Let's Talk Knives and Sh....stuff

I began a series of posts on The Food Boat's Discord recently, and decided to copy those posts and expand here on my own blog.  Please check out Derek's Youtube Channel and visit the Discord.

Every Chef has a favorite brand or two.  A knife needs to be an extension of your hand. It needs to fit properly and feel balanced. The knives I use are the Mercer Genesis series. I have larger hands for a woman, but not large enough for some of the other brands of knives out there. This is where you will likely spend a lot of money, so make it the right decision. Many kitchen stores have a way to try out and handle knives. Choose one that feels like it belongs in your hands. The knife chooses the witch or wizard that will wield it so trust your instinct. I cannot guarantee that great CGI effects will happen when you grab the right knife.

Knife specialty stores are also a great way to try out knives. Don't buy a kit that has a bunch of knives that you may never use. These bundle packs may just end up 50% kitchen eye candy. Avoid the cheap knock offs that look pretty. Not all of them are good knives.
There really isn't any benefit to Damascus other than the look (sorry if you disagree). Most of those cheap Damascus knives on merchant sites are stamped to look like the Damascus pattern.

German steel will have a better edge that holds it's edge better. Japanese steel, while they are thinner blades, don't generally hold up well for home cooks and cooks looking to cut their teeth in the culinary field. What is a good starter set?

Chef knives, two lengths.
Bread knife. Paring knives, a regular and a bird beak Filet knife. Steel for regular up keep of your blades, they get burrs sometimes.

If you plan to do a lot of entertaining, a carving knife and fork is nice to have. Don't....

• Put your knives in the dishwasher
• Leave them soaking in a sink
• Put them in a drawer
• Use Temu, Wish, etc for knife shopping. Avoid discount stores that sell off-brand knives.

Knives to look at for Beginners and Home Cooks, I have no affiliation with these companies:

Dalstrong (My Sous Chef has been getting Dalstrong knives for gifts from me and he likes them) Mac Knife (My colleague, Gil prefers this brand, but he has big hands) Made In Mercer Culinary (My first choice) Victorinox Wustof (My second choice)

Invest in a storage block or a magnet. Never put them away wet. Take good care of them. If you travel with your knives, get some blade covers and a knife roll. Knife rolls fit nicely inside suitcases.
Vegetable peelers save time and reduce waste. One that I use is Titan Peeler. Not the knock offs that have flooded the Amazon Marketplace. My titan peelers have lasted far longer than all the knock offs that I ever purchased combined. While I generally stay with Mercer, I have a preference to Dalstrong kitchen scissors.
Handheld Microplane set. I generally have 3 or more in duplicate of various types (since I am also a pastry chef, I have two toolboxes and switching stuff around is a pain).

Knife Sharpeners are NOT created Equal. Avoid electric, because knives may have varying degrees of angle for the edge. Electric ones can easily damage and permanently alter the angles of your edges. If you are unsure how to sharpen your knives, take them to a professional service for routine edge service. Some knife companies will be happy to teach you how to maintain your knife's sharpness.

Suggested Reading Materials and Tools for developing Knife Skills:

Book: Zwilling Henckels Complete Book of Knife Skills
Book: Knife Skills for Chefs
Tool: Classic Knife Cuts Model
Tool: Multi-angle Knife Sharpener
Tool: Finger Guards for Children
Tool: Tri-stone (this is the one that I use)

Tool: Knife Sharpener (I also have this one for traveling and when I need to just refresh the edge a little.