Large Cutting Tools
1 KNIVES AND CUTTING TOOLS COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL The importance of knives to a professional chef or cook cannot be overstated. High-quality, well-made, well-maintained knives are fundamental kitchen tools that form the foundation of a professional’s work. The “perfect” knife depends upon a variety of factors. The knife should fi t your hand, feel substantial but not heavy, and should be well balanced. In the last decade or so, tradi- tional Western-style knives, long the standard of highest quality in knives, have been joined by a number of Eastern-style knives. Both knife-making traditions have resulted in a wide array of knives, some of which can be used for a variety of cutting tasks and some crafted to perform one specifi c function. A true professional could get good—even great—results from a lesser-quality knife, but it is harder work. Those same tools in the hands of a novice might make work discour- agingly diffi cult, even impossible. The best tools make it easier for the beginner to learn cutting skills properly, right from the start. It is well worth spending the time and money necessary to get a good knife and become comfortable with the skills involved in sharpen- ing, steeling, and using knives for a variety of cutting tasks. The chef’s knife, as the most basic, all-purpose knife, shares similarities with many other knives, from paring knives to boning knives, scimitars to slicers. Even cleavers are made up of the same basic parts. The following discussion of the parts of a knife uses a chef’s knife as the model of the typical knife, made up of a blade and a handle.
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