The Essentials: Knives

On Saturdays we share some of our favorite things – websites, kitchen gadgets & tools, cookbooks & books about food, and anything else that we think is cool.

When it comes to kitchen essentials, knives are right there at the top.

If you've ever lived with a serious chef, you know they can be very touchy where their knives are concerned, and for good reason. Careless handling can dull or ding a fine cutting edge. Careless storage can bend or damage precision blades. And improper cleaning can leave rust spots and loose handles. Rust isn't a serious problem, just a nuisance requiring steel wool and elbow grease. Loose handles and dull blades, however, can lead to blood spilled, and blood is much harder to clean from chopping blocks and counters.

Expensive knives are usually good knives, but good knives are not necessarily expensive. The carbon steel chef's knife that is my favorite was found in a tourist trap in Brown County, Indiana. I've found others at thrift shops, and my two bread knives came from a starving college student who was selling gadgets door-to-door, bless her heart.

Things to look for in a good knife are weight and balance. It shouldn't be so light that you don't notice where the blade is; definitely a disadvantage. The handle should be just about as heavy as the blade, so it rests easily in your hand without tipping. And you should be able to see the metal blade extending all the way down through the handle. Impress your neighbors at the next BBQ by tossing out the word "tang" for this part of the blade. You don't want a knife with a short tang that might get loose and wobble in the handle.

Never toss your knives willy nilly into a drawer or utensil holder. Your blades will get nicked and dull, and you risk spilling blood by grabbing the wrong end. You can buy drawer inserts specially designed to keep knives safe and tidy, or you can get a knife block to sit on the counter. Go ahead, support the retailers; both seem a waste of space to me.

I prefer the magnetic wall strips that say, "Here works a serious cook." They might be lying, but at least my knives are safe.

Oh, by the way, I do not have a lispth. The bargain video camera hath a thilly little microphone that pickth up every thound in the room and maketh an awful hithing noithe when I thpeak. I promith to make my audio video technithian go out right away and buy a dethent mike.

copyright Starr Luteri, 2009