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The Well-Stocked Kitchen Begins With Chef Knives

Preparing meals that are a cut above the ordinary might be easier if you start with the proper cutting tools.

Well-designed cutting tools are engineered with style, safety and performance in mind. A smartly constructed knife is fashioned of forged high-carbon stainless steel and chromium for optimum rust and stain resistance.

For instance, Insignia2 cutlery has fully tapered blade edges that are engineered with Chicago Cutlery's signature Taper Grind Edge for extreme sharpness, performance, edge retention and resharpening ease.

When selecting a knife, look for heavy forged bolsters between the blade and the handle. These bolsters provide greater balance and safety by preventing fingers from riding up on the blade. A full tang blade, extending from the tip of the knife to the end of the handle, offers additional strength, balance and control.

A good kitchen knife collection features patented ergonomic polymer handles for outstanding durability and handling. Triple compression stainless steel rivets ought to secure the handles to the blades.

Available in 18-piece and 12-piece slanted hardwood block sets, the Insignia2 collection contains a four-piece forged steak kitchen knife set, a three-piece set with paring, utility and chef knives, and a two-piece Asian set having a seven-inch Granton-edge Santoku and a 3.5-inch paring knife.

A new concept in cutlery is the collection's Partoku, a five-inch knife which delivers the versatility of a Granton-edge Santoku with the convenience of an easy-handling paring knife. It's made for chopping, dicing, slicing and mincing and works well as a cleaver, slicer and chef's knife. The five-inch version can accomplish kitchen tasks which would be unwieldy with a larger knife.

After stocking your kitchen with the best, most ergonomic knives, you might want to use them to reward yourself by preparing these scrumptious recipes:

Braised Chicken

in Wine Sauce

Serves 4

5 slices bacon, diced

one cup onion, roughly chopped

one 31/2-lb. chicken, cut into eighths

1/4 lb. mushrooms, diced

8 small new potatoes, cut in big pieces

one clove garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

one cup chicken broth

3 cups Burgundy wine

Chopped parsley

With a Chicago Cutlery Insignia Partoku, dice uncooked bacon and mushrooms; roughly chop onions and cut potatoes and chicken into pieces. In a big skillet, sauté diced bacon with half the onions until bacon is crisp. Remove and drain well. Add chicken pieces to skillet and brown on all sides. Remove chicken and set aside.

Put remaining onions, mushrooms, potatoes and minced garlic in skillet. Add browned chicken pieces, bacon and onion mixture. Add pepper and salt, thyme and enough chicken broth and wine to nearly cover chicken. Cover and simmer on low heat for forty-five minutes or until chicken is tender and juices run clear when pricked. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Easy Scalloped Eggplant

Serves 4

one medium eggplant, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups)

one Tbsp. parsley, finely chopped

12 ounces grated cheddar cheese; reserve a few tablespoons for topping

2 eggs

one medium onion, chopped

one cup cracker crumbs

Pepper and salt to taste

Butter

Peel and cube eggplant. In a medium saucepan, boil eggplant until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well. In a lightly buttered baking dish, combine eggplant, parsley, cheese (reserve some for topping), eggs, onion and cracker crumbs. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, salt and pepper and dot with butter. Bake at 350º F for 25 minutes or until firm. Serve immediately.