A few simple rules. A chef's knife, usually 8" to 12" long is what this short article will focus on.
1) Buy a good knife, it should feel heavy and well balanced. The best are made of high carbon steel and keep an edge well. They are the most expensive and nice to own but if one is not in your budget or you just don't want to spend the money so what. A plain carbon steel knife will perform well for all kitchen tasks. It will need to be sharpened more often, might discolor and not as costly. There are many very good inexpensive knives and how much you spend will not determine how well you cook.
2) The tang. Good knives are forged from a single piece of steel that runs the entire length of the knife, the steel extends all the way into the handle. The steel inside the handle is called the tang, if it goes all the way to the end of the handle, it's called full tang. Full tang knives are balanced better making a knife easier to use.
3) The handle. Buy one that fits. Wood, plastic it is up to you but do not put knives with wood handles in the dishwasher.
4) The heel. The widest part of the knife where the blade meets the handle. Knives with longer blades have better leverage providing greater cutting force at the heel to chop or cut hard things like carrots, or butchering meat.
5) Rivets. If you purchase a knife with a wooden handle make sure the rivets have a smooth finish and do not protrude from the handle
The best advice is buy a knife that fits you and what you would like to spend. The knife will not make the chef or cook what you do with it determines that.
As always your comments and suggestions are welcome. M.
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