This past Friday, House of Knives was featured on the CTV News Vancouver Island show “Foodie Friday” hosted by Bruce Williams. Filmed at our Hillside Mall location in Victoria, BC, our President Andre Eng explained to foodies and home cooks what a good chef knife can do, and told them what to look for in their next chef knife.
If you’re having problems viewing it above, you can check out the entire segment right here.
Keeping it Sharp
While upgrading to a state of the art chef knife is always a treat, Andre stresses that the most important thing with any knife is to simply keep it sharp. A sharp knife cuts easily and keeps our fingers safe. A good way to keep that blade sharp is to bring it in for an annual sharpening at any House of Knives location, or to simply use a high quality honing steel. Further to that, it also matters what you cut on.
If you’ve ever cut on glass or even stone/ceramic surfaces, you’ll want to stop now. These surfaces can severely dull or even damage your blade very quickly. That’s why the cutting surfaces we carry are made of bamboo, high quality woods like Hinoki, and manufactured materials that are safe for gliding your knife over. You’ll never see anything that will harm your treasured kitchen companion in our selection of cutting boards.
The ABCDs of a Chef Knife
When it is time to upgrade to a new knife, it’s important to keep in mind the ABCDs. As Andre explained, “A” is for Alloy and how long the knife will hold its edge, “B” is for how well it Balances in your hand, “C” for the Construction of the blade (whether it’s stamped or forged etc), and “D” is for Design which encompasses not only aesthetics, but also how it feels in your hand. Something that you’ll want to experience in person at any one of our locations.
Featured Products
Products featured in the segment include:
- WÜSTHOF CLASSIC IKON CHEF 8″ (4596 / 20) – A classic European blade configuration that is found in all of the top restaurants.
- SHUN CLASSIC SANTOKU WITH GRANTON EDGE 6.5″ (DM0718) – A popular Asian blade design that is easy to handle and can be that one knife you reach for at home. The granton edge also makes it easy for food to release from the cutting surface.
- KÜSSI BAMBOO BOARD – 3 LAYER – 35CM X 25CM (59602) – The surface is not only knife friendly, but it is also environmentally friendly as the material is one of the fastest renewing plants on the planet. The surface also gives great feedback to the knife when cutting and allows you to glide through food with ease.
- EDGELOGIX UNBREAKABLE CERAMIC STEEL 11″ WHITE (16273WHT) – Not demonstrated, but very important, this honing steel is perfect for the harder steel of Asian chef knives as well as European or Western style chef knives.
To find these products, more wonderful knives, and the things that keep them sharp, please visit any of our retail locations or shop online.
