For the cook a knife is the most important tool, look after it and it can be a friend for life. On this site I review kitchen knives, show you how to sharpen kitchen knives and link to some of the better deals I have found online for chef knives.

CUT IT CLOSE: WHY YOU NEED A CHEF’S KITCHEN KNIFE

Going into a store to buy a knife, it is easy to lose yourself amidst the hundreds of varieties of knives on display, particularly since few of us know exactly what kind of knife we need, even if we think we do. Ok, so you need a knife that goes chop chop, you think. The funny thing is that cooking is so much more than just chopping stuff. Do you only need to chop? Don’t you need to slice, or mince? Of course you do, which means you need a knife that does all of that and then some. On cue: enter the chef’s kitchen knife. 

This is actually the most marvellous cutting machine. And that is just a little remarkable when you think that the chef’s kitchen knife has actually evolved from the humble butcher’s knife, which is a ferocious cutter and chopper, true, but hardly suited to domestic use, whereas the chef’s kitchen knife, thanks to its adaptability that does not sacrifice utility, has become a commonplace in almost every Western kitchen. 

Before I go on to the topic of sharpening a chef’s kitchen knife, which is the secret purpose of this post, it would be a good idea to look at its basic properties. In general, the blade of a chef’s knife measures about 20 cm in length and 4 cm in width, though these are general measurements, which may vary. For all those who know this already, I apologize for boring you, but you should also know that a chef’s knife has two broad blade shapes: French and German. While the French blade is better suited to slicing, because it is straighter, the German blade is more commonly used, and may be more familiar to you. It is more rounded toward the tip, which makes it a great chopper. kitchen knife reviews

Whatever the blade type, though, the best thing about a chef’s kitchen knife is that it can do plenty of different things, and do them well. But the blade type becomes really important when it comes to sharpening the knife. For instance, a carbon steel blade, which is an alloy of iron and approximately one per cent carbon, is the most basic and, according to many chefs, the easiest to sharpen. Carbon steel blades also hold an edge longer, and while they may gather rust and stains, it is relatively easy to prevent these by regularly cleaning and lubricating the blade, which is easily the sharpest around. The other problem with carbon steel blades is that they take on a dark patina (sheen), which some chefs actually prefer because it prevents the transfer of a metallic taste to the food. 

Chef’s knives are also made of stainless steel blades: and while stainless steel may be a wonder metal for many of us, low-grade stainless steel cannot take the sharp edge that carbon steel can, but yes, it is corrosion- resistant, and cheap. However, high-grade stainless steel can be used to make extremely sharp blades that hold an edge with great ease, best kitchen knives sometimes perform better than carbon steel blades. 

Of course, if it’s edge-holding capacity you’re looking for, ceramic blades are right up your alley, but to be honest, they break fairly easily. And sharpening chef’s knives with ceramic blades is a whole lot of trouble, because you need special equipment and expertise for it. But ceramic blades are chemically neutral, so your food is in no way affected. 

Assuming you’re using either a carbon steel or stainless steel blade, sharpening a chef’s kitchen knife is an essential activity. The easiest and best way to sharpen a knife, obviously, is to use a whetstone. A word of advise to those who swear by knife-sharpening machines: there are many such devices and machines in the market, but most of them damage your knife blade because they grind it too much. Besides, they are expensive. So a whetstone is a perfect – and inexpensive – way to sharpen a chef’s knife, though you need some practice to whet your skills, if you’ll forgive the bad pun.