Knife Skills
A FEW SLICES OF ADVICE FROM THE MEN
THAT KNOW THEIR WAY AROUND KNIVES
Eugene Ong is the owner of
KNIFE (803 Dundas St West).
Robert Mills is the Executive
Chef at The Fairmont Royal
York.
Both are certifiable knife nerds.
go-to club that makes you feel
comfortable. A professional
chef, like a professional golfer,
will use all the tools in their
arsenal. For the at-home chef
it's better to master the balance
of one knife. It might take a
while, but you'll get there with
more finesse.
THE CHOSEN ONE (OR TWO)
Despite what the infomercials
might say you don’t need to “act
now” and you certainly don’t
need a thirty-six-piece knife set.
What you need is 2-3 blades that
you can depend on through thick
and thin (cuts).
RM: Knives are like golf. You
have your go-to knife or your
39
EO: I recommend starting with
a Gyuto (a Japanese version of
a classic Western chef's knife).
7 to 9 inches is the standard,
but I wouldn't go past 8 inches
for a home cook. I like the 7
inch because I have kids, so it's
all apples and cucumbers now.
That's your 90%-of-the-time knife.
Then you need a Petty, which
The Edge
is a mini chef's knife, because
sometimes you just need a wedge
of lime for your drink.
START SIMPLE
RM: I don’t believe in buying
one whole knife set. I believe in
buying knives as you go along.
My everyday Victorinox, for
example, I’ve had that since I
was 18.
EO: I tend to push newbies
towards stainless steel. Carbon
steel can be quite shocking when
all of a sudden you have this
rusty blade. People want to try
it and 6 months later they’re like
shit, too much maintenance.
S y l va n u s - U r b a n . c o m