An Edge in the Kitchen

Sara Moulton, executive chef of Gourmet magazine, author of Sara’s Secrets for Weeknight Meals, and host of Sara’s Secrets on PBS, has written a very kind review of An Edge in the Kitchen on her website.

My favorite line:

A lot of knife wisdom served with a splash of wit and a sprinkle of trivia make this a book you’ll want to read from cover to cover as well as to prop up by your knife block.

I interviewed Sara for the book. She’s a real sweetheart and a lot of fun to talk to. I can tell you that Sara’s Secrets for Weeknight Meals is one of the most dogeared, wine stained books in my collection. My kids have loved everything I’ve made from it. Stop by Sara’s website to say hi, tell her she has great taste in knife books and check to make sure your local PBS station is carrying her show.

Seattle food writer Matthew Amster-Burton has posted a very kind review of An Edge in the Kitchen on his blog, Roots and Grubs. I like Matthew’s writing a lot. Definitely spend some time exploring his essays on food and fatherhood. Matthew’s shoestring fries were the inspiration for me to start experimenting with my own french fry style, which ended up in the Knife Skills Workout section of my book. Thanks, Matthew!

Received a very kind mention on Michael Ruhlman’s blog. He lists An Edge in the Kitchen as one of his Books Worth Reading and Using. For those who don’t know, Ruhlman is the author of The Elements of Cooking, The Making of a Chef and several other books which offer keen insights into the mind of a chef and the business of commercial cooking. He is also the co-authored The French Laundry Cookbook with Thomas Keller and the utterly brilliant Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing with Brian Polcyn. To say I’m flattered would be a grave understatement.

“An Edge in the Kitchen” received a starred review in Publishers Weekly.

LIFESTYLE
An Edge in the Kitchen: The Ultimate Guide to Kitchen Knives
Chad Ward. Morrow, $34.95 (240p) ISBN 9780061188480
Though humans have been using knives for about two and a half million years, you’ll be hard pressed to find as succinct and complete a collection of wisdom on the topic as this masterful volume from cook and writer Ward. He covers nearly everything, from construction and general knife care to proper storage and sharpening, giving cooks all the information they need. Detailed instructions on how to use the most common knives are bolstered with photos that thoroughly illustrate key techniques like dicing, chiffonade and julienne, as well as the lost art of cutting up a whole chicken. Though enthusiastic about his subject, Ward maintains a refreshing level of sanity throughout, reminding readers that they really only need three knives—a chef knife, a paring knife and a bread knife—to accomplish the vast majority of tasks. Better yet, Ward offers recommendations for budgets under $100, as well as reliable sources for custom-made kitchen knives (which “can be had for about the same price as you’d pay for the more pedestrian stuff”). Those looking for in-depth descriptions of every knife imaginable and/or detailed butchery instructions will not find it here, but those interested in upgrading or maintaining a reliable set of knives will find this book as indispensable as the tools themselves. (June)