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Knives Cooks Love: Selection. Care. Techniques. Recipes

by Sur La Table and Sarah Jay

Book Description
A knife that is beautifully crafted, incredibly sharp, perfectly balanced, and feels like an extension of your hand is one of cooking's greatest pleasures. Using the right knife for the right task makes cooking at home more fun, and the results often look like they came from the kitchen of a five-star restaurant. The latest in Sur La Table's cookbook series, Knives Cooks Love: Selection. Care. Techniques. Recipes., focuses on this most versatile tool in the kitchen and provides tantalizing recipes allowing you to practice and perfect techniques. Consider this Knives 101—lessons on everything you need to know to make your experiences behind the blade more straightforward, efficient, and enjoyable.

From chef's knives and santoku knives to paring knives, bread knives, boning knives, fillet knives, tomato knives, cheese knives, steak knives, meat and vegetable cleavers, and even shears and sharpeners, Knives Cooks Love helps chefs of all levels find the right knives for their needs. It also features step-by-step instructions for trimming, paring, slicing, dicing, pitting, chopping, mincing, scoring, coring, and butterflying a variety of meats, vegetables, and other foods.

Readers will learn what to look for when purchasing high-quality knives, the different blades for every purpose (from sectioning a grapefruit to carving a turkey), how to keep them razor-sharp for years to come (hint: Don't put them in the dishwasher), 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 primer for choosing and using the most important tool in the kitchen.

The final section of the book contains a complete range of recipes for everything from vegetables and fruits to meat, poultry, and fish. Put the knowledge of Knives Cooks Love to the test with mouthwatering dishes to help you practice using a variety of knives and techniques. Learn how to chop and chiffonade fresh herbs to cook Crispy Roasted Potato Wedges with Parsley, Rosemary and Lemon. Perfectly slice an apple in just four straight cuts to bake Flaky Apple Pinwheels with ease. Or fillet a salmon and make your own Lemon-Dill Gravlax, sure to be a hit at Sunday brunch.

As Chef Emeril Lagasse says in the foreword: "Although many folks may proudly possess nice kitchen equipment, knives included, they have little or no knowledge about how to properly care for or sharpen a knife. That's where this book comes in."

About Sur La Table
Seattle-based Sur La Table has kept its finger on the pulse of America's cooks since opening its doors in 1972 at Seattle's historic Pike Place Market. Since then, chefs and home cooks with a taste for adventure have flocked to the culinary mecca. A destination for iconic chefs like Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Martha Stewart, and Mario Batali, Sur La Table entices aficionados and curious beginners alike with its amazing selection of cookware and tools. With a successful catalog, Web site, cooking class program, and stores from coast to coast, Sur La Table continues to share its passion for the traditions and tastes of the world with people who love to cook and entertain. For more about Sur La Table, see surlatable.com.

About Sarah Jay
Sarah Jay was the executive editor of Fine Cooking magazine before becoming a freelance food writer and editor. She is now a contributing editor to the magazine. A former newspaper reporter, Sarah has published articles in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Saveur magazine. She received a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and is a graduate of Brown University. Sarah's passion is Spanish food, and she maintains a small side business importing paella pans and other products from Spain. She lives in New York City with her husband, two daughters, and a drawer full of very sharp knives.