How to Choose a Chef’s Knife

R egardless of the food preparation task you plan to take up, whether it is cutting, chopping, mincing, or slicing, the chef’s knife is the cutlery that you will use, so it’s important for it to be of great quality, impressive durability, and superior sharpness. In the following, we will learn more about this centerpiece of the cutlery collection in any modern kitchen, studying its anatomy, analyzing what you have to look into when buying it, and finding out how you can be 100% certain that the model you buy is actually of good quality.

Chef’s Knife Anatomy Explained

As you can see in the picture above, the chef’s knife is composed of the butt, the tang, the heel, the edge, the tip, the point, the spine, the bolster, and the handle. Here is a detailed look into each part and its role:

• Butt – It is situated at the end of the knife. It comes in various shapes and sizes, and its role is to allow the person using the knife to handle it easier. In some cases, it has the role to balance the cutlery as well.
• Tang – It plays the role of providing balance to the knife. It also makes the cutlery more durable as the steel blank is integrated into the handle, thus the entire design being sturdier.
• Heel – It allows the person using the knife to easily cut through tough foods or products. It is used to apply pressure while cutting as well.
• Edge – There are four types of edges that you will encounter, more precisely the straight edge, the serrated edge, the hollow ground edge, and the Granton edge. This component is used for cutting and other cooking tasks.
• Tip – The tip consists of the front quarter of the blade and it can be used for various cooking tasks. For example, the actual tip can be used to apply pressure into the board when cutting vegetables, while the heel can be used to cut through food.
• Point – It is used for piercing produce, and it should never be used for cutting as it can easily get tilted and damaged.
• Spine – It is situated at the top of the knife, and it can be ground to a round edge for more comfort when you’re cutting or chopping produce fast.
• Bolster – It prevents your hand from slipping when you are using the knife. Generally, it has a thick design and it’s heavy in order to balance the cutlery better.
• Handle – It is the part that you hold in your hand when maneuvering the knife. The handle can be made from a variety of materials, the most popular being wood and stainless steel.

What to Look for In the Cutlery

There are three main elements that you have to look into when purchasing a chef’s knife – the size, the weight, and the balance of the cutlery. Find out why each element is important by learning more about the role it plays:

• Size

  The size of the blade shows for what cooking tasks the knife is appropriate. For example, a 6-inch chef’s knife offers more agility than cutlery pieces that come with longer blades, but it doesn’t do well when it’s confronted with volume or when you have to slice through large foods, fruits, or vegetables. The 8-inch long blade is by far the most popular choice of cooks as it’s perfect in size for all type kitchen tasks, versatility being its strong point. On the other hand, the 10-inch long blade offers the cook the possibility to cut more volume. Unfortunately, it feels less comfortable to work with due to its size.

• Weight

  The ideal weight varies depending on the user. Some feel like a light knife is better as it allows them to move fast and freely, while others prefer to have a more forceful approach to cutting, chopping, slicing, and mincing, thus choosing a heavier chef’s knife. Regardless of the category that you fall into, make sure that you keep your preference in mind when making a pick as it is vital in terms of comfort in use and ease of handling the cutlery.

• Balance

  Choosing this third and equally important element depends entirely on you as you have to decide what feels comfortable to you. Just test the knife to see if it’s comfortably weighted toward the blade and toward the back of the handle. Don’t forget to check the side-to-side balance of the knife when using it as well.

How to Properly Test the Knife Before Purchasing It

Now that you know what you must look into when you shop and that you’re aware of the knife’s anatomy, let’s see what you must do to be 100% sure that the purchase you make is going to be a long-lasting one. Obviously, the only bulletproof method to buy a quality knife is to test it yourself. By doing this, you not only get to see whether it’s truly sharp or not, but you get to see whether it feels comfortable in your hand and if you can maneuver it properly. The tests that you should try out is to mince parsley, carve a melon, thinly cut carrot strips, and dice an onion. If the knife passes one or more of these tests and if you are able to handle it properly when using it, then it’s the right choice to go with.