THE CUTTING EDGE AT SM HOME

A good knife is any cook’s most important tool.  And rock star chefs will tell you using the right knife has a great impact on one’s culinary skill.  In an article in Details Magazine,  April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig, said that she liked using the Misono Western style Japanese knife because “because it has a strong, thin blade, and it’s easy to maintain”; while Marc Forgoine loves Korin’s Deba knife because “it’s perfect to fillet a fish and can be used on my cuts of meat.”

Jesse Schenker even has a tattoo for his favorite Misono slicer, which he says he can use for anything; Stuart Brioza of state Bird Provisions is ecstatic over his new Asai chef’s knife, which he describes as ‘durable, sharp, and beautiful”; and Christ Shephered of Underbelly swears by his Takamura Japanese chef’s knife, whose sleek design and thin blade makes slicing with it much like holding a razor.

These knives, of course, are quite expensive, and not within our household budgets, we can all prepare healthy, hearty, and delicious meals at home by choosing the right knife.  Here are some tips on how achieve that cutting edge in the kitchen from SM Home.

Whether you are preparing a gourmet dinner for friends, or simply prepping up ingredients for your family meal, SM Home has wide selection of knives to choose from.

• Choose the correct knife to get the right slice. You should have set of knives which include a paring knife, a chef’s knife and a bread knife.  However, some chefs believe that you only need a chef’s knife that is less than five inches to chop it all.

•  Learn to use a knife. Hold your chef’s knife as if you’re going to shake hands using your dominant hand. Your index finger should be on the top and side of the knife rather than on the bottom of the handle. This will allow you to learn the “rolling chop’’.

• Always keep the tip of the knife down on the board. Make the knife blade go forward and down at once on the food. Form a claw with your subordinate hand and place the claw on the food you intend to cut. This will make you less likely cut your own fingers.

• Sharpen your knives to cut correctly and sharply. Remember that a dull knife will slip off the item. Use a whetstone, ceramic or steel sharpener to effectively sharp your knife. Most chefs suggest the use of ceramic sharpener and they suggest sharpening at an angle between 10 and 30 degrees.

• Always store your knife in a block or in a magnetic rack. Never store them in drawers they are most likely to become blunt when bang with other stainless utensils.

Complete your kitchen cutlery at home and use the right set of knives everyday with SM Home’s quality brands of knives from Scanpan, Wusthof, Tescoma, Chef’s Classic, Masflex, Hosh and Touchstone, available at the SM Home section at all SM Stores.

 Chef’s Classic Cook’s Knife has a wide range tasks such as chopping, slicing, and mincing

Ergonomically designed Wusthof Silverpoint Paring Knife set is a perfect collection for slicing and garnishing. Take note of their points – the spear point is best for removing the corn from the cob and breaking up heads of lettuce; while bird’s beak or curved point is best for peeling round fruit and garnishing

  Scanpan Classic soft cheese cleaver is carefully crafted to cut soft cheeses. The holes in the blade will prevent the cheese from sticking to the knife.

 Masflex Kitchen Pro Serrated Knife. Serrated edge knives easily penetrate the outer crust or skin of the product being cut while protecting the soft inner part from tearing. It is ideal for cutting fruits and bread.

Tescoma Presto Chopping knife. This knife’s cradle has an ergonomic grip, and is made of high quality stainless steel for easy and quick chopping of herbs, tops and vegetables.

Masflex Kitchen Pro Fillet Knife has a flexible, streamlined narrow blade that can debone, probe, deskin and separate tissue for fillets, roulades and escalope. This is also great for slicing processed meats and raw fish.

Hosh Napoli Cleaver knife is wide-bladed and thick-spined. It is suited for the heavy work like chopping meat and poultry. The cleaver uses its weight to cut through rough food with a chopping motion.

These Wusthof Gourmet Steak Knives from Germany are the ideal tool for slicing steaks and chops. The high-carbon-steel blades are designed to preserve their finely honed edges.

 Wusthof Classic Parmesan Cheese Knife has a short and sturdy blade that is ideal for cutting even the hardest parmesan cheese knife with no worries.

This Scanpan Classic Tomato and Cheese knife has serrations that allow the user to make a clean cut through a tomato’s skin even without crushing the fruit. The blade is also ideal for cutting firmer cheeses and the forked tip allows for refined serving.

 Touchstone Butcher, Utility and Steak knives in wood handles requires more care. It’s best to wash it with mild soap, rinse and dry. If the wood seems to be drying out, apply a small amount of teak or rosewood oil with a paper towel, soak for 20 minutes and wipe off the excess. This will leave the handles looking good for a long period of time.

This Scanpan Classic 5-piece Knife block set are the quickest way to get the most essential knives and have them beautifully stored and ready in your kitchen counter.

 Hone your knives regularly using this Chef’s Classic Steel Sharpener.