Things You'll Need:
- Money
-
Step 1
For most people just starting out in the kitchen it can be an overwhelming experience. Spend a few hours watching the Food Network and you will run into hundreds of alien terms like induction cooking, bain marie, and carmalization. You will see any number of expensive gadgets like food processors, infra red grills, and immersion cookers. Let's face it, it is a bit intimidating. So how does someone just starting out learn to cook like a New York City chef? The same way they did.
Check the biography of most of your favorite celebrity chefs and you will find that they started cooking at home for the family. They were not blessed with extensive professional grade kitchens, but rather they started out in something not unlike what most most of us have today. So how does one create great food with limited instrumentation? Simplicity is the answer. At first start with the basics like a good quality knife.
As a chef I have found that I can do almost anything with a good quality cook's knife. But how you do not know what a good quality cook's knife is? Well, I am going to tell you. -
Step 2
The first thing we need to do is lose any thoughts towards the gimmick knives that saturate late night television. There is no such thing as a knife that never needs sharpening. Knives of good construction should be professionally sharpened once a year. This should hold true as long as you hone them every time you use them. First we will choose a knife then we will learn to maintain it.
As mentioned above we should shy away from any claims of ever-sharp knives. They are myths. A good knife should be constructed out of high carbon stainless steel and should a have a good bit of weight to it. A heavier knife does more of the work for you. There are several name brands like Henkle,Wusthof-Trident, Global, and Furi, and a top of the line cook's knife from these folks will set you back about $100. If you can afford it then go for it, you will not be disappointed. However, many of these companies have everyday lines that retail for around $25 to $35 dollars and will be just fine for home use. Some other brands to look for in this price range include Chicago Cutlery and Cuisinart.
To many, $25 for one knife seems pricey but if you get the right knife you will understand. There are two main types of cook's knives on the market these days, the standard cook's knife (also called a chef's knife) which has a blade that is eight to ten inches in length and the Santoku, a Japanese style knife that is part cook's knife and part clever which is gaining popularity here in the states. Both run about the same price. My personal knife is a Henkle 8" Santoku that retails for around $100, but I recently purchased a 6" Cuisinart Santoku as a gift for a friend that sells for around $20. The Cuisinart is a good little knife, especially for the money.
One last tidbit when choosing a knife: hold it. One of the things that will help you find the right knife for you is the way it feels in your hands. It should feel like an extension of your hand. The handle should be comfortable and give you good control over the knife. When you hold the right knife in your hand you will understand. -
Step 3
Now let's take care of your knife. Although these knives are designed to handle the stress of a dishwasher, I prefer to hand wash mine most of the time. If for no other reason than the fact that I do not have to wait until the dishwasher is full to have my knife ready to use again. Next is honing.
Honing is a rudiment technique that maintains the integrity of the blade's edge. It is the very act that most people envision when they think of a chef "sharpening" a knife. The quick flashy scraping of the knife on a long metal rod called a steel. It looks fancy but is a skill easily learned. Most of the sharpening devices on the market today are rubbish. Throw them away as they may damage a real knife. Get yourself a genuine honing steel; they run about $15.
To hone your knife, stand the steel vertically with tip down on a towel on something similar. Hold the knife with your dominant hand and put the heel of the blade on the steel with the top of the blade leaning out at a 20 degree angle. Then draw the knife back in a downwards arc until you reach the tip of the blade, like you are trying to carve off a thin piece of the steel. Repeat three times each side and you're done.
Purchasing the proper knife is the first step in building a kitchen that allows your technique and creativity to expand. Seek out a professional to sharpen your knife for you once a year; it'll run you about $25 and is well worth it. A knife is, in my opinion, the single most important tool you can own. Oh, don't forget a cutting board, but that's a different lesson.
