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Why Dull Kitchen Cutlery Can Wreck Your Cooking

By: Robert Cooksey The most expensive knife isn't necessarily the best. If you don't keep your knives up in good condition, they won't be easy to cook with, no matter how costly they were. It's vital to have the right knives and be able to make sure they're in good shape, if you want to have an efficient kitchen and avoid accidents.

Make sure that you have a quality chef's knife - the one blade every cook should have. This is a large handled knife with a blade that starts out wide near the base. It then tapers to a point. This is the knife you'll use for the majority of your cutting in the kitchen. Since chef's knives are so versatile, a full knife set isn't really worth the cost. Investing in a single, high quality chef's knife and keeping it very sharp will serve you better in the long run.

However, not all chef's knives are the same. They come in a variety of different sizes, which are measured by blade length. The smallest all purpose knife you should buy is about eight inches long (without the handle). While you might think a small knife is easier to handle or safer, it's not necessarily. You can use a large knife to cut smaller objects, but a small knife won't work for large ones.

There's a bewildering variety out there, as even the above eight inch chef's knife can be found in versions costing between fifteen dollars and more than a hundred fifty. People on a budget should avoid the cheapest knives and settle on one that's about twenty-five dollars. Look for a significant overhang below the handle to help you keep your knife sharp.

You might have heard that a costly knife will hold it's edge longer. That's not really true. Good steel does keep an edge better than the cheapest metal, but cutting any sturdy root vegetable will cause the edge to go out of true. It doesn't matter if you're using a mediocre knife or one that's top of the line. To help fix this, use a steel to straighten the edge on a daily basis. Steels are the long sticks you've probably seen with knife sets, and are traditionally made from steel. However, many are not ceramic or diamond. Using a steel is just a matter of swiping it down the side of the knife at a twenty degree angle, but this takes some experience. For those who aren't comfortable with this process, there are also a few easier options.

A knife and tool sharpener, which has a built in angle, will help you straighten a knife without a lot of skill. Hold the knife with the edge up, and the tip hanging off the counter's edge. Swipe your sharpener over the edge a few times, and the blade will be a lot sharper. Remember that this kind of sharpener slowly eats away at the blade, and will shorten its life. However, a sharp knife for a shorter time is better than one that is always dull. This is worth keeping in mind if you're unable to have your knives sharpened professionally and aren't comfortable with a steel.

No matter how you sharpen your knives, be sure to wash and dry them both before and after sharpening. Once you get used to having a sharp knife, you'll know right away when yours is losing its edge. Suddenly, cutting becomes a lot more difficult. One easy test is sliding your knife along a peach or tomato, exerting no pressure. If the knife is sharp, it'll pierce the skin right away.

Always treat your knife carefully, too. Don't use a granite or glass cutting board, because they'll hurt the edge. Instead, a plastic or wood cutting surface is preferred. Also, wash and dry the knife immediately after use to prevent a sink full of dishes from taking the edge off.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

Robert Cooksey is the developer of several websites covering the art of cooking with emphasis on the tools necessary to attaining success, including About Kitchen Cutlery as well as Henckels Cutlery. You are welcome to reprint this article - but get your own unique content version here.

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