A knife is that one asset that every young cook begins with and it is also regarded as the most important piece of equipment when young chefs aspire to cook.
Anyone who’s watched the master chef series exactly knows what we’re talking about.
The series begins with knife skills, which in real-world, portray the importance of knife skills for an aspiring chef. Choosing this primary tool is an intimidating job, especially for aspiring cooks and young chefs.
The culinary skills begin with these basic tools called knives and possessing a quality one will only enhance the safety and the enjoyable performance of cooking every day. The availability of different types of knives in the market often leaves people intimidating and leaves them to choose the ones that suit their budget. But, that is certainly not the right way to choose this miraculous culinary tool. We’ve jotted down a few points that can help a beginner in choosing a knife.
Choice of Knives
There are two major kinds of knifes:
- Stamped knifes: They generally consist of high-quality blades with great edge and full tangs. These knives are hand-polished, honed and are very rich in texture. These features definitely affect the cost of the tool.
- Forged knives: Their blades are made of pure metal that are re-shaped and melted in the shape of a blade. They’re better performing when proper care is taken and in such cases they even outlast the cook.
The first choice of knives
- Chef Knife: The primary knife every aspiring chef holds in their hand is usually the chef’s knife. They are also available with their Japanese counterparts — Gyuto and the Santoku knife. For anyone who’s just beginning their journey, we recommend you to start with this knife. The curvature of the blade, in combination with the sharp, fine tip is everything that is required for a beginner.
- Paring knife: Most times, a chef’s knife is uncomfortable to cut fruits and vegetables, and hence that’s when a paring knife is put to use. They’re mainly small in stature and are used for work which requires utmost detail like trimming strawberries and sprouts, etc.
- Bread/ Serrated knife: They’re used to tackle with fruits and vegetables that have a stubborn outer skin and are often difficult to surpass with chefs or a paring knife.
There are other pairs of knives that are required in the later stages of the Chef’s lives like
- Boning knife
- Fillet knife
- Slicing knife
- Utility knife
Knife maintenance
Maintenance of a knife is as important as choosing the right knife. As mentioned by ChoppyChoppy, proper storage, cleanliness and choosing magnetic blocks or strips for the knives plays a crucial role in their maintenance. A well-maintained knife generally outlasts the cook.