Quality Kitchen Cutlery

The tip ends of kitchen knives vary .  Some are pointed, some cut off with a straight end, some are rounded or with a slant.  The point of the knife is at the opposite end of the handle and typically used for cutting small items or food into thin strips.  It can also be used for making slits in foods, i.e., preparing a pork chop to stuff.  The cutting edge is the bottom of the blade and runs along the length of the blade.  The cutting edge of knives can be serrated or straight.  The serrated edges never need sharpening and the straight edged knives must be kept sharp by regularly using a sharpening steel or sharpener of some type.  The spine of the blade is the side opposite the cutting edge.  It’s usually thicker than the cutting edge so as to add strength to the blade.  It has a smooth, blunt edge to allow gripping with the thumb and forefinger or apply pressure with fingers or palm of hand which adds control to the cutting task.  The bolster, if the knife has one, is a thick piece of metal at the end of the blade and just before the handle.    The bolster along with the tang gives the knife balance and with good balance, it provides better control.  The bolster provides protection from the blade.  If the knife has a bolster, it’s an indication that the knife was formed using the forged process rather than stamped.  The handle of the kitchen knife if the part of the knife that holds the blade.  The tang of the blade extends down in the handle to attach the blade to the handle material.  On a strong kitchen knife, the tang is usually riveted to the handle.  When purchasing a knife, it’s important that the handle fits your hand properly.  It shouldn’t be too big or too small.  Chicago Cutlery and Ginsu offers quality kitchen knives.

The paring knife is a common and useful knife and probably used more often than any other knife in the preparation of food in your kitchen.  It is a small knife usually with a plain edged blade.  The blade is usually      2 1/2 - 4 inches in length and is ideal for peeling vegetables and fruit.  It is also used by some for deveining shrimp, removing seeds from peppers of various sorts, and cutting garnishes.  It’s more or less an all purpose knife for your varied kitchen tasks.

Well, in our last blog we talked about the handles of your kitchen knives.  Let us think about your choices of blades and consider what to look for.  Of course that will have to do with the brand you choose and there are many qualities and name brands. You can only make a product just so good.

 There are many companies making superior quality kitchen knives.  Some are pricey and others are more conservative in price but you cannot always gauge the quality by the price or the brand. Check out the reputation and performance of the manufacturer. Check on the quality of steel used and their process of manufacturing.  German made knives go through some stringent tests, but so do Japanese made and American made products like Chicago Cutlery.  Many manufacturers with products available today have been in the business for many years and have proven track records. A good proven kitchen knife manufacturer will offer you a good choice of handles as well as excellent blades on all the knives.

If you are interested in price and quality check out the web.  Many websites are very informative about their products and give detailed information about the product.  You can usually buy the product much cheaper on the net than at the store.  With the stiff competition most web sites are trying their best to offer you the best price possible.

Choosing the right knife or knives set can bring many questions to your mind.  Do I choose color  i.e.,  red, blue, green, or some other color of handle?  Should I choose Stainless Steel Handles?  Would it be better to choose a lovely black Polymer or a beautiful wooden handle?

Well, I am sure it is a matter of personal preference to you.   I just visited my daughter in Louisville, KY, who recently purchased some Chicago Cutlery Santoku Knives with a combination of Stainless Steel and Black Polymer handles.  Believe me they were beautiful and she could have found no better match for her new black counter tops and black stovetop.

Just keep in mind,  though you may be a little partial to red, blue, or green, they may not always match your decor should you move or change your kitchen colors.  One thing for sure, you would be safe with the Stainless Steel Handles on your kitchen knives, or the wood or the black polymer. 

Chicago Cutlery provides a knife block set that gives you a choice of various styles and sizes all contained within blocks made of natural hardwood.  The coloring in the block may vary somewhat but most will be nearly the same natural color.  The size of the block will depend on the set of cutlery.  The block sets could contain as few as 7 pieces of kitchen cutlery up to 24 pieces of cutlery within one block.  Chicago Cutlery has varied styles such as their Basics, Classic Chef, Metropolitan, Forum, Insignia Steel, Insignia 2, Walnut Signature, Walnut Tradition, and Landmark.  Each has their own unique styling.

Likewise, Ginsu also provides knife block sets, but unlike Chicago Cutlery, their blocks come in either a black or natural colored hardwood, but also in a Bamboo Block.    The one unique thing about the Ginsu blocks is that some can be mounted on the wall or under the counter for saving space as well as the traditional counter top block.  Ginsu knife block sets come in different sizes ranging from a 5 piece (including the block) up to 36 pieces (including the block).  Ginsu, too has a selection of styles to choose from including their unique Chikara Series, Stainless Steel Sets, Bakelite Handled Sets and the Home Basics Set which is the one to contain the 36 pieces.

 No matter what your choice might be of either of the two different brands, either one is of high quality and lasting value.

The kitchen knife block set is usually a wooden block with slits to contain all the knives of the set.  These sets can range from the very basic sets to a full set of every knife needed in your kitchen.    The kitchen knife block set is usually conveniently  stored with all the knives within your immediate reach during food preparation with every knife for each job available with the block set.  There are block sets that are the traditional type where they are set on the counter, but there are also those available that can be mounted on the wall or under the counter as a space saver.  Ginsu provides these wall or under-the-counter space saving block sets while Chicago Cutlery provides the traditional block sets.  Either brand would be an attractive addition to your kitchen as well as a very useful set of tools within an organized block and in your convenient location.

I was highly impressed with the many innovations made in the Swiss Family Robinson movie and display at Disneyworld and the famous tree house.  Man has always had the ability to adapt and make new innovations to make his tasks more simple.  Kitchen gagetry is no exception.  Manufacturers make knives and cutlery, cookware and more for every common task man faces.

I was impressed this morning as I cut up a rather large Indiana cantelope.  I enjoyed the ease of using the famous Chef Knife as a sliced through the thickness of the cantelope and then I used a 4 inch paring knife to dice into small chunks. It would have made the task more difficult to slice and dice this melon with the larger chef’s knife.

The next time you browse through the small appliance department of your favorite Department Store observe the many new gadgets that are displayed and the new innovations that are available to us.  You will find everything from new coffee makers to can openers, toasters, blenders and every sort of gadget imaginable.

If you have observed some new gadget that interests you tell us about it in our comment section below.

Until next Blog—The KitchenKing

There are so many brands and tastes for almost anything you may buy and each person is certainly entitled to his/her choice.  Sometimes the quality of a product lies in the name or brand because of a company’s many years of reputation and good workmanship. Price cannot always be the determining factor these days.  Usually you pay more and should be able to expect more in quality, but this is not always so. There are many times in changes of management and buy outs when a company lets it’s guard down and begins to offer less quality.  There are also times in changes of styles of product when the new is not as good as the old.  This is a good reason to shop wisely when you shop.  Consider the materials and workmanship as well as the recent reputation of the company.

If price and quality is a factor to you choose brands like Chicago or Ginsu which are two companies who have not let down their guard and who still offer high quality knives and cutlery at reasonable prices. Surely you can choose brands with longer standing names and good reputations but you will find the quality of these two companies very comparable to some very expensive brands.

Shop wisely and save more.

at reasonable

Chefs and cooking enthusiasts hold their knives in the same regard writers hold their favorite pens or word processing software—their favorites just feel right and, to make a bad pun, sharpen their skills.  It helps to have a rudimentary knowledge of some components of the knives themselves.  The blade of the knife is, of course, the most essential.   A most desirable type of knife blade is thought to be “taper-ground”, meaning the blade was forged from a single sheet of metal and then ground so it tapers smoothly from the spine to the cutting edge with no apparent beveling.  Frequently used chef cutlery knives often have taper-ground blades. 

Handles are also very important.  They should fit the user’s hand comfortably, increasing the speed and ease of use.  A poor fit can result in fatigued hands.  You should spend some time holding the knife, making sure you are not straining your grip to grasp the handle.  And as it should be, there are knives available that are especially adapted for left-handed users.

The word “Santoku” signifies “three virtues” throughout Japanese history.  The knife chops, dices and minces spectacularly, so the name Santoku is an apt one.  Santoku knife blades usually range in sizes from five to seven inches, but smaller ones can be found.  They are styled like a narrow-bladed cleaver, allowing for a well-balanced grip and simultaneous full blade use.  Santoku knives are also known for superior cutting performance due to their blade edge and blade edge release patterns.

Quality of steel or ceramic construction details and assembly influence the prices of Santoku knives.  The knives should hold their sharpness if stored and cared for properly.   An occasional professional sharpening is best to restore their correct bevel.  Dishwasher use is not recommended for Santoku or any other cutlery knives, which should be washed by hand and dried completely before use.