Using steak knives is an absolute must when eating steak. If you’ve ever tried to eat steak using anything else you know exactly how true that is. When you’re trying to enjoy a meal, you don’t want to be involved in a battle with your steak, and choosing good steak knives will ensure that it cuts smoothly, and easily. If you’ve ever been at someone’s house having a steak dinner without proper knives, you know that trying to eat the main dish without the proper cutting utensil can even be embarrassing. Here you’ll find a little history on steak knives, what to look for in a good set, tips for caring for your knives, and where to find the best knives for steak.
Stainless steel became popular after World War II, because with both men and women in the workforce, no one had time for high maintenance cutting tools. People (at that time, still generally women) wanted to get in the kitchen and prepare meals as quickly as possible. A regular steel knife that needed to be polished to keep it from rusting, and having to incessantly polish knives just wasn’t going to cut it anymore. Regular steel knives still had to be sharpened all the time, so the serrated edge was developed, featuring grooves where the sharp edged blade would normally be. Using the serrated edge, just a few strokes from the knife would cut off a nice bite sized piece almost effortlessly. Because serrated knives worked so well for cutting meats, the jagged serrated edge became forever associated with cutting steaks, hence, the steak knife.
Tips for Buying Steak Knives
A steak knife supplements your everyday silverware. Just like you need a set of forks and spoons, you need a set of steak knives. Typically, they come in sets of four. This might work for a family of four who never have dinner guests, but if you commonly have guests over for grilling steaks, you want to be sure you have enough for everybody. So you’ll want to get multiple sets, or a set that has enough to serve everyone at your largest gathering. Secondly, you want to make sure the brand you are choosing actually makes the best steak knives. You can find sets everywhere, from the cheapest low end discount stores to high end department stores to cutlery specialty stores, not to mention all the ones available online. If you choose an online retailer, which might save you money, make sure you check out reviews. Some knives are more user friendly than others, more ergonomically designed, and simply more attractive than the rest. Reading up on feedback from people who have purchased the set you’re considering can help you understand what you can actually expect from that particular knife. Finally, if you have children that will be cutting their own steaks, you can find rounded tip steak knives that aren’t as dangerous for kids as a steak knife with a pointed tip. Which knife you choose is important because you’re paying a lot for high quality steaks, and you want only the best steak knives to ensure the most satisfying meal possible.
Features of Steak Knives
All steak knives feature the serrated edge, but not all of them are of the same caliber. The best steak knives don’t wrestle with you – they cut your steak like butter. They will also have a full tang, which is the piece of metal that runs through the knife and connects the handle to the blade securely. A full tang adds strength and helps balance a knife. Steak knives also have handles made of high quality hard woods, like walnut. Triple compression brass rivets securely hold the tang in place. High carbon stainless steel is a good choice of material for a steak knife, because the higher carbon content makes for a stronger knife.
Caring for Steak Knives
Steak knives are pretty durable, but because most of them feature wooden handles, even if they’re dishwasher safe, you probably don’t want to wash them that way because of the steam in the dishwasher. Make sure the wooden handle doesn’t stay submerged in water for long. That’s not to say you have to treat them all too delicately but over time sitting in water for extended periods of soaking will cause the wood to split and eventually rot after too many extended soaking sessions. If you do choose to wash them in the dishwasher, as with any other knives, you don’t want to put them blade up. The pointed tip could jab you as you’re reaching in to unload the dishwasher. You also will do well to buy a set that comes in a case or a butchers block, because keeping them together in a drawer can not only cut you when you’re reaching into the drawer, but can also damage the knives themselves.
Where to Find Steak Knives
As we’ve already established, you aren’t likely to find steak knives at a low end discount store. Because they’re an indispensable supplement to everyday silverware, and almost everyone owns a set, you want to shop around for the best deals but also the best knives. The cheapest set may be inexpensive, but you’re going to be replacing them much sooner than if you’d bought a high quality set to begin with, so in the long run a cheap set of steak knives can end up costing you more than a higher quality set. You’re going to have to pay more for good steak knives. But you’ll be replacing them far less often. A store that specializes it cutlery and cookware is probably going to be your best bet. If you find a set you like, but don’t want to pay what the specialty store is asking, make note of the brand and style and check for a cheaper price for the same set online. Be willing to pay a little for these knives though. Having a set of good steak knives is well worth it.