Kitchen knives and cutting boards drive me crazy! There are so many options, how are you supposed to know what to buy?
Rebecca B. emailed us at expert@sweetspot.ca, and NEW SweetHome expert Rose Reisman, answered.
There are five essential knives that you should have in your kitchen. This can turn you into a better cook as well as make food preparation more enjoyable. The key is to buy from a reputable manufacturer with a lifetime warranty.
- Chef's Knife: This is a must in your kitchen. The knife should be between 8” and 10”, whichever fits your hand best. Use it to chop, dice, slice and mince. The slightly curved blade allows for easy mincing, and the weight of the knife allows it to slice through thicker foods.
- Paring Knife: Excellent for fine work such as peeling or paring fruit, coring apples or chopping herbs. Look for a 2” to 4” size.
- Santoku knife: This is my favourite knife to use. It’s a great all-purpose knife, good for cutting meat, fish or vegetables. It’s a little smaller than a chef's knife and has a wide, straight blade, rather than one that curves up at the tip. You use an up-and-down chopping motion instead of a rocking motion as with the chef’s knife.
- Carving Knife: If you love cooking roasts or turkeys, you can’t be without a carving knife. They are around 9” long and have a thin, flexible blade. It’s the only knife that will achieve thinner slices of meat.
- Serrated Knife: I love both the long and short versions to either cut through breads or vegetables with firm skins and soft insides such as tomatoes.
Plastic, Glass or Wood Cutting Boards: Plastic and glass are both non porous surfaces and are easier to clean than wood which makes them safer to use. Wood, which is porous, is more difficult to clean properly and is not allowed in commercial establishments. If you like wood, be sure to use one that has a tightly grained wood and small pores.
Glass is terrible for your knives. Utensils can break on these boards causing a health hazard.
Your safest bets are plastic or acrylic boards. Have various colours to avoid cross-contamination. Use one just for meat, poultry or fish, another for fresh produce and another for dairy. These boards can also be placed in the dishwasher for a thorough cleaning.
Rose Reisman is an authority on eating and living well. She’s a media personality, nutritionist, restaurant consultant, caterer and author of 17 recipe books including her latest, Rose Reisman’s Family Favourites. Rose recently opened her first restaurant Glow, incorporating her philosophy.
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