From Normann Copenhagen comes this round chop knife by Italian designers Paolo Lucidi and Luca Pevere. The chopper is similar in concept to a mezzaluna and would be good at chopping herbs, veggies, chocolate, cheese, and maybe even pizza. Mezzaluna-like knives can be safer to start kids on, and this round chopper has the added benefit that it can be used with only one hand. There is also a rubber cover for the blade that matches the handle, so when it isn’t in use, it has a nice clean look and is easy to store.

All in all, I think the colors, styling and rocking function would appeal to most kids. The Italian designers believe that products should create “joy and surprise” for their users, and I think this round kitchen tool will probably accomplish that for both adults and kids. If you want to start your child out on a round chopper, you can buy it for $48 at A+R. It comes in four colors: light blue, pink, grey, and black.

As a follow-up to my Japanese knife post, I thought I would go more into depth about kids and knives. I have found several blog posts and videos instructing on how to teach children to use knives properly, and most of them have good information and useful tips.

With that said, there is no one specific way to teach a kid how to use a knife. It depends upon your child’s ability, the parent’s cutting technique and knowledge, and the tools you have on hand.

For instance J.M. Hirsch, the Associated Press food editor, gave his two-year-old a knife and started him cutting with only one hand. Other chef parents, however, recommend using both hands with the proper ‘claw’ hold (seen above). Neither is wrong or right; it just depends upon the kid and the parent. This is a cooking relationship, not prep work at a restaurant.

With that said, I think there are some general themes that are worth emphasizing. Firstly, kids should start slowly. It is not a race and they have years to learn. Teach well, take your time, and give positive feedback. Secondly, your attitude as the parent chef matters. Keep it fun, embrace imperfection, and don’t stress out. Kid’s pick up on parental anxiety and stress, which can then dampen a child’s enthusiasm and confidence in the kitchen.

But probably the most important concept is to know your child’s abilities and supervise during cooking. You may even want to come up with a few good rules to encourage learning and safety. As your child grows the rules can change, but having some standards keeps both you and your child focused on fun ‘bloodless’ cooking.

From my experience and others great resources on the internet, I have compiled the following list of tips that you may want to consider when teaching your child to use a knife.

(1) Provide a proper work space. Make sure to have a large enough cutting board that doesn’t slip. Also, ensure that your child is cutting at a comfortable height, and buy a good stool if necessary.

(2) Choose the right foods to work on. Squash and hard root vegetables may be too difficult to cut or may need some prep by the parent chef. Give manageable tasks to get them involved.

(3) Stop food from rolling. Flatten out round vegetables so they don’t roll around. It is always good technique to flatten one round side, and it is much safer too. Keep it easy and safe for the little chefs.

(4) Choose the proper cutting tool for your kid. You may want to start with vegetable peelers, choppers, or a mezzaluna, and then graduate to serrated kids’ knives before moving on to real cutlery. Regardless, the parent should control the introduction of knives and when they are used during cooking.

(5) Buy an appropriately sized versatile knife for your child. A kid will feel more ownership and become familiar with his or her own knife. I recommend a small chefs knife as it can perform most crucial cutting tasks (see next point).

(6) Don’t overwhelm kids with too many knives at first. Keep it simple. Santokus and chefs knives cut differently and confusion isn’t good. Also, don’t switch between serrated and plain knives too much because they require different cutting strokes. Muscle memory is valuable at a young age, and you can always introduce different knives as skills improve.

(7) Teach good technique when appropriate. The pinch and claw method of cutting will be a valuable skill for years to come and will make cutting safer. With that said, don’t focus too rigidly on teaching technique. Bonding and family time in the kitchen trump culinary skills (in my opinion).

(8) Use sharp knives. Avoid starting kids on butter knives or plastic disposable knives. They can be frustrating to cut with and often teach bad technique. Good knives, on the other hand, inspire cooking because they help kids do more. Leave butter knives for butter and spreading things.

(9) Don’t forget the basics. Teach your kid about cutting board sanitation and knife honing to maintain blade sharpness. I bet your child will think honing knives is fun.

(10) Remember basic knife safety. Don’t try to catch a falling knife, cut away from yourself, don’t run with knives, keep the tip pointed down and away from people, keep hands off of cutting boards, and don’t submerge knives in soapy dishwater.

There might be a lot to think about when introducing knives to children, but the benefits of teaching a kid to use a knife are many. Not only is it a lifelong skill that will continue to be used and improved, knife wielding kids are usually better eaters. And of course cooking is a great bonding time too.

If you want to pursue this subject more, here are several resources that I found useful.

Simple Bites has a helpful post on knife skills for toddlers that provides very solid guidance.

What’s Cooking with Kids has another useful post about knife skills and provides other great tips.

For video instruction, Food Diva has a piece called The Cutting Edge of Child’s Play that can be watched for about $2 via her website. Chef Maribel cuts up veggies, fruit, cheese and ham with a couple of kids and does a fine job. She covers the basics and the video is well made. My main complaint is that she seems to be promoting Wusthof cutlery and uses too many knives in her instruction. Admirably though, she gets the young girl at the end to segment an orange and peel an apple with a bird’s beak knife.

On YouTube there are additional videos, and some of the best are by Chef Desireé of Cooking for Kids. Her video segments deal with knife skills among other subjects, and the online content is free.  She does a good job describing different knife cuts, technique, and types of knives. I also like how she introduces some cooking logic into the mix. There’s actually a reason to cut veggies in a similar size and to use a specific knife cut. She also takes on dicing onions, which most adults don’t even do properly. I would recommend part 1, part 2 and the knife safety video. You can also buy her entire cooking series from Title Set for $40.

Lastly, J.M Hirsch has a short video about kids and knives called Little Kids, Big Knives. The video doesn’t instruct so much as it gives Hirsch’s philosophy on involving children in cooking and his rules for handling knives, but if you are starting a child really young with a knife, I would probably take his advice. Though I must admit that I cringe a bit when I see the rolling cucumber being cut by his little boy.

Regardless, all of these sources provide valuable help and will likely ensure that your kid’s experience with that first knife is a lot safer. And let’s face it, kids these days are chiffonading at a much younger age. My next child will be cutting a lot earlier, and I am going to be prepared.

I know that the idea of giving a knife to a child is a bit scary, but at the right age (depending upon the child) they can start using kitchen knives. I won’t try to give advice on what age is appropriate or what type of knife is best because every child is different, but at some point your child will be ready. Just keep in mind that it is important to know your child’s abilities, give proper instruction, and supervise carefully.

What I would recommend is starting your kid out on a harmless knife – maybe a butter knife, bench scraper, or one of those hard plastic lettuce knives – and then set up some rules. For instance, make it so the child can only use knives when the cooking adult is around, and if using a sharper knife, the little chef can only cut using one hand. With one had at the side and the other handling the knife, it is difficult to get seriously cut. You can also take away knife privileges if rules are broken.

As the big chef, a parent should also make sure to give the proper foods to cut and provide good equipment and space for cutting. Try to stay away from hard vegetables that will be difficult to cut or if you do, half or quarter the vegetables to make them easier to chop.

Also, give them a good cutting board that doesn’t slip around. Kids don’t have great cutting technique and they tend to push the board around a lot more. Keeping the board stable is safer.

Lastly, just as I don’t like to cut when food is not at a good cutting height, make sure you kid is comfortable too. Either set up a space where your child can comfortably prepare food or get a stool of some sort to raise them up to counter height.

With that said, here are my recent knife purchases. Because I am into Japanese cutlery, I chose three knives from Japan. I also like how these knives are better at cutting than many sold here in the US. They are smaller and safer versions of real cutlery.

From left to right in the second photo are the Suncraft Santoku, Masahiro Chef’s Knife, and Misono Chef’s Knife.

All three of the knives are roughly 5 inches in length with the Misono slightly shorter, and the rounded safety tip on the Misono means the actual cutting edge is shorter yet. The three knives are also stainless steel and don’t demand the special care that Japanese knives often require.

As for sharpness, they were all very sharp out of the box and could push cut a piece of paper cleanly. In many ways the knives were too sharp for most kids and should be very carefully introduced to a child with adequate motor skills. The Misono does have the safety tip which is nice, but that part of the knife is then necessarily blunt and can’t cut well. My kid often tried to use the tip to cut, which was a bit frustrating for her.

On the other end, the Suncraft santoku is probably the sharpest and also has a really sharp tip and heel. I would definitely round the heel and tip with a sharpening stone before giving this one to a child. Appropriately, it comes with a knife guard that snaps on for added safety during storage. This knife is probably the most worrisome to me in terms of safety for kids.

The Masahiro has a rubberized grip and slightly rounded tips, which is a nice compromise. It is between the sharp-tipped Suncraft and the blunt-tipped Misono – and it also has a pink bunny on it.

The only knife of the three that you can actually purchase in the US is the Misono, and it retails for $42 from Korin. If you are looking for the other two knives and don’t live in Japan, you will have to familiarize yourself with some knife terms in Japanese, search for them on Yahoo Japan, and then use a proxy buying service to purchase them for you. It’s not that easy or cheap.

Misono, a Japanese maker of fine cutlery used by many professional chefs, also offers this unique product for children. It is a knife with a rounded tip for safety and made for the hands of a child. Some may question the wisdom of giving a kid a knife at all, but it all depends upon knowing your kids and their motor skills, proper supervision, and determining whether a special knife like this would be worth it.

Foodie kids are getting younger and younger these days, and I could definitely see an kid 8 years old and up possibly using this knife. The cost at $42 is high, but not really that bad. The Misono UX10 chef’s knife that cooks clamor for sells for $210, so it could have been a lot worse.

With that said, there are many options for letting kids do some prep work without cutting those tiny digits. The Zyliss lettuce knife is one option. This plastic knife isn’t made for kids specifically, but it serves the purpose vert well. It also comes in a nice green color that might appeal to kids.

Pampered Chef also has their version of a child’s knife called the My Safe Cutter. It is a dull serrated knife with a blunt end specially suited for kids.

Curious Chef is another new entrant into the kid’s knife arena. They offer a nylon knife set (3 knives) that is very child friendly, and the company also sells a range of other cooking tools for kids. I visited their display at the Chicago Housewares Show, and I was quite impressed with their line of products.

Similarly, the Swiss maker, Kuhn Rikon, has a whole Kinderkitchen line for children, and I personally purchased this dog knife with teeth for my six-year-old. It has ears that act as a bolster to protect little hands, a flexible rubber tail, and the knife is just the right sharpness to be useful — not frustrating — when cutting.

With that said, you don’t really have to go out and buy a special knife at all if you want to introduce your kids to basic kitchen chopping. Sturdier disposable plastic knives and butter knives also work, and when they get old enough, a pairing knife (properly supervised) can be the next step up. But none of the above knives, with the exception of the Misono, will cost that much. The prices range from $7-11, and if your kids is a budding foodie, why limit them to a flimsy plastic disposable knife?

Last month I read the book An Edge in the Kitchen by Chad Ward. I’ve heard a lot of good reviews about this book, so I made it one of my first steps in an effort to improve my knife sharpening skills. But how did the book stand up to its high praise?

Well, it is definitely a worthwhile read if you are into kitchen knives or want to dive into the cutlery world a bit more. The book is essentially an expansion of a 2003 eGullet Society tutorial authored by Ward covering knife maintenance and sharpening. Here is the link to that piece.

An Edge in the Kitchen is a very good resource and does a wonderful job when providing advice on knives and sharpening equipment. It is also good at explaining the different styles of knives, types of blade steel, and highlighting the differences between European and Japanese cutlery. I also like how the book debunks several knife myths. Basically, this is a great place to start if you want to learn about sharpening knives.

With that said, the book is not a perfect product. One main flaw is that it is rather poorly organized, illustrated, and laid out. For instance, the knife skills instruction is needlessly repeated in two parts of the book, and the overview of sharpening systems is at the very end but would have been better placed earlier in the book. Even the page margins are funky leaving many pages with a strange emptiness with text squeezed in at the spine.

Other than that, I also found the book a little clumsy. The knife skills section — though informative — felt awkwardly included. I know that buying, using, and maintaining knives seems like a logical combination, but in my opinion, the skills section broke up the flow of the book. I wish the author had kept the book focused on the equipment more and hadn’t tried to address the grander topic of knife skills.

Despite these minor drawbacks, I still found the book useful and I would highly recommend buying it. It is a solid reference for knife sharpening and a good buyer’s guide for knives and accessores. With this book, you will no doubt have all the requisite information to ensure that you have sharp, well-maintained knives for your kitchen.

You can purchase An Edge in the Kitchen at Amazon, and you can also visit Chad Ward’s website at chadwrites.com.

After receiving a very nice custom Japanese knife for Christmas, I have decided to finally pull the trigger on learning how to sharpen knives (the correct way). Sharpening European-style knives such as Wusthof, Henckels, and Sabatier is different than sharpening Japanese knives (including Global and MAC knives). The steel on Japanese-style knives is harder and the angle is smaller (usually 10-15 degrees), while European-style knives have softer steel and the angle is more obtuse (usually 20 degrees). Additionally, Japanese knives are often bevelled on one side of the blade, such as those pictured to the right.

If you have a Japanese knife then you need to be concerned about maintenance a bit more. Some Japanese-style knives are a bit easier to manage such as Global, Shun and MAC as their blades are often stainless steel and corrosion resistant. Other Japanese knives, however, are made from carbon steel and are more susceptible to corrosion (rusting, staining, and pitting of the blade). They are really good knives, but they just demand more care. But don’t let that scare you off; once you have a great knife and experience real sharpness, maintenance is an acceptable cost. But what ever you do, don’t ever put a Japanese-style knife through one of those electric sharpeners (please don’t do this), and also be careful if you take them to your butcher or kitchen store to be sharpened as they may sharpen it at the wrong angle.

So which is better: European or Japanese knives? Well, I am not going to enter that debate. European knives are durable and easier to take care of. The advantage of Japanese knives is that the harder steel keeps its edge better and allows for a slimmer angle for cutting. Think of the difference between slicing a vegetable and splitting a vegetable. Japanese knives slice very, very well. The downside is that as metal gets harder it becomes more brittle and chipping of the blade can be a problem. You should be more careful to take good care of them. That is one reason Global, Shun and MAC knives are so popular. They strike a nice balance with hardness, sharpness, and corrosion resistance, and they incorporate European-style design into some of their knives. They have a more familiar feel to them.

So that is a very brief discussion on some of the differences between Japanese and European-style blades. So how should you sharpen your Japanese knives if you have them (or want them)?

First of all, you can always have someone else sharpen them. A high-end kitchen store that sells Japanese knives should be able to handle the sharpening, but you should still be careful and ask questions. Even good stores like Sur La Table will probably not handle your Japanese knives properly. If you live near a big city, I would recommend searching the Chowhound Boards for knife sharpeners in your area. Look for places that cater to professional cooks, but make sure to ask specifically if they sharpen Japanese-style knives and try to request the most experienced sharpener on staff.

You can also send your knives through the mail to be sharpened. Japanese Knife Sharpening, Epicurean Edge, and Korin all offer good mail-order sharpening services and are highly regarded.

If you want to start sharpening on your own, it will take more effort. You will have to buy some tools, learn some technique, and practice a bit. I would first read Chad Ward’s book: An Edge in the Kitchen. It will give a good overview of the different types of knives, equipment, and sharpening methods and is a good place to start. I won’t go into all the different sharpening instruments as the book does this very well, but the choice usually comes down to sharpening free-hand using stones or using some sort of device that helps guide you through the sharpening process.

There are three highly regarded videos about knife sharpening that any person wanting to learn should consider. The first one is by Dave Martell. He is the same person behind the Japanese Knife Sharpening website noted above and is probably the closest thing to a knife sharpening legend there is in the US. The other two videos are from Korin and Murray Carter.

Lastly, if you get this far and you want to buy your own sharpening gear, then visit Knifeforums.com. Check out the ‘In The Kitchen’ board that is down a ways on the main forum page. There is also a search tab at the top that you can use to search for specific information. With this site, you will have access to a group of knife lovers that is unsurpassed, and the knowledge they harbor is truly amazing. You can glean a ton of information just by searching the topics and reading the threads, but if you register as a user, you can also post questions and you will usually get friendly, helpful feedback and guidance. Just do some research first, be thoughtful with your questions, and be warned that they tend to be sharpening purists. The users may guide you more towards free-hand sharpening with waterstones. Not that that is a bad thing; I am doing it. Good luck.

Alessi has teamed up with Berti Cutlery producers from Italy to create their La Via Lattea cheese knife sets. There is one set for hard cheese and one for soft, and each set sells for $400. The sets also come with a nice cotton carrying case and a guide for cutting and tasting Italian cheeses. It is a great looking set even if the price is rather steep.

Berti Cutlery is an established knife making company from Tuscany now in its fourth generation of knife making. Founded in 1895, the company still adheres to old-world tradition and quality. Every Berti knife maker goes through an 8-year apprenticeship to learn the company’s bladesmith techniques, and the knives are guaranteed for life. What is also unique is that each individual knife is hand forged by one person from start to finish and ultimately signed by its creator.

You can purchase Berti knives from several US retailers to include: Unica Home, Tabula Tua, Napa Style, Shop Style, and The Italian Art Shop. If you want to know more about this renowned cutlery company, Tableware Today has a good article about the firm’s history.

First of all, true Damascus steel doesn’t exist in modern knife blades. Yes, you can buy knives with a Damascus look, but this metal is not what is considered Damascus steel or its predecessor, Wootz steel. The craft of making Damascus steel disappeared sometime around the mid-1700s, but this doesn’t mean that people haven’t tried to recreate it.

Damascus steel was first encountered by Europeans during the crusades where Arab swords were legendary for sharpness, flexibility, and their unique wavy blade patterns. Originally, the steel making process came from India and it was ore from the subcontinent that was used to make the famous swords that came out of Damascus.

The pattern on modern knives that gives the appearance of a Damascene blade comes not from the ancient forging process, but through a type of welding called ‘forge welding,’ where sheets of high and low carbon steel are welded together to produce layering. Etching is then used to reveal the layers in the wavy pattern that you see in modern cutlery. See the photo above.

Now, I must caveat this post slightly because even though the art of making Damascus steel did disappear about two centuries ago, it very well may have been resurrected here in the United States. Master bladesmith from Florida, Alfred Pendray, in conjunction with a professor of metallurgy from Iowa State, John Verhoeven, have scientifically recreated steel very close to Wootz steel using similar materials and techniques. It really is quite amazing, but the mystery of how to produce Damascus steel may actually be solved. You can read an article from Scientific American back in 2001 that details this discovery.

Alfred Pendray and Professor Verhoeven filed for a patent on their Damascus steel process in 1992, and if you want to see a Pendray Damascus steel reproduction, click here. That Pendray dagger was sold for $2,500. Another knife by Pendray is currently available for sale for $4,495, and If you want to order one directly from the bladesmith, the wait is apparently 4+ years.  I think it is safe to say that true Damascus steel will never be in the kitchen.

A lot of knife sets come with honing rods included which can also be called ’steels’ or ‘hones’. But is that steel a good one for your knives and how should it be used?

First of all, honing a knife is not the same as sharpening one. It is simply a way to realign the edge of your knife blade so it can once again cut with a straight edge. As you use your cutlery, the sharp end will ever so slightly start to roll over to one side, and honing a knife straightens it out again. It will seem sharper and cut better, but this is caused by taking that slight curve out of the end of the blade and restoring the edge.

The next question one might ask is: Do I need to use a specific brand or the steel that came with my set? The answer is ‘no’; brand doesn’t matter, and the steel that came with your set may not be a good one to use. If you do use it, however, you should proceed cautiously. Learn how to hone by watching some videos on the internet or reading up on it because the angle and pressure applied are very important. If you have a grooved metal steel, use it LIGHTLY. These devices are very aggressive with knife blades and if not used correctly will dramatically shorten the life of your knife.

The next question is: Which steel should I purchase if I need one? There are so many products on the market today (ceramic, oval, diamond, smooth, grooved and glass), but which one is best? Well it depends upon what kind of knives you have and what shape they are in. If you have fine Japanese versus European cutlery, then you should get different honing rods. And if your knives are older and duller, then you may also need to use different materials.

One way of thinking about it is by how aggressive a rod is. Without out getting into grit (coarseness) too much, here is a general progression of how aggressive each steel will be with your knife blade from hardest to the gentlest.

(1) Grooved steel hones. Very aggressive and most common in sets.

(2) Diamond hones. These can be coarse and fine, but they are still fairly aggressive.

(3) Ceramic hones. The fine ones are less aggressive and a good choice for European knives.

(4) Grooved glass hones. These are even more gentle than ceramic hones and can be used with Japanese knives.

(5) Smooth hones. These can be glass or metal and are not aggressive.

(6) Soft material hones. These really aren’t hones, but include leather strops and are good for Japanese knives.

When a knife is sharp, a smooth hone is best to use as all you really want to do is gently push the rolled over metal back into place. Do this right before using your knife to ensure your cutlery is ready for work.

Eventually, though, that weaker part of the blade tip will return to its rolled-over shape and become ‘flimsy’ over time. This is especially true of European-style knives such as Henckels and Wusthof. The steel that goes into making these knives is softer than Japanese ones and will lose its edge quicker. That means that eventually you will need to use something more aggressive such as a ceramic hone to recondition your blade a bit. Fine ceramic rods will push the blade back into shape, but also remove a tiny bit of the weakened part of the blade to help it maintain its edge longer. Yes, it is still removing some of your blade, but it is taking a very minimal part off. After doing this repeatedly though, you will need to get your knife re-sharpened.

If you use fine Japanese cutlery, it is best to step back even further from the ceramic and go with a completely smooth rod or a glass honing rod. Japanese knives keep their edge longer, so often they just need to be realigned with a non-aggressive honing process. Also, because of the hardness of Japanese knives, they chip easier so a gentle honing is necessary to prevent damage to your knife. Leather strops, smooth hones, and micro-grooved glass rods are good options for Japanese cutlery.

So if you are looking to be nice and gentle to your knives, it is best to go with a combination of rods such as a smooth polished one and then have a ceramic one for European knives and a glass one for Japanese knives when needed.

After browsing the eGullet and Knife Forum discussions, here are some recommendations for honing rods.

The Idahone fine ceramic hone is a good option. It is sold from EdgePro and Japanese Knife Sharpening.

For smooth hones you can shop several stores. Restaurant Source and Chefs Knives to Go have good selections of hones, and F. Dich has their Dickoron polished steel which is a good option.

To buy a glass honing rod as well as other sharpening tools, Hand American is a good resource, but the site seems to be under some maintenance right now. Here is their glass honing rod which is also pictured above. It sort of looks like a light saber.

There was a discussion recently on the Chowhound forum about why you have to pay so much for a meat carving fork. The knife is where all the value is, but it isn’t uncommon to have to spend quite a lot for a knife-fork set, or even worse, buy a stand-alone fork to match your existing knife. In the end it is probably not worth buying the companion fork unless you really think it necessary to have a matching set.

Personally, I use OXO cooking tongs instead of a fork, and I think it works much better. It doesn’t poke the food unnecessarily, you can grip and pull the meat (not just cut it), and they are usually more comfortable and functional.

With that said, this carving set is really beautiful. It is a custom set made by Canadian chef and knife maker, Thomas Haslinger. The knives that Haslinger makes are simply gorgeous, and this carving set is no exception. Again, I am not one for spending a lot on carving sets, but if I had $975 to blow for Turkey Day, I’d consider this one.

You can buy the set from bladegallery.com and browse Haslinger’s site at haslinger-knives.com. He really does make beautiful knives, so take a look and admire. I love this maple-handled 10-inch chef’s knife.