Conciencious cooks regard their knives as essential, and important asset. They select them with due care regardless of cost. A good knife is a lifetime investment; its selection and purchase should be based on quality and suitability, and regardless of cost.
A properly manufactured knife, sits well in the hand.
Before selecting, one must know what is available and what to look for.

The History of the Blade

The quality of the blade is very important. About 4000 years ago when man discovered iron and its properties, the foundation of the evolution of the blade was laid. Iron is melted at high temperatures, formed and cooled. Iron rusts and if not properly cooled will be too soft and if cooled too quickly too hard.

Steel is a mixture of about 80 percent iron and 20 percent other metals. Various knife manufacturers have their own secret formulae for their blades and the cooling. Carbon steel is an alloy of carbon and iron. It is the preferred metal for French knives, which are inflexible but sturdy. High carbon containing stainless steels is manufactured by the addition of four to five percent chromium and/or nickel to the base alloy. Super-stainless steel knives are too hard to sharpen and are not recommended.

Carbon steel has a sharp edge and holds it for a long time but it corrodes, is brittle and impractical for acidic foods.

Stainless steel resists abrasion, and corrosion, but is difficult to sharpen and does not maintain the good edge well.

High carbon stainless steel takes a good edge, resist rust and can be used in humid climates, and needs to be sharpened before every use.

Blade lengths

Blade lengths vary depending on intended use. A small paring knife will be no more than 10 cm. (4″) in blade length, whereas a carving knife can be as long as 40 cm (16″). Frequently used chef’s knives are available in blade lengths of: 20 cm (8″), 25 cm (10″), 30 cm (12″), 35 cm (16″). The most popular blade length is 25 – 30 cm (10-12″).

Professionals use the following knives frequently:

• Paring Knife (to peel vegetables)
• French Chef’s Knife (to cut and dice hard vegetables, meats)
• Filleting Knife (to filet fish, very flexible)
• Boning Knife (to bone large meat cuts containing bones)
• Carving Knife (to carve large roasts)
• Serrated Knife (to slice tomatoes)
• Bread Knife
There are many other knives such as butcher-, curved paring knife etc..
Generally, a good quality French chef’s – , a paring- , a boning- and a serrated knife are sufficient for home use.

The Parts of a Knife

A knife consists of a blade and a handle. The blade has a point, tip, back, cutting edge, bolster and heel. The handle is held in position with rivets. Nowadays there are one-piece plastic not riveted handles, but once they crack or become damaged they cannot be replaced, whereas a riveted handle be replaced.

Handles

The proper handle of a knife is as important as the blade. There are various handle types and materials.

Handles can be full-, three-quarter, half- or rat-tail tang. Full tang extends to the very end of the knife. It provides a good balance is sturdy and highly recommended. Three-quarter tang, half tang and rat-tail tang are proportional to length of the handle. Most professional cooks prefer full tang handles. The shape of a handle should be simple and sit in the hand comfortably without sharp edges. The best material for handles is Brazilian rosewood, but other impregnated woods can be good substitues.

The Balance of a Knife

A well designed knife is balanced, with a straigt blade and sits comfortably in hand.

Care of knives

Knives must be properly cared to last a lifetime. A knife must be used solely for cutting, never soaked, especially if it has a wooden handle or sanitized in a dishwasher. The intense heat in the dishwasher changes the molecular structure of the blade. After cutting simply wipe with a damp cloth from the back of the blade. If soapy or detergent water has been used, the blade should be dried immediately. Stains on the blade can be removed by using a slice of lemon, which has been sprinkled with salt and rubbed on the blade. After the removal of the stains the knife must be rinsed with soapy or hot water and dried immediately.

Storage of Knives

Knives should be stored to protect the blade and safety. They can be properly protected and stored in a specially designed portable case, tool box, wooden block, wooden holder or a board with magnetic holder. The later is convenient but has shortcomings.

Safety in Handling Knives

A knife is a sharp instrument and deserves respect. The edge of the knife should be kept sharp at all times. A dull knife is more dangerous than one that is sharp. For safety reasons the sharpness of the edge should never be checked by running a finger along it. It is extremely dangerous to attempt to catch a falling knife. Knives should never be hidden under food or cutting boards.
The appropriate knife should be selected for the task on hand. Always cut away from your self and protect your fingers. When feeling drowsy or not well it is inadvisable to utilize a knife.
When passing a knife from one person, always lay it down and let the other person pick it up by the handle. Always put the protective sheath on the blade when not in use and carry it with the tip pointing down. Never run when carrying a knife.

Sharpening a Knife

Sharpening a knife can only be undertaken using a sharpening stone. Sharpening steels help keep a sharp knife sharp . Sharpening stones can be medium or fine or glued back to back. The sharpening of a knife must be undertaken with either mineral oils or water.
There are various techniques used in sharpening knives. The most appropriate method depends on each individual.

Regrinding should not be confused with sharpening. When a blade is totally dull it must be reground on a special stone. This operation must be undertaken with great care and knowledge.

Steels

Steels keep a sharp knife sharp. Every cook should have a good steel and when shopping for one, should consider the following points. The shaft of the steel must be harder than the metal or blade to be sharpened. The grain of the shaft can be course or fine or may be a combination of both. The handle and guard are very important. The handle should be of a non-slip material and the guard between the shaft and the handle should be long enough to protect the user. There are steels with round-, flat -, or oval shafts. The round shafted steel is considered to be more functional. The shaft lengths vary from 28 cm (11″) to 7 cm (2 3/4″). The length of the shaft will depend on the length of blade of the knife to be sharpened. Actually the term to “True the Edge of the Knife” is more appropriate than saying “Sharpening”.

Manufacturers of Knives

There are many reputable and well-known professional knife manufacturers, some of which are listed below. (This list is not complete or in order of preference’)

J.A. Henckels (Solingen) Germany (This Company has two subsidiaries one in Portugal the other in Brazil. Their products cost less but are of inferior quality)

F. Dick (Solingen) Germany

Wusthoff (Solingen) Germany

Victoria (Luzerne) Switzerland

Sabatiere Pere – France

Prices of Knives

Price is a function of quality and value of the currency. Shop around for the best price, once you have chosen the manufacturer and type. Occasionally deoartment stores run sales and offer good deals. Compromising price for lower quality should be avoided.

Cutting Boards

Cutting or chopping on metal or ceramic surfaces is dangerous. Always use a cutting board. There are several types. The plastic cutting board has little or no resilience, develops ruts, tends to dull the blade, and eventually chips.
The hard rubber board is resilient and has grooves. It is workable but does not allow quick chopping. The wooden cutting board may be of hard- or relatively soft wood. IHard wood is more expensive but lasts much longer. Usually strips of wood are electrically connected with very strong glues. They must be cared for appropriately, stripped and sanded to prevent ruts and nicks. Also, they may be infested with food debris and germs, thus are unsanitary.

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