rikibeth | The joys of giving professional advice

eternaleponine is going off to graduate school at University of Michigan at the end of the summer. We were chatting, and she was talking about having to learn to do domestic things like cooking and grocery shopping for herself.

Naturally, I stressed the importance of having Good Knives.

I told her that to start, you really only need three: an 8" chef's knife, a paring knife, and an offset bread knife.

We looked online for my Dexter-Russell offset bread knife, but the exact one I have was not to be found. The Forschner actually looked closer to my model than the Dexter-Russell white-handled one. This one looked the most like what I have, but I knew nothing about that brand's blade quality, never having used one, so I suggested sticking with the Forschner, because they're the same people as Victorinox, which means Swiss Army knives, and it's hard to go wrong there.

Oh, and a sharpening steel because it's important to keep the straight-edged knives in good condition.

And a 12x18 acrylic cutting board. Because they're dishwasher safe and bleachable, and will cushion the knife.

I suggested buying three cutting boards in different colors -- one for raw meats, one for fruits, vegetables, and other ready-to-serve foods, and a third one reserved for garlic and onion to segregate the stinky things -- but even though the colored cutting boards were only $6 each, we agreed that it would probably be too much trouble to train a roommate to follow ServSafe procedures, so one would do for the basics.

Good trustworthy knives are THE most important things in a kitchen. And

eternaleponine said she only had crap knives in her current collection of kitchen stuff.

I love the Internet. I got to give good advice AND go shopping with my friend, and help her get the right things, even though physically we're two hours' drive apart.

We probably ought to get together in person again before she goes, though, so I can show her the Really Cool Way to dice an onion with the offset knife.

eternaleponine, got a Tuesday you can trade off with anyone?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Having read some of the more recent studies on wood cutting boards being better than plastic with safety in food prep. in mind, I've been considering getting a new cutting board. (Mine's a cheap dollar-store style plastic I bleach regularly.) As for the knives, well... first I'll learn how to use them, and THEN I'll pay for the good stuff.

One good knife will change that tune.

All the better to cut my own fingers off, my dear?

You are far more likely to cut yourself with a badly balanced, dull blade.

Unintentionally I mean...

Wood has a lovely feel to it, and, indeed, has natural antimicrobial properties; I am very fond of my Farberware wood cutting board with the channel for catching meat juices. I also have some really beautiful marquetry ones that I can use as cheese boards for entertaining.

The trouble is, I have also wrecked more than one wooden board, because they can't go in the dishwasher without risking warping, splitting, or coming unglued if they're not a single block... and I am horribly lazy about handwashing things. Acrylic boards go very happily in the dishwasher, which sanitizes them quite well.

Three $6 cutting boards, color-coded, will go a long way towards food safety, because if you discipline yourself to stick to the code, you'll never cut raw fruits or vegetables or cheese or bread on the board that's touched the raw meat. No cross-contamination. And dishwasher or bleach will take care of sanitizing.

If you have to hand-wash anyway... you might do better with wood.

And as for the knives? The ones I pointed to are NOT expensive. That was sort of the point -- they are excellent quality, and all under $25 each. The paring knife is under $5! And, believe me, you won't really learn to use them properly if all you have to work with is crap.

Three decent knives, for less than $60. And they'll serve you for YEARS.

A girl needs a knife, and I've got mine.

Another benefit of color-coded cutting boards:

Never again will you slice a pie's worth of rhubarb only to realize that the whole batch tastes like onion. (Because you recently cut onions on that board.)

BLEH!

I would also recommend the THIN THIN THIN (and flexible!) cutting boards if you do a lot of on-the-go cooking. Some don't work in the dishwasher, but they weigh nothing and take up no space (eek! anti-matter!)

Katy, prodigious amateur (did you know that the 'obsolete' definition of prodigious is 'ominous'? Hee!)

The joys of giving professional advice

Do you recommend the acrylic cutting board over wood?

Re: Do you recommend the acrylic cutting board over wood?

A girl needs a knife.

Re: A girl needs a knife.

Re: Do you recommend the acrylic cutting board over wood?

Re: Do you recommend the acrylic cutting board over wood?