I need a new chef’s knife – any recommendations? Nothing too expensive, though.
Alex, Quebec, Canada
My main recommendation would be to buy it in person rather than online. The feel of a knife, its weight and the shape of the handle are crucial, so nothing beats handling a few to see what “fits” your hand best.
Also bear in mind how much time you want to spend maintaining your knife. Japanese knives, for example, are amazing – their thinner, steel blades make them the best for precision cutting and their beautiful wooden handles feel great in the hand – but they will require an additional investment in the form of a whetstone to keep the blade sharp without causing it any damage. As with pots and pans, you need a knife that matches the cook you actually are rather than the one you aspire to be or are in your daydreams: aspiration is all well and good, of course, but realism also stands the test of time!
Either way, expensive does not automatically equate to best, so try out some cheaper brands such as Global or Victorinox, too: many professional chefs swear by them and feel more confident with them than with thinner Japanese blades. As an added bonus, if you buy one of those, you may well have money left over for a small serrated knife, which I’d very much recommend adding to your knife kit. If you were a proper Italian nonna, say, that would be your main knife – they do everything with them – but for the rest of us they’re super-useful. I’d also consider a long, serrated bread knife; lots of chefs I know use them for just about everything.
However many knives you end up buying, buy them individually rather than as a set. Yes, they might look compelling sitting together in bespoke knife block, but one or two will more often than not never get used. Better to spend more on less, I think.
Once you’ve bought your knife, it’s equally important that you look after it. I’m sure you know this, but knives should never go in the dishwasher: those water jets will soon dull the blade, and also ruin any wooden handle, so take a moment to wash them by hand.
