Nifty chef's knives
Story by Carl Patzel
Similar to an ancient Samurai warrior, a chef can live or die by his knife.
Macho as it may seem, the right carving tool can help sharpen a chef’s skills or dull his productivity.
Although usually not a supporter of signature products, I recently had the chance to test the edge on a pair of Guy Fieri Knuckle Sandwich series knives.
Fieri, winner of The Next Food Network Star and more recently host of the game show Minute To Win It, is known for his cheeky, bold cooking style and even more flamboyant bleached spike hairdo.
Complete with high-collared bowling shirts, the California chef labels his signature look as ‘culinary gangsta,’ and his namesake knives fit right in with that style.
Both the five-and-a-half-inch utility knife, called the Dragon Dagger, and the eight-inch chef’s knife are adorned with black-decal flames, stars-and-stripes on the black and red ergonomic handles, making for smooth racing lines from tip to tail. All that’s missing is a Hemi engine.
All this sparkle and flare is supposed to appeal to the macho man and wannabe celebrity chef in all of us.
Well, it worked.
Flash aside, the high-carbon German stainless steel transforms meal preparation into an entertaining venture on the cutting board.
Both knives use hollow ground oval grooves to help reduce friction, making for smoother cuts. Sporting a serrated edge, the smaller Dragon Dagger utility knife effortlessly slices through whole grain breads and cheeses and takes the chore out of chopping vegetables.
The pronged tip, taking the place of a fork, firmly grabs meat and other large vegetables. This could easily be your go-to knife for everyday food preparation.
Just as much a piece of art as cooking utensil, the larger eight-inch chef’s knife balances nicely in the hand with most of the weight toward the smooth handle.
The first thing that comes to mind when holding the chef knife is a line from the 1980s movie Crocodile Dundee: “That’s not a knife, this is a knife.”
The large stainless steel blade is menacing enough to handle any task, from carving the fat off the Sunday roast to making homemade French fries.
If the generous flat blade isn’t enough to crush a clove of garlic, the handle comes equipped with a crisscross knurl, similar to a meat pounder.
These sharp products may not get you that shot on The Next Food Network Star, but they will certainly help you carve out a comfortable niche in your own kitchen.
