Knives: what are they? - video recipes at home

I do not want eternal needle for a kerosene stove. I'm not going to live forever. (Ostap Bender. "The Golden Calf")

It is not often we have to buy a kitchen knife or even more set of knives. New apartment, to the country, as a gift, accidentally thrown in the garbage disposal old, with cutting-edge advertising eternal sharpening ... what else? Yes, just old enough. But you should not have to buy anything, zasmotrevshis a beautiful pen and unusual bright color of the blade. If a hundred rubles will get a knife to the nearest market and it will pursue in the first tomato - no big deal, a hundred rubles is not money. But if the case goes to spend up to a thousand, or even several thousand - should get acquainted with our recommendations.

In the first place, if you do not buy a gift, and yourself - do not pay attention to the sets of kitchen knives, and even in a special wooden stand. If you need a lot of knives for different purposes, pick them according to your taste and your needs, and you do not trust the unknown picker. Probably in the same store you will find yourself right, but separately.

Secondly, remember one important rule about which vendors and manufacturers of anything try not to mention it. On the contrary, proudly reported about the "universality" of their wonderful products.

The same applies to the universal kitchen knife, which, of course, at the very least will cut bread and frozen steak and cake, and raw potatoes, and cheese - but it will make it worse special knives for bread, frozen, cheese, cake and so on. Right decision - these knives and buy, even in the amount of this will be much more expensive. However, do not be like the chef of a good restaurant, famously juggle a dozen knives for different types of products. For example, a special knife-blade for the cheese, frankly, the sheer extravagance and pure bravado. A couple of times popolzuetes and thrown into the far corner.

Here are the types of knives that are truly worth having in every kitchen.

1. Knife-saw for bread with a wide blade

2. Thin knife for meat

3. Knife for fish

4. A knife for cleaning vegetables

5 pieces Two "regular" knife on everything about everything, with different blade length - from short to long.

A little good, for example, to cut the edge of the cardboard milk carton, a long comfortable cut the cake "Prague" or whatever. In general, these knives are often virtually universal. To prepare prostetskogo brunch is normal.

This is quite enough. It can be even less. But we must also think about the material of the blade and the handle.

blade

The knife should be of good quality stainless steel. This obviously is proven, but how to check? About specks of rust, we are not talking to such impudence - to give a simple iron for "stainless steel", the producers did not reach. But to know something about the quality of the steel can be right in the store. Breathe on the blade. Evaporation it manifest irregularities and other shortcomings. Of course, do not know, but there's nothing you can do without the chemical analysis of the true composition of the blade. The high price is also a quality certificate, but, alas, not always. So obvious example.

Ceramic knives

But this is not quite true. Ceramic knives are still tupyatsya and must be sharpened, although much less frequently. But here's the most important thing: the hardness has a downside - namely fragility. First fall on the tiled floor in the kitchen, the first blow ceramic knife on a chicken bone, the first awkward twist of the knife - and he immediately cracked or broken. A sharp tip of the knife will break even faster (I - on the second day of the test). However, if you are extremely careful, confident and do not save - buy, these knives are really good and finely cut. Although I do not believe in the existence of customers with a set of positive qualities.

Separately say about the price - it is abnormally high, up to 10 thousand rubles apiece (although, in beautiful scabbard). Honestly, I've seen this. But why is it so expensive? Yes, why not! It has long been refuted Marx's concept of the product price as the cost of labor spent on its production. Fashion, advertising, vanity buyers - and nothing else.

Forged knives

Separately say more about forged blades and of Damascus steel blades. Once the sword craftsmen of the Middle East is really superior to any European sabers and swords in their homicidal capabilities, and the secret of their manufacture was carefully guarded. But the secret long ago discovered, riveting the blade of a dozen thin metal strips are no longer rarity, and are not needed in a conventional kitchen knives so expensive. It is to show off. The same applies to the forged knives.

lever

Best of all - wood. plastic - fragile, slides and not very comfortable in the hand, metal - hard. A wooden easy to pick up by hand, besides, she herself gradually to the hand "lapped". Although plastic handle with rubber-coating are also good in this sense. It is important that in the middle, along the arm was metal insert, which is an extension of the blade. This paste should be seen and held until the end of the handle. Secured two wooden halves of the handle should be three rivets. I saw the knife with three rivets, which insert has been hidden inside the plastic handle - in fact, the insertion was very short, only one was secured by a rivet, and the other two were false. The product broke down immediately.

Special knives

Like cheese knife-blade, these knives are not a necessity. Round pizza cutter still all right, but opener oyster shells - this is too much. Although the rich their quirks. My friend, the poet and well-known restaurant critic Julius Gugolev believes that the oyster easily opened and the usual short knife, blunt even better.