Kitchen Knives

You need a good knife. A sharp, high-quality knife is an essential tool in any kitchen. Knives   come in a wide variety of styles, sizes and materials. They can range in price from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars. While price is not always an indicator of quality, a good knife should be viewed as an investment. If treated well, it can last for many years; some knives even get better with age.

You will also need some sort of sharpener, whether it be a sharpening stone ,  a sharpening steel   or an electric knife sharpener .  Don't neglect this, all knives (even those of the highest quality) do eventually get dull if not sharpened.

Knife Blade Materials

You want a blade that will maintain a sharp edge for a long time. You should also make sure to keep your knives sharp with some sort of sharpener .  Sharpness directly affects how well the knife cuts, of course, but it is also a safety factor. People often apply more pressure when cutting with a dull blade, which increases the likelihood of it slipping and cutting you instead.

• High Carbon Steel  
• Best performance -- very hard and tough.
• Tends to rusts with use unless you dry it off immediately after washing.

• High Carbon Stainless Steel  
• Most popular kind of steel for cutlery.
• Retains a sharp edge.
• High carbon content makes for a very hard blade.
• Dishwasher safe and can be left wet.

• Stainless (Surgical) Steel  
• More chromium and less carbon than other stainless steel.
• Less expensive and rust resistant, but does not maintain a good sharp edge.

• Titanium  
• Lighter and more flexible than steel blades.
• Resistant to rust and imparts no flavor to food.

• Ceramic  
• Extremely hard blade.
• Maintains a sharp edge for months, sometimes years, with no maintenance.
• More brittle, and must be sharpened with a diamond sharpener . 
• Must be used on a cutting board ,  as it can cut through the glaze on a ceramic plate.
• Sometimes available in interesting colors.
• The tip can will chip if not cared for properly.

• Korin Japanese Trading has a great explanation of the different kind of blade materials.

Blade Textures
Serrated Edges Serrated blades   cut by sawing the teeth of the edge through the food. Perfect for soft foods like breads ,  tomatoes   and meats .  Hard to sharpen -- usually done by a professional.	Straight Edges Cut smoothly along a single, straight blade; easy to sharpen. Common types include chef's ,  santoku ,  paring   and utility   knives, as well as cleavers .  More commonly used for everyday tasks like slicing, dicing and chopping.

Knife Handles

You need to love your knife handle, or you'll never use your knife to its greatest potential. The construction of a knife's handle is as important as the blade and should not be overlooked when buying a knife. The handle gives support, stability and durability.

• Material
• Wood Handles   are classic but aren't dishwasher-safe and will eventually splinter and crack, leaving a breeding ground for bacteria.
• Plastic Handles   range from high quality to very, very cheap. A well-made plastic handle (look for an expensive price tag) is your best bet for keeping the knife together and germs out.
• Metal Handles   make for an extremely strong and durable knife.
• Keep in mind that some materials, especially metal, can be slippery when wet or greasy. A secure grip is important.
• Some knives with metal handles feature silicone   "nubs" to provide a better grip.

• Shape
• Some people prefer ergonomic, curved handles . 
• Others like the classic, straight handle . 
• Whatever gives you a strong, firm grip on the knife and feels like you can hold on to it without slipping is the best shape for you.
• Your knife should also be comfortable; your hand shouldn't hurt after a half hour of dicing.

• Tang is the part of the knife blade that extends into the handle.

• A quality knife will have a full tang ,  giving the knife the proper balance and ensuring that the blade will stay put.

• Rivets keep the tang inside the handle.
• A good knife has three rivets that are sanded flush with the handle, keeping the whole product more stable.
• Make sure the rivets aren't a material that will rust.

• Warranty should be taken into account. Often the knives will be more expensive because they have a comprehensive warranty. Think about how much money you'll save by not having to buy new knives frequently.

Types of Knives

Essentials

Chef Knives   Triangular body, straight edge. (Never serrated.) Blades come 6" to 10". Perfect for rocking back and forth as you slice, dice and chop fruits and vegetables. The all-purpose workhorse of the kitchen; one of the essentials. Check out: Wusthof Classic Chef Knife   or Kershaw Sun Ken Onion Chef's Knife	Utility Knives   Mid-sized, around 5-6". Blade may be smooth   or serrated .  Size-wise it falls between chef's and paring knife, with a narrower shape than a chef's. Useful for a wide variety of tasks, especially if you have a large chef's knife and a small paring knife. Check out: Kyocera 4.5" White Ceramic Knife   or Calphalon Traditional Utility Knife	Paring Knives   Triangular, straight, short 2" to 4" blade; smooth   or serrated .  Perfect for when you want to hold fruits and vegetables in your hand as you cut. Depending on shape, can be used as a mini-chef knife, chopping on a cutting board. Check out: Chicago Cutlery Centurion 3.5" Paring Knife   or Global 4" Pairing Knife	Carving Knife   Long, pointed, slightly curved, serrated blade. 6" to 10" long. Perfect for carving different sizes of meats. Often used in conjunction with carving forks .  Check out: Rosenthal Carving Knife   or Cuisinart Electric Knife with Holder	Bread Knives   6" to 10" long, narrow, serrated blade with rounded end. Narrow blade reduces drag as knife flows through bread. Rounded edge keeps you from poking someone on the other side of the table. Check out: Global Bread Knives   or Anolon Bread Knives

Nice to Have

Santoku Knives   Also known as the Asian chef's knife .  Equally versatile as the chef's knife, although most chefs will prefer only one or the other. Features a more rectangular blade. Often has shallows grooves cut into the blade edge to prevent sliced food from sticking to it. Available in a wide variety of sizes, from 4" to 9". Check out: Wusthof 7" Hollow-Edge Santoku Knife   or Caphalon 5" Hollow-Edge Santoku Knife	Cleavers   and Choppers   Cleavers   are large, heavy knives with rectangular blades and blunt tips. Used for chopping bulky, thick items, such as meat and bone or large vegetables like bok choi. European-style meat cleavers are duller than Chinese choppers. While the Chinese chopper   can be used for a variety of tasks, the European cleaver is mainly used for bone crunching and other heavy-duty tasks. Check out: Global Knife Cleaver   or Henckel 6" Cleaver	Boning   and Fillet Knives   Thin knives designed for removing bones from cuts of meat or fish. Boning knives ,  which work well on pork or beef, are usually a little shorter (6") and stouter. Fillet knives ,  which are usually between 7" to 10" and thinner, are preferred for preparing poultry and fish. Can also be used to peel and segment citrus fruits. Also good for other delicate tasks on pieces of meat, such as removing a layer of skin from a cut of beef. Check out: Dexter Russell Fillet Knife   or Anolon 6" Boning Knife	Cheese Knives   Blades allow for drag-free cutting or sometimes for scraping off delicate slivers. Various blades for serving different textures of cheese ,  ranging from very soft (like Brie   ) to very hard (like Parmigiano-Reggiano   ). Create an elegant presentation with a cheeseboard ,  but not absolutely necessary. Sometimes called a skeleton knife .  Check out: Viking Cheese Knife   or NapaStyle Cheese Knives

Unusual and Specialized

Oyster Knives   Expedite the task of shucking oysters. Check out: OXO Good Grips Oyster Knife   or Messermeister Oyster Opener Knife	Grapefruit Knives   For grapefruit and other citrus fruits. Check out: World Cuisine Curved Grapefruit Knife   or Pro-Touch Grapefruit Knife	Salmon Knives   Long, thin blade for slicing perfect pieces of smoked salmon. Check out: Sanelli Professional Salmon Knife   or Wusthof Hollow-Ground Salmon Knife	Bird Beak Knives   Good for delicate tasks like tournéeing vegetables to make attractive garnishes, but overall rarely used. Check out: Kershaw Shun Classic Bird's Beak Knife   or Shun Stainless Bird's Beak Knife

Top Manufacturers

• Calphalon  
• Chef's Choice  
• Chicago Cutlery  
• Cutco  
• Henckels  
• Kershaw  
• Kyocera  
• Lamsonsharp  
• OXO  
• Tramontina  
• Vicotorinox  
• Wusthof  

Related Products

Cutting Boards	Kitchen Shears	Knife Storage	Sharpening Stones	Diamond Sharpeners

External Links

• Knifeoutlet.com : Interesting article about knife construction, along with the distinction between Eastern and Western knife-making philosophies.
• Furitechnics.com.au : Demonstration of knife technique by a professional chef!
• Taunton.com : Choosing great knives.
• Amazon.com : How to buy great knives. You should check out what they about knife blades here.
• Hormel.com : An explanation of the types of kitchen knives.
• ConsumerSearch.com : Kitchen knife reviews.
• BestKitchenKnives.wordpress.com : Melinda personal pick and choice for best kitchen knives. Kitchen Knives Blog.