Archive for March, 2010
A Chef and His Tools
This admission might seem like a cliché, but just watching the show “Top Chef” has inspired me to eschew my old “cooking” habits. I use the word cooking loosely, because the only real effort I made was to warm up a microwave dinner or strain myself by making a sandwich. I had always known how unhealthy this practice was, but not until watching that merit-based reality show did I stop to think of all the delicious dishes I was missing out on.
Recognizing that a chef is only as good as his tools, I immediately went about tracking down a high-quality cutlery set and some serrated steak knives online. I also found a sharpener that would keep the knives perfectly honed. I plan to start simple with a few classic Italian recipes. It will probably be a while before I attempt something as complicated and nuanced as French cooking, but that’s definitely the ultimate goal.
A Paring Knife
A paring knife is a small knife that is perfect for peeling and other jobs that could not be completed with a standard size kitchen knife. It is also, normally in between 2 to 4 long (6 to10 cm). Paring knives are used in a variety of ways to cut and shape foods into the perfect meals. They are easier to control than other knives on skins and peels. The paring knife has many benefits.
Stay Sharp
A dull knife is a useless knife. Testing a knife can help you tell whether it’s sharp enough. Try cutting through a ripe tomato; if the knife is sharp it will cut through the tomato with ease, if it’s not it will smash the tomato. But don’t throw a dull knife away because it can be easily sharpened.
There are two main kitchen knife sharpener options; metal sharpeners and ceramic sharpeners. Knives made of harder metal require more sharpening but will stay sharp longer.
Metal sharpeners offer a great finish to an already sharp knife because of their fine grains. Professional chefs and butchers are likely to use these sharpeners. Ceramic sharpeners on the other hand, are used primarily to sharpen stainless steel knives. Sharpeners of this type are good at thinning knife points.
Kitchen Necessity
Everyone needs kitchen knives. They enable us to do so much more with our meals. They allow us to speed up the process of preparation. In addition, if you are using the best knives they can even create an enjoyable experience in the kitchen.
Kitchen knives come in many shapes, sizes, colors, and qualities. They are a necessity in many recipes. Kitchen knives are a required item in the kitchen and you can’t afford to be without a good set.
