Among the small kitchen equipment knives are a must and should be chosen, used and treated with care. We spoke with Andrea Kunzi, president of Kunzi Spa.
How important is it for a professional to know how to choose and to use a knife?
For every professional quality tool that is used as part of their work is absolutely critical. For a chef, a butcher or anyone who uses a knife as a tool of the trade, the same rule applies: a well-balanced knife becomes in effect an extension of your hand.
The knives, depending on their use, have different blade profiles, different ways of sharpening, flexibility and hardness that allow a professional to better adapt to different types of foods to be cut or to the machining to be carried out. We can say to the contrary that to use an inappropriate or not perfectly sharp knife you could simply waste your energy or even endanger the user. A blunt knife becomes a dangerous tool and exerting too much force can increase the risk of injury.
Is it widely known in Italian culture to cut with the correct knife?
There has been a considerable increase in the knowledge of using correct knives in recent years amongst non-professionals. This is due to the massive increase in television programmes dedicated to the kitchen and cooking. The increasing presence of thematic channels and broadcasts that speak in more technical language which also use kitchen tools will definitely help in the coming years to increase the public interest of blades. The most demanding are generally men who have a passion for fine blades and appreciate the possession of high quality tools. However, we can say with certainty that there is still a very long road ahead; in fact, there are countries where the culture of the blades is much more advanced than in Italy.
What are the essential knives to have in the kitchen?
A good supply of knives in a home kitchen would consist of at least the following:
Small curved paring knife
Straight Paring knife
Small (15cm) chopping knife
20 cm carving knife
bread knife
Carving knife (corrugated or partially corrugated)
Fruit Knife
Carving fork
Sharpening steel