You first need to understand what a ?good? knife is, its application, and what its use is.
?Good? knives are made from German or Japanese forged steel, and typically have a high carbon ratio. This means the metal is very hard...but also can be brittle, so care must be taken. High carbon knives are also susceptible to rust, acids, and discoloration (even if it?s ?stainless?), that is why good knives need to be hand cleaned and dried.
Good knives only need to be sharpened about once every year or two. The key to keeping a sharp edge is honing with a steel. I?ve honed my knives as much as 6 times a day when busy in the kitchen, so be sure to get a steel with your set.
As for what kind of knife to use, a Chief?s knife is the largest and tallest. It comes with a rounded blade for chopping and dicing. Because of its tall stature, it should not be used for slicing or carving. The next largest knife in a set, is the slicer. It is usually as long as the Chief?s knife, but is shorter, and has a more flat blade. The next knife is the carver. This knife is long, and rectangle, and has a serrated blade.
The slicing knife will cut meat (like brisket) with a clean sharp slice, ending with a ?sharp? cut on the slice. The carver will ?saw? through the meat, leaving a rougher cut. Both are acceptable for cutting brisket, however, I prefer the texture and look of carved meat, but if your going for ultra thin slices, use the slicer, as a carver will crumble the meat.
A few good brands are Calphalon, Henckels, Wusthof, and of course others. You can buy individual knives, or sets in a block. Be careful when buying sets?sometimes ?specialty? knives are not included, like carvers, cleavers, and vegetables/fruit.
Hope this helps...gotta go...the ribs are almost done... /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
