Chef Knife Glossary
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Boning knife
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A knife with a blade approximately six inches long, thinner and shorter than the chef's knife used to separate raw meat from bones. |
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Bread knives
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Usually 8-9 inches long with serrated edges used to cut bread.
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Chef's Knife |
All purpose knife used for chopping, slicing and mincing. The blade is 8-14 inches long |
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Cleaver
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A knife with a rectangular blade heavy enough to cut through bone, used for chopping.
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Deba Knife |
Used in Japan for butchering fish and chopping hard vegetables, these knives have a broad blade that is thick at the back and tapers sharply midway down. |
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French Knife |
All purpose knife for chopping, slicing and mincing. It will usually have a blade of 8-14 inches long. |
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Filleting Knife |
A Knife with a flexible blade used for filleting fish. It's size is similar to a boning knife. |
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Palette knife
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A long-handled wide knife with a rounded blade and blunt sides, made from metal or plastic or a combination of the two. It us used to remove portions of food from baking trays, turning food that is being cooked in a pan or spreading icing or whipped cream evenly over a cake. |
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Paring knife
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A short knife with a 2-4 inch blade used for paring and trimming vegetables and fruits.
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Sashimi knife |
It has a long, extreme thin blade for preparing sashimi and sushi. |
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Tako knife |
It has a long, thin blade with a blunt tip used in eastern Japan for precisely filleting and slicing fish. |
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Slicer |
This knife has a long blade with a round or pointed tip, which can be flexible or rigid. It may be taper-ground or have a fluted edge.
It is used for slicing cooked meat. Some cooks make a distinction between a heavier, thicker carving knife (for cutting through joints) and a lighter, thinner slicing knife. |
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Tourne knife |
A knife with a curved blade, the size of a paring knife. |
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Usuba knife
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Japanese equivalent of the Chinese cleaver, used for precise cutting, slicing, chopping, and mincing.
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Santoku knife |
Japanese equivalent of a European chef's knife but has a shorter, narrower blade, low tip instead of a point and a straighter edge. It is ideal for slicing vegetables. |
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Utility knife
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A chef's knife that is 5 to 6-1/2 inches long, and sometimes has a serrated edge it can grip tomatoes and soft-skinned fruits. The serrations make them less useful for making clean cuts. |
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Yanagi knife |
The western Japanese equivalent of the tako, but has a pointed blade. |
Knife Parts
Blades - Often made of a blend of carbon, which holds sharp edges longer, and chromium, a stainless steel alloy that retards rust and corrosion. The blade should have a finely ground, satiny surface and should taper evenly from the handle to the tip, and from the back of the blade to the cutting edge.
Bolsters - The collar or shank (thick band of metal) at the point where the blade meets the handle.
Handles - Rose-wood is the preferred because it is extremely hard and has no grain, which helps to prevent splitting and cracking. Impregnating wood with plastic protects the handle from damage caused by continued exposure to water and detergents. Some state codes require that plastic handles be used in butcher shops, because they are considered more sanitary than wood. Grease adheres more closely to plastic than it does to wood.
The handle should fit your hand comfortably. Manufacturers typically produce handles that fit a variety of hands. Spend some time holding the knife. A comfortable fit will improve the ease and speed with which you work. A poor fit can result in fatigue, or cramping. People with very small or very large hands should be sure that they are not straining their grip to hold the handle. Some knives are especially constructed to meet the needs of left-handed users.
Rivets - Metal fasteners to secure the tang to the handle.
Tangs - The end of the blade that extends into the handle is called the tang. It should run the entire length of the handle for better balance and strength. Molded handles do not have a full tang but rather form a seamless, permanent bond around the tang.
Types of Blades
Carbon steel - Carbon steel blades make a better edge than either regular or high-carbon stainless steel, but they tend to lose their sharpness quickly. The carbon steel blades tend to discolor when they come in contact with high-acid foods, such as tomatoes or onions. For some chefs, this sharp edge makes up for the discolorations that occur with age. Wash and thoroughly dry between use and before storing. The metal is brittle and can break easily under stress.
Stainless steel - Has better corrosion resistance than carbon steel because the carbon in the steel is replaced with chromium to allow for the overall resistance of corrosion. While it has better stain resistance, the blades ability will be to hold an edge is lessened. Stainless steel is much stronger than carbon steel and will not discolor or rust. It is very difficult to get a good edge on a stainless steel blade, although once an edge is established, it tends to last longer than that on a carbon steel blade.
High Carbon Stainless steel - more durable, tougher, can hold a better edge and has better performance than stainless steel blades. The one drawback is corrosion resistance, which will be more likely to set in and is critical for a blades long term performance. Once rust or any other form of corrosion is exposed to a blade then the ability to sharpen or keep an edge diminishes.
Hollow-ground - Made by combining two sheets of metal. The edges are fluted or beveled.
Taper-ground - The blade is forged out of a single sheet of metal and has been ground so that it tapers smoothly from the spine to the cutting edge.
Ceramic knives - Lighter and harder than steel, (Two of the producers are Kyocera of Japan and Boker of Germany.) The knives may hold an edge for years, but because there's not a reliable method for at-home sharpening, the knife may need to be sent back to the manufacturer for that purpose.
Choosing and Caring For Your Knives
Choosing Your knives
A good quality knife should fit your hand well. To check for balance and weight, grip the knife so that the back of the blade is held firmly between thumb and forefinger, and the other fingers are wrapped around the handle. The handle should fit your hand comfortably and you should feel comfortable with the length of the blade. Both blade and handle should feel smooth to the touch with no visible gaps around the tang.
Sharpening Your Knife
Keeping a knife sharp will make cooking and kitchen tasks easier. A sharp knife performs better and is safer to use because less pressure is required to cut through the food. When too much pressure is exerted, the knife may slip and cause injury.
There are two types of sharpeners: those that create a new edge, such as stones and electric sharpeners, and those that hone and straighten the edge, such as straightening steels.
An oil is generally used to moisten the stone before sharpening. There are mineral oils specifically formulated for sharpening stones, but any food-safe mineral oil can be used.
To sharpen the knife, place at a slight angle with the blade flat on the rough side of the prepared stone. The sharp edge should be facing in. Then raise the opposite edge about 20 degrees, or about one-half inch. Beginning with the thickest part of the blade, continue to hold the knife at that angle as you draw it toward you in a smooth arc, finishing at the tip. Give it a few more strokes to raise a burr, then switch to the other side of the blade. Once you feel a sharper edge, finish the sharpening on the finer side of the stone, lightening the stroke each time.
A whetstone typically uses water to lubricate its surface. But if you've already begun to use oil on it, continue to do so to keep the surface from clogging.
A Carborundum stone usually has two sides: a rougher, medium grit for shaping the edge, and a finer grit that finishes the sharpening by lightly removing the burr that's built up during shaping.
Steels can be formed of either high-carbon stainless steel coated with industrial diamond dust or of ceramic. Buy one that's at least 10 inches long so there's plenty of surface to draw the knife from one end to the other. Use the steel every few times you use the knife, drawing the blade at the same angle that's used with a stone.
Keeping Your Knife Sharp
After each use, clean the knife with mild soap and water, and dry immediately. Never put a good knife in the dishwasher, where friction can damage its edge. High heat and detergent can also damage wood or polypropylene handles. Do not drop your knives in a pot sink, they could become dented by the heavy pots. Workers can be injured when reaching into the sink by the knives.
Acidic foods such as lemon, wine, mustard or ketchup should be rinsed off the knife right after using. If the blade shows signs of staining, use a nonabrasive metal polish.
Never cut through bones with a utility or chef's knife, which can damage the blade's edge. (Use a meat cleaver specifically designed for this purpose.) Using a knife for any purpose other than cutting may bend or even break the blade.
Knives stay sharper longer when used on a cutting surface that's easy on the blade. Wood cutting boards or blocks should be oiled once a month with food-grade mineral oil to protect against drying and cracking. Vegetable oil should not be used on wood because it can become rancid quickly,
Storing Knives
Proper storing will make your knives last longer. A wooden knife block should have a large, flat base and slots that are spaced for safe removal. If counter space is limited, try a wooden in-drawer knife tray. With any wood storage, it's important to wash and dry knives thoroughly before storing to prevent mildew.
If you have space on a in the kitchen, a magnetic knife holder if great for holding blades firmly in place.
Knife Safety Tips
1) Keep your knives sharp.
2) When you are using a knife, don't cut with the edge toward you or your fingers. If you slip, the blade keeps going toward you, and can easily get you.
3) Don't leave sharp knives loose in a drawer, someone may reach in the drawer and cut their hand.
4) If you drop a knife, stand back and let it fall, don't try to catch it.
Wash the knives separately one at a time so you don't reach in the sink and get cut.
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