Hot answers tagged knives
11
Carbon steel is more malleable and less brittle than stainless steel. This means that it is easier to hone on a knife steel, to maintain an extremely sharp edge.
Some folks feel that the benefit of that sharp edge–for example, in easily slicing tomatoes, and other very fast prep tasks–is worth the compromise of more persnickety maintenance.
11
I bought my first mezzaluna because I have advanced arthritis and can no longer use a chef's knife properly. It's an absolute lifesaver being able to push down with the strength of both hands instead of relying on a weakened arm with a wrist that doesn't bend attached to a clawed hand that cannot grip a knife the right way.
My "go-to" knife is a fairly ...
9
Here are a few rules I follow with my own knives.
Don't put your knives in the dishwasher. Hand wash and dry immediately after use.
Store knives where they won't be banging up against other hard things: my favorite is in a wooden knife block.
If you must store your knives in a drawer, protect the edge. You can use a commercial solution like this guy, or ...
9
Cutting bacon into cubes was a regular prep task for me when I was cooking professionally, so I got very fast at it. Here are the tricks I found:
Fully cooked (baked) bacon cuts MUCH faster and cleaner, and you can make perfect cubes
Don't use a serrated knife. It'll be easier to cut with, but it will shred and fray the bacon as you slice, eventually ...
8
You can do anything with this knife that you would do with your santoku or Western-style chef's knife. These are real tools, and they are not especially delicate. It is certainly possible to chip the edge or tip (which requires an annoying amount of work to fix), if you drop the knife or, as the manufacturer warns, whack it against bones. This is a ...
8
At the time of my engineering degree (mid-1990s), the knowledge for true Damascus steel was lost, much like the knowledge of the recipes for the concrete used in the Roman Colosseum.
It's possible that more materials analysis has been performed since that point, as there have been a number of groups who would like to reproduce the process to determine how ...
7
There's no question that a 4 or 5 inch utility knife is going to see a lot less use than your chef's knife or your paring knife, both of which have innumerable uses. The utility knife is a lot more specific, really being for cases where the paring knife is too short and the chef's knife is too heavy or thick. I have a 4" utility knife, which (of course) I ...
7
In order to "Sanitize" any surface you must wash that surface (in this case, knife blades) with water at no less than 190°F (~88°C) according to the (U.S.A) National Sanitation Foundation (NSF). Earlier this year the Conference for Food Protection recommended reducing that standard to 160°F (~71°C) as an "energy saving measure" citing a study at Ohio ...
6
I would say a chef's knife, for sure. Make sure it's sharp! If you've never sharpened your knives (not just honed using a steel) it can make a world of difference.
If you are having troubles, making sure the meat is chilled will help. Straight out of the fridge works okay, but it is even easier if you throw it in the freezer for 15 minutes or so.
6
Short answer:
I've only heard good things about the CCK #1 small slicer, and would suggest that. If you're new to the style of knife, pick up a cheap carbon-steel Dexter Russell one for like $20-25 at your local Chinatown.
Long answer: Chinese slicer knives (more commonly called Chinese cleavers) are multipurpose knives, so they fill the same niche as ...
6
I just ignore slices that stick to the blade. Each typically gets pushed off by the next one, so you only have one or perhaps a couple of slices on the blade at a time. When I've sliced the whole thing, I can wipe them off. This doesn't work when you're rough-chopping, in that delightfully casual way the TV chefs say "just run your knife through it all a few ...
6
Firstly, true Damascus steel is a historical artifact--I infer you are talking about knives created from steel produced by reproduction methods which are similar.
This is a subjective question--only you can deside whether you find the value proposition favorable. The thing is, the qualities that make (reproduction) Damascus steel special and important ...
6
I believe that there are two major options:
Wood cutting boards
Plastic cutting boards
Either of these will provide a perfectly appropriate surface for you to use your knives against.
From a food safety point of view, both can be excellent, although they have different pros and cons.
There is some evidence that wood cutting boards actually inhibit ...
5
I first remember seeing Melissa d'Arabian demonstrate using KITCHEN SHEARS to cube bacon during her season on "The Next Food Network Star". I tried it soon after and I find that the scissor action of the shears makes it EASY to cube bacon. Clean, consistent easy to use.
4
No, there is not a risk to getting the kind of cut you describe, as long as you treat your knife with the respect it deserves.
If there's a dull, raised part at the back of the knife, it is called the bolster, otherwise it's the heel of the blade. The raised version is a common trait in forged knifes, and is supposed to add strength to the blade.
...
4
For my carbon steel knives (including my cleaver), I make very sure to wash & completely dry them after use. Especially, when I've used it on something acidic, this is especially true. I've never had a problem unless I've forgotten, or haven't completely dried it. When rust does happen in those cases, it's the only time my knife sees the scruby side of ...
4
Unfortunately, even hardness is a trade-off, all other things (like maintenance, appearance, balance, thickness, and so on) being equal:
Harder
Pro - Holds edge longer
Con - More difficult to hone on a steel
Con - More brittle, so more likely to chip
Softer
Con - Doesn't hold edge as long
Pro - Easier to hone on a steel to an extremely sharp edge
Pro ...
4
You could look at your knife skills. Professional cooks are either faster than ordinary cooks, so the food doesn't have time to adhere to the blade, or maybe their knives are sharper. Do you hone your knife (correctly) before you start cutting?
Another thing is the way professional cooks cut, they use the knife to slice through the food making a slicing ...
3
I though it possible that the Utility knife was once a cost-cutting alternative to buying both a Chef's knife and a Paring knife. So a "legitimate use", to answer my own question, would be, when you can only afford one knife. I looked into the history of this knife to see what truth there might be in this.
Amateur History of the Utility Knife
According to ...
3
The knife in the picture is a paring knife. The way to use such a knife is completely different from what you pretend (cutting a carcass). A paring knife is used with the sharp end facing you and pushing the small food items across.
For cutting a carcass, I'd recommend a regular chef's knife, a Chinese knife or, preferably, a cleaver.
3
You can definitely sharpen a ceramic blade and do it by yourself. But due to the fact that the ceramic is super hard material you'll need more patience than with steel. Get a DMT or Lansky sharpening guide and diamond stones. You can use the diamond stones on either type of knife and the guides will keep you at the correct angle on both side of the blade. ...
3
Carbon steel knives, especially those with wooden handles have to be dried using heat. It is also best to store them in a warm place too
Moisture will get into the tang/handle join, and will rust the metal away if not forcibly dried using heat. So after cleaning, dry the knife in a previously heated oven (<70°C), or warmed storage area (hot water ...
3
cooking is not about working like a chef! Chefs learn to peel, chop and cook quickly because they have to work against time limits. A customer walks in the restaurant, sits down and orders some food that he wants to eat before he officially becomes a senior citizen. The chef's aim is to provide food in a short timescale.
You want to learn to cook, you need ...
3
It helps a lot if you wet your knife blade before mincing garlic. It'll still stick to the blade some, but not quite as much, and what's left is a lot easier to brush off.
For bigger things, you can try knives with dimples (like Kyle suggests), and sometimes a wet blade helps here too, but these things only go so far. Stuff is going to stick, and the key is ...
2
This is only info on the CCK model noted below. Using the brand name since I have not used any other brand of Chinese slicer/cleaver.
I have been using CCK peking duck stainless handle slicer knives (KF210) in various lengths for 15 years mostly for vegetable/fruit prep.
They are cheap, thin, precise, lightweight, and last quite long between sharpenings.
...
2
There are almost as many ways to cut up ingredients as there are ingredients to cut up, but the basics of chopping vegetables and meat are fairly straightforward. As with any task, if you practice slowly, speed will come in time - do not try and speed-chop like you see on TV straight away; you'll just cut yourself, and there will be no prizes for finishing ...
2
Figured I'd gather all the above into an actual answer.
First, the Kohaishu. It seems this is a marketing name made by QVC for their own creation for their store brand. It is in fact a registered trademark. That compounded with the fact there doesn't seem to be any reference to that type of knife on any of the major knife makers websites, or even wikipedia, ...
2
The main reason ceramic knives became popular is because they're nonreactive with certain foods, especially acidic ones, and sushi chefs (the first real adopters -- probably no coincidence that Kyocera was the first to manufacture the blades on a large scale) felt that carbon steel reacting with the vinegar in the sushi dressing changed the flavor enough for ...
2
It depends on what I am actually doing with the knife. I would indeed not use a knife like this for work requiring some force. Slicing tomatoes is one thing, but image that you actually cut a chicken with that knife and in a forward motion with some force hit e.g. a bone. There is a definitive risk, that your finger will slip over the ridge and slide along ...
2
The material of the honing rod (called a steel in the UK) doesn't matter, it is the cut that matters. Most of the sharpeners that come with knife sets are coarse or medium cut, meaning that the ribbing on them is very aggressive and will take off lots of metal when used. If you use a coarse or medium rod on a professionally sharpened knife you'll actually ...
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