Knives Cooks Love: How to Buy, Sharpen, and Use Your Most Important Kitchen Tool

by Sur La Table, Sarah Jay

Get a knife that's balanced and weighted for you. There's no reason you shouldn't get fitted for a knife the way you get fitted for . . . a dress, a suit, or a pair of skis." -Tom Douglas, Seattle chef and restauranteur

Sur La Table's Knives Cooks Love focuses on some of the most versatile tools in the kitchen-knives. Knives Cooks Love offers instructions on how to buy and care for knives, and how to properly chop, dice, and slice with them to create delicious dishes.

Consider this Knives 101-lessons on everything you need to know to make your experiences behind the blade more straightforward, efficient, and enjoyable. In Knives Cooks Love , trusted cookware authority Sur La Table teams up with writer Sarah Jay to guide chefs of all levels so their knives will last a lifetime. The nuances between knife blades and handles are discussed, as well as cutting surfaces and an array of sharpeners and honers.

Numerous cutting techniques are also showcased with step-by-step instructions and photographs. These skills are then put to the test with more than 20 knife-essential, tantalizing recipes like Mango-Cucumber Salsa, Mediterranean-Style Mussels with Fennel and Tomatoes, Arroz con Pollo with Chorizo and Capers, and Bread and Butter Pudding with Rum and Crystallized Ginger.

Readers will learn what to look for when purchasing quality knives, the best culinary uses for each knife variety, as well as how to properly clean and store them. With sidebar advice from renowned chefs, including tips, tricks, and notes on their favorite knives, Knives Cooks Love is the ultimate guide to choosing and using the most important tool in the kitchen.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Reference, Cooking, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 21, 2008

About the author

Diane Morgan is an award-winning cookbook author, freelance food writer, culinary instructor, and restaurant consultant. She is the author of 14 cookbooks and has been involved in the world of food for more than 25 years. Diane has been a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times food section and has written for Bon Appetit, Fine Cooking, Cooking Light, among others. She has appeared on NBC's Today show, ABC World News Now, The Early Show on CBS, the Food Network, Smart Solutions on HGTV, Seasonings on PBS, and Good Day Oregon. She lives in Portland, Oregon."

Reviews

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covers the elements of different kind of knives and how they're used. Covers how to cut typical veggies, meat and fish, with pictures. Has approximately 20 recipes for you to try the techniques learned in the book.

My husband got this for my father-in-law for some birthday/Christmas gift and somehow it ended up back on our cookbook shelf. My interest was low because I don't have that much interest in knives. But it was nice to see techniques for cutting (although I can't say that I walked away with any major revelations). Out of the 20 or so recipes in the book, I tried 13. Of those, 8 were good, 3 were ok and 2 were bad. Likely to give this one away since it takes up space on our cookbook shelf and would be rarely used.

[Eric Bridges · Rating 3 out of 5]

For anyone that cooks even just occasionally, there's some basic information that should be known about knives: how to tell if they are sharp, how to store them properly, how to sharpen them, etc. Even the most basic book about knives should contain all of that. It's when you get beyond those things that you can tell if a knife book is worth its weight.

And this book fails to do so. It's worth a read if you know nothing about knives, but it would probably be a better idea to invest the time in a book that is a little more comprehensive and thought-out (An Edge in the Kitchen: The Ultimate Guide to Kitchen Knives comes to mind).

Knives Cooks Love provides only the most basic how-to about using and keeping knives, the same amount of information probably able to be stuffed into a free brochure or a knife's user guide. The rest of the book is filled with fluff and pretty pictures. It seems as though, and this is proving to be a theme across a lot of Sur La Table cook books, that it is meant to be sitting nicely on a shelf in an ambitious home cook's library, rather than actually used.

When I was selling these books at our store, a lady happily bounced up to the register, this book nestled tightly under arm. She laid it on the counter with a smile. "Cook a lot?," I asked. She quickly replied, "Oh, no. I don't cook. I just like cookbooks like this. They're so pretty."

Congrats, Sur La Table. You win. You found your target audience, and they're willing to spend money on this book. If you're not one of these people, I would pass on this one.

[Patrick Bair · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable and informative read. Beautifully illustrated and well written, with recipes to complete discussions of basic knife techniques and offer practice opportunities. While no substitute for an in-person class or a more extensive book on knives and knife skills, this book is a valuable introduction nevertheless for anyone interested in food and cooking.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

As kitchen books go, this one is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about cutlery.

[Betsy Dion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures, interesting info about knife history, good tips on maintaining knives. Some of the recipes look worth trying as well. Now I just need to buy a honing steel...

[Edward]

Excellent book. It is coffee table in layout but has plenty of good advice. Should be on every serious cooks bookshelf.

[sayguh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book if you want to learn about knives for cooking

[Cloay]

- available in SG NLB 621.932 (Sengkang)