Chef’s knives are vital for people who enjoy cooking from professional chefs to people who spend a lot of hours in the kitchen cooking at home. Good quality chef’s knives make common food preparation jobs such as mincing garlic, slicing raw beef into bite size pieces, chopping onions and cutting fruit much simpler and faster. A chef’s knife will last a number of years if you remember to take care of it.
So what is a chef’s knife? A chef’s knife is somewhere between 6 and 12 inches long with eight inches being the most widespread size. The blade is typically broad and curves toward the tip. Its shape makes it ideal for chopping with a rocking action. Several chefs prefer the French style chef’s knife which is not as curved. The French design is great for slicing by running the knife toward you. Neither design is innately better than the other. The type of chef’s knife you pick out will come down to your preferences and style. The Japanese santoku knife is becoming increasingly popular with Western chefs and home cooks. Santoku knives are flat edged knives that excel at many food preparation tasks. The upper part of the handle is lined up with the tip of the blade leaving plenty of room underneath the handle for your fingers. This makes santoku knives very easy to grasp and control. Regardless of the style you choose, your chef’s knife will be your primary knife and the knife you find yourself using most often for food prep.
There are a few different kinds of materials used in making chef’s knife blades so you will have lots of choices when you go to get a chef’s knife. Each material has its own set of pros and cons. Stainless steel is a common choice due to stainless steel chef’s knives being resistant to staining and maintaining their edges well. Carbon steel chef’s knives are also well liked, but are prone to staining and rusting. A carbon steel knife is simpler to sharpen and will hold its edge better than stainless, but needs more overall effort to maintain and thoroughly clean. A laminated steel blade takes layers of different material and merges them for the purpose of minimizing the downsides of the separate materials. Laminated blades are often as stain proof as stainless steel and able to stay sharp as long as carbon steel. A ceramic chef’s knife will remain sharper far longer than a steel knife. The problem is that they are not as durable and can chip or break if you drop them. An added issue with ceramic chef’s knives is sharpening. When they do need to be sharpened, you will in all probability have to send them out to a professional with the proper tools.
Handles on chef’s knives differ significantly as well. They can be constructed from steel, composite materials and also wood. Wood handles require more care as wooden handles can damage or crack. Wood handles can also invite and spread bacteria because wood is a porous material.
With a great many choices available when it comes to chef’s knives, it is often tough to find exactly the proper one. Since you will be relying upon your chef’s knife just about every day, it pays to shop around. If you live near a kitchen specialty shop, try out different models and styles of chef’s knives. There is no one best option so handle a few different ones to see which you fancy. Before you get your knife from a brick and mortar retailer, check prices on the internet. You can often discover much better prices on the Internet.
Callie enjoys cooking and writing. She combines both of these passions by writing articles, including an article on the best kitchen knives and product reviews such as her review of the Global chef knife.
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