If there is one item in the kitchen that is worth spending that little bit extra on, then in my opinion (for what it’s worth) it is definitely a good quality knife. There is an abundance of kitchen equipment out there that has been designed to ‘make our lives easier’, claiming to prepare and cook an entire meal from scratch, whilst we sit back and enjoy the latest soap on television…..however, the item we use rely on the most and use regularly is a knife.
I remember being given a knife many years ago that claimed to never require sharpening, could cut through most materials and could be used for any type of food preparation. And it could, however, its serrated edges sawed rather than sliced making a complete mess of the ingredients and my fingers on a number of occasions! I decided then to invest in a good quality knife.
A good quality knife should be far more efficient to use (requiring less force to cut) and as a result, the blade is less likely to slip and lead to injury, whilst lasting much longer than less expensive ones. There are many, many types, compositions, shapes and sizes out there on the market, however, I decided in the first instance (due to the amount I could afford at the time) to concentrate on choosing a chef’s knife, as this was the type I used most frequently.
I opted, after a fair amount of research, for a steel blade containing cobalt which increases its strength, complete with a wooden handle, partly for comfort and partly because it looks great! The knife is well-weighted, which means there is less effort required when I slice through ingredients. If you can, I would recommend trying the knife before purchasing, to ensure you feel comfortable with its feel and balance when using it.
In addition to the knife, I would also recommend investing on a suitable cutting surface. Personally, I have avoided using glass as you could quite easily slip and cut yourself, but rather adopted using a good, solid, heavy wooden chopping board, which is infinitely-less prone to moving or wobbling.