Information about all types of Chef's Knives
Information about all types of Chef's Knives
The Chef's Knife
by Wikipedia
In cooking, a chef's knife, also known as a French knife, is a cutting tool used in food preparation. The chef's knife is an evolution of the butcher knife, and was originally designed primarily to slice and disjoint large cuts of beef. Today it is the primary general-utility knife for most Western cooks.A chef's knife generally has a blade eight-inches (20 cm) in length and 1 and a half inches in width, although individual models range from six to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) in length. There are two types of blade shape, French and German. The far more common German design features a pronounced curve towards the tip of the blade which allows the knife to be rocked up and down, chopping the food with the belly and heel of the blade. The French design is more triangular, with much less curve at the tip and a longer straight section of blade; it is designed to be pulled towards the user, slicing the food instead.[1] Neither style is inherently superior, personal preference will dictate the choice.
A modern chef's knife is a utility knife designed to perform well at many differing kitchen tasks, rather than excelling at any one in particular. It can be used for mincing, slicing, chopping vegetables, slicing meat, or even disjointing large cuts of beef or ham. In order to improve the chef's knife's multi-purpose abilities, some owners employ differential sharpening along the length of the blade. The fine tip, used for precision work such as mincing, might be ground with a very sharp, acute cutting bevel; the mid-section or belly of the blade receives a moderately sharp edge for general cutting, chopping and slicing, while the heavy heel or back of the cutting edge is given a strong, thick edge for such heavy-duty tasks as disjointing beef.
Recently, a Japanese development of the chef's knife, the santoku (literally: "three good things"), a general-purpose utility knife, has also gained popularity in the West. The santoku is primarily designed for cutting fish, vegetables, and boneless or lightly-boned meats such as chicken. The santoku features a sheepsfoot blade with a spine that drops sharply to meet the hardened, acutely-ground cutting edge.
My Personal Choice
Henckels Five Star Chef's Knife 8-in.
Amazon Price: $89.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
List Price: $120.00
For a chef's knife enthusiast, choosing a knife is a very personal choice. There are so many beautiful knives on the market that it is hard to find the knife you like and is easy for you to handle. After much deliberation this is my personal choice: Henckels Five Star Chef's Knife.
In my opinion it is a beautiful chef's knife that is easy to handle and once you have mastered this knife you will use it for almost any slicing and dicing kitchen job.
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Find Chef's Knives Online
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Ginsu International Traditions 14-Piece Bakelite Cutlery Set
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Kitchen Knife Wikipedia
A kitchen knife is any knife that is intended to be used in food preparation. While much of this work can be accomplished with a few general-purpose knives, there are also many specialized knives that are designed for specific tasks. Kitchen knives can be made from several different materials.
More Knives
J.A. Henckels Twin Pro S 8-Inch Multi Edge Chef's Knife
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
Global 8-Inch Cook's Knife
Amazon Price: $90.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
Wüsthof Grand Prix 8-Inch Cook's Knife
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
About Global Knives
Global (often written in all capitalized letters as "GLOBAL") is a Japanese brand of cutlery products made by Yoshikin. Their selection of knives are known for their distinctive one piece, molybdenum/vanadium stainless steel design. These are considered premium level products with a single knife often costing upwards of $100 (USD). Global products can often be found at specialty cooking retailers.Compared to conventional European knives such as J. A. Henckels or Wusthof, Global knives are made from a significantly harder alloy of steel and are ground to a narrower angle. This produces an extremely sharp knife which keeps its edge longer and allows for more accurate work, but takes longer to sharpen when it becomes dull. Because of this, the manufacturer recommends using whetstones and ceramic sharpening rods as opposed to the European sharpening steel. In addition, Global knives are renowned for their surprisingly light weight and even balance, a trait achieved by hollowing out the handle during production.
Global knives have a distinctive appearance with black dimples present on the handle and on one model of their storage block. While assisting in providing a firm grip on the knife, the dimples are divisive on an aesthetic level. In addition, the handles themselves have been criticized for being too narrow, causing a slippery grip for some users.
While originally the Global line consisted only of Japanese-style knives (such as the Santoku and Sashimi knife), in recent years with their introduction into other markets, the company has begun producing more knives typically associated with European producers such as Henckels or Wusthof and has also expanded into cutlery.
Global knives are used by such well known chefs as Susur Lee, Giada De Laurentiis and a number of the Iron Chefs on the original Iron Chef television series. Chef Anthony Bourdain, writing in Kitchen Confidential, implores his readers to replace all their kitchen knives with a single Global chef's knife.
Source: Wikipedia
Featured Product: Global 3 Piece Essential Knife Set
Global 3-Piece Essential Chef's, Utility, and Paring Knife Set
Amazon Price: $167.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
Global 3 Piece Essential Knife Set. Set comprises of 8" chef's knife, 5.5" utility knife and 3" paring knife (G2, GS5 and GSF15). Loved by professional chefs around the world, Global knives are an excellent choice for the serious home cook. The thin and razor sharp Global blade allows the cook to cleanly slice through foods, preserving the integrity of the ingredient and maximizing its flavor. The majority of Global knives are ground to a straight point rather than the western style of beveling the edge. To balance their knives Global uses a hollow handle that is filled with just the right amount of sand to create the correct balance. The handle has its own unique darkened dimples for a non-slip grip. Because the knives are very light weight they reduce hand fatigue. Global knives have a smooth contour and seamless, all stainless construction that eliminates food and dirt traps. Global knifes are forged in Japan from CROMOVA 18 Stainless Steel, a blend of 18 percent chromium for good stain resistance plus molybdenum and vanadium which gives excellent edge retention.
Share your Thoughts
Share your experiences with different brands and different type of chef's knives. How did you choose the best one? Do you have any negative experiences? What is the best method for sharpening a knife? Let us know!
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SmugBaldy
Hi nescio - Posted April 18, 2008 |
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Tallguy2
I purchased the Henckels knife a few years ago and I am very satified. Should I buy a knife today though I would probably go for the Japanese knifes though, like the Santoku featured below. Posted January 24, 2008 |
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Dutchwebber
What do you think of the Japanese chef's knives? They also call them Gyuto's. They seem to be quite superior to the German knives, like Henckels or Wusthof. Posted January 23, 2008 |
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nescio
I currently use a sharpening steel to sharpen my Henckels knife. Can anyone tell me if this a good method? Posted January 23, 2008 |
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Tallguy2
Hi, Posted January 23, 2008 |
Japanese Knife: Santoku
The or is a general-purpose kitchen knife originating in Japan. Its unshouldered blade, which is typically between five and eight inches long, has a flat edge and a sheepsfoot blade which curves in an angle approaching 60 degrees at the point. The top of the santoku's handle is in line with the top of the blade, giving the chef's fingers plenty of room underneath. The word santoku loosely translates as 'three good things' or 'three uses', a reference to the knife's three cutting tasks it performs so well: slicing, dicing, and mincing. The santoku's blade and handle are carefully designed to work in harmony by matching the blade's width/weight to the weight of blade tang and handle, and the original Japanese santoku is an especially well-balanced knife.
The santoku was originally designed as a modification of the Western (especially French) beef or chef's knife, adapted for use in preparing Japanese cuisine. Shorter than most chef's knives, the blade's cutting edge is normally hardened above the latter, and is optimized for cutting fish, vegetables, and smaller-boned and/or boneless meats, using traditional Japanese edge geometry.
In comparison to most western chef's knives, the original Japanese santoku pattern has a thinner flat-ground blade made of harder tempered steel (often 58 - 62 HRC or higher). This blade design in turn allows a more acute angle on the cutting edge (edge profile) that makes the knife ideal for precision cutting and thin slicing. While a typical western chef's knife might have an edge profile angle of 20-22 degrees, a santoku normally has an angle of 15-18 degrees. The santoku's sharp, tough cutting blade makes the knife ideal for most ordinary kitchen cutting chores. However, because of its shorter blade and hardened, thin-profile edge, the santoku is not designed for cutting against thick bones, kitchen sinks, or other hard surfaces, which could damage or chip the cutting edge. The santoku is especially popular among people with smaller hands, and modified santoku-type knives (made outside of Japan) have appeared on television in the hands of female chefs such as Giada de Laurentiis.
Other Japanese modifications of the basic santoku pattern include piercings through the body of the blade, hand-hammered blades, which are said to improve strength while presenting a more rustic appearance, and kuro-uchi, a process which leaves the rough black finish from the forge on most of the blade. Some of the best blades employ San Mai laminated steels, including the pattern known as ('floating ink mist'). Suminagashi refers to the blade's damascened and multi-layer steel alloys that resemble the traditional Japanese art of suminagashi, floating swirls of ink over paper. Forged laminated stainless steel cladding is also employed on better Japanese santoku knives to improve strength and rust resistance while maintaining a hard edge. Knives possessing these expensive laminated blades are generally considered to be the ultimate expression of quality in a genuine Japanese santoku.
It is important to note that many copies of santoku-pattern knives made outside Japan have substantially different edge designs, different balance, and softer steels (thus requiring a thicker cutting edge profile) than those used in the original Japanese santoku. One trend in some non-Japanese santoku variations made of a single alloy is to include kullenschliff, scallops or recesses (known as kullens) hollowed-out of the side of blade similar to those found in meat-carving knives. These scallops create small air pockets between the blade and the material being sliced in an attempt to improve separation and reduce cutting friction. However, manufacturing limitations generally limit such features to mass-produced blades fabricated of softer, less expensive stainless steel alloys. Genuine Japanese santoku blades do not employ such features, but instead rely on inherent quality of steel and edge geometry in order to make clean cuts.
Chef's Knives Link List
- Chef Knives To Go
- Offers a variety of kitchen knives as well as cases, cutting boards, and sharpeners.
- Japanese Chef's Knives
- Sells fine Japanese chef's knives direct from Japan.
- Cooking For Engineers - Equipment & Gear: Chef's Knives Rated
- I started with Henckels and Wüsthof - the two most popular "high-end" chef's knives available in the United States. These are the manufacturers that have ...
- chef knifes.com; cutlery home page,
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- Compare Prices and Read Reviews on Chef's Knives at Epinions.com
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- Video Recipes Channel
- Find and share videos at Video Recipe Channel. Browse through over a thousand video recipes!
Chef's Knives Vids
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Knife Sharpening
J.A. Henckels 9" Poly Sharpening Steel
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Chef's Choice 300W Diamond Hone Knife Sharpener, White
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Kyocera 9 in. Black Handled Ceramic Sharpener
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Henckels Four Star 10-Inch Honing Steel
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About Cutting Boards
A cutting board is a durable board used to place material on to be cut. Most common is the kitchen cutting board for use preparing food, but other types exist for cutting raw materials such as leather or plastic on. Kitchen cutting boards are often made of wood or plastic. There are also chopping boards made of glass, steel, marble or corian ?which are easier to clean than wooden or plastic, but tend to damage knives.
Cutting Boards
MIU Flexible Cutting Board, Set of 5
These handy, flexible cutting boards are color cod more...0 points
Totally Bamboo Congo Parquet End Grain Cutting Board
From the African Collection / Parquet End Grain / more...0 points
Swissmar 12-by-7-Inch Oval Bamboo Cutting Board
Swissmar Bamboo Oval Cutting Board 12" x 7&qu more...0 points
OXO Good Grips 10-1/2-by-15-Inch Utility Cutting Board, Black Trim
The Oxo Good Grips cutting board has soft, tapered more...0 points
Snow River 12-by-12-Inch Cutting Board with Juice Groove
Fine for carving a chicken or roast, a good size f more...0 points
SiliconeZone 11-by-15-Inch Non-Skid Flexible Cutting Boards, Set of 4
Perfect for slicing and dicing and then funneling more...0 points
SuperBoard Pure Poly Cutting Board-Midnight Granite-14x17
Protect your countertops from scratches with these more...0 points
MIU Bamboo Mini Butcher Board
Made from beautiful end grain bamboo, this mini-si more...0 points
MIU Bamboo Butcher Board
This heavy weight cutting board, made from thick f more...0 points
Lens about Cutting Boards
For more information about cutting boards also visit my lens on this subject!-
Cutting Boards
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Cutting boards are often made of wood or plastic. There are also chopping boards made of glass?which are easier to clean than the wooden or plastic ones, but are damaging to the knives.
About Sharpening Stones
Sharpening stones are used to grind and hone the edges of steel tools and implements. Examples of items that may be sharpened with a sharpening stone include scissors, knives, razors and tools such as chisels and plane blades.
Sharpening stones come in a wide range of shapes, sizes and material compositions. Stones may be flat, for working flat edges, or shaped for more complex edges, such as those associated with some wood carving or woodturning tools. They may be composed of natural quarried material, or from man-made material.
Stones are usually available in various grades, which refers to the grit size of the particles in the stone. Generally, the finer the grit, the denser the material, which leads to a finer finish of the surface of the tool. Finer grits cut slower because they remove less material. Grits are often given as a number, which indicates the density of the particles with a higher number denoting higher density and therefore smaller particles.
YouTube vids: Choosing a Knife
All About Kitchen Knives
Chef Jean Pierre explains what knives are best for your kitchen and what their functions are.
Runtime: 6:59
23322 views
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