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.
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Product Details
Author:
Sur La Table
Hardcover:
192 pages
Publisher:
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date:
October 21, 2008
Language:
English
ISBN:
0740770020
Product Length:
10.74 inches
Product Width:
7.88 inches
Product Height:
0.89 inches
Product Weight:
2.33 pounds
Package Length:
10.5 inches
Package Width:
7.9 inches
Package Height:
1.0 inches
Package Weight:
2.3 pounds
Average Customer Rating:
based on 13 reviews
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: ( 13 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Not quite sharp enough Dec 27, 2010
By Eric Bridges 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 -- How to Buy Them, Keep Them Razor Sharp, and Use Them Like a Pro 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.
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
still learning after all these years Feb 02, 2010
By S. Wilson When I had an opportunity to re-stock a kitchen, I wanted to buy some good knives -- but I didn't know how. In the past, I had just bought whatever. I got this book and love it. It has everything you ever wanted to know about knives, and then some. It describes the history of cutlery (short), Things to look for in buying knives, all the different kinds of knives and what they're used for, and how they're used. There's a nice section on cutting techniques as well. Now, I thought after decades of cooking that I knew how to use a knife, but I have learned a lot. The new way of cutting green peppers, for example, makes a world of difference in my prep work. I highly recommend this book. Even if you know all you need or want to about knives, it is just interesting to read. Plus, it has beautiful pictures.
7 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Wish i could have read this book years ago. Dec 21, 2008
By Mattew M. Firek
"dr fire K"
If you ever stopped while doing prep work on vegatables and thought "you know there's probably a better way to do this" then you really need this book. I wasn't even holding my knife correctly let alone making anything but random, unproductive cuts. This book shows step-by-step instuctions for cutting all kinds of things. It also gives history and details about knives which some may find interesting, myself included. It's an overused expression, but this book really does make cooking fun, so much so that i went out and bought a couple new knives.
7 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Better than many of the current crop of kitchen knife books Nov 16, 2008
By Charlie LURP There has been a large number of kitchen knife books published in the last couple of years but many of the authors seem to be better at using knives than describing the technical aspects of cutlery. This one gives a fairly good balance between the two.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Good basic knife primer for cooks... Sep 01, 2011
By scoutyspice For the price of the book, consider it a primer and a good start toward getting to know about knives. I read it over in less than a few hours. (This includes looking at the pictures and reading the recipes.) This is 'knives cooks love', not 'knives chefs love', nor 'knives cooks need'...it is to evoke a pleasure in the most basic cooking experience--food prep (and a bit more). This book like other Sur la Table books, that it is nice quality in every way...set up well, nice lay out, good paper, nice photos...etc.
This book would have been better if it gave some particular opinions...but they can't as they sell most of what is in the book. For example: Personally, I found a great deal on a set of those Rachel Ray Furi knives (orange rubbery handled santoku style) and bought the Furi sharpening/honing system and it has been easy to maintain. This worked for me to get started in my kitchen. Later, I bought some of those funky KAI Pure Komachi knives because I enjoyed the light weight and that they perform well. (They are so inexpensive; don't expect those to find a place in this book even though Sur La Table sold them at one time.) Then I purchased the Shun electric sharpener for the KAI knives (same company, different line but same angle to their edges) which I had no success with. Both sharpening systems are in the book, but I would take the Furi system any day. Live and learn, but I don't think that this book could have helped me either way...
Since good knives can be expensive, this book can be considered a small investment to know the knives on the market. I liked the information on what goes into the different knives--materials and how they are made. There are sections on cutting fruit and vegetables as well as carving different poultry and meats with nice photos and a some recipes.. All knives were developed with a specific purpose, and this book lets you know what that purpose is as well as comments from people who own lots of knives (one individual has about $30k in knives, another with +200 knives bought her husband an $800 knife, and that's his 'go-to' knife.)
The bottom line is...Identify what your level of dedication is and have a few knives you really need to start with and maintain their edge (regularly hone) so you can enjoy your whole cooking experience (read: easier food prep). Then add knives along the way and plan to build your collection as money affords. This book is a nice start in that direction.
based on 13 reviews
Not quite sharp enough Dec 27, 2010
By Eric Bridges
still learning after all these years Feb 02, 2010
By S. Wilson
