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The authors of The New Cooks' Catalogue certainly know what to look for when choosing cooking equipment. These
leading culinary experts have been evaluating cooking equipment for over 25 years. The following information is what they
consider important when selecting a cutlery set.
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- Select a high-quality set taking into consideration the blade, tang and handle construction.
- A good set should include the most basic knives: a chef’s knife, a paring knife and a serrated bread knife.
- Some sets come with useful additions such as extra parers. But you may wish to purchase specialty knives like a cleaver, slicing knife or boning knife separately.
- A set with a straightening steel is useful; the steel’s hardness will be proportionate to the hardness of the knife blades.
- Consider the set’s storage component: racks, blocks and plastic sheaths help maintain your knives for optimal use.
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Introduction
If you open the toolbox of a professional chef, you're likely to find knives of every size, shape and material, each selected with care to perform a specific task. Beside the classic chef's knife, there are serrated knives, parers, slicers, boning and filleting knives, cleavers and shellfish openers. Having the right knife for the job won't make you a better cook, but it can make preparing even a simple family meal more enjoyable.
Whether you buy knives in a set or individually, it is always smart to select the best you can afford. That means knives with good blades, an appropriate length tang and a comfortable, well-designed handle.
Blades
Blades may be forged, rolled or stamped out of metal. Most experts prefer forged knives. They are usually heftier and have better balance. However, there are some fine knives in other categories.
When judging knives, consider how well the blades will stay sharp. High-carbon stainless steel blades are best at holding a sharp edge. They also resist rusting, staining, pitting and interacting with food.
Tang
Think about the tang, the part of the blade that extends into and forms part of the handle. A full tang is the same length and shape as the handle and may be visible between two capping handle halves. Because they provide added strength, full tangs are preferable, especially for chef’s knives. Rattail tangs (full length but narrow) and half tangs (extending only partway into the handle) are acceptable for smaller knives and for those not used primarily for impact cutting.
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Handle
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Judge the handles by whether they are designed for a good grip. Beware of elaborately shaped handles; generic shapes are more likely to be comfortable. Handles may be made of wood, rubber, plastic or stainless steel. Wood, rubber and plastic handles are usually easier to grip--be sure metal handles are ridged in some way so they won’t slip.
Components
A good set should include the most basic knives: a chef’s knife, one or two paring knives and a serrated knife. If the price is right, and if matching hardware is important to you, consider a larger set. However, you do not need matching knives. You may prefer to purchase a smaller set, then fill in with high quality, but less expensive knives for bread or a carving knife (and fork) of a different style. Don’t buy a set with an enormous assortment of knives. Some are unnecessary--you may never use a boning or filleting knife. Also, depending on how and what you cook, you may prefer to work with specialty Asian knives like cleavers and santokus, rather than traditional chef’s knives and parers for every job.
Sharpening
Whatever set you choose, remember to resharpen the knives every time you use them. Sharp knives make it easy to cut, chop and slice. You will also avoid injury. Dull blades are not only difficult to use, they are dangerous. More cutting accidents occur with blunt blades than with sharp ones because of the added pressure used to bear down on the food.
Because a sharp knife is so important, look for a set with a sharpening steel, (although you won’t find one in the most basic 3-piece sets). For optimum sharpening and long-lived knives, the degree of hardness of a straightening steel should be proportionate to the hardness of the metal blade on which it is worked. There is nothing more frustrating to a cook than having a sharpening steel made of metal that is softer than your knives. You end up sharpening the steel and destroying your knife blades. The only way to be sure that the sharpening steel is right for the knife is to purchase the steel made by the same manufacturer.
Sets may come with storage systems, usually in the form of a wood or glass block with inserts for each knife. Wood blocks are fine, assuming you have plenty of counter space and know each knife by its handle or by the slot it is in. Wood blocks are also very stable. With a glass or clear plastic block, it is easy to see the blade and pull out the right one. But you might want to consider a set without a block, so you can store the knives on a magnetic rack attached to a wall or the inside of a cabinet, or in plastic sheaths that you place inside a drawer. Never keep knives in a drawer without some form of protection; the blades will become nicked and dull.
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