Since I have gotten not one but three requests to comment on the “best cooking knife”, yet still reel from a bad case of writer’s block, I figure I’ll just do what Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me does when they don’t have time to make a show – I’ll slap together a quotes and tidbits edition.

One thing I realized – people don’t seem to like to comment on this weblog. From past and current experience with other blogs, I consider a 1:200 (one comment per 200 visitors) ratio to be healthy. This weblog is closer to 1:600, which made me wonder. My friend Glenda, a great person and insane marketing wiz, claims that more elaborate posts don’t get as many comments thanks to the Internet’s drive towards bite-size. So we’ll try that…

Buying a knife is an intensely personal thing. Not unlike clothes, cars, and computers, knifes come in so many forms and types simply because everyone has a slightly different approach to them. Two things, however, seem to be the main culprit in bad knife buying decisions:

1. Don’t buy knife blocks

Knife blocks are the Sampler CDs of the culinary world. One decent item, surrounded by six to twelve not so decent ones at a price that could be easily slashed down to a tenth if everyone just bought the knifes they needed – a chef’s knife and a paring knife is usually more than sufficient for the home cook (a serrated knife for bread makes sense since bread kills chef’s knifes).

and

2. Learn how to hold a knife before trying it out

Yours truly holding a Global knife as described below.

… and trying it out you want. Let’s face it – you wouldn’t buy a $100 pair of pants or shirt sight unseen. You’d want to try it on, see how it looks and feels on you. Knifes, as I said above, come in many forms and designs precisely because we’re all different. Insist on trying your new knife. Bring your own onion, carrot, or celery if you must, but try it.

As for holding, many hobby cooks seem to be fond of the “knight in shining armor” technique – gripping the knife’s handle tightly with all five fingers. That’s a bad way to do it. Instead, rest your middle, ring, and pinky finger on the knife’s handle while gripping the blade of the knife between your index finger and thumb. See how it feels different all of a sudden?

As for what knife to buy and which knife to look at, here’s some general ideas:

1. Tang

Most modern chef’s knifes (sans the ones you get at 4am on home order TV) sport a full tang. Tang is the distance the blade’s metal extends into the knife’s grip. Some knifes, like Gobal, F.A. Porsche’s 301, or Füri, just forge the knife’s grib directly from the blade in one solid piece, others like MAC or Shun attach wooden or plastic shells to the tang. Get a full tang knife.

2. Balance

Home cooks seem to prefer lighter, grip-heavy knifes while commercial cooks aim for blade-heavy or balanced knifes of a heavier make. Neither one is bad, I’ve worked for months with Global knifes which are much lighter than my preferred MAC chef’s 8″ knife. What it comes down to, again, is trying them out.

Tidbits on care and feeding:

1. Don’t EVER stick your knife into a knife block

Knife blocks not only harbor nasty pathogens inside their sheaths, they also dull your knifes. Get a magnetic strip or a knife bag. Messermeister also makes great plastic knife sheaths, just make sure your knife is very dry and clean before sticking it into the sheath or even the most stainless steel will rust.

2. Likewise, don’t EVER stick your knife into a dishwasher

Sanitize your knifes with 2% bleach solution and wipe them with a damp towel. Then dry with a clean paper towel or cloth rag. Dishwasher and diswashing detergents kill chef’s knifes.

3. Never, ever, leave a knife in the sink

First you’ll ruin it. Soapy water will attack the knife’s delicate edge, micro-rust will dull it. Secondly, someone can get seriously hurt when reaching into the sink. Don’t do it.

This is what happened the last time, someone left a knife in the dish sink. I fired his ass.

4. A falling knife has no handle

Never try to catch a falling knife. Step back and, worst case, have it professionally sharpened if it lands on the sharp edge (it very rarely does).

5. Knifes don’t walk

If you must walk around holding a chef’s knife, carry it close to your hip between your thumb and index finger around the grip.

6. Honing and Sharpening

First, to end this myth once and for all, those sticks you see in knife blocks, “steels” and whatnot they are called, do not “sharpen” your knife. Instead, they hone it. Which is, incidentally, something you should be doing a lot. All those celebrity chefs have made it kind of a sacred act to grind steel against knife, but don’t let that fool you – it’s easy to learn and really, really, important to do. When buying your knife, buy a honing steel as well. I usually refrain from recommending brands, but the Chef’s Choice EdgeCraft Diamond Honing Steel is, so far, the best I’ve seen. When buying your steel and knife let the seller show you how it’s done. Or bribe me for a video… :)

Sharpening happens much less often. Unlike honing, which aims to re-align and straighten the micro-teeth every knife has, sharpening removes steel from your knife in order to create a new edge. Sharpening should happen every six to eight weeks at the very least, either take your knife to a sharpener or buy a sharpening tool. Don’t buy the Wal-Mart edition desk sharpener, let someone explain the tool to you and buy a slightly more expensive ($20-$30) one, your knife’s multi-year lifespan will thank you.

That leaves us with one question still in the air – which knife is the best for me?

Try them all. Personally, I have used Global, Porsche, Füri, and MAC in my lifetime and would recommend at least looking at them. Shun is a great knife but too expensive in my book for a hobby cook (and even for pros). And for all that is good and holy in this world, do NOT, I repeat: DO NOT, buy a Santoku knife! Why? That’s for another day.