An Edgy Decision
Here are some tips from Chad Ward, author of An Edge in the Kitchen, The Ultimate Guide To Kitchen Knives (William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers), on buying knives.
What you need
- Start with two basic knives, an 8- or 10-inch chef’s knife and a paring knife. With these two knives, you can do almost anything you’ll need to do in your kitchen. Add more knives for specific tasks only as you need them.
Locale
- You won’t find quality kitchen knives at a grocery store, a gas station, or a bait-and-tackle shop. Go to a specialty kitchenware shop, cutlery store, or online cutlery retailer. When shopping for knives, avoid your local big-box retailer. It may carry the same brands as a cutlery store, but they won’t be the company’s top-of-the-line knives.
Price
- Most of the time, you’ll find that you do indeed get what you pay for. If you want a quality chef’s knife, expect to pay $80 to $150 or more for it. Beware of buying knives in a set. You’ll end up paying for knives you don’t need and will never use.
Place of Origin
- Historically, the best knives in the world come from Solingen in Germany, Thiers in France, Sheffield in England, and Sakai and Seki City in Japan. If you buy a knife made in one of these locations, you stand a good chance of getting a quality knife.
