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The biggest problems with knives and cutlery

Looking back, knives were first used millions of years ago as essential tools made first of all from rock and flint. It was through technology that copper, bronze, steel, ceramic and titanium blades have evolved along with the practicality of flint as an effective cutting instrument. These have inspired the production of a wide range of different patterns and styles of modern blades that we know today.

Generally, we see different versions of a knife depending on the culture and origin, but still, the useful feature of the knife made it the best tool that spends time in the hands of cooks and chefs. Different types of kitchen knives provide different efficiency and precision when cutting different types of food, but little did we know, the biggest problem in almost every home kitchen is dull knives. Many people find it the biggest obstacle to cooking.

Almost in the kitchen of all the friends I go to, I see different types of knives, but very few are sharp. The only kitchens I’ve been to where there are sharp knives are those of the butlers who sell meat and those where no one cooks and where knives and cutlery are kept inside drawers. If most of your kitchen knives are dull and you don’t sharpen them regularly, even on high-end silverware, your knives are almost certainly dull.

The myth says that a sharp knife is safer than a dull knife. This is because using a dull knife requires excessive force to cut the food, which can slip and cause injury to the user. A sharp knife cuts food finely requiring only a little force, so cutting becomes much easier along with good knife control, and the user is more likely to be confident. Since kitchen knives become dull over and over again, they only need to be better cared for by regular sharpening. Also, it is one of the ways we can make our knives useful and durable.

Another thing about knives the myth goes is that they must have a full flavor. This will probably work for heavy duty knives forced to cut thick leather and firewood, but not for kitchen knives which are generally only designed for the delicate cutting of soft food ingredients. On the contrary, it will give you trouble getting full tang knives as it is rare that these are high end kitchen knives, or even full tang stainless steel knives. In short, learn about the types of knives you need the most so as not to fall for the marketing hype.

Another thing that is both true and false is that knife sets are better than individual knives. Although you get more metal in a set compared to buying the same pieces individually, large sets generally come in a large number of knives that you won’t be using. On the other hand, you can use the other metals when your tools become dull, dirty or broken. So either you buy a premium set of knives, cutlery and accessories, or you get individual pieces of the best quality chef’s knife, small paring knife, carving knife and bread knife, both can be considered the best deals.

Having a professional array of knives, silverware, graters, and mandolins in your kitchen, I don’t think you’ll ever have a problem working with them. That is if you spend most of your life in the kitchen.

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