If there’s one thing that is certain about cooking in someone else’s kitchen, it is that their knives are not as good as your own. This is true at grandma’s kitchen and it’s true about the house knives at restaurants. Professional cooks, like any other craftsmen, bring their own tools for the job. Doubly so for cooking off site at catering jobs – you would rather have it and not need it than the other way.
These are the criteria I consider for a knife bag:
Capacity – It has to store a complete knife kit – enough to handle any task for the day. Preferably with room leftover for essential cooking tools. For myself, I need a bag that can fit chinese cleavers, meat cleavers, as well as longer knives. 270mm or 300mm slicers are not unusual.
Material – Cooking is a dirty job. There is fire, hot oil, and grease all around. Things happen in the kitchen (and outdoors). I want a material that can resist spills instead of soaking up liquids. If you are a pro cook, be aware that the health department may ask you how you clean and sanitize your bag so be prepared.
Looks – It’s subjective what you think looks good. However, I recommend against flashy bags. I know the people I cook with, but it is always off site catering so there are any number of other people walking around. In a restaurant kitchen, other than co-workers, there may be food purveyors, oven repair people, etc who also go in the back of house.
Cost – I don’t want to spend more on a case than the contents
