The Right Knives for The Job

Like every craftsman (or woman), the butcher or chef must have a quality set of tools with which to work. The most commonly used tool in the cutting room, kitchen or prep table is the knife. This month we are going to discuss our favorites and how to select the proper one for any culinary task.

There are as many options in blade or handle material as there are stars in the night sky; however, most of them offer very similar features and differ only in aesthetics. For simplicity, we will focus on the two main types of each: in handles, wood and various synthetics; in blades, carbon steel or stainless steel. I can appreciate a beautiful wood-handled knife as much as anyone, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, wood is not nearly as durable as synthetic materials like Fibrox. Fibrox is a patented blend of wood fibers bonded together and sealed with thermoplastic polymer. If working in a commercial setting, wood may not be allowed due to being porous and the obvious sanitary issues that brings along. Carbon steel blades can be honed to razor sharpness easily, but often rust or stain very quickly when used in wet or acidic conditions. Stainless steel blades have a high chromium content that prevents staining or rusting, but often makes them a bit harder to sharpen. For the sake of durability and rugged simplicity, I choose knives with synthetic handles and stainless blades for all of our culinary work.

Now that we’ve settled on materials, we can tackle the horde of variations: blade length and shape. This is where things get tricky,

I can settle on one blade and handle material for every task, I could not so easily choose one blade length and shape for everything. For daily work in our shop and various outdoor pursuits that span everything from filleting fish, breaking down primal cuts of beef and prepping fruits and vegetables, we use a base set of four knives and a polishing steel. All of ours are Victorinox knives made by Forschner of Sweden. Very affordable and durable tools that can often outlast you, there are several boning knives in our kitchen drawer that belonged to my grandfather and are still in use today.

The 12-inch butcher knife is right in its element breaking down large pieces of meat into steaks or even carving cooked meats for the table. The long, stout blade has plenty of power for muscling through meat and gristle without sawing. For home use, a 10-inch model would likely perform as well, but the 12-inch really shines cutting roasts and steaks in the cutting room or slicing large briskets and pork butts in the kitchen. This is the one knife on this list I consider a “specialty” item that not everyone may have a need for; usually priced around $100 from most cutlery retailers, they are also a bit more expensive than the others.

My all-time favorite knife to use in the outdoors and at home is the 6-inch flexible curved boning knife. I carry one of these just about everywhere, and they see use in all types of applications. This blade is more than capable of filleting any type of fish, as well as removing meat from the bone, as in the name. In the proper hands, it is a surgeon’s scalpel, preferred by all of our meat cutters for precision, trimming beef tenderloin fillets, where ounces are dollars … If I had only one knife for all culinary duties, it would be this model. One will be in my pack on an elk hunt this fall.

Many have seen television celebrities like Gordon Ramsay chop and dice vegetables with a chef’s knife, and no culinary tool kit would be complete without one. The large models preferred by many are not as comfortable as the 6-inch version I prefer. Light and swift at topping vegetables, but strong enough to dice when needed. The straight-line blade and sharp point make coring and intricate work come naturally.

Last, but not least, is the paring knife. This is the cheapest and most abused knife in the set. Used as often for opening boxes or bags as actual food prep, it is an essential. The small handle and easily managed short blade make this knife perfect for getting young people trained, all of my boys used them to help process deer when they were small. At $6-8 dollars each, it is also practical to keep a good number of these around for dinner knives; they will make short work of a plated steak!

Using knives is a large part of most people’s day, having the right knives on hand will make time in the kitchen much more enjoyable. The basic set referenced will get you started on your journey, but the possibilities for customization are endless. No matter the configurations you choose, keep them sharp and properly maintained, and they’ll do you well!