Alright, so let's talk knives again. Last time we discussed this, I gave
some basic pointers, tips, and references. This time, I'm going to
explain just what makes a good knife, and what doesn't.
Now, before we begin this properly, know that I am incredibly biased, but it is a bias based on performance and experience.
Second,
before I began cooking I was the go-to knife guy at Williams-Sonoma
(Towson) for a good 3 years. While this doesn't exactly make me an
expert, it does give me some solid basics in what this is all about. Add
5 solid years of restaurant and personal cooking to that, and I have a
sizable amount of hands-on experience with various incarnations of the
knife and it's kitchen applications.
With all that said, here we go-
In
case I haven't stressed this enough, good knives are vital to a good
kitchen experience. If you can't cut things to size because your knife
is dull or the wrong knife for the job, your cooking just won't be up to
par. A mushed tomato isn't the only disaster a dull knife can cause.
Try to slice an onion with a dull knife, and you'll most likely end up
with a nice gash in your knuckles.
"But dull knives should be safer around your hands," you might say, "a
sharp knife would be more likely to cut you." Well, think of it this
way- whether sharp or dull, something with the shape, profile, and
pointy end of a knife will, when applied to your hand with force, cut
it. A sharp knife, while it may cut a little deeper, will make a CLEAN
cut, which will, after proper dressing and healing, leave little to no
evidence of a cut ever happening. A dull knife, meanwhile, will do more
of a ripping cut, making it a lot harder to clean, dress, and, if need
be, stitch the wound. It's a nasty mental image, I know, but it sure
helps to drive the point home that a sharp knife is much safer to have
than a dull one. Lastly, a sharp knife will allow the most control of
what you're trying to do (cut the food) in the first place, making you
much less likely to cut yourself from the get-go.
Okay, that's out of the way. Now, you
may remember that we have 3 knives we really NEED in the kitchen- an 8"
chef's knife (also called a cook's knife), a 3 1/2" paring knife, and a
serrated knife (often called a bread knife) which usually is in the
9-10" range. Assuming you don't luck out and manage to find a 3 piece
set with these 3 knives for a set price, you will spend anywhere from
$180 upwards for these 3 knives. That's a ballpark estimate, by the
way.
So... why?
1) Why spend so much?
2) Why not buy the Cutco or Sharpselect knives that the friendly TV or
Sam's Club people are telling us to buy that can cut cinderblocks and
still fillet a tomato?
3) Assuming we decide to buy, which brand should we choose?
First point- cost. Our local superstore has a set of
Cuisinart or Kitchenaid knives for $20. They're trusted kitchen names.
Why should we buy a higher echelon brand? Isn't a knife a knife?
No. No, it isn't the same.
First
off, just because something is a trusted kitchen brand does not mean
it's a trusted brand FOR WHAT YOU'RE BUYING. Cuisinart makes awesome
appliances, and Kitchenaid makes the best stand mixer on earth. That
doesn't mean they make everything that awesome. In my experience, their
knives simply don't compare.
The short answer is put them side by side and test
them, and you'll see that better brands are sharper (make smoother
cuts), stay that way longer, and feel... better. More secure,
comfortable, and well put together (if the knife rattles, don't buy it).
This comparison method, however, takes both time and money. I do,
however, recommend that when you purchase a knife, ask to try it out.
When I worked at W-S, they kept a bag of potatoes in the back for the
customer to compare knives on. I don't know if that is still how it's
done, but ask.
For a longer answer, it's all a matter of what the
knives are made of. Cheap steel makes a bad knife. Good steel, or a
blend of good steels make a good knife. The better grade a steel is, the
finer an edge it can hold and the longer it can hold it. The other
major factor is how the metal is crafted. Is it stamped out of a sheet
of metal? Is it hardened somehow? Is it forged? (This means the metal is
heated, folded and hammered repeatedly, creating several layers of
metal on top of one another.)
So these good brands have good metal crafted in a
good way. Good metal and the labor to craft it (or the R&D to see
what other metals support that steel the best) costs money. End of
story. Buy a good knife, however, and you won't need to buy another for a
very long time. Think of knives as a lifetime or near-lifetime
investment. Buy it, take care of it, and it should last you for more
years than some cars do.
Second point- the Cutco/Sharpselect issue. If these
knives are so great, why would you pay more for something else,
something allegedly inferior?
Well, let it be
said, for the record, that the CS knives (I'm getting tired of writing
out the names) are not knives at all. They are saws. saws with really
REALLY tiny teeth, but saws nonetheless. Ever had to sharpen a saw? For
those of us outside the lumbering world, sharpening a saw blade of
normal (chopping wood) size is a pain in the ass. Each tooth of the saw
must be individually whetted over and over again. So smaller blades are
usually made to be disposable- it's less effort to just replace the
blade than try to sharpen those tiny tiny teeth, hence the cutco
lifetime guarantee. This truth, when applied to food, really sucks.
Why? Because when saw teeth get weak and dull, they eventually break
off. Into your food. and then into your mouth, stomach, etc. This
happens all the faster with putting the knife in the dishwasher (an
advertised benefit), as the abrasives in the soap weaken the metal. You
can't resharpen the knife (because there's no "edge" to speak of) So you
end up taking advantage of that lifetime guarantee more than once in
your lifetime. This replacement process takes anywhere from 4-6 weeks,
provided they don't find a reason to void your warranty. So that, by
itself, makes this more trouble than it is worth.
Secondly, Have you ever tried doing complicated
knifework with a saw? It's one thing to just cut something in half, but
doing most of the more complex stuff (see ginger scallion entry)
requires a straight edge. Now before the cutco supporters start yelling
bloody murder about how there is a "rock n' chop" knife, and a "fillet"
knife and just about every knife under the sun, I concede that these
tools do exist. They just have their saw teeth positioned differently,
making them an ideal saw for their job. Now, not taking into account the
fact that this means you need to pull out anywhere from 3-7 or more
knives for a single recipe, they also lack the control of a straight
edged knife.The CS demonstrators do a very specific set of motions with
their knives. Ask them to do another motion, and you're asking for
trouble. Slicing your hand trouble. Not fun at all. I mean no disrespect
to the hardworking people who sell these knives, but I would not
recommend these to any cooks, experienced or not. If you have CS knives,
love them to death, and think I'm full of crap... Deal with it. I've
been using, comparing, selling, and working with knives for quite a
while now, and my opinion is pretty much set. No test I've ever done has
yielded a winning result for CS knives in any area, and I'll stick with
that over fanatical testimony.
Third point- What should I buy and why?
Now that my ranting is over (and thank you all for bearing with me
through that), it's time to decide which knife is right for you. Here
are the top contenders in my book, listed based on price v. quality,
availability (you can get them more places), and reliable construction
(knives are consistently made to the same standard). Then rated on a mix
of sharpness, construction, comfort, and price. I have no doubt there
are better knives in the world, but these knives are rated based on our
price range. These are NOT listed in any order of better/worse, and if
you have another brand that you swear by (that ISN'T one of the
aforementioned brands) please comment and let me know! I'd love to test
and put more knives into this list!
Number 1- Wüsthof. This is one of the single most identifiable kitchen
knives in the home and restaurant culinary world, and I can't really say
it's unjustified. These knives are good solid German style blades.
Steel is of good quality, and while it is stamped, it's also
ice-hardened. Another thing of major note is all knives carry a full
tang (a tang is the single piece of metal that the knife is made of. A
full tang means that this single piece of metal runs from the front tip
of the knife to the very back of the handle, ensuring a sturdier
construction). With regular honing, one of these knives will stay sharp
for anywhere from 3-4 months before requiring a sharpening. Their
handles, which range in styles and colors, are all (with rare exception)
made of polypropelene, a dense plastic that resists fading, chipping,
or most other abuses, and for the ones I tested (Classic, Grand Prix II
and Ikon) are all comfy and secure in the hand. Avoid the Silverpoint
and Gourmet collections, they're of a lower craftsmanship and it shows.
Price- medium for Classic (shown) and GPII ($120 for chef's knife), higher for Ikon ($150 for chef's).
Rating- 4 out of 5.
Final verdict- While some brands out there are a little sharper or feel a
little comfier, Wusthof makes a wonderful knife that works well and
won't let you down.
Number 2- Global. Our first Japanese brand. Global knives are, and have
always been, a bit of an acquired taste. They look like they belong in
an IKEA, and their entirely being made of metal has certainly turned off
some potential buyers. Look a little deeper, though, and you'll see why
Global might be worth a second chance. First, it's made of a single
Japanese steel hardened with a powder coat of various metals (though
that does not mean metal powder will come off while you're using it).
This composition means it can hold a sharper edge than any German knife,
and can hold it longer. (For those wondering what would happen if a
German knife is sharpened to a Japanese edge- The blade would chip, or
in some cases totally snap.) The knife is made out of one solid piece of
metal (full tang), but the interior of the handle is filled with a very
specific amount of sand to even the weight distribution between the
blade and the handle. This balance means a greater control of the blade,
and less arm and wrist fatigue with long uses. All this with a very
respectable price point. The blade will keep for 5-6 months between full
sharpening. The biggest downside with these knives is getting them
sharp again once they've gone dull. Electric sharpeners burn out before
making a sizable difference, and steels and stones all require an
incredible amount of elbow grease to get this blade back on track. That
said, if you're willing to invest the time and work when sharpening is
needed, you can get a good knife for a very good price.
Price- $96 (Chef's)
Rating- 3 out of 5
Final Verdict- While I wasn't bothered with the handle design, it rubs
quite a few people the wrong way. I liked the keen edge for the lower
price, but the work required for a sharpening made me want to avoid
using this knife for my everyday tasks because I dreaded the next time I
needed to sharpen. A respectable knife, but not for everyone.
Number 3- Henkels. I'm honestly hesitant to put Henkels on this list.
Once a knife on par with Wusthof, Henkels took a major dive in the early
2000's, which led to several lines of really, REALLY shitty knives.
Their Pro-S, Twin Cuisine, and 5 star collections were all subject to
bad quality control. They have recovered somewhat, but I still say this
with a great deal of trepidation. As a rule of thumb, only buy Henkels
knives made in 2010 or later, and (just as importantly) look for the
twin insignia on the knives, as opposed to just one man with a polearm
(the twin is a superior collection, the single man is a lesser
collection). For my money, I would just get a Wusthof. The collections
worth getting are generally too expensive for this list (e.g. the Bob
Kramer Collection), and the ones that aren't... aren't. The new
professional "S" collection is very similar to the Wusthof classic knife
series, though, albeit noticeably heavier.
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| The bad. |
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| The good. |
Price- varies, but the Professional S- $120 (chef's)
Rating- 2 out of 5
Final verdict- Part of my rating is based on my fear that the quality
control issues haven't been totally resolved, but outside of that I find
it needlessly heavy, and the handle designs for most of the collections
very wonky to use.
Number 4- Shun. Alright, I'll say it- this is my bias, right here. I
love Shun knives and I'm not afraid to show it. I have my reasons,
though. Shun knives hold the sharper Japanese edge, hold it for longer
than any other knife on this list, are comfy, look stylish, and are
incredibly well constructed. The knives are forged, and use 2 superior
grades of steel to do it, along with other trace metals to optimize
sharpness and durability. They do take a bit of time to sharpen when
their time comes (not nearly as hard as the Global, though), but it can be upwards of over a year before that is
needed. The handle is made of Pakkawood (hardwood that is treated, then
rapidly vibrated to close the pores in the wood), resisting fading,
chipping, and abuse very well. The tang is a little different- while
technically 2 separate pieces, the metal running through the handle is a
screwbolt that is tightened into the blade end. It is so securely
tightened, though, that the last attempt to unscrew it required two
machines, and ended up shattering the handle (no easy feat) instead of
budging the bolt. Suffice to say, it's a secure tang. We do have 2
hiccups- Make sure you buy the Shun honing steel, as it is built with a
guide so you hone to the correct angle of the blade. Also, Shun knives
(Classic Series) are typically made with a designated right-handed grip.
Fret not, southpaw readers, Shun does make left-handed knives as well.
These are available on Amazon or by ordering through Williams-Sonoma,
among others. I cannot recommend these knives enough. One other thing of
note- Shun has lots of collections- some new, some old, some
discontinued. All are nice, but the Classic series is the best. Some of
their more expensive brands have more expensive metals, but these are
more reserved for people who, say, will sharpen their knife edge down to
17 degrees instead of 18 and notice a difference.
Price- $140 (Classic chef's)
Rating- 5 out of 5
Final Verdict- My choice any day of the week. The price is a little
higher, but it's totally worth it. Also, Shun has a packaged 3 piece set
with an 8" chef, 3 1/2" paring, and a 5" serrated.
So those are my thoughts on knives and why. I ask two things of you,
dear readers- 1) don't take my word for gospel truth and buy a knife
strictly on my advice. Hold a knife, ask if there's something you can
test it on, and don't be afraid to return it if it doesn't suit you.
This is a big investment, so there's no reason to accept anything less
than a perfect fit. 2) Please take care of your knives. None of any of
this stuff matters if you don't hone your knives, keep them in a safe
place (read- not loose in a drawer or the like), Use a wood, bamboo, or
plastic cutting board (no glass, no stone, no marble, etc) and for god's
sake don't EVER EVER put them in the dishwasher. It takes all of 1
minute to hand wash knives, take the time to do it.
Until next time, cut your food, not yourself.
