Beginners Guide to Knives
Beginners Guide to Knives!
How I got there:
Like many people I started with a block of knives, 14 in total. Of course 6 of them were steak knives. It was a better brand and I was proud of them. It soon became apparent that I only used the Chef’s knife, the kitchen scissors, and a paring knife. It also included a steel to sharpen them.
They served me well for some years, and then the handles started to break. I checked warranty and found out that I could get them replaced with a 50% discount. At some point I knew I wasn’t supposed to put them in the dishwasher. I had the kids do dishes and there I was, with broken handles. It dawned on me that I was probably not in their target market; I just thought I was. I am not anymore.
I was shopping at my warehouse club and they had kitchen knives, a package of two for less than $15, less than $7.50 per knife. I bought the ones with the little dimples in them, supposed to release whatever your cutting easier. I got them home and liked the feel. I was aware that the quality of steel was probably not comparable, but they sure cut well. I bought the two other packages that offered different knives and the total investment was less than $45.00. I already owned a quality knife sharpener and these knives sharpen well and last for about a month or longer, but it is easy to give them a tune-up.
It became clear to me that I really only use three knives on a regular basis, a 10 chef’s knife, a 6 ½ boning knife and a paring knife. My son was setting up an apartment at university, so he inherited the three knifes I didn’t use.
The Equalizer!A Good Knife Sharpener
The power sharpener is the one I use at home. The hand sharpener worked much better than I anticipated and the small sharpener is one I carry when I am camping. The Steel is from my block set and works OK to tune up any of the knives when I am in a hurry, but I am not experienced enough to use it to put a sharp edge on a dull knife.
© 2016 T.K.Frawley.