There are many dishes that benefit from being prepared with an exceptional knife, dishes that wouldn’t taste the same without one…
Beef carpaccio
Hand-cutting the beef makes its possible to follow the threads of the meat and ensures each slice is soft. Garnish it with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, Maldon coarse salt and a few grinds of pink pepper.
Fruit carpaccio
Slicing the fruit with a ceramic knife helps to delay oxidation, helping the fruit stay fresher and tastier longer.
Pasta
Surprised? Don’t be. Some kinds of tagliolini, like the thinner versions, can be obtained only by expertly cutting the dough with a very sharp knife. Among the other kinds of hand-cut pasta, there are the exquisite “maltagliati” (“badly cut”), which come from the leftover pieces of dough.
Prosciutto
Cutting prosciutto with a knife gives you the right balance between the fatty and leaner parts. And in terms of thickness? Only by hand-cutting it can you get the just-right thinness, perfect for the sweeter kinds of prosciutto: the Laguiole set (fork and knife) is one of the best to cut a slice of Pata Negra ham! For those who aren’t yet experts, stick to the very savoury ones that benefit from being eaten in thicker slices.
Tartar
When making tartar, do not think of using a blender or food processor! Everything should be done by hand, and with the help of a good-quality knife. You’ll need a very sharp, thin blade to quickly and finely chop the meat without making it too “mushy”.