Photo courtesy of Courtney Stroup

Parts of a Knife

Bolster:  The thick band of steel between the heel and the handle—on forged knives only.  Helps to balance the knife and prevents user’s hand from slipping across the blade.

Butt:  The end of the knife handle.

Edge:  Running from the heel to the tip, this is the sharpest part of the knife blade.  Sharp edges are safer and easier to use.

Handle:  Providing the knife’s gripping surface, the handle is usually made from wood, plastic, or stainless steel.

Heel:  The rear portion of the blade, used to cut thick or tough product.

Spine:  The top of the blade, directly opposite the edge (also runs from heel to tip).

Tang:  The part of the blade that extends into the handle and provides balance.  Most knives are ½, ¾, or full tang blades (with full tang being superior because of excellent balance and longevity—they don’t crack due to stress towards the heel of the knife).

Tip:  The front part of the blade that does most of the cutting and separating.  Pointed tips are used to pierce food and cut small portions.  Rounded tips offer better contact between the food and the blade, ideal for thin slicing.

Types of Knives

Boning Knife:  Generally about 6 inches long with a blade roughly as wide as the handle, this smaller knife has a straight edge that curves toward the tip.  The knife is thin and sharp to allow its user to pierce the flesh and to work around any joint or bone to cleanly separate the meat.  A stiff boning knife is perfect for boning beef and pork, but a flexible boning knife should be used for poultry and fish.

Bread Knife:  With a serrated edge on a straight or slightly curved blade, bread knives are designed to efficiently cut through crust without damaging the soft interior of the bread.

Butcher Knife:  Slices large slabs of raw meat in the kitchen, or for thin slices of cooked product.

Chef’s Knife:  This knife has a wide hilt and a straight, sharp edge that tapers to a point, perfect for cutting, slicing, chopping, and mincing.  It ranges in length from 6 to 14 inches, but an average 8-10 inch blade will be sufficient for most kitchens.  Also called a cook’s knife, it is often considered the cook’s most important tool because of its versatility and broad range of usability.

Cimeter Knife:   A large, slightly curved version of the butcher’s knife, this knife is primarily used for cutting large pieces of meat into retail cuts.  The upward curve delivers a rocking motion that makes this knife suitable for some small chopping jobs.

Cleaver:   Boasting a very heavy and broad blade, this knife is used to cut and chop through thick cuts of meat and for cutting through soft bones and sinew.  It will also open lobsters and take off fish heads.  The versatility of this knife is often overlooked—the broad side of the knife can be used for crushing food (think garlic), and many chefs prefer the cleaver when cutting large vegetables.

Paring Knife:  Typically a very small knife, only 3-5 inches long, and about as narrow as the handle, this apparatus is used for more fine and intricate work in the kitchen.  Use the spear point paring knife for peeling, slicing, removing stems, and other precision tasks.  The sheep’s foot variety utilizes a blunt blade tip to slice small foods like shallots and garlic, while the bird’s beak has an arched blade that is ideal for peeling and garnishing.  Serrated edge paring knives can be used to slice small fruits and veggies.  This versatile kitchen tool can be used to hull strawberries, to section citrus fruit, or even to devein shrimp.

Fillet Knife:  The long narrow blade makes this the perfect choice for making clean cuts between the scales and meat of a fish and the pointed tip is ideal from removing bones.  While typically associated with fish, this knife also works well any time long, thin strips of meat are desired.

Santoku Knife:  The Japanese version of the chef knife, the Santoku is a general-purpose, well-balanced kitchen knife with a flat edge and a sheep’s foot blade that measures generally between 5 and 8 inches long.  Mostly used in a chopping motion due to its limited rocking ability, the knife is still frequently chosen for slicing, dicing, and mincing.

Slicing/Carving Knife:  Slicing knives have a sturdy, extra-long blade with a rounded tip that can slice through large cuts of meat in one straight, easy glide without getting caught coming down.  A Granton edge is preferable because the scallops allow for a thinner cutting edge with little effort.

Steak Knife:  Serrated or smooth edge, pointed or rounded tip.  Use the serrated edge to cut tougher items, and the point tip to cut smaller bite sizes.

Tomato Knife:  A small, serrated kitchen knife that is designed to cut through tomatoes quickly and with minimal pressure so as to not crush or tear the fruit.  The forked end allows the user to pick up and move the tomato slices without damaging them.

Utility Knife:  This all-purpose knife, typically measuring between 4 and 7 inches, gives you the control of a paring knife, but has a bit more length for bigger jobs.   Offers chefs a perfect option for peeling, trimming, and slicing when a chef’s knife is too large but a paring knife is too small.

Choosing the Right Blade Edge

Granton Edge:  Features hollowed-out sections running along both sides of the blade edge.  The grooves fill with fat and juices wile slicing, allowing superior contact between the meat and the blade.  Use a granton edge when slicing very thin portions.

Hollow Ground Edge:  Features concave sides that come together in a very thin, very sharp cutting edge.  Not recommended for heavy cutting tasks as they are brittle and dull easily.  Typically a hollow ground edge is used for fine, precision cutting.

Serrated Edge:  Also called wavy or scalloped edges.  Features rows of teeth along the blade edge that will easily penetrate a crust yet prevent the soft inner bread from tearing.  The serrated-edged knife is used to cut anything from bread loaves to fruit.

Straight Edge:  Formed by grinding the edge so it tapers in a straight line to form a razor sharp cutting edge.  The straight-edged knife can be used for many different cutting tasks.

Choosing the Right Handle

Plastic/Composite Handles:  The most popular handle, and often available in color-coded sets to reduce risk of cross-contamination.  Some plastic/composite-handled knives are embedded with anti-microbial agents to resist corrosion.  The plastic/composite material can crack over time, and can become slippery when wet.

Stainless Steel Handle:  Virtually maintenance free and gives the knife weight to counterbalance a heavier blade.  Can become slippery when wet.

Wood handle:  The most attractive knife handle with the best grip.  Will crack and fall apart if not properly maintained, and is prone to bacterial contamination.

Forged vs. Stamped

Forged knives begin with a piece of metal, heated to near melting, and then hammered into the desired shape.  The resulting blade is thicker and heavier than a stamped blade, and it is unmatched in strength and balance.  Stamped knives are created from a process similar to how a cookie cutter cuts shape into the dough:  Sheets of steel are passed under a hydraulic press, and the shape of the knife is stamped into the steel.  These knives are less expensive than their forged counterparts, as the blades are thinner and lighter and less properly balanced.

Choosing the Right Steel

Carbon Steel:  Carbon steel is an alloy of iron and about 1% carbon.  It is the most common steel in commercial cutlery because it is inexpensive, holds its edge well, and is not difficult to sharpen.   Carbon steel is not stain-resistant and discolors easily if not properly maintained.

Stainless Steel:  Stainless steel is also an alloy of iron and carbon, with only a small amount of carbon.  Although highly resistant to corrosion, the metal is softer than carbon steel and requires frequent sharpening to maintain a sharp edge.

High Carbon Stainless Steel:  This blend is intended to combine the best attributes of carbon steel and stainless steel to create a knife that is rust and stain resistant, is very hard, and will hold an edge with minimal amounts of sharpening required.

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