The Tools of a Chef: a photo essay about knives and their handlers

A photo essay exploring knives and their handlers. 

Photos Curtis Comeau Photography | Styling Peter Keith, Meuwly’s | Words Mary Bailey

I do a lot of food and chef photography and one thing that has always fascinated me is the tools they use. But I never really thought about a knife making a difference to me, until a friend gave me a knife—a Wüsthof chef’s knife. It changed my life.

“It was an unbelievable experience,” says Curtis Comeau, budding knife enthusiast. “But, over about six months it got dull and wasn’t so much fun anymore.” A chef friend said ‘Go to Knifewear. They will sharpen it for you and show you how to take care of it.’

“When I went in to Knifewear I was blown away by the different types of knives. It was another world. You can hold them and test them out and find the one that fits you. While someone sharpened my knife, by hand ($10), someone else showed me how to use a ceramic honing rod (called a steel). If I used it every time I used my knife, I would only have to have it sharpened maybe once a year. It would help hold the edge and keep the knife in top shape.

“A few weeks ago, I was visiting my Dad at the hotel our family owns near Waterton National Park,” says Curtis. “My dad and his partner are everyday Albertans; they have Walmart knives and a steel sharpener, like everybody else. I couldn’t even cut the bacon, I almost cut my fingers trying to force the knife through the bacon. It was a miserable experience after using my Wüsthof. I said ‘I am buying you guys a $150 knife. If will make your life so much better.’

“Now I get it. You use a knife like your toothbrush, every day. It’s going to be fascinating learning more about knives.”

“A good knife is inspiring,” says Kris Armitage, manager of the Knifewear shop on Whyte Avenue. “A good sharp knife is also safer, but what is really important is the joy a good knife brings. You will be inspired to cook and enjoy it more.

“Buying a knife is very personal,” says Kris. “It’s like picking out a hockey stick, it’s got to be the one that feels right in your hands. We narrow it down to the size and shape. You will have it for the rest of your life. You do not need to buy another knife. You’re going to want to, but you don’t have to.

“I want to find the right knife for each person, whether that be a factory-made knife with a plastic handle ($79) or a Fujiwara Denka. These are made by a fourth-generation blacksmith, Teruyasa Fujiwara, who changed how knives are made in Japan.

“His knives are empirically better than everything else in our store (and range from $600-$1000). Fujiwara said, ‘If you don’t pass these on to the next generation and that generation to the next, I have failed at making a knife.”

“Besides how a knife feels in your hand, what matters it how it is made and with what. For example, stainless steel knives used to get a bad rap because it was hard to keep a fine edge, which is not true anymore,” says Kris. “Knife technology is constantly changing. The Miyabi Black series is one of the hardest steels around, yet it will hold an edge for a ridiculous amount of time.

“The biggest difference with Japanese knives is that the steel is harder. You can put a finer edge on it and it will stay sharp longer. A sharp knife is safer because it goes where you tell it to.

“A handmade knife is hammered by a blacksmith. The attention that goes into a hand-forged knife will show in its performance. A factory-made knife is made mostly by machine,” says Kris.

How a knife is made also makes a difference in how it looks. Take Damascus steel for example. It’s an ancient technique invented in Syria, involving folding the steel over and over to get rid of impurities. Steel making has progressed so much that Damascus no longer refers to a type of steel but a look. “It’s used strictly for aesthetics now,” says Kris, “and doesn’t affect how the knife performs at all.

“We recommend one to three knives for a basic set up in a kitchen. The old saying, you get what you pay for, is so true with knives. The sweet spot for one great knife is between $200 and $400, probably six to 11 inches. A chef’s knife (210 ml Gyuto, approx 9.5 inches) is a good all-round knife. Buy the biggest knife you are comfortable with. A petty knife (74 ml, also called a paring knife) for small jobs like coring strawberries or taking silver skin off meats, or a utility knife which has a wider blade.”

Kris recommends tailoring your third knife to your style of cooking. “If you chop a lot of vegetables, a Nakiri (cabbage) knife is a good idea. It’s a big flat knife that looks a bit like a cleaver.

“And don’t forget to take care of it, hone it every time you use it and get it sharpened at least once a year. “

Kelsey Johnson, chef and co-owner, Café Linnea

“What do I like about my knife? It’s all about the feel in my hand, the way it rocks when I use it, the weight,” says Kelsey Johnson, exec chef at Café Linnea. “My every day is a 10-inch Miyabi and I have a Tojiro Flash that I use for butchery. It has a firm blade which is good for breaking down a half cow and it’s good for taking out bones.

“I bought my first knife at Knifewear in Calgary long before I was in the industry, when I was in film and theatre. It’s a knife made by a 25th generation Samurai family, eight inches or so, unfinished steel with a wooden handle. I use it at home. It has no spring at all. No flex. My Miyabi has a lot of flex.

“I’m pretty basic in how I take care of them—I do have three sets of stones and I do a quick hone a couple of times a day. Fillie (a cook at Linnea) is a knife fanatic; he used to work at Knifewear.

“I wish all home cooks had a good knife because it makes cooking so much easier. It doesn’t have to be a $500 knife, it could be a $100 knife. And it will last forever.”

Davina Moraiko, chef de cuisine, RGE RD

What do you look for in a knife? “It depends on what I am using it for,” says Davina Moraiko, RGE RD’s chef de cuisine and the 2018 gold medallist at Edmonton’s Great Kitchen Party. “If I’m meat cutting, I’ll need a boning knife. If I’m working the oven station, I’ll need a slicer. You can’t use a chef’s knife for everything. Though, that would make life much simpler.

“My hands are a bit small and I like a lighter knife. My favourite knife is the Masakage Kumo Kamagata. I’ve had this knife for about six years and I use it every single day, cutting greens and vegetables, slicing a fresh tomato during service, slicing onions. I like the handle and it’s light, not massive. Having a big blade on the line takes up a lot of room. I get it sharpened at Knifewear, I hone it every day and I wash it by hand, never ever put it in the dishwasher. I have maybe nine knives, not a massive collection. I just like to have the right knife for what I need.”

Lindsay Porter, chef and owner, London Local

“I like a thin blade and I don’t like a heavy knife,” says Lindsay Porter, chef/owner of London Local. “I prefer stainless steel knives. They don’t rust. You get a bit of water on a carbon steel knife and you are in a hurry and don’t wipe it down right away, it can rust.

“I don’t like overly big or super long knives. This Shun is a good size. I got it at a seafood festival in PEI—a nice little gift basket with two Shun knives. I use it every day. I have some other Japanese knives too.

“I still have my first knife. It was from the set I bought at the NAIT bookstore. Victorinox, I think. I hone daily with the steel (ceramic) and sharpen every three to four months. Sharpening revives the knife. If it’s dull, you have to push and you can cut your finger. I like a few other knives too—a smaller, more versatile knife, like a paring knife, goes a long way. You can get into everything, like a cauliflower. A boning knife is very important. You don’t feel like it’s going to chip the bone, it’s meant to go around the bone.

“Right now, our cooks in the kitchen are using the kits that they bought in school—not the Japanese knives yet.”

Jennifer Stang, La Boule Bakery

“When you enter the culinary program, you are offered a knife set, the Wüsthof kit or the Victorinox kit. I bought the Wüsthof kit. I knew nothing. The 10-inch Wüsthof chef knife is the knife I learned to cut with, that I learned knife skills with.

“I call it my wife, don’t like it when people touch it. I use her still, I like the balance, the way it feels in my hand. I know how it’s going to move. I’ve been gifted knives, such as Global, too light. I find the Japanese knives in general too light. My muscle memory works with the heavier knife.

“Because I am a cook first, pastry chef second, I probably cut more than most, I’m always chiffonading.

“I have breadknives too. One came in my knife kit, it has a scalloped edge which is good for cutting éclair and choux. It’s a bit used and abused, could use a little love. I also have another bread knife, Damascus steel with serrated teeth, very pointy and sharp. When cutting our crusty bread, this is the knife you need. They never teach you how to take care of a bread knife, especially the scalloped edge. I don’t know how and couldn’t find anyone to do it.

“I sharpen knives on a stone with oil, I am well versed in how to take care of my knives. I like to take care of things. They are the tools of my trade. But the bread knife, no idea.”