Home-cooking is a totally underrated hobby. Being able to cook for the family not only alleviates moods inside our home – but also becomes an avenue where we can practice our skills and express our love at the same time. Perhaps one of the best satisfying and glorifying moments in our life is when we get to serve a delicious home-cooked meal for the family. Now more than ever, we spend our time mostly indoors, and what is a more exciting way to uplift our bored spirits than spending our time in the kitchen?
Once you become well-accustomed to cooking, you will know for sure whether the tools you use in the kitchen effectively serve their purpose or not. Whether or not you are a chef by profession is out of the question – we all use a knife for various purposes when cooking. The knife is the chef’s most valuable tool in the kitchen – there is no doubt that a good knife is the foundation of every food we cook. This is why we need to invest in a quality kitchen knife.
It is easy and simple to say all these things about a knife, but what exactly are the reasons we need to invest in them? Let’s find out.
1. A quality knife is safer to use.
There are different knives use for various purposes. We use a specific knife for slicing, trimming, peeling, mincing, deboning, cutting, dicing, paring, carving, etc. See, we know what usually happens when we use the wrong tools for the wrong job – we either end up ruining the thing or getting ourselves a nasty cut. For example, we can use a chef’s knife in versatility but not in peeling, mincing, or cleaving meat bones due to its broad blade. That doesn’t feel right at all.
Quality kitchen knives are evidently sharper. There is a common belief that a dull knife is safer to use than a sharp one, and as a cook, you know that this is life. We tend to use more force while using dull knives, and when we do that, the knife has a tendency to slip, which might probably lead to accidents.
Throwing in some extra cash for a quality set of kitchen knives not only keep us from cutting off our own finger, but it also helps us prepare our ingredients for the day’s recipe properly and smoothly with such precision and finesse.
2. A quality knife lasts longer.
There are two main reasons why quality kitchen knives are expensive – they are made with top-notch steel and are manufactured with good craftsmanship. Buying a knife is the same as the concept of purchasing a new phone. When you want that thing to last, you need to throw in a little more money to ensure its quality.
Quality knives last longer than a cheap ones simply because they are made of good materials. A cheap knife’s blade tends to get dull and rusty more quickly. Its handle can give up sooner than you expected and this will make you buy another one. When you think about it, you might even spend more money buying one cheap knife one after another than investing in one good quality knife.
3. A quality knife is a product of good craftsmanship.
Time. Temperature. Technique. These are the three things from which a good quality knife is forged. This is why good quality knives are necessarily expensive but worth investing in nonetheless. The Japanese knives, for example, are known to be of excellent quality due to the amount of work put into forging those thin, lightweight, small-angled knives.
Right now, carbon steel and stainless steel are the two primary quality blade materials in the market. A carbon steel blade costs more than a stainless steel one for its sleek and lightweight properties, making it ideal for cutting with precision. On the other hand, Stainless steel blades are more affordable and more preferred by average home cooks due to their durability and versatility.
4. A quality knife makes it all easy.
A good quality knife makes the job a whole lot easier and faster when in the kitchen. When cheaper knives sometimes can’t smoothly cut through that thick piece of meat, you have to sharpen it again to finish the job, and that just consumes more time. Having a quality kitchen knife in your kitchen spares you that extra time and effort.
They are also very comfortable to use. You’ll know it’s a good quality blade when it feels like it’s an extension of your hands. These knives are light, smooth, and balanced – they do not even strain the hands when held for long periods.
On the other hand, low-end knives can be unbalanced and uncomfortable to hold. Usually, cheaper knives have handles made of plastics that are too rigid to hold. They easily nick too, in no time. When in the kitchen, we want to work with tools that are long-lasting and feel comfortable to use so that we can avoid strains and save energy for other tasks.
TAKING GOOD CARE OF YOUR KNIFE
Investing in a quality knife is easy, especially when you have the money but taking care of it is another important thing to remember. Take note that no matter how expensive a knife is, it would still be useless in a kitchen when it is dull. Regularly hone and wipe your knife clean to avoid rusting and dullness. Maintaining the knife’s sharpness is key to its longevity. Avoid using a cheap honing stone for the knife as it may actually wear the knife. When you’re at it, you may also invest in an electric sharpener or use a whetstone for your blade. For storage, it is recommended to hang the knives on the wall using magnetic knife strips instead of throwing them on the drawers.