Get To The Point
Cooking is easier with a good set of knives
By Chandra Orr, Copley News Service

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A kitchen just isn't complete without a set of good-quality knives.

If you don't have a well-stocked butcher block, the wedding registry is the perfect place to post your request, but brides beware - all knives are not created equal.

"This is a tool you will doubtless use more than any other item in your kitchen, so you want to choose wisely," said professional chef Andrew Dornenburg, coauthor of "Becoming a Chef," (Wiley, $29.95) and "Culinary Artistry," (Wiley, $29.95). "You want to invest in good quality, which will pay for itself over the life of the knife."

Buying a set of knives is a lot like buying a new pair of shoes - comfort and fit are just as important as construction and materials.

"The most important thing to do is pick up a knife and hold it in your hand," Dornenburg said. "Knives vary in terms of weight, size of handle and thickness of blade. You want a knife that feels comfortable in your hand or you'll never use it, no matter what the experts say about a knife being the best.

"Look for very heavy, thick-bladed knives — which will withstand frequent sharpening — with handles that are easy to grip."

Quality cutlery sets vary greatly in price — some professional sets go for more than $1,000 — and prices depend greatly on the manufacturing technique, which dictates durability and longevity.

Forged knives, for example, have historically led the pack in quality and durability. Crafted from a thick piece of steel, the knives are hammered and shaped by hand, then ground, polished and honed to a fine edge.

"Forged knives are generally associated with higher quality, as they're much more labor-intensive to make," Dornenburg said. "They're typically heavier, denser, harder and more balanced than stamped knives, which are typically less expensive, lighter, thinner and not as prone to holding their edge."

In contrast, stamped knives — sometimes called cold-pressed knives — are machine-made. The knives are stamped from a roll of steel, then tempered and ground. This is a quicker, more economical manufacturing process than forging or hand-crafting, so the knives tend to be less pricey, but they generally do not include a metal bolster, which offers balance and stability.

Laser-crafted cutlery is computer designed and shaped with a laser. Such knives feature a serrated edge and are generally labeled as "never needs sharpening." Laser-crafted knives tend to be more economically priced, but because the serrated edge cannot be sharpened, they will need to be replaced over time.

To accommodate all types of cooking tasks, Dornenburg said, a knife set should include the following:

• A chef's knife of 8 to 10 inches for chopping, dicing and slicing.

• A utility knife of 4 to 6 inches, also for chopping, dicing and slicing.

• A carving knife of at least 10 inches for carving meats.

• A paring knife of 3 to 4 inches for coring, paring and peeling fruits and vegetables.

• An offset serrated knife for slicing breads, roasted meats and vegetables.

"If the bride is a cook, she should have a great chef's knife, which is perfect for everything from chopping herbs to butchering a chicken," Dornenburg said. "And she'll love having an offset serrated knife, which is perfect for everything from slicing bread to carving a turkey."

Many knife sets include a butcher block, which keeps knives within easy reach and prevents the knife blades from banging into each other and dulling the edges. It's a useful addition, but not mandatory.

"If you're short on counter space and not prone to grabbing your knives quickly — which is how inadvertent cuts occur — you can certainly keep knives in a drawer instead," Dornenburg said.

© Copley News Service