knife fight!

More orientation today, and in our knife skills class we learned how to pick out a good knife.  Basically, get steel, stainless or blended, as high carbon + acidic things like lemons are a bad combo. The knife gets stained and occasionally stains the food. Plus you have to clean it and wipe it off all the time.  Prissy knifes = no good.

Also, you grow into knifes, and while at first at 7″ or 8″ chef (or “french”) knife may seem more comfortable, once you actually know how to use it properly, you’re going to want something bigger. And a smaller one will actually hinder you / slow you down. So 9-10″ is what we are supposed to get.

There are different types of grips, but generally whatever feels most comfortable is fine.  Some people prefer wood because it is the least slippery when your hands are wet, and it’s no longer a sanitation issue (before wood handles tended to rot, but it’s all good now). 

Also to be considered is the tang.  Which as a word makes me giggle, I’m not sure why.  It just doesn’t seem like a very serious term.  And not just because it’s a drink mix.  Anyway.  The tang is the part of the metal blade that goes into the handle.  In a really good knife, the tang goes all the way to the end of the knife (a full tang).  A full tang, down to one that goes through 2/3 of the handle are good, partial ones are acceptable, and rat-tail tangs (rat-tail… continuing 80’s flashback…) are no good, because the knife is not properly balanced.

Tang:

*ahem* Tang:

Balanced Knife:

Me Pretending My Knife is Not Balanced to Belabor My Point:

And finally, a cursory list of knife brands from ludicrously expensive and super good, to affordable and good, to affordable and dinky:   

Shun – drool
Global – see above
Henckels – heard that they can be brittle and the blade can get chipped
Wusthof – the knife in the photos is a Wusthof. It’s wonderful.
F Dick – who named this and why? good knife though
Forschners – wood handles, “excellent bang for the buck”
Mundial – a value knife
Dexter – the plastic white handled things that you see in most kitchens

Final note:  Be proud to have an eclectic and mismatched set of knifes.  The qualities you’re looking for in a chef’s knife are not what you’re looking for in a paring knife.  Also, no need to by a Shun oyster shucker if you’re going to use it once or twice a year.  A Dexter in that case would be fine.

At any rate I’m super stoked to go knife shopping this weekend.  Will post photos of my purchases!

Quote of the Day:  “I’m a pastry chef, I ain’t no paramedic.  So you could bleed to death.”  

(why we should try and avoid getting our hands caught in mixers.  point taken.)