Kitchen Knives - The 5 Basic Culinary Knife Grind Types

When I decided to start a video series about our most important tools in the kitchen, our knives it was because I spoke to some of the best chefs I know that I deal with on a daily basis at my day job as a cutlery store manager. I asked them about when they had gone to culinary school where did their education start? They all told me that when they went to culinary school they started their educations learning about their kitchen knives. The best kitchen knives are the one's you use on a daily basis and the one's that you are most comfortable with.  The different types of knives used on a daily basis in a professional kitchen and how they are to be used.  That is a good place to start and that is why I wrote about the basic kitchen knife types in a previous post.

I never went to culinary school and there are times when I really wish I did but alas! That is not in the cards. I know many great chefs and I take my hat off to all of them. They are all super talented and so highly creative it makes my head spin. They have a level of technical and creative education and skill that they express in the food creations that they make and  that it is really something to behold.

I find it strange and please I hope none of you take this the wrong way if you went to culinary school, but I find it strange that the level of technical education and skill when it comes to using cutlery (knives), the tools that a chef uses on a daily basis professionally is excellent. Learning how to use each kind of knife precisely and efficiently is an excellent skill to have. I know so many professional chefs and cooks that have this skill set. On the other side of the coin it amazes me that the culinary educational environment has taught the proper use of culinary knives and the subsequent skill set necessary to using them to a high level of skill, but what seems to have been lacking is the necessary level of culinary knife education as to the different types of culinary knives. Yes!, they have learned the difference between a French knife and a Paring knife, but were not taught about the different knife grinds, blade angles, knife sharpening, steel types and the difference between a "slicing edge" and a "cutting edge." So many professional chefs and cooks I know don't really know anything about those tools except for maybe the manufacturer of their knives. As a professional knife sharpener for twenty five of my thirty years in the cutlery business I have seen improperly maintained knives and I have found professional chefs having "professional sharpeners" as they call themselves sharpen their knives. Unfortunately, many of the people out there that call themselves "professional sharpeners" don't really have a true professional knowledge of cutlery and what goes into making cutlery, the different grind types, the different angles at which certain kinds of knives can be sharpened at, the different Rockwell hardness of the steels in particular knives and the man ways in which to angle a knife edge to perform certain tasks.  So many people out there call themselves "professional sharpeners" and  really they  are not, and they are not  doing right by the many chefs and culinary professionals I know that have used them. I have literally seen knives destroyed by other sharpeners. This is why I am such a firm believer in culinary professionals sharpening their own tools and not allowing someone else to do it for them. I know this hurts my bottom line, but at least the chefs and culinary professionals that come to me will have their blades done right!

I am a firm believer that professional chefs and cooks as well as gourmet home chefs should have a firm education in every aspect of their kitchen cutlery and that includes sharpening.  So this post will begin with a video that will cover the different types of culinary knife grinds in use today. I hope you enjoy it!

 

Richard

 

EZ Basic Knife Skills And Information

I thought long and hard this weekend as to what type of subject matter I would start out with here at EZ Cooking and after talking to some of the chefs and cooks that I deal with on a daily basis at work I decided to begin this blog with a major review of kitchen knife skills and information.  The military teaches soldiers that their knife is their best friend and this also stands true for the chef or cook. Your knives are your best friends and our number one tools in the kitchen. The chefs and cooks that I spoke with told me that at culinary school they started out with learning about the knife and then they moved on to other things. Since I have been in the cutlery industry for 30+ years I felt this would be a good place to start. I truly did not know how to begin with this series of videos because I could have started with basic cutting techniques or background information on knives either way is interchangeable and either way could be called "basic" or "advanced" knife skills or "basic" or "advanced" kitchen knife skills etc. Since I will be doing background information on knives before doing any food  cutting techniques I will call this series of blog posts and videos Basic Knife Skills And Information. covering such topics as your basic kitchen knife types and there functions. I will share with you the difference between Western European and Japanese kitchen knives.  From there I will share about the different kitchen knife grind types and the different kinds of steels used in making kitchen knives. We will then venture into the fray of kitchen knife anatomy, both Western European and Japanese to give a good foundation in these differences as these days some chefs/cooks like to use one or the other type of knife and they have reasons why. I will share along the way culinary/kitchen knife terminology. One of the best most important things that I will share with you is the inherent advantages and disadvantages between Western European knives and Asian kitchen knives.

As we go deeper into the realm of knife skills I will share the different knife sharpening techniques that one can use to keep their knives just humming along! I will discuss the different types of knife sharpeners on the market and the how's and why's of using and not using certain of these sharpening devices on your coveted knives will benefit you. I will be doing a series of videos and posts on how to sharpen a knife. I have many techniques and I am sure one will fit you. I will show you the different ways to "hone" your knives on what is commonly called a sharpening steel whether that "steel" be a diamond steel, a carbide steel, a corrugated steel, a smooth steel or  a ceramic rod and explain the differences of each and how to use them in unison. Learning how to sharpen and maintain your most valuable tools is in my opinion one of the most valuable lessons to learn. I personally do not trust my tools to someone else to be sharpening because I know how I like it done and I feel that anyone who cooks should feel the same way.  My knives have my energy on them and mine alone! It is pride of ownership for me to be able to take care of my tools. I want the same for you! Heck! I will even share with you how to sharpen your kitchen knife/knives on the back of a plate in a pinch if you needed to, and my favorite 10-5-3-1 sharpening method using various sharpening stones.  I will even show you a couple of ways to sharpen your serrated knives! From here we will then move on to other primers before we get to cooking together. I look forward to sharing with you and  I look forward to having you here. As always your feedback is welcome here at EZ cooking and I look forward to that as well!

Thanks for stopping by,

Richard Blaine

Eat Well, Enjoy What You Eat, And Long Life!