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Kitchen Knives: 4 Must Know Tips

Updated on December 15, 2012

The Kitchen Knife: What to look for when you buy.

Most people would agree that the best cooks and chefs are the ones know how to use their kitchen knife. Part of knowing how to use it is knowing what to look for when you buy any kitchen or chef knife.

Here we will outline the four main tips for discovering how to select the right kitchen knife for you. Once you have this information you will be able to make a better decision about purchasing kitchen knives that suit your needs.

The four tips are:

How are Kitchen knives made?

Different varieties of the chef knife.

The uses of the kitchen knife.

What are the best brands of chef knives to buy?

Chef Knives: How they are Made.

Stamped vs. Forged

The quality of the knife you use is also important. The key to selecting a good quality knife is to know its made. A good stainless steel knife will be forged out of one piece of metal and the handle will be attached on both sides of the tang. This is a key point to remember when buying chef knives.

Forging is the term for shaping metal using compression. It is the desired way to mark quality in knife making.

Stamping is a method similar to cookie cutting the shape of the knife from a sheet of metal. The stamping variety of chef knives are typically of less quality and less durable than the more stronger forged technique.

The Main Varieties of the Kitchen Knife

Different knives for different uses

When looking for kitchen knives that are on sale, you need to know the different varieties of kitchen knives and their uses. There are many different kinds of knives for a variety of uses. For example, a paring knife will not do the same job cutting or trimming a beef tenderloin.

Here is a quick list of the main types of Chef Knives:

The French Knife or Chef's Knife:

This is the most frequently used knife in the kitchen, for general purpose chopping, slicing, dicing and so forth. The blade is wide at the heel and tapers to a point. They are available commonly in 8", 10", and 12" lengths. I prefer the 12" length because you can have more control over the movement of the knife and still not work your hands to death as in the 8" and 10" versions.

Paring Knife:

Smaller knife with a 2 to 2 1/2" pointed blade. This knife is used for trimming and paring vegetables and fruits. I use mine for garnishing work, making roses from tomato peels, or delicate fruit carvings, and sometimes just peeling potatoes.

The Boning Knife:

This knife comes in two varieties: Stiff and flexible. The knives are usually about 6" long and used for cutting and trimming raw meats and poultry. The flexible ones are used for lighter work like filleting fish.

The Slicer:

Typically a long slender, flexible blade that is up to 14" in length. This is used for slicing or carving roasted meats such as leg of lamb, turkey, or roast of beef. It also comes in a serrated variety that is used to slice breads and cakes.

The Steel:

This is not a knife itself, but it is the most important tool you will use to care for your knives. It tunes in the sharpness of the knife and maintains the edges. They can be purchased to match the handle of your Chef's knife. I purchased a Wusthof to match my French Knife.

What are Chef Knives used for?

Cutting things obviously.

The obvious things a kitchen knife is used for is cutting. But again, what type of cutting do you want to accomplish. Different types of cuts require different knives.

For example:

To dice an onion or green pepper you would use the chefs knife for better control of the cut. As stated above, for more controlled cuts as in garnish creation a paring knife would be used. And, a boning or filet knife would be used to remove skin and fat from fish or beef tenderloins.

Thanks for viewing this lens. I would love to have you sign the guestbook with any feedback or comments on your favorite chef knife or technique of using kitchen knives.

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