Walter Pisano, Executive Chef at Tulio Ristorante in Seattle, loves honest Italian food. He's carved out his place in the national dining scene with a menu featuring everything from linguine with local clams to dry-aged ribeye. A true "knife guy," Walter is always game to peel and julienne.


What is it about chefs and their knives... what's the fascination

A good or bad knife can make or break your day. I equate the quality of a knife to the quality of an Internet connection, if you were working in the tech world: We rely on it to do our jobs.

Inquiring minds want to know - how do you properly hold a knife when cutting and slicing?

Think about how you'd hold a paintbrush or a baseball bat. Instead of squeezing it, hold it freely. It's all about feeling the balance while cutting; the knife should almost be an extension of your hand. True balance is not holding it too tight or too loose so it slips.

What are your favorite knives?

The 8-inch Shun Tomato knife. It's specifically for tomatoes, but you can use it to make super-thin slices of stone fruit, like plums and peaches. It's also a good knife for peeling a kiwi. It holds a great edge and I reach for it more than I ever would have imagined. Also, I bought my all-time favorite knife in Germany years ago … it has a long, thick blade that lets you peel just under the skin of any fruit. My most-used is my Shun and Wusthof 6- and 8-inch French knives. I have Henkel commercial knives, too. They're very accurate and long lasting, and I know they will work for whatever I'm cutting.

Does each kind of knife have its own special "talent"?

It's important to only use certain knifes for certain tasks. For chopping and slicing, use a sharp 8- to 10-inch French knife. For peeling smaller fruits, use a smaller, thinner blade (what I call a "fruit knife"). For slicing roasts and meats, chicken, or raw fish, use a thinner slicing knife. For decorative vegetable work, use a 4- to 5-inch paring knife. Same thing goes for peeling; I'll use a paring knife if it's thin and sharp enough, versus using a peeler.

How do you know when it's time to retire a knife?

They should last a lifetime. But you will know it's time to move on when the knife has been sharpened so much it's the width of a straw. At that point, it's too thin and not effective anymore.

Talk about sharpening knives. What's the norm?

I sharpen them once a month or so, but to what degree depends on what and how often I've been cutting. I only use a ceramic honing steel and a water stone. I really don't like using oil when sharpening my knives because it's messy and water is cleaner and better for the environment.

What are your favorite knife techniques?

Peeling and julienne. There's also a term called "turning veg," which means shaping vegetables into logs, similar to football shapes. Although I don't do it often anymore, it reminds me a lot of pottery, like working with your hands.