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You're Doing It Wrong: How to Properly Buy, Maintain and Use a Knife
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dolo54 blows minds and blows engines!
08/31/09

In reply to You're Doing It Wrong: How to Properly Buy, Maintain and Use a Knife
He doesn't mention it in the video, but notice the way he holds the the celery and carrot with his fingertips curved away from the blade. This allows you to push the knife up against your fingers without danger of cutting them and you can chop rapidly without fear of cutting your fingertips. It really is a great technique, I showed my mom recently and she was amazed at how much faster she could cut vegetables after all these years of doing it with her fingers extended.
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Bandit
08/31/09

In reply to You're Doing It Wrong: How to Properly Buy, Maintain and Use a Knife
I prefer to keep my knives (Henckles) a little on the dull side so that when and if it slips, I don't lose half a finger. A moderate amount of pressure to cut through a carrot seems to me a good trade to minimizing damage when skin inevitably meets metal.
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Simple_thinking
08/31/09

@Bandit: Ahh!! Bad idea man. Dull knives make you push harder, thus having less control of the blade. If you're pinching the blade like the article says, you should have no worries of the blade slipping. Keep the fingers on your other hand curled and you should have no worries of cutting them!
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Lizard_King
08/31/09

In reply to You're Doing It Wrong: How to Properly Buy, Maintain and Use a Knife
I learned to hold a knife in a very busy kitchen, but tend to pinch the blade with my thumb and middle finger, index pointed out on the back of the blade. While I've been told a few times it was unorthodox, it works well for me.

For some reason, the 5-piece cutlery set at home isn't a real high quality set, even though my wife and I would appreciate it. I must get on this.
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sibbe
08/31/09

In reply to You're Doing It Wrong: How to Properly Buy, Maintain and Use a Knife
damn wash your finger nails... disgusting... have you dug a grave?
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Lizard_King promoted this comment Edited by sibbe at 08/31/09 6:31 PM sibbe was starred sibbe was unstarred

Lizard_King
08/31/09

@sibbe: Some of us have jobs that require our hands be greasy a good portion of the day. While I generally wash my hands often enough, my cuticle and fingernails are often stained. I get comments all the time about how "grossed out" people are, most recently at a sushi bar. Sorry to offend.
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Super_Koopa
08/31/09

In reply to You're Doing It Wrong: How to Properly Buy, Maintain and Use a Knife
All this talk about hard wood and boning knives makes me chuckle.

A great way to sharpen a knife is by using the bottom of a porcelain coffee mug. 2 passes on each side and your dull knife should slice paper now.
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HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.
08/31/09

@Super_Koopa: You're talking about honing, not sharpening, there.

And there are much better tools for it (such as the aforementioned honing steel).
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HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.
08/31/09

In reply to You're Doing It Wrong: How to Properly Buy, Maintain and Use a Knife
Most plastic cutting boards are made of soft plastics; I can't really imagine them doing any damage to a knife.

Now, glass or stone boards, definitely avoid.
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johnnyabnormal
08/31/09

In reply to You're Doing It Wrong: How to Properly Buy, Maintain and Use a Knife

Shun Ken Onion Knives FTW...

[www.williams-sonoma.com]
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presto117
09/01/09

@johnnyabnormal: looks like a terribly built knife... Partial tang with probably fake rivets? tisk tisk...
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johnnyabnormal
09/01/09

@presto117: Hardly... It is the most effortless knife I have ever used. 16X folded high carbon steel also means you won't be sharpening this as often either.
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johnnyabnormal
09/01/09

@presto117: Also:

The Japanese have made knives for centuries without using a full tang. Unless you are planning to jack up your car or pry open doors with your chef's knife, the tang plays little or no role in its strength and durability. Shun's cutting edge is ground to an angle of 16 degrees, making them extremely sharp. Compare this to the best German knives which are only ground to only 22 degrees... The exotic Japanese steels used in the cutting core of these knives allow them to hold razor sharp edges without the need for excessive re-sharpening as well. If you still think it's a :"terribly built knife", know that Shun knives have exploded on the US market. With growth rates of in excess of 40% per year, the biggest complaint from many is that they can't keep up with demand.
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Pope John Peeps II
08/31/09

In reply to You're Doing It Wrong: How to Properly Buy, Maintain and Use a Knife
Maybe my cutting board is not hard enough hardwood, but I find mineral oil to be less than worthless. It doesn't actually prevent anything from getting absorbed into your board, so it still smells and still absorbs liquids, and every time you wash it you have to reapply this useless oil.

Not for me. Just sand and invest in a good non-toxic, permanent sealant.
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trrosen
08/31/09

@Pope John Peeps II: A sealant turns you nice wood cutting board into a nice plastic cutting board that looks like wood.
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Pope John Peeps II
08/31/09

@trrosen: Well, it's better than the shitty mineral oil treatment. I guess you could just invest in something so fine-grained that it doesn't even matter... Like teak or something?
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thegreatpablo
08/31/09

In reply to You're Doing It Wrong: How to Properly Buy, Maintain and Use a Knife
I used to sell Cutco knives. There are a lot of things to look out for as well.

You'll want to make sure your knife has a full tang (the metal part that extends into the handle). Ideally, it'll encompass the entire handle and in most cases, be visible all the way around.

You'll need to make sure that the rivets are made of a high quality metal. Anything cheap or softer metals start to have problems when they get hot and cool down (dishwasher, whatever). They will shrink and expand causing pockets to form where food can get in which is unsanitary, or simply fall out, ruining our knife.

Metal is important as well. High carbon steel is what Henckel's and Cutco both use. Extremely strong metal.

If you've never checked them out, I would highly suggested Cutco knives. They have a fantastic warranty (forever warranty on the knives, regardless of who bought them or how you acquired them). Free sharpening, etc.
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jonny6pak
08/31/09

@thegreatpablo: I like the metal strength in Cutco knives, but I never bought any becuase I hear that the free sharpening requires the original packaging. I also heard that getting them sharpened by anyone but Cutco voids the warranty, and thus the free sharpening is no longer an option. Is this true?
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Joe Valasek
08/31/09

@thegreatpablo: A full tang knife is not necessary for kitchen work. The forces imparted on a knife handle in the kitchen are much smaller than a machete or bushcraft knife. I suppose if you need a butcher knife, then maybe. A half tang or a tapered tang usually make for a more balanced knife.

The blade steel is important, but not as important as the grind and the heat treatment (as long as it isn't just generic "stainless steel"). Also, if you look, you can find a knife with a high quality stainless steel blade. VG-10 is a very popular steel for Japanese made kitchen knives, and it is a very good steel. Compared to a high-carbon stainless, stainless steel won't be as prone to stain or rust when cutting acidic foods such as tomato or lemon.
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thegreatpablo
08/31/09

@jonny6pak: I don't recall that from my days there. I had heard stories of people moving into homes and finding Cutco knives in drawers or garages and sending them in to be sharpened and/or replaced if they were old enough.
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Mandatory_Field
08/31/09

In reply to You're Doing It Wrong: How to Properly Buy, Maintain and Use a Knife
My Chef's knife is a 10 inch Dick. I don't get to say that nearly often enough... I also have an 8 inch Wiltshire Professional. A few friends prefer Japanese ones, which re wicked sharp (and harder than Western ones), but require more care in using and sharpening.Good tips, thanks.
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Edited by Mandatory_Field at 08/31/09 4:30 PM Mandatory_Field was starred Mandatory_Field was unstarred

UshiEbonifly
08/31/09

In reply to You're Doing It Wrong: How to Properly Buy, Maintain and Use a Knife
I could argue with the idea that forged is required. I recently bought a R. H. Forschner by Victorinox chef's knife and it is the best I have ever had.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000638D32
The secret is just good steel. Forschner has been standard in the culinary industry for years because it is good and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. We still use my Dad's cimeter knife he used a a butcher in college (60's) and it holds a great edge.

As for mineral oil I was confused about that for years until I bought some cutting board oil. It is not the thin stuff you used in band, it is thick like vegatable oil. It should be cheap too. I bought mine at Ikea for ~$5.
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Jon R.
08/31/09

In reply to You're Doing It Wrong: How to Properly Buy, Maintain and Use a Knife
I took Norman Weinstein's knife skills class about ten years ago and it was very useful. I've done a lot of cooking since then and knowing how to handle a knife in the kitchen makes a huge difference in being able to prepare a meal quickly and easily.
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VaraneseBabalastic
08/31/09

In reply to You're Doing It Wrong: How to Properly Buy, Maintain and Use a Knife
My wife is a chef, and we have like 4 knives which we use on a regular basis. We love the Shun brand, but knives are personal! So make sure you get one that feels good for you! Most places that sell good knives will let you try them out right there in the store.
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OCEntertainment
08/31/09

In reply to You're Doing It Wrong: How to Properly Buy, Maintain and Use a Knife
Man, Taste Test week is really making it hard for me to tell the difference between Gizmodo and Lifehacker.

Good article, though. Now I know to treat cutting veggies like I'm playing golf.

Exactly. Like. I'm playing. Golf.

.....
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Gary_7vn
08/31/09

In reply to You're Doing It Wrong: How to Properly Buy, Maintain and Use a Knife
I wouldn't use mineral oil. Walnut oil is best, any vegetable oil will work.

A wood board is only good if you get one with the grain running vertically, that way cuts heal automagically. A good wood board, properly cared for, will last for many years.

Oh, and bamboo is definitely not fricking harder than steel, not even cheap cheap steal. He might have meant "tougher" but not even that. Tougher than regular wood, sure.

"Mineral oil or liquid petroleum is a by-product in the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline and other petroleum based products from crude oil. -wiki"
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Igman87
08/31/09

@Gary_7vn: And nobody said bamboo is harder than steel. Rebar is harder than flesh and bone, yet I can bend it?! How does that work?
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Geisrud
08/31/09

@Igman87: leverage, dumbass.
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devwild
08/31/09

@Geisrud: @Igman87:

Try hardness vs brittleness. Something can be extremely hard, but still bend under pressure.
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Geisrud
08/31/09

@devwild: I'm a blacksmith. You don't need to try to teach me about properties of metal
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Gary_7vn
08/31/09

@Igman87: ("It's harder than wood and lousy for your knife")

If it's lousy for your knife, it must be harder...
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