Chef's
Knives
- The best chef’s knives are
forged (rather than stamped) from high-carbon stainless steel. They can
take and hold a sharp edge and recover from bending without breaking.
- The handle should be
constructed from a durable and sanitary material like plastic, rubber,
stainless steel or impregnated wood.
- A full tang indicates strength
and balance in a traditional forged knife.
- The blade should be the right
length for the task at hand. Consider having at least two, a large and a
small. I recommend purchasing a 15-20 cm blade, and a 22-25cm blade.
A chef’s knife is used for chopping and
mincing and is an impact tool. It is made of four parts: blade, bolster, tang and
handle. Each is designed to support the blade's impact on the chopping surface.
One-piece construction, in which the same blank of metal is used to make the
blade, the bolster and the tang, is traditionally the strongest.
This tool is used so frequently that it's
worthwhile to investing as much as you can afford, for it will last a lifetime
if properly cared for.
Blade
A chef’s knife blade is rigid and tapers evenly,
with a smooth curve on a broad blade that ranges from 12cm to 35cm lengths.
It’s helpful to have at least two different sizes, a small and a large to
tackle various tasks. Don’t be afraid to handle a seemingly big, heavy chef’s
knife—its weight helps you do the job, and its length means fewer pauses to
bring foods back to the central spot where you are doing the chopping.
The best metal is high carbon stainless steel. It
will take a sharp edge and hold it, meaning it can be sharpened easily but
won’t dull too quickly. It won’t stain, pit, rust or interact with foods. It
recovers from bending without breaking and with proper care and sharpening will
last a lifetime.
Some cooks remain devoted to traditional
carbon-steel knives, whilst sharpening more easily they may also rust and react
unpleasantly with food if not properly cared for.
The Bolster
The bolster, between the handle and the back
of the blade, helps keep your fingers from riding up on the blade. It is the
thickest part of the blade and tells you the width of the original blank of
metal used for a forged knife---thicker is better. The absence of a bolster
means that the knife has been stamped from a sheet of metal rather than forged.
Tang
The tang is the part of the blade that extends
past the bolster and forms part of the handle. A full tang is the same length
as the handle and is often visible between the two capping handle covers. A
part or half tang is as wide as a full tang but extends only partially into the
handle.
The best chef’s knives have a full tang. A full
tang balances the weight of the knife between the long heavy blade and the
handle to assist the rocking motion of chopping.
Handle
Handles are made of natural and impregnated woods,
plastics, synthetic-rubber compounds, or stainless steel and vary in their
degree of durability. Natural rosewood remains the most popular for its beauty
and strong resistance to splitting and cracking. (But remember, no wood should
ever be left soaking in water.) However
the most durable and sanitary selection, opt for plastic, rubber, or stainless
steel.
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