Kitchen Knife Guide
It has always been a joy to use my good knife (Global 8" chef's), but now that I've just had it professionally sharpened for the first time it is pure pleasure. Everything-- EVERYTHING-- cuts like butter. And I sharpen my knives regularly.
Tip #1
Keeping your knives sharp makes kitchen prep easier, faster, and safer; it's not expensive or difficult. A good knife-- one that is correctly sized and weighted for your hand, that is correct for the task at hand, that is in good shape, and that is used correctly-- is clutch. Also, good knife skills may improve the taste and mouthfeel of your meals-- being able to uniformly dice food helps it uniformly cook, and being able to cut foods to the proper size/shape helps realize the recipe's intent. I'm linking to the one I have, but if you want to invest in a good knife you should really just go to Williams & Sonoma or Sur la Table and ask to try out each of their knives on potatoes and carrots they keep lying around for this very purpose. That's what I did and I how I found this knife I love.
Tip #2
This is a honing steel. It comes with your knife sets. It does not sharpen your knives, it hones them.
Tip #3
This is the sharpener I use, it's simple, effective, and safe (if you use it correctly!)-- and very inexpensive. Do NOT sharpen your Asian-style knives with it, you'll ruin them. Asian-style (e.g. Santoku) knives are sharpened to a different angle. The Global 8" I love so much is an Asian-style knife.
Tip #4
This is the Knife Skills book I have, I really recommend it. It's beautiful, clear, and instructive. Though I also took a knife skills class and THAT I highly recommend to every cook. Knowing how to use your knives properly totally speeds up kitchen time and helps prevent injuries.
Tip #5
This is the lettuce knife I use. Do not use a regular knife on lettuce to help the leaves taste good and stay crisp. The one I have is actually really good for lettuce... in that it sucks as a knife. It ends up tearing the lettuce instead of actually slicing it, which is what you're supposed to do with lettuce.
