A knife plays a vital role in your cooking life. Whether you are a professional chef or a home cook, Okingjoy, a traditional knife brand, explains what makes a good knife and the reasons why you should use one.
Why Use a Good Knife?
You may be wondering why you should use a good knife in the first place. Some people may have parents or partners who refuse to buy them a good knife because of the cost. However, the benefits of using a good knife are many. Here are some of them:
1. Brings Out the Potential of Ingredients
Using a good knife brings out the potential of the ingredients you are working with. For instance, when you slice tomatoes using a dull knife, the blade slips on the skin, and the force applied causes the cross-section to collapse, resulting in jelly-like seeds flowing out. This not only ruins the appearance of the dish but also reduces its taste and nutrients. However, if you use a sharp knife, you can easily cut through the tomato in one go, and the seeds will remain inside the slices, thus retaining the flavor and nutrients.
2. Increased Flexibility in Cooking
A dull knife can only cut meat and fish along the muscle fibers. If you try to cut it any other way, the cross-section will be crushed. However, a sharp knife allows for a wider range of cuts. For instance, you can make the corners of sashimi stand up, or cut vegetables into small or large pieces without crushing the cross-section. These things can only be done with a sharp knife.
3. Better Efficiency
Cutting through ingredients quickly feels great. A dull knife makes it difficult to cut through the ingredients, leading to frustration and stress. Even for professional chefs, a sharp knife makes a big difference in their work efficiency and mental burden.
4. Cost Performance
A good knife can last a lifetime. Cheap knives lose their sharpness quickly, which means you need to sharpen them frequently or replace them. However, a knife that is well-forged and heat-treated using high-quality steel can last a long time. Some people even bring vintage knives for repair from 50 years ago. Buying knives that last longer is more cost-effective in the long run.
5. Your Cooking Will Improve
Using a good knife triggers a virtuous cycle of getting better, having fun, and getting better. As you improve your knife skills, you will enjoy cooking more, which will further improve your skills.
6. Limitations with a Dull Knife
The biggest difference between high-quality knives and low-quality knives is their sharpness. Cheap knives become dull quickly, and it takes a lot of effort to sharpen them repeatedly, leading to the user getting used to using a dull knife. This limits their potential to learn new cooking skills and techniques, thus capping their cooking potential.
7. Summary
The above six reasons are why we recommend using a good knife. Those who have been using good knives from the beginning will understand the sixth point, "aim to improve by using good knives." Some people may think that they don't need a good knife, but some techniques can only be learned by using a sharp knife. Please consider investing in a good knife.