At Salter Fine Cutlery, we take pride in offering the highest quality Japanese chef knives with blades custom made for us to our designs by traditional Japanese blade makers. We then customize your set further by making each handle by hand to fit your own personal tastes or to compliment your own cooking habits and kitchen decor. Each set is a one-of-a-kind expression of the best cooking knives available made exclusively for you.
I am often asked if they are meant to be used. The answer is a resounding YES, and more than that, they are to be used for many years and handed down to future generations.
But there is more to know before making your purchase and we are here to help and guide you along the way to the most rewarding cooking experiences you have known.
Q: What makes them different from what you may have been using?
A: They are beautifully balanced, lightweight compared to traditional 'western' style knives, and incredibly sharp. They will make paper-thin slicing of a tomato with ease, super clean cuts of meat or fish and you will seem to fly through chopping a large head of lettuce, cabbage or other vegetables. In fact, I can cut the time of peeling vegetables in half, just by very thinly slicing off the skin of any vegetable with my Salter Fine Cutlery chef knife rather than using a peeler.
They are comfortable to hold and use and beautiful to look at.
Q: Is there anything I should do or not do with a Japanese knife?
A: Yes, there is. The edge is like a precision cutting tool. It must be treated like the fine slicing instrument that it is. It is so sharp that you should prepare your meats and vegetables by slicing rather than chopping. Hard chopping blows should never be used as they can damage your blades.
The by-word is "rock, not chop", "slice and dice, not slam and bam", or very simply, think of using a "pull-push" motion to cut your food rather than see how hard you can come crashing down on that poor little helpless clove of garlic.
Simply put, they make cooking fun!
Next time, we will discuss more about using your fine Salter chef knives. Or send me your specific questions. We are always here to help.
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