Most Millennials are on a budget. And if you aren't, you probably should be, to some extent. So we don't usually spend a lot of money on things like kitchen equipment until we get really successful and can afford the splurge, or as in my case, register for it for our wedding and have somebody else buy it for us.
But if I could recommend ONE high quality item to spend good money on, my Gotta Have It this week is a fantastic chef's knife. It is the work horse of your kitchen, and you will use it for just about everything you do.
My brother Billy got me the Wusthof Classic Ikon 7" Santoku knife for my 23rd birthday in February, and it was one of the best gifts I've ever gotten. I moved into my apartment in Chicago that summer, and for almost 3 years that was the only knife I used in my kitchen, and it was perfect. I bought a cheap set that had a paring knife and a serrated knife for cutting bread, but those were terrible quality and I only used them when I absolutely needed.
And while you're living on a budget, that is exactly what I would recommend that you do. Invest in one solid chef's knife, get a cheap paring knife and serrated knife for bread, and then upgrade to the good stuff either when you can afford it, or when you can register for it.
There are two main styles of knives: Japanese, and German. The biggest difference is in the shape of the blade, and the width/angle of the blade. The Japanese knives (Shun, Korin) have a flatter cutting edge, meaning that you are cutting more surface area with each pass. You can see below that the German-style Chef's Knife that I have has a rounded cutting surface, making it great for any cutting that involves a rocking motion. The other shape difference is the width - the German knives (like Wusthof, J.A. Henckels, etc.) are MUCH wider than Japanese knives, and are thicker near the handle and get thinner towards the tip. Japanese knives are a more uniform width down the whole length of the blade. Certain Japanese knives are used to cut raw fish into precise, sometimes paper thin slices for sashimi. To cut through something that delicate, it can't have a lot of resistance. That's also what those cut-outs are for along the bottom edge - it helps minimize the friction with whatever you're cutting. And my last point on shape is that in my opinion, the handles on Japanese style knives tend to be more ergonomic and streamlined, and that handles on the German knives tend to be a little chunkier.
The other big difference relates to the angle of the blade - not the angle like we talked about rounded vs. flat at the bottom, but if you were to look directly at the blade with a microscope, what angle is it sharpened to, compared with a perpendicular plane. So the classic Western Chef's Knife maintains an angle of 40-45 degrees (meaning that if you created a 40-45 degree angle, that is how sharp the blade of the knife is. So the bilateral shoulder is 20-22.5 degrees. That means that when you sharpen these knives, you want to hold that side of the knife at about a 20 degree angle away from the steel sharpening tool on each side, creating an overall angle of about 40 degrees). On the Japanese style knives, there are two differences: 1. they are often only sharpened on one side (though traditionally Santoku knives, which are among the most popular, are sharpened on both), and 2. Their angle is between 20-30 degrees, or 10-15 degrees per side. So the cutting blades of Japanese knives are two times more narrow compared with German knives. This doesn't mean twice as sharp, it just means twice as narrow.
So which do I prefer? The answer is both. They both have their uses, and I love them both in different ways. It truly is personal preference - if a consumer report tells you definitively that one style is better than the other, don't believe it. Try them both out and make your own judgement. If you're INVESTING (yes they're expensive!!) in a good quality chef's knife from a reputable brand, you will probably be happy with either style.
My last tip for this post is for when you are taking the plunge to either invest in or register for your full knife set. The tip is this: don't get a pre-packaged set. Knife companies make knives in all different shapes and sizes and styles, and they are purchased by a variety of individuals with specific needs. However the vast majority of us do not need all of those knives. But the company pays money to make them, so they want to sell them. What do they do? They package them up with other more useful knives in a beautiful block, "discount" the set, and sell it as a packaged deal. Don't fall for it! All you really need in your knife set is the following:
7-8" Chef's knife (obviously... please go back to the top if this was unclear)
~ 3.5" Paring knife
~8" Serrated Bread Knife
Good kitchen shears
Carving Knife at least 8" and Carving Fork (I only use this on holidays, but you sort of need it if you're roasting big meat like turkey, beef tenderloin, standing rib roast, etc.. Damn you unitaskers!!!!!)
These knife blocks usually throw in a skinnier knife that's about 6" - it's too small to do any heavy lifting, and too long and skinny to do delicate tasks. And sometimes a 6" paring knife... what the hell are you supposed to do with that?? So don't fall for it, save your money!!
The proper way to hold a knife, using my Wusthof Classic Ikon 8" Chef's Knife as an example
In later posts, I'll get into knife skills as well as caring for your knives. Did you learn something from this? Is there more you'd like to find out? Share below!
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