The Essential Kitchen Tool - The Knife

Bridal or cooking magazines always have at least one advertisement with a happy cook declaring some expensive food processor as the ultimate must-have prep tool for the kitchen. What you?ll never see is an ad showing the same model beaming at a single, shiny, sharp blade. Not only might that image look a bit creepy to the reader, it may also lead a cooking novice to learn what the advertiser doesn?t want her to find out until after she?s spent money on their product: that nothing is as essential to any kitchen and as affordable as a good knife.

How can such a simple object be so important? Ask any experienced cook and they will tell you that a quality knife can mean the difference between cooking being fun and satisfying versus cooking being a labor-intensive chore. This is because when preparing recipes that call for fresh ingredients, the amount of time needed to peel, chop, slice, dice, mince, or otherwise reduce food to manageable bits is often far greater than the amount of time necessary to actually convert the bits into a delicious meal.

Processors are excellent at producing lots and lots of these bits of food, which makes them indispensable when preparing meals for a crowd. For the average household of four or fewer diners, however, this kind of capacity can be overkill. Mini-processors exist specifically to suit these smaller needs, but they have the same need for space and power as their larger counterparts. Even if there is room on a countertop for a dedicated spot, there has to be an outlet nearby so the cook can avoid having to move the appliance around when using it. Some non-electric processors are available that work with the push of a plunger or turn of a crank, and can disassemble for storage. They might seem like the answer to the space/power problem, but they have the same limitation that all processors share: in order for the blades to function effectively and produce even results during processing, ingredients often have to be pre-cut. This means the well-intentioned cook could end up taking a $40-or-more detour only to arrive back to that $40-or-less starting point, the knife.

Because a good, all-purpose kitchen knife is essential, some time and thought should be put into the purchase of this tool. Two things often happen when a novice cook becomes aware of all the available choices. Either she gets completely overwhelmed and simply throws the first available knife into the cart during the next supermarket trip, or she gets submerged in details like tang length and blade composition and ends up spending way too much. When shopping, the main thing to keep in mind is that the knife should suit the hand that uses it. Not only should the hand fit around a knife?s handle comfortably, but also the knife should be light enough to avoid fatiguing the hand and arm too quickly. This means a less expensive knife might be more suitable to a particular person than one at twice the price. Common sense, however, should still have the final say. There is no point to buying a knife whose handle seems easily breakable, or whose blade either can?t keep a sharp edge or feels like it could snap in two.

Also keep in mind that cutlery manufacturers like to label their knives according to the purpose for which they feel each particular blade is most suited. This doesn?t mean, however, that the short, narrow blade being sold as a utility knife won?t do the same job for the user as the slightly wider and longer blade being called a chef?s knife. What matters is that the blade?s length and width are suited to its intended uses, and that its weight allows the cook to maintain a well-balanced grip on the handle.

It?s hard to beat what is undoubtedly the best and most convenient tool to meet the challenges of meal preparation for the novice or small kitchen, especially when it costs less than the average price of a dinner for two. However, the idea that more is better is a popular one, and the pressure will always be on to buy more than what is truly necessary. When feeling tempted to give in, just consider this one last thing: you can't open mail with a food processor.

Review of Wusthof Santoku Knife
These knives are ideal for the chopping, carving, dicing, and paper like thin
slicing. You can use wusthof santoku knife for cutting the vegetables,
poultry…