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.
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Chef’s
Classic Cook’s Knife has a wide range tasks such as chopping, slicing, and
mincing |
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| 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 |
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Hone
your knives regularly using this Chef’s Classic Steel Sharpener.
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