and are 4 inches in length or less.

All of the above kitchen knives are a necessity in the kitchen and the expensive ones will work better for you and last a long time. They will balance well in your hand and you will have less accidents working with them. Make sure to purchase knives that feel like they belong in your hand and you will have a set that will last for many years.