Frankly, the main reason I've created kitchen knives section was the ever increasing number of emails I receive, asking various questions regarding kitchen cutlery.
For one reason or another I still get a lot more field/combat/survival knife questions. Perhaps because the site is kind of specialized ;) Anyway, since repeating the same thing is
not the best exercise ever, I figured it'd be the best to collect all the answers I got to all kitchen cutlery related questions here, more systematic and
faster.
I doubt anybody will argue that kitchen knives are generally the most used knives in the world. Most of the people out there have at lest one or more knife in their kitchen. That
including those who don't consider themselves knife enthusiasts and those who gasp at the sight of a folding knife. It is a different matter how many, what brand and in what shape
those knives are, but the fact is that we all have them. All right, someone may insist on knifeless living, more power to them :) We're talking majority here.
Judging by the number of questions I receive regarding kitchen knives apparently there is considerable number of the people out there who want a good
knife(ves) in their kitchen. That's of course good news :) Kitchen knives section on my site would be a combined answers to all the question's I've had in past years and may be
some additional info you might find interesting or useful. Considering the fact that not all the people who seek for quality knives for their cooking needs are into knives in
general, I tried to write this section with non knife people in mind. Therefore, if you're not new to knives few things might seem obvious, but believe me those are not obvious for
non knife folks at all, just remember yourself in the beginning ;)
Being a knife collector and enthusiast try to get quality cutlery for my kitchen use. And
not too surprisingly it is not an easy task to accomplish. This page is an attempt to share the info and experience I've gained during my knife collecting/cooking years. I don't
collect kitchen knives per-se. I just have whatever I need so far for my food preparations needs and that's pretty much it. As I mentioned above, it is not that simple to pick a
quality kitchen knife, granted that you care about your kitchen cutlery :) Otherwise, I guess this section is not for you.
There are so many of them out
there. Starting from couple dollar generic "kitchen knives" in Wal-Mart or Target, and all they way up to 800-900$ sets promising qualities similar to the light saber. TV
shows promoting cook's knives that cut or at least don't mind showman banging them on the steel vise. Anyway, neither high price, nor all those shows guarantee that you'll get a
good knife. More reliable way is to do your homework, read the info, thanks god we have internet :) Sure, it can be hard to find precise and objective information on the net, but
it's definitely achievable. Just check knife related forums and newsgroups.
Interesting observation - once you start cooking(I mean cooking, not heating up frozen food in the microwave), you'll find out real soon that one knife simply won't do. Sure you
can do with only one knife too, but not worth the time and efforts. For an experiment try peeling a potato with Busse Battle
Mistress. Doable, but after one or two you will definitely look for something smaller and thinner. And most of the time your favorite tactical and survival super blades won't
be a match for a quality kitchen knife for food preparation. In other words you have to get the right tool(s) for the job.
Knives are not the only cutting tools used in the kitchen by the way. One thing that will definitely save your knives, is a good meat cleaver, if you need to chop through the
bones. Alternatively, use your favorite, toughest combat knife and see if it can be up to the task, but leave chefs or vegetable knives out of it. As a minimum a good peeler would
be a useful addition to your cutlery assortment. Since I am no certified chef, I won't be discussing about other utensils in this section, but will stick to the subject which I am
more familiar with. Although, I will remind you that a knife is just a knife, not a chisel, screwdriver or a pry-bar. Survival or combat knives can do those things as well, but
definitely not a thin edged blade of the kitchen knife.
Based on all the above, this section will cover kitchen cutlery. That includes few thoughts on the cutlery selection, maintenance, choice, etc. Reviews
of the few knives and peelers that I have used. Also reviews and references to those non-kitchen knives that I have used in the kitchen for testing and for the heck of it ;)