Cutlery Sets

What is Cutlery

Cutlery is basically just about anything that you can cut with. Cutlery, therefore, encompasses kitchen knives, outdoorsman knives, scissors, shears, and personal grooming implements like nail scissors and clippers. Flatware like knives, forks, and spoons and their accompanying accessories can also be classified as cutlery. However, most often knives such as those used for cooking in a kitchen come to mind.

Basic Knives for the Kitchen

We think you need at least one chopping knife (chef's knife), one paring knife, and one slicer. The chef’s knife is for chopping and mincing. If you prefer hefty knives, the bolstered models will feel better to you, if you prefer light knives, then something else is the answer. Chef’s knives are very popular since they are so versatile. The paring knife is best for fruits and small vegetables, peeling, and intricate work. In a pinch a paring knife can be used to fillet. Paring knives have a straight edge, a blunt tip and are smaller than most other knives. The slicer could be a bread knife, as an example, which can cut more than just bread. The slicer has a thin blade with a serrated edge making it perfect for slicing through hard to soft surfaces as found with foods like bread, pineapple, and melons.

What Comes In a Cutlery Set

Some basic kitchen knife sets may include several highly used knives like the chef’s knife, paring knife, bread knife, utility knife and possibly a slicing knife or pair of shears. The specific number and type of knives that come in each set may vary but most sets will contain a chef’s knife, a paring knife, a bread knife, and a slicing knife, as these are the most widely used knives. They may also include some steak knives as well if the set is a primary kitchen set. Many of these sets will come with a wooden storage block or tray. Many of these knives will come with a storage block, box, bag or other accessory to protect and keep them in when not in use. A more complete set will have more knives in more sizes and types. To select the set that is right for your needs you must think about how often and for what purposes you will use the set.

Knife Blocks

Knife Blocks

Knife Blocks come in many shapes, sizes and materials to match any kitchen décor and use. Knife blocks, like the magnetic knife strip and sheaths are one way to properly store your knives.

It is important to take good care of kitchen knives since they can last for years if they are properly maintained. By using a knife block, cooks can ensure that blades are not damaged by being knocked around.

It is also important to ensure that knives fit all the way into a knife block; if part of a blade protrudes, it can be very unsafe.

If you are purchasing a block for your countertop, remember to get one with feet so that the block will not sit in puddles of sauces, grease, or other spills. A basic knife block simply consists of a piece of wood with slots of varying sizes to insert knives securely. The knife block can also prevent warping of blades while they are stored, and it makes knives convenient and easy to access.

A knife block can also be a great safety tool, as it gets knives out of drawers and off of counters and into an organized location.

Knife Block Safety and Design

For people who are especially concerned about safety, some knife blocks have child locks which need to be opened before a knife can be removed. These locks also prevent knives from falling during earthquakes, and they ensure that curious pets cannot injure themselves on knives either.

Some kitchen suppliers also sell blocks which can fit into drawers, which can be convenient in a kitchen with limited space. This can also be safer, as the drawer can lock or tightly latch to prevent unauthorized access.

Cooks who prefer a leaner design can purchase magnetic strips which are designed to mount to walls or cabinets; the magnet holds knives against the strip and they can quickly be removed when they are needed. The block may be designed to sit on the counter, or mount to the kitchen wall.

Such knife blocks can also be built into kitchen cabinets or kitchen islands. Other materials may be used as well, although wood is a good choice because it will not nick blades as they are inserted.

Edge Up Edge Down

How do you store the knives in your knife block? Do you store them cutting edge up or cutting edge down?

I believe in edge up knife storage. With many knife blocks being made of materials other than wood nicking of blades is much more prevalent. I have knives that are now 3rd generation in use; and this is due in part to edge up knife storage.

Where edge down knife storage is much more optically pleasing, (which is why photographers use edge down for sales), with the curve of a nice handlepoint downward it is not good for the knife blade’s edge.

Think about it with edge down knife storage you are hitting and storing the blade’s edge on the knife block’s surface. This is one reason many people choose wooden blocks, like wooden cutting boards – there is less nicking on the blade’s edge.

Outdoor / Outdoorsman Knife

The Outdoor / Outdoorsman Knife - taking cutlery out of the kitchen.

The outdoorsman knives can offer a beauty and style not usually found in the kitchen cutlery world.

Gentlemen's pocket knives come with a variety of handles from wood to horn to shell and more.

Outdoorsman knife blades also offer different surfaces and colorings than are usually found in the kitchen.

Kitchen Shears

Kitchen Shears or Kitchen Scissors, although not technically a knife, is a great piece of kitchen cutlery. Kitchen Shears are used to trim pastry dough, snip herbs, cut twine, or freezer/wax paper. Be careful not to cut food with shears that do not separate, as they can not be cleaned properly and may harbor bacteria.

Utility Knife

The Utility Knife can cut just about any food you want. It is a good all-purpose or should we say utilitarian knife that works well on most mid-sized fruits and vegetables. Utility Knives typically have blades that are four to seven inches long and are often used to slice cold cuts or small pieces of meat. Utility Knives can either have a plain edge blade or a serrated blade.

Trimming Knife

Trimming Knives are like small Boning Knives. A Trimming Knife is used to remove excess fat from beef for a more appealing presentation. The Trimming Knife blade is usually 2 to 3 inches long and has a curved blade that is shaped somewhat like a Boning Knife. They can also be used for small tasks like peeling and decorating.

Tomato Knife

The tomato knife is typically about the size of a utility knife. Tomato knives are ideal for cutting through the tough skin and soft flesh of tomatoes but don’t be fooled, they have many other uses as well. These are great to use on citrus fruits and even to slice sandwiches or bagels. Tomato knives have a fork like tip that can be used to remove slices already cut or to reposition the meat you are slicing.

Steak Knife

A Steak Knife is used at the table (as opposed to the kitchen) to cut through especially tough foods, such as meat.

It is somewhat like a serrated Utility Knife, though its purpose is different.

A Steak Knife is usually about 4 to 6 inches long and usually serrated, though some are not.

Most are also decorative, since they are set on the table with the silverware.

The number of knives you may wish to purchase will depend on how many people you are planning to serve that will use them.

Knives can be purchased individually or in sets. For a couple or small family a set of four may be fine.

If you do a lot of dinner entertaining you may want to purchase eight to twelve steak knives.

Some knives come in wooden boxes or trays that make a nice gift presentation and also are a good way to keep the knives well maintained while not in use.

Slicing Knives

Slicing knives have a rounded tip and a long straight cutting edge to allow large chunks of meat to be sliced into nice even pieces. A slicing knife serves a similar function to a carving knife, although it is generally longer and narrower. These are great for carving a ham, roast, or turkey. By reducing the amount of friction these knives can easily slice smoothly through the meat. Slicers may have plain or serrated edges.

Santoku

Santoku Knives combine the features of a Chef’s Knife and those of a Cleaver to form a wonderful multipurpose knife. Santoku in Japanese translates as "three virtues" because of its cutting edge for meat, fish and vegetables. With the Santoku Knife and its wide blade that can slice, dice and mince items with incredible ease and precision as well as serve as a spatula. You will have a new favorite in your kitchen.

Paring Knives

On the smaller end of the kitchen knives spectrum is the Paring Knife. A Paring Knife’s blade is 2 1/2 to 4 inches in length; a longer blade is a Utility Knife. The Paring Knife has a plain edge blade which is ideal for peeling, slicing, and coring fruits and vegetables, chopping smaller items like garlic and nuts, trimming herb leaves and more intricate work like deveining, garnishes and decorative elements. Paring Knives should be kept sharp to prevent accidents.

Oyster Knife

The Oyster Knife or Clam Knife has a short, thick blade. Oyster Knives can penetrate and pry open the hard shell of oysters or clams and slice through the tendons holding the sections together. Some Oyster Knife models have a shield built into the handle that prevents the knife (and hand) from slipping and going far into the shell. Okay, contrary to the do not pry with a knife rule - these are 'designed' for prying - thus the large shield.

Ham Slicer

A Ham Slicer is a special type of Slicer. The Ham Slicer with a long blade and rounded tip is offered by some manufacturers. They are specially tailored to cutting ham, as they are generally thinner and more flexible. This flexibility allows the Ham Slicer to negotiate larger joints of meat in one pass. The grinds in the Ham Slicer blade are there to increase flexibility.

Fillet Knives

A Fillet Knife is like a very flexible Boning Knife. Blades range from 6 to 11 inches long. The ‘flex’ makes it follow the form of the food during tasks such as meat and fish filleting. The Fillet Knife moves easily along the backbone and under the skin of the fish. Because the Fillet Knife is both flexible and thin, the blade can easily get into places that would be impossible for a typical kitchen knife. Fillet Knives can be used to shave away thin sections of roast beef for baking, broiling, or pan frying. If there is a need to prepare thin strips of some sort of meat for cooking, the Fillet Knife can easily make the effort a great deal easier. They also do well when cutting small or delicate fowl.

Cleavers

A meat cleaver is a large, rectangular knife that is used in cutting meat. The blade, approximately 6 inches long, is very heavy, with a thick spine, enabling the knife to chop through bone and joints with relative ease. Many cleavers have a hole in the end to allow them to be easily stored on a rack. Cleavers are an essential tool for any restaurant that prepares its own meat

Chef's Knives

Chef's Knives are also known as a Cook’s Knife, French Knife or more commonly a Kitchen Knife.

The Chef's Knife is an evolution of the Butcher Knife, and was originally designed primarily to slice and disjoint large cuts of beef. Today it is the primary general-utility knife for most Western cooks, and is very versatile in the kitchen.

Chef's Knives are most commonly available between 6 and 12 inches, though 8 inches is the most common size. Most Chefs recommend using the largest Chef's Knife that is comfortable in the cook's hands. Larger knives can cut more and are more versatile, but can be more difficult to handle.

Chef’s Knives are wonderful to use for every day tasks. The edge of the knife curves upward, coming to a nearly fine point at the tip of the blade, and each part of the knife can be used for different purposes.

The wide tapering and curved blade enables the experienced cook to rock the knife when slicing, chopping, dicing, mincing, and many other functions, while the deep heel protects the knuckles.

If you examine the knife on its side, you’ll note the widest part of it is near the handle, which is called the blade heel.

When you’re slicing ingredients that are tough you’ll get the most leverage when you use the knife heel portion.

The center of the Chef's Knife is called the cutting edge, and it’s probably used most often, for general cutting and preparation of a variety of foods.

The knife tip may be used to cut small soft foods, like mushrooms or green onions.

Carving Knife

Carving Knives are primarily used for cutting through cooked meat such as poultry, roasts, hams and other meats.

A Carving Knife can be very rigid or very flexible, depending on the type of meat it is designed to carve: pot roast a more rigid blade, pork more flexible blade.

When carving, start by finding the grain of the meat. You want to carve against the grain, using the carving fork as an anchor to prevent the roast from moving.

A Carving Knife usually has a straight edge, rather than a serrated one, and is generally 8 to 15 inches long. The Carving Knife blade is thinner than a Chef’s Knife’s blade allowing for thinner and more precise slices.

A Carving Knife is generally shorter and wider than a Slicing Knife.It can also be used for slicing sandwiches, smaller cuts of meat, or fruits and vegetables.

Cake Knives

Cake Knives are knives designed specifically for cutting cake. The Cake Knife blade is long so that it can easily cut through cakes of all sizes. Cake Knives have a slightly curved blade, which facilitates easy cutting. The Cake Knife blade’s serrations are usually broad, and the blade itself is relatively thin and lightweight so that it does not damage the cake by compressing the cake, especially important with cakes like angel cake which are light, foamy, and easily damaged. Some companies make wedge shaped cake knives which can also be used as servers, while others sell servers separately. Cake Knives also come in plastic, which function very well although they do not look terribly stylish.

Bread Knives

Bread Knives have a rigid blade and a scalloped or serrated edge that can easily cut through a hard then tender surface. The Bread Knife cuts through hard crust without crushing or tearing the bread slice itself. They are also great for fruits like pineapples, cantaloupes or watermelons. Bread knives are usually between 6 and 10 inches, with 8 inches being a common length.

Boning Knives

A Boning Knife is used to remove bones from cuts of meat without excessive waste, typically before cooking.

Boning Knives have a cleft edge or blade. The blade is thin and flexible that tapers off to a point, usually about 5 or 6 inches long.

The shape of a Boning Knife allows it to get into small spaces and slip easily between the flesh and bone.

This knife should be kept extremely sharp, so that it can cut through fibrous tissue.

A stiff Boning Knife is good for beef and pork, but a flexible boning knife is preferred for poultry.

A cousin to the Boning Knife, called a Fillet Knife, is much more flexible and allows the user to remove skin from fish.

As with most kitchen knives, a Boning Knife should be washed by hand in hot water and mild soap as a general rule, since running a boning knife through the dishwasher may cause it to dull.

It is also important to sharpen a Boning Knife regularly, because the knife will lose effectiveness as it dulls.

Birds Beak Paring Knives

Birds Beak Paring Knives The Birds Beak Paring Knife is also known as a Peeling Knife and Tourner Knife. A Birds Beak Paring Knife is a little two and half inch knife shaped like a beak of a bird with the pointed tip the curves downward (toward the blade). It's great for small fruits and vegetables. A bird's beak knife is a knife with a specialized curved blade which is well suited to things like carving fruit and producing the “tournee cut” which is often used in food presentation. A tournee cut is any sort of shaped cut in food which results in a sculpted piece of fruit or vegetable. Many people find that a bird's beak knife is the ideal tool for this job, since the short curved blade can get into places where other blades cannot. While a bird's beak knife is not a vital necessity for most kitchens, it can be a very handy tool.

Asian Knives

Asian Knives Traditional Asian shape knives are becoming very popular; in some cases more popular than chef's knives and it is shorter and thinner than a chef's knife. It shines when doing delicate precise work; perfect for Asian cooking. Plus, Asian knives in general are thinner than German knives, but for dicing and slicing the chef knife is best. Some Asian Knives are: the Chinese Cleaver, Santoku, Sashimi hocho, Takobiki, Yanagiba, Usuba hocho, and Deba hocho

June's Contributor

June's Contributor: Marian E. Enstrom

When people think of June many things come to mind. There's June brides, Graduations, Father's Day, and the start of summer vacation. I, on the other hand, think about what's ready for plucking in my garden. Tomatoes, green onions and basil.

Tomatoes are originally from Central and South America. The Spainards brought the tomato to Europe; and they first treated it as a decoration. There is one story that says Cortez brought tomatoes to Spain straight from Montezuma's garden.

Tomatoes are part of the 'deadly' nightshade family. The fruit is just fine to eat, but the leaves and stem are poisonous.

They are actually a fruit not a vegetable, and a berry to be precise. The plant will first bloom a flower. After the flower fades it begins to grow seed to propogate. This is the tomato - which is an ovary of new potential tomato plants.

The heirloom varities of tomatoes are about the size of a woman's fist and vary in colors of yellows, oranges, and the reds we've come to know so well. With the help of science, many avid horticulturists and master gardeners the tomato now comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes from the poppable grape and cherry tomatoes - to a burger's best friend the beefsteak tomato.

Campbell's first mass produced soup was tomato in 1897. Later, artist Andy Warhol made that same said Campbell's tomato soup can famous.

Tomatoes are very good for the body, too. Most of us know about the vitamin C, but there is also vitamin A, folate, potassium, bioflavinoids and lycopene. Lycopene has a role in protecting the skin against ultraviolet radiation, reducing heart disease risk especially in patient's with gum disease, and supporting prostrate health.

Here's my favorite Tomato recipe: Grandma's Tomato Salad Plus

You will need:

• either a gallon size zip close bag - the freezer kind is more durable, or a large bowl with a lid
• cutting board
• paring knife
• tomato knife
• about 10 fresh basil leaves
• 1 bunch green onions
• 2 beefsteak tomatoes
• 4 medium size tomatoes
• 8 plum tomatoes
• garlic salt or fresh garlic
• black pepper

Each of the 3 tomatoes has a different taste and texture to them. The plum tomatoes are the BIG juice producers - yum.

Remove stems from basil leaves. With paring knife cut leaves along their spine. Then cut cross wise in 1/8" wide ribbons. Place in container.

Remove outermost layer from green onion. With paring knife cut this and the roots off end of green onion. Slice 1/8" thick slices of onion just past where the onion turns green and before the leaves hollow out. Place in container. (The remainder of the green onion can be sliced and put in a freezer bag for future soup stock use.)

Using paring knife remove stems from tomatoes. We are now going to start cutting all the tomatoes. The tomaotes will produce lots of juice. If your board does not have a lip - put it on a cookie pan - you want all the juice you can get.

Place the tomato stem side down. Using a tomato knife cut tomato in half. Lay tomato cut side down. Cut in half from stem to tip. Cut halves in half again the same way. You can continue to slice the tomatoes this way until you have a tomato slice of you desired thickness. I like mine at about a half inch at it's widest point.

If choosing to make Bruscetta - remove the seeds and dice tomato. Place in container.

Fresh garlic or garlic salt. If using fresh garlic - peel 2 cloves, and dice with paring knife. My preference is using garlic salt. The salt draws more juice out of the tomato. As my favorite Yiddish saying goes, "where the salt goes the water follows." Add at least 1 teaspoon.

Add black pepper to taste.

Now shake, shake, shake your tomaotes. This mingles the ingredients and bruises the tomatoes just enough to release more juice.

Let salad sit for at least an hour.

Serve with sliced italian bread.

The longer the tomato salad sits the more juice it will produce. It is great alone or as a relish for your favorite cook out items - a little on a hotdog, hamburger, or brat.

Okay, so you've now been eating tomato salad for 3 days and there's a lot leftover. Let's make some marinara gravy/sauce.

Use a deep pan. Add a few teaspoons of water. Over low heat watch for droplets of the water to dance across the bottom of the pan. Now add some herbs. A pinch of: Oregano, Rosemary, and Thyme. Move around pan with utensil. When you can smell the herbs in the air you will know your pan has been flavored. Flavoring a pan cuts down on the amount of herbs needed for the recipe.

If you would like to have meat in your sauce - add to pan now and brown.

Add tomato salad to pan.

Add 1 can tomato paste and 1 can tomato sauce - medium or large is your choice.

Want more garlic add it to your recipe now. You do not want to add your garlic too early in the cooking process. Burning/over cooking garlic makes it bitter. That's about it. Cook over low heat. Stir to keep from sticking or burning. It's ready when it's your desired thickness. Depending on your patience factor and keeping the temptaion of garlic at bay cook for at least an hour to thicken up the gravy/sauce.

If you want you can slice up some nice onion, green pepper, zucchini, mushrooms...and add before the tomato salad - cook down a bit and the continue on with your own homemade marinara. This recipe jars well as long as it remains meatless.

Cutting Boards

Cutting Boards

Like kitchen knives cutting boards come in many shapes, sizes, styles, and materials.

However, some cutting boards fare better as serving trays than an actual cutting surface.

Marble, ceramic, and glass cutting boards are best used as serving surfaces – the food is already cut and is displayed proudly on a nice cold cutting/serving surface. No knives involved. I do not recommend striking the surface of a knife’s edge on a hard surface. It will cause damage to both the surface and the knife's edge.

Wood cutting boards are a favorite. They are sturdy, are not knife abusive, and do not add flavor to your food. If you get a nice thick butcher block it can be maintained with mineral oil and sanded down when the surface gets over nicked.

Bamboo, a grass, is a terrific cutting board surface. It is durable yet gives. AND, it is stylishly eco-friendly. Maintenance is minimal and can be treated as wood.

Plastic cutting boards are the most hygienic. They come in a variety of colors, too. This lends well to the cook that uses red for meats, white for dairy, and green for vegetables. Classifying your cutting surfaces cuts down on cross contamination in the kitchen. Many plastic cutting boards are dishwasher safe. The only downside to plastic boards is that they don’t stay pretty for long. However, if you can get past the loss of the surface beauty increased hygiene and causing minimal wear during knife usage works well.

When choosing a cutting board you will also have to think of: where your board will be stored, used, and for what purposes. If you do not have much space – a slender plastic board may be just what you need. It will be prominently displayed on a countertop? Try a beautiful bamboo or wood board with skid resistant feet. Do you slice juicy items and want to retain the juices? A cutting board with a well can handle that.

Do you regularly mince herbs? Try a mincing board and mezzaluna combination. A mincing board is a cutting board that in curved, in some cases like a bowl, in others a furrow. A mezzaluna is a moon shaped blade with centered handle. Usually the mezzaluna and mincing board are sold as a set where the curve of the blade and curve of the board are a matched set.

Knife Handles

Knife Handles

The handles of kitchen knives can be made from a number of different materials, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. Classic pocket knives have handles made of many natural and man made materials. These included bone, deer antler, ivory, mother of pearl, wood, stainless steel and celluloid (plastic).

The industry has added a whole new group of high-tech materials to knife handles and some of these are described below:

Carbon Fiber

Carbon Fiber, also known as graphite, is a woven carbon material that is very tough and yet light. Besides being used as a knife handle material, it is used for countless things ranging from golf club shafts to race car wings. It is black, hard and smooth with the woven texture visible

Composite

Composite knives are made from laminated wood composites impregnated with plastic resin. G-10

G-10 is another high tech material used in tactical knives. This material is also hard, dense and yet light and is made up of layers of impregnated fabric. It is machined like metal. It provides a secure grip on the knife handle and is popular in higher priced tactical knives.

Graphite

Carbon Fiber, also known as graphite, is a woven carbon material that is very tough and yet light. Besides being used as a knife handle material, it is used for countless things ranging from golf club shafts to race car wings. It is black, hard and smooth with the woven texture visible

Kraton

Kraton is a textured soft rubber material that provides an outstanding grip on fixed blade knives. The downside to this material is that it is relatively soft and can chip out. Kraton trades off grip security for durability. Some folding knives have Kraton inserts in an otherwise metal or thermoplastic handle to improve grip security.

Micarta

Micarta is basically layers of fabric or paper that are impregnated with plastic and is available in many colors. Micarta handles are smooth and attractive and yet strong enough to provide good performance as a knife handle. They can be polished to a high luster.

Pakkawood

Pakkawood and Staminawood are commonly encountered composite wood handles. They are considered by many chefs to be the best choice because they are as easy to care for and as sanitary as plastic, they have the appearance, weight, and grip of hardwood, and are more durable than either. They often have a laminated, polished appearance, and may have intense or varied coloring.

Plastic

Plastic handles are more easily cared for than wooden handles and do not absorb microorganisms. However, plastics may also be less resistant to ultraviolet damage and may become brittle over time, resulting in cracking. Some plastics are also slippery in the hand. The material is lighter than most other materials, which may result in a knife that is off-balance or too light for some tastes.

Staminawood

Staminawood and Pakkawood are commonly encountered composite wood handles. They are considered by many chefs to be the best choice because they are as easy to care for and as sanitary as plastic, they have the appearance, weight, and grip of hardwood, and are more durable than either. They often have a laminated, polished appearance, and may have intense or varied coloring.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel handles are the most durable of all handles, as well as the most sanitary. Many argue, however, that they are very slippery in the hand, especially when wet. To counter this, many premium knife makers make handles with ridges, bumps, or indentations to provide extra grip. One disadvantage of some all-metal handles is that knife weight usually goes up considerably, affecting the knife's balance and increasing hand and wrist fatigue.

Titanium

Titanium is a metal known to be harder but lighter than steel. While stainless steel handled knives are usually on the heavy side, titanium provides the toughness and durability of a metal handle without so much weight.

White Micarta

White micarta makes a good substitute for elephant ivory.

Wood Handles

Wood handles provide good grip, and most people consider them to be the most attractive. They are, however, slightly more difficult to care for as they must be cleaned more thoroughly and occasionally treated with mineral oil. Most wood handles, especially those of ordinary varnished hardwood, do not resist water well, and will crack or warp with prolonged exposure to water. They should be hand-washed for that reason. Some people argue that ordinary varnished wood handles can harbor more microorganisms as the varnish layer wears off, thus requiring resealing or re-varnishing to seal the wood's pores.

Zytel

Zytel is a brand name of a thermoplastic compound that is molded into knife handles. Zytel is tough and practical as a handle material and inexpensive because it is molded. You will find this material in many reasonably priced and mid range tactical knives. There are other molded thermoplastics used in knife handles with other names and they provide similar performance and benefits.

Knife Styles

Knife Styles

There are basically two styles or philosophies of making kitchen knives. We'll refer to them as Eastern and Western. You can choose between: light weight Eastern style, or heftier, heavier knives of the Western style. You can decide which works for you more: better cutting performance and more required maintenance of the Eastern style; or somewhat less performance with easier and less frequent maintenance of the Western style. A good cook will be able to work with both styles. It is all a matter of personal preference.

Eastern Style Knives

Eastern style knives such as Japanese made knives like are made from harder steel, the blades are significantly thinner, producing a lighter weight knife and the bevel angles are more acute. That means these knives will hold an edge longer (and also take longer to sharpen or steel) and will be sharper, requiring more maintenance. They are wonderful for cutting where accuracy is necessary such as preparing Sushi or making decorative cuts.

Western Style Knives

Western style knives such as European made knives are made from softer steel (less edge holding but easier to maintain) are thicker (heavier) and have more obtuse bevel angles so that they won't get quite as sharp but the edges will be sturdier requiring less maintenance. They are outstanding at chopping, as an example.

Knife Blade Edges

Knife Blade Edges

The edge of a blade makes all the difference in how a knife handles and cuts. The right edge for the right job. Here is a list of different edge types and a few blade differences, too.

Clip Point

A clip point blade has a concave or straight cut-out at the tip (The "clip"). This brings the blade point lower for extra control and enhances the sharpness of the tip. You will often find a false edge with the clip point. These types of blades also often have an abundant belly for better slicing capabilities.

Dagger / Double Edge

A double edge blade is sharpened on both sides ending with the point aligned with the spine, in the middle of the blade.

Drop Point

The drop-point blade has lowered tip via a convex arc. This lowers the point for extra control and also leaves the strength. This type of blade also has a good-sized belly for better slicing.

Excell Edge

Technology uses ceramic Titanium Nitride coating to boost the edge hardness. The TiNi comes in a variety of colors.

Fusion Edge

The latest hard edge technology is where the blade is fused with tungsten carbide, a material four times harder than the hardest stainless steel allowing the edge to stay sharper 11,000 times longer than a traditional plain edged knife.

Granton Edge

Granton edges have semi-circular scallops ground into the edge that alternate on either side of the knife and extend from the edge to the middle of the blade. The design of scallop-sided blades is an attempt to ease the cutting and separation of meats, cheese, and vegetables. They are maintained just like regular edges.

Hollow Edge Blade

A hollow edge blade is a knife blade with a series of evenly spaced vertical indentations close to the cutting edge. These indentations confer several advantages to a hollow edge blade, making the blade very popular in busy kitchens. Many knives designed for sushi, such as santoku knives, are hollow edge blades. This type of knife blade should not be confused with a hollow ground blade.

Hook Blade

The edge of a hook blade curves in a concave manner.

Plain Edge

The plain edge is as it says and should have an angle of around 24 – 30 degrees. It will often require re-sharpening to maintain its fine edge.

Santuko Blade

Santuko is a Japanese Chef’s knife. The spine curves downward to meet the edge and the belly curves slightly.

Scalloped Edge

This edge uses the same peaks and troughs principle as the LASER serrated knives where the peaks provide the initial cut and protect the sharp troughs. This type of edge is most commonly found on bread knives.

Scimitar

This is a curved blade with the edge on the convex side.

Serrated Edge

Serrated blade knives have a wavy, scalloped or saw-like blade. Serrations make knives ideal for cutting things that are hard on the outside and soft on the inside (such as bread or tomatoes) that might otherwise be ruined by a slightly dull knife with a plain, flat-ground edge. They are also particularly good on fibrous foods like celery or cabbage. Serrated knives cut much better than plain edge blade knives when dull, so they may go longer without sharpening (some serrated blades are claimed never to need sharpening.) However, they require specialized equipment and a different technique in order to re-sharpen them.

Sheepsfoot

The spine of this blade curves downward to meet the edge. This leaves virtually no point. This type of blade typically has little or virtually no belly and is used mainly for slicing applications.

Spear Point

The point of this blade is exactly in the center of the blade and both edges are sharpened. The point drops all the way down the center of the blade.

Tanto

The point to this style blade is in line with the spine of the blade. This leaves the point thick and strong. There are quite a few different variations of how tanto blades are designed. The way the front edge meets the bottom edge, whether at an obtuse angle or a curve is one difference. You will also find differences in the point being clipped or not and whether there is a chisel grind.

Trailing Point

The trailing point blade’s point is higher than the spine. This is typically engineered with an extended belly for slicing, with the point up and out of the way.

Knife Blade Hardness

Blade Hardness

Blade hardness is yet another issue. Steels with more carbon will get harder on the Rockwell scale and steels with less will harden to a lesser degree. Harder steel will hold an edge longer, naturally, but will be more brittle (less tough) and harder to sharpen. Softer steel will be tougher and easier to sharpen but won’t hold an edge as well. Most modern high tech stainless steels are hardened to RC 58 to 60 which is a pretty good range for most cutlery applications.

The Basic Processes of Hardening Steel

The basic process of hardening steel by heat treatment consists of heating the metal to a temperature at which austenite is formed, usually about 760° to 870° C (about 1,400° to 1,600° F) and then cooling, or quenching, it rapidly in water or oil. Such hardening treatments, which form martensite, set up large internal strains in the metal, and these are relieved by tempering, or annealing, which consists of reheating the steel to a lower temperature.

Tempering results in a decrease in hardness and strength and an increase in ductility and toughness. The primary purpose of the heat-treating process is to control the amount, size, shape, and distribution of the cementite particles in the ferrite, which in turn determines the physical properties of the steel. Many variations of the basic process are practiced.

Time-Quenching

In time-quenching the steel is withdrawn from the quenching bath when it has reached the temperature at which the martensite begins to form, and is then cooled slowly in air.

Martempering

In martempering the steel is withdrawn from the quench at the same point, and is then placed in a constant-temperature bath until it attains a uniform temperature throughout its cross section. The steel is then allowed to cool in air through the temperature range of martensite formation, which for most steels is the range from about 288° C (about 550° F) to room temperature.

Austempering

In austempering the steel is quenched in a bath of metal or salt maintained at the constant temperature at which the desired structural change occurs and is held in this bath until the change is complete before being subjected to the final cooling.

Case Hardening

Any of several processes for hardening the surfaces of steel products in order to make them more resistant to abrasion and wear, while leaving the interior soft and therefore tougher and more fracture-resistant. The hardening may be accomplished by dissolving carbon into the surface, called carburizing, or by adding nitrogen, called cyaniding or nitriding.

Carburizing

In Carburizing, the piece is heated in charcoal or coke, or in carbonaceous gases such as methane or carbon monoxide.

Cyaniding

Cyaniding consists of hardening in a bath of molten cyanide salt to form both carbides and nitrides.

Nitriding

In Nitriding, steels of special composition are hardened by heating them in ammonia gas to form alloy nitrides.

Knife Blade Finish

Knife Blade Finish

There are several ways to finish a knife blade. The steel itself can be polished, satin finished or even bead blasted.

Bead Blast Finish

Bead blasting provides a textured gray finish to the steel. It is popular in tactical knives because it is less reflective. On the downside, bead blasting collects and holds moisture better than other finishes and, so, can allow the blade to rust more easily.

Coated Finish

Some blades are coated to provide moisture protection or even to improve blade performance.

Polished Finish

Polishing is attractive but expensive. It is a finish used more in the custom knife industry.

Satin Finish

Satin finish is less shiny since the blade has been ground but not polished. This is the least expensive of the popular finishes.

Teflon Coated Finish

Teflon is a popular blade coating which protects blades from corrosion forming moisture and which makes a blade less reflective. Many black blades are coated with Teflon.

Titanium Nitride Coated Finish

Titanium Nitride (TiNi) is an example of a very hard material that is used as a blade coating which can actually help the knife hold an edge better. TiNi is available in several colors.

Knife Blade Grinds

What is a Grind

The “grind” of a blade refers to the way in which it is finished for sharpening and eventual sale. Typically, a knife is only ground once, as the grinding process removes a great deal of metal. The knife will periodically need to be re-sharpened, and if it is particularly abused, it may need to be reground. Regrinding is only successful once or twice, as it eats away large portions of the blade.

Chisel Ground Blade

A chisel ground blade is a blade which is only sharpened on one side, creating a classical chisel-like shape in cross section. When a chisel ground blade is produced, one side of the blade is left totally flat, while the other is ground down to make a sharp wedge. One of the primary advantages of a chisel ground blade is that it tends to be extremely sharp, since the cutting edge of the blade has one angle, instead of two.

Edge Ground Blade

An edge ground blade is straight sided and an edge is ground directly onto it.

Flat Ground Blade

A flat ground blade is a knife blade which is evenly sharpened from the spine to the edge. In order to be considered a true flat ground blade, the knife must be entirely lacking in bevels. Typically, a flat ground blade is V-shaped in cross section, reflecting a grind which gets thinner towards the edge so that it will be a more effective cutting implement. Because a flat ground blade is not beveled or shaped, it is very easy to sharpen. They are heavier and tougher than a hollow ground knife.

Hollow Ground Blade

Hollow ground blades have concave, beveled edges that are ground starting midway down the blade, instead of at the spine. Hollow ground knife blades are manufactured with a process that fuses two separate pieces of metal together. After the pieces are fused, a beveled blade edge is created. Although these blades often have very sharp edges, the blade lacks the balance and longevity of a taper ground blade.

Taper Ground Blade

Taper ground knives are manufactured with a single sheet of metal and are ground so that they taper smoothly from the spine to the cutting edge. This type of blade can be found on knives that are used frequently. A taper ground blade gives the finest edge possible and the consistent tapering blade allows it to glide easily through food.

Knife Construction

Construction

Basically, there are 3 ways to make a kitchen knife. You can block it, forge it or sinter it. Knives can also be made through an extensive hammering and grinding process. These techniques are still practiced be master craftsmen creating some very fine custom cutlery pieces, however, they are not a cost effective manufacturing process.

Blocked Blades / Stamped Blades

Blocked Blades / Stamped Blades are cut to shape directly from cold rolled steel, heat-treated for strength, then ground, polished, and sharpened. Though they are not preferred by most professional chefs, several popular knife brands, such as Global, do use stamped and heat-treated blades in their premium knives. Stamped blades can often, but not always, be identified by the absence of a bolster.

Forged Blades

Forged Blades are made in an intricate, multi-step process, often by skilled manual labor. A chunk of solid or powdered steel alloy is heated to a high temperature, and pounded while hot to form it. The blade is then heated above critical temperature (which varies between alloys), quenched in an appropriate quenchant, and tempered to the desired hardness. After forging and heat treating, the blade is polished and sharpened. Forged blades are typically thicker and heavier than stamped blades, an advantage in some situations. Forged blades were superior to stamped blades in the past but with modern technology this is no longer the case.

Sintered Knives

Sintered Knives are made by fusing together the blade and tang or, sometimes, the blade, bolster and tang to make up a complete knife from the various parts. This is done as an economy measure in some cases since it is less expensive than forging. In other cases it allows for construction that would be impossible without it.

Knife manufacturing videos

No matter what material, all knives used to be made by hand, one at a time. These informative YouTube Videos show how much work is involved in knife making. This first one shows you automated knife making http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q46pGg8edg

The next 4 are by Greenpete and they show you how to make a single bevel blade from an old metal file. Not only does Greenpete reuse old metal, he does it in the field with a wood fire and a 12 volt car battery (that could be charged useing photo-voltaiacs).

#1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ysKd1cswlo.

#2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIvyPxyVKQc&feature=related

#3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XGnc8mgEBE

#4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBcxo4ojmgo

This one demonstrates Damascuss steel making. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgcdSk4QpyU&feature=related

Classifications of Steel

Carbon Steels

More than 90 percent of all steels are carbon steels. Machines, automobile bodies, most structural steel for buildings, ship hulls, bedsprings, and bobby pins are among the products made of carbon steels.

Alloy Steels

These steels have a specified composition, containing certain percentages of vanadium, molybdenum, or other elements, as well as larger amounts of manganese, silicon, and copper than do the regular carbon steels. Automobile gears and axles, roller skates, and carving knives are some of the many things that are made of alloy steels.

High-Strength Low-Alloy Steels

They cost less than the regular alloy steels because they contain only small amounts of the expensive alloying elements. Girders can be made thinner without sacrificing their strength, and additional space is left for offices and apartments.

Stainless Steels

Stainless steels contain chromium, nickel, and other alloying elements that keep them bright and rust resistant in spite of moisture or the action of corrosive acids and gases. In kitchens and in plants where food is prepared, handling equipment is often made of stainless steel because it does not taint the food and can be easily cleaned.

Tool Steels

They contain tungsten, molybdenum, and other alloying elements that give them extra strength, hardness, and resistance to wear. These steels are fabricated into many types of tools or into the cutting and shaping parts of power-driven machinery for various manufacturing operations.

Knife Blade Materials

Importance Of Knife Blade Material

The first consideration of any knife should be the blade, and the steel that it is forged from. After all, as a knife it will be expected to be able to cut, and if you buy a knife from us you will expect it to cut very well indeed.

420 Series Stainless Steel

Typically found on presentation, display knives, and some hunting knives. Sharpness is okay which justifies it's entry into the surgical grade category. Easy to sharpen

Boye Dendritic

Boye Dendritic is a cobalt alloy. These blades are completely rust-resistant and still perform well as knife blades although they are expensive. This type of material is often found in knives that are used in and around salt water.

Branded Stainless Steels

Good levels of sharpness with acceptable levels of edge retention, so it's a good job they're easy to sharpen. Hard compound steel found primarily on folding knives. Very tough and easy to sharpen

Carbon Steel

Carbon steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, often including other alloys such as vanadium and manganese. A typical carbon steel blade is very inexpensive, and can be very sharp, and hold its edge well. Carbon steel is normally easier to re-sharpen than most stainless steels, but is vulnerable to rust and stains. Some professional cooks, particularly those in Asia, are partial to carbon steel blades because of their reasonable cost, cutting power, and edge-holding ability; others find these advantages outweighed in the kitchen by the extra maintenance required, as these blades must be cleaned, dried, and lubricated after each use or they will rust. New carbon-steel knives may also impart a metallic or "iron" flavor to acidic foods, though over time, the steel acquires a dark patina of oxidation which acts to block this process. Some people find patina a charming sign of age, while others find it unsightly. Very sharp, great edge retention and easy to sharpen

Ceramic

Ceramic is not a steel at all, they are made of zirconium oxide and aluminum Although they are much more delicate than steel knives, they tend to hold their edge up to 10 times longer. These blades are so hard that they will maintain a sharp edge for months or years with no maintenance at all. Like titanium, they do not impart any taste to food and are immune to corrosion. On the other hand, although ceramic blades can be sharpened on silicon carbide sandpaper or many grinding wheels, it is difficult enough that they are usually professionally sharpened. Also, they are hard enough to cut through glaze on dinnerware so should not be used as tableware. Further, although they are hard, ceramic blades are also very brittle, and will chip if struck against hard objects, or even sharpened improperly. Ceramic blades should only be used on wood or plastic cutting boards. Ceramic blades must never be used to pry or lever foods or other materials apart, as they may snap.

Damascus Steel

Damascus steel blades today are generally pattern welded steel, which is made of layers of steel and iron which are welded together. Japanese katana are made with Damascus steel. It is a folded mix of two types of steel, either Carbon or Stainless and combines the properties of the two individual blades. Excellent edge retention, Very sharp edge, and easy to sharpen

Hard Compound Steels

Very hard compound steels offering reasonable sharpness, but excellent strength and edge retention. Perfect on survival type knives and often found on military collectables. Can be unusually expensive and will rust if not cared for. Very Tough, Excellent Edge Retention, Easy to Sharpen

High Carbon Stainless Steel

High Carbon Stainless Steel normally refers to higher-grade, stainless steel alloys with a certain amount of carbon. Knives made from high carbon stainless steel offer a combination of the best attributes of carbon steel and stainless steel blades. High carbon stainless steel blades do not discolor or stain, and maintain a sharp edge. Most of these 'high-carbon' stainless blades also feature higher quality alloys than less expensive stainless knives, often including amounts of molybdenum, vanadium, cobalt, and other components intended to increase strength, edge-holding, and cutting ability.

High Carbon Steel

High carbon steel is actually the best performer providing more toughness and the ability to take a very sharp edge with less overall effort. However, high carbon steel is not stain resistant. It can rust and will discolor from use. After much use, high carbon steel kitchen knife blades will actually become black. This discoloration is purely cosmetic and does not affect the performance of the knife in any way. An example of this kind of knife is the Sabatier Au Carbone.

Laminated Blades

Laminated blades attempt to use the best of multiple materials by creating a layered sandwich of different steel alloys (there are no laminated blades made of plastic or ceramic.) Such knives are a modern descendant of the ancient Japanese San Mai sword-making process. Frequently a harder, more brittle steel is sandwiched between two softer, tougher steel alloys, so that the blade combines the attributes, to some extent, of both metals. A laminated blade's edge can often be made harder than an ordinary stainless steel knife, in turn facilitating a more acute grind on the cutting blade (thereby increasing the knife's cutting abilities).

Pakistan Steel

Pakistan steel - no ideas what's in it - iron ? - and that's about it. Dreadful levels of sharpness, no edge retention to speak of, and once it's blunt you'll never get an edge on it again.

Plastic

Plastic blades are not very sharp at all. Their primary use is for cutting through vegetables such as lettuce without causing them to discolor. (A steel knife will cause the cut edges of lettuce to turn black.) Plastic knives can cut skin, especially wet skin, but will not penetrate far into flesh, a boon for cooks. They cannot scratch dinnerware or cutting boards. They can be re-sharpened, but they are cheap enough that they are regarded as semi-disposable. They cannot be made as sharp as metal or ceramic blades, but since they are typically serrated, they may perform adequately for their intended purpose.

Premium Grade Stainless Steels

Premium grade stainless steels have impressive edge retention, corrosion / rust resistant and quite pure in compound form. They are very sharp and easy to re-sharpen. Nice choice for top quality hunting knives.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel replaces some of the carbon in the steel alloy with chromium to make it resistant to corrosion. These steel alloys normally produce a steel that is less stain resistant than typical cutlery stainless steels but also hold an edge for a longer period of use or provide additional toughness or other characteristics. There is a tradeoff. As stain resistance increases, the ability for the blade to hold an edge decreases. Conversely as stain resistance decreases, the overall performance of the blade increases. These steels are very popular with knife makers and provide a good balance between performance and price.

Stainless Supersteels

Stainless Supersteels have world class edge retention and sharpness. They are extremely corrosion resistant and very pure in compound form. Stainless supersteels can be tricky to re-sharpen due to blades toughness, but by no means impossible. Knives made from stainless supersteels are very forgiving, a joy to own and use.

Stellite

Stellite is closely related to Talonite. Knives made with stellite resist wear and corrosion. Stellite blades resist heat well, and do not oxidize easily in any condition.

Super-grade Stainless Steel

Super-grade stainless steel offers the edge retention and sharpness of old fashioned carbon steel without the corrosion tendencies. On the downside, it can be very difficult to sharpen.

Superstainless Damascus Steel

The new breed of blade - superstainless damascus steel is the best you can buy - irrespective of price. It's very rare, hard to get hold of and expensive too, but it still offers value for money and exclusivity as the edge performance is light-years ahead of regular steels.

Supersteel

Supersteel is the best of all World's: incredible sharpness and edge retention, with ease of sharpening and servicing too, very corrosion resistant. Supersteels are typically a folded mix of two types of stainless steels. Expensive, but worth the extra money if you can justify the expense

Surgical Grade Stainless Steels

The benchmark for many knives now, and used extensively by most manufacturers. Very good sharpness, edge retention is acceptable but the steel is easy to service and sharpen. Corrosion resistance is good.

Talonite

Talonite is made of a cobalt-chromium alloy that forms carbides, so it tests soft by most hardness tests even though it's very hard and wears extremely well. These blades are completely rust-resistant and still perform well as knife blades although they are expensive. This type of material is often found in knives that are used in and around salt water. Boye Dendritic is another example of a cobalt blade.

Timascus

Timascus is a new twist on Damascus steel. Timascus is a Damascus blade made with Titanium as the metal. These knife blades will closely resemble steel Damascus, and vary widely in color due to the particular alloy used. Knife blades of this material will hold a highly polished finish, which will be brightly colored; or they can have a pearly finish, which will show off the ripples in the metal nicely.

Titanium

Titanium is metal that is lighter, anti-magnetic, more wear resistant, and more flexible than steel, but also less hard and it will not take as sharp an edge. But carbides in the titanium alloy allow them to be heat-treated to a sufficient hardness. Titanium does not impart any flavor to food. It is typically expensive.

Zirconium Oxide

Zirconium Oxide is a very hard ceramic material that is also used in knife blades. Ceramic blades hold an edge longer than any other material and are completely corrosion resistant. The downside to these blades is that they are brittle and can snap or chip in use. They cannot be used for prying at all and are difficult to sharpen.

6 Important Knife Blade Properties

STRESS AND STRAIN

All materials have a stress and strain relationship. Stress is the force applied to a member and strain is the distance that the member moves (deformation) under the applied force. Imagine a rubber band stretched between your two hands. The force applied to move your hands apart shows up as a resistance force (stress) in the rubber band. The distance the band moves under the force is the strain. If the stress and strain for the band are plotted on a graph a line is drawn representing the behavior of the band from the initial load to the time it finally breaks. This is called a stress/strain curve. This curve is unique for all materials and gives a vast amount of information on how the material acts under applied force.

TOUGHNESS/ DUCTILITY

When a material can absorb forces from many different load types with out breaking then it is very tough or ductile. Steel company data sheets refer to toughness in terms of "Charpy C Notch" values. This is a measure of the ability of a notched test piece to resist breaking under an impact load.

STRENGTH

The ability of a steel part to withstand force trying to pull it apart is called tensile strength. The ability of the part to withstand force trying to push it together or compress it is called compressive strength. Strength is a very important consideration for a knife blade because we like to make the cutting edge as thin as possible for cutting efficiency.

HARDNESS

The tensile strength of steel is proportional to its hardness. The harder it is the more is resists deformation forces. In other words the edge will resist bending or breaking while cutting some very hard materials. Hardness is the most critical property for a knife blade because it is an indication all the other properties. The normal range for knife blades is HRC 50-63.

WEAR RESISTANCE

Abrasive wear resistance (most important type for a knife blade) is a measure of the tool to resist being worn away by contact with other materials. Wear resistance correlates with hardness of the material in general. Even mild steel in contact with an abrasive surface will wear much longer than brass for example. In that case mild steel will make a better knife blade than brass.

CORROSION RESISTANCE

Plain carbon steel has very little corrosion resistance. Alloys are added to the carbon steel to reduce corrosion.

Knife Storage

Knife Storage

Proper knife storage extends the life of your knife.

Our favorite way to store blades is the knife block. We also like the magnetic strip for homes without children, pets, and the accident prone. Sheaths are fantastic for drawer and mobile storage for the chef on the go. Then of course there are the cases and bags for the portable culinary cutlery experience.

Knives should not be stored loose in a drawer. When knives are stored loosely they have a chance to strike against the blades of the other knives causing nicking and damage to the blades beyond what is considered normal wear.

Rubber banding your blades together to keep them from moving around is not a good form of storage. The rubber as it ages causes damage to the blades, and having yor blades pressed in together bows the blades, also causing damage.

If you do not have the counter space for a knife block, the wall space for a magnetic strip, nor the money to purchase individual sheaths for your blades try some flattened out paper towel rolls. Instead of letting your blades knock against each other keep the cardboard tube to store each knife. Use a sturdy scissors and cut the tube to it's needed length. Wrapping paper tubes, also, work rather well. Where the make shift sheaths are not all that pretty they still do the job.

The point here? Store your knives where the blades don't hit against each other or destructive surfaces while not in use, or really in use for that matter.

Knife Blocks

Knife Blocks come in many shapes, sizes and materials to match any kitchen decor and use.

Knife blocks, like the magnetic knife strip and sheaths are one way to properly store your knives. It is important to take good care of kitchen knives since they can last for years if they are properly maintained. By using a knife block, cooks can ensure that blades are not damaged by being knocked around. It is also important to ensure that knives fit all the way into a knife block; if part of a blade protrudes, it can be very unsafe.

If you are purchasing a block for your countertop, remember to get one with feet so that the block will not sit in puddles of sauces, grease, or other spills.

A basic knife block simply consists of a piece of wood with slots of varying sizes to insert knives securely. The knife block can also prevent warping of blades while they are stored, and it makes knives convenient and easy to access. A knife block can also be a great safety tool, as it gets knives out of drawers and off of counters and into an organized location.

Knife Block Safety and Design

For people who are especially concerned about safety, some knife blocks have child locks which need to be opened before a knife can be removed. These locks also prevent knives from falling during earthquakes, and they ensure that curious pets cannot injure themselves on knives either. Some kitchen suppliers also sell blocks which can fit into drawers, which can be convenient in a kitchen with limited space. This can also be safer, as the drawer can lock or tightly latch to prevent unauthorized access. Cooks who prefer a leaner design can purchase magnetic strips which are designed to mount to walls or cabinets; the magnet holds knives against the strip and they can quickly be removed when they are needed. The block may be designed to sit on the counter, or mount to the kitchen wall. Such knife blocks can also be built into kitchen cabinets or kitchen islands. Other materials may be used as well, although wood is a good choice because it will not nick blades as they are inserted.

Edge Up Edge Down

How do you store the knives in your knife block? Do you store them cutting edge up or cutting edge down? I believe in edge up knife storage. With many knife blocks being made of materials other than wood nicking of blades is much more prevalent. We have knives that are now 3rd generation in use; and this is due in part to edge up knife storage. Where edge down knife storage is much more optically pleasing, (which is why photographers use edge down for sales), with the curve of a nice handle it is not good for the knife blade’s edge. Think about it with edge down knife storage you are hitting and storing the blade’s edge on the knife block’s surface. This is one reason many people choose wooden blocks, like wooden cutting boards – there is less nicking on the blade’s edge.

Knife Sharpening

Knife sharpening

All knives will need to be sharpened at some point in time. Yes, all knives dull. Even knives that are not used will dull with age – metals corrode from moisture in the air.

For safety you should keep your knives at their sharpest. A sharp knife does not roll off of the surface that it is cutting. A sharp knife does not need extreme force to slice, dice, or chop through an item. Rolling edges and forcing blades has been the cause of many a kitchen accident. Cut with ease and safety - always keep your knives sharp.

Using a Sharpening Steel

These directions are intended for use with a plain or straight edge blade.

You need a cutting board, a kitchen towel, sharpening steel and knife or knives to be sharpened.

Place folded towel on cutting surface.

Hold Sharpening Steel straight down. The tip will be in the towel and touching down to the cutting board. Like a pole with the handle at the top.

The movement is as simple as the swing of your arm. You start by placing the heel, or back end of the cutting surface against the steel it’s width plus ¼” down from the handle bottom. Make sure that the heel and blade are comfortably away from the hand holding the steel. Now simply pull the knife downward and toward you with the blade sliding down the sharpening steel. A knife may need only 4 to 10 of these strokes on each side of the blade.

To get the best edge on your knife you need to try to match the angle of the original edge. However, unless you are protractor happy it is not quite possible. Luckily for us kitchen knives are mainly cut with the same edge bevel. So, to match as closely the industry standard we’ll use a 22 ½ degree angle. Place the heel of the blade at the appropriate space on the steel – now hold the blade at a 90 degree angle from the steel. Okay, now eyeballing it bring the spine of the blade half way closer to the steel handle. You now have a 45 degree angle from the steel. Get that trusty eyeball ready – we are cutting the angle in half one more time. You now have a 22 ½ degree angle. Now go ahead and pull the blade from heel to tip down the sharpening steel.

After a few strokes a ‘burr’ will form. On very close inspection a burr looks like the crest of a small wave. The burr will curl away from the sharpening surface. If you stop sharpening before the burr is formed, your knife will not be as sharp as it could be. Sometimes you can’t see a burr, but you can always feel it. Check for the burr on the side opposite the edge you have been grinding. Hold the knife blade horizontally and place your fingers or thumb at a 45-degree angle to the edge and pull gently down and away.

NEVER PULL TOWARD THE TIP OR HILT; YOU MAY LOP OFF A FINGER. PULL AWAY FROM THE EDGE.

Remember, check the side opposite the one you've been sharpening. You're checking for a very light lip caused by the edge rolling over to the other side. Check at various points along the edge. The burr tends to form quickly at the base of the blade but takes a little longer at the tip. You must feel a burr running all the way from heel to tip to know that you have fully ground that side of the knife.

Kitchen perfectionist?

Here’s more blade angle information.

For the vast majority of kitchen knives, 15 to 20 degrees per side will provide a significant increase in performance without requiring undue maintenance. Meat cleavers should be a little thicker, say 20 to 25 degrees per side, while dedicated slicers can be taken down to 10 to 15 degrees per side. The best compromise in the kitchen has proven to be a 15/20 double bevel. That is a 15 degree back bevel with a 20 degree primary edge face.

You must be able to maintain a consistent angle while you are sharpening. This can be tough to do, which is why there are so many gimmicks and sharpening systems on the market. They don’t provide any magic. All they do is help you keep your edge at the same angle throughout the sharpening session. Maintaining consistency is a primary reason freehand sharpening is a little tricky. It takes a lot of experience and practice to keep the edge at a constant angle stroke after stroke using only your hands and eyes.

Handling Serrated Knives

Serrated knives and bread knives are a special case. Serrated knives will stay sharp longer than plain edged knives, mainly because the insides of the serrations generally don’t contact hard surfaces. That’s what the teeth are for. The teeth not only have a cutting function, but are also sacrificial lambs, offered up to steakhouse swordsman and children everywhere who feel that if they’re not grinding into the ceramic of the plate, they’re not cutting.

There are four ways to sharpen serrated knives:

1) Pretend the serrations don’t exist and sharpen on a stone, sharpening system or electric sharpener as you would a plain edged knife.

This will eventually remove the serrations.

2) Sharpen the flat, non-serrated back of the blade.

This will sharpen the knife, but also will eventually remove the serrations, though not as quickly as the first method.

3) Sharpen the serrations individually with a tapered diamond or ceramic file.

4) Sharpen on a crock stick setup, going very slowly so the ceramic rod glides in and out of the serrations.

Serrations do two things. First, they increase the cutting or slicing angle of the portion of the cutting edge in contact with the cutting target as the blade is drawn across a surface. Second, fewer cutting edges is in contact with the cutting target for the pressure applied. Combined these two physical changes in the cutting motion are similar to creating lots of "stabbing" cuts applied uniformly across a cutting target. Serrated edges should be sharpened with a fine to extra fine grit (600 to 1200) abrasive file.

Maintaining the desired angle may seem tough … BUT is no different than any other blade. I have found the easiest technique to place your thumb on the backside of the blade and rest the edge of your thumb on the file. Next evaluate the section of the file that fits the serration to be sharpened. Rest your thumb and the blade on the file so that the deepest part of the serration touches the file. Pulling the blade back up the file toward the handle will produce a consistent convex edge on the individual scalloped cutting surface. This technique is repeated on each major scallop. Many serrated edges have "V" shaped serrations between the major scalloped serrations … I generally ignore these or reshape them into rounded scallops. A second, less desired technique for sharpening a serrated edge is to hone the single sharpened edge on a flat abrasive just like the hard coated blades described above. Only a small part of the cutting edge will contact the abrasive … changes will occur rapidly so check the edge often. This technique will cause the loss of the two physical advantages of serrations. The loss will be slight at first, but you will eventually lose the serrations … if you are like me and don't like serrated edges, it is no big deal. But if you like your serrated edge buy a fine grit file made for sharpening them … use it or lose it. By the way, the biggest reason I dislike a serrated edge is they take too much time to keep sharp

Steeling your Knife

Steeling regularly is the most critical maintenance you can perform on your knife. Whenever you use your knife, especially soft kitchen knives, the edge can turn out a bit. Turn the knife with the edge pointing to the ceiling under strong light. You shouldn’t be able to see it. The edge itself should be invisible. If, however, you see glints of light, those are spots where the edge has rolled. The edge is still reasonably sharp, it’s just not pointing straight down anymore. The steel realigns the edge of the knife, forcing the rolled spots back into line, making it useable again.

We will get into the various types of steels in just a moment, but be aware that the grooved steels that come with knife sets do in fact remove metal. A grooved steel acts as a file when used with a heavy hand, knocking microscopic chips out of your edge. At the very least, it is much coarser than the fine abrasive you used to achieve your edge. Steeling heavily with a grooved steel is taking several steps backward. A grooved steel should be used with caution and a very light touch. The standard image we all have of steeling a knife involves a chef with his knife in one hand and steel in the other, blade flashing and ringing. If you’re particularly adept at this type of swordsmanship, have at it. It impresses the tourists.

A more effective method is to stand the steel straight up and down with the handle up and the tip resting on a folded towel to keep it from slipping. Why? Geometry. Place the knife edge against the steel with the blade perpendicular to the steel – 90 degrees, right? Rotate your wrist so that you reduce the angle by half – 45 degrees. Reduce that by half – 22.5 degrees, and you are exactly where you need to be to steel your knife (if you have a 20 degree edge). You generally want to steel at a very slightly steeper angle than the edge bevel itself. You can also use the Paper Airplane Trick to make a guide to prop against your steel so you know you are hitting the proper angle. When you’re steeling, lock your wrist and stroke the knife from heel to tip by unhinging at the shoulder – it’s your pivot point – and slowly dropping your forearm.

The key is to maintain a consistent angle all the way through the stroke. By locking your wrist and elbow, you will keep your angle stable from top to bottom. Go slowly and follow all the way through the tip. You don’t have to press very hard to realign the edge. Steeling requires barely more pressure than the weight of the knife itself. Alternate from side to side, keeping the same alignment and angle on both sides. It really only takes four or five strokes per side to get your knife ready for more work.

When should you steel?

Every time you use your knife. Oddly enough, steeling before you use the knife is much more effective than steeling afterward. A steeled edge can be very sharp, but it is not as durable as a freshly honed edge. If you don’t use a steeled edge right away it can actually relax back into its blunted state. The same is true of a blunted edge. If you really degrade the edge of your knife in a heavy cutting session, let it sit overnight before sharpening. It will be in much better shape than it was the day before. You should also steel before sharpening so any rolled or impacted edges are pushed back into alignment. That way you don’t cut off the rolled edge and lose more metal than you really need to. You also can steel after sharpening to add a final bit of polish (especially on a medium to medium fine edge) and tooth alignment. A steel actually “smears” the edge, teasing out a little more thinness. You’ll have a keener edge, but it will be weaker than the freshly sharpened edge.

Types of Steels:

Knife steels come in a variety of sizes, shapes and flavors.

There are round steels, oval steels, grooved steels, smooth steels, diamond steels and ceramic “steels.”

If you purchased a set of knives, it probably came with a round, grooved steel.

Be very careful with this beast. Kitchen knives are reasonably tough and resist chipping fairly well, but a grooved steel can really put that to the test. The grooves in the steel create tiny points of contact with the edge.

A smaller contact area makes for greater pressure on the edge.

Used lightly, a grooved steel can realign the edge of your knife, though it does it fairly aggressively.

Used with too heavy a hand, however, a grooved steel will act as a file and take microscopic chips out of your edge. Your edge will feel sharp because it is now, in effect, serrated, but it won’t last very long.

Coarse diamond steels fall into the same category, though they’ll generally leave a finer edge than grooved steels. They should still be used with caution and a very light hand.

Smooth steels are several steps above either grooved or diamond steels. A smooth steel will gently push the metal of the edge back into alignment. It will take longer than with a grooved or diamond steel, but you don’t run the risk of damaging your edge. A smooth steel is very easy to use and fairly forgiving of sloppy angles.

A step above even smooth steels are fine grit ceramic and very fine diamond steels. According to Cliff Stamp, “A smooth steel just pushes the edge back into alignment, leaving the weakened metal there, which will actually relax back into being deformed in its own time without any use. The ceramic will remove some of the weakened steel while also aligning the edge. The edge will be more stable and stay sharp for much longer.

There is more metal removed with the ceramic and diamond rods, but you are looking at between 100 to 1000 sharpenings to remove one millimeter of metal from the edge of the knife depending on the edge angle and the grit of the ceramic or diamond hone – this is years of constant use.

In general, the lifetime of most knives tends to be dominated by the occasional accidental damage that forces heavy honing.”

Using a grinding stone:

Once a year, twice a year, once every two years-depending on the kind of beating your knives get-you will need to grind them down to form a new cutting edge. You can send your knives out and have them ground by a professional or you can do it yourself.

It is very difficult to achieve the proper angles on blades longer than 4 inches without using an angle guide.

For blades shorter than 4 inches, your finger and thumb can serve as angle guides.

Depending on the side of the blade you are working, place the finger or thumb on the back of the blade and KEEP IT THERE.

Let the finger or thumb rest on the abrasive.

This will form the “Angle Guide”.

Just replace the knife in the imprint formed on the finger print side of your finger or thumb.

It works better if you count strokes or motions and use the same stroke count on each side of the blade.

You will have to adjust the direction of your motion to work the entire length of the blade.

I usually will work each side 100 strokes before turning the blade over.

I assure you if you keep your finger or thumb in a knife blade back for 100 strokes you will be able to see and feel where the blade back was located.

Sharpening Steel

An abrasive rod, usually pointed to allow the steel to rest firmly on the surface, which allows accurate edge control.

Honing Steel

Contrary to what many believe, the honing steel is not a sharpener. A honing steel straightens the blade while a sharpener sharpens the blade. A honing steel is a rod made of steel, ceramic, or diamond, generally about a foot long (although can be longer) and a quarter of an inch thick ( and can be up to 1/2 an inch in diameter). It is used to hone a knife blade after sharpening in order to restore the edge and improve cutting ability. All a steel does, is correct the V angle on the cutting edges of the knife blade, which should be anywhere from 10 to 15 degrees, depending on the type of knife you have. Correct steel technique will ensure a better edge on your knife.

Knife Care

Knife Care

Caring for your Knife will guarantee it a nice long life.

Two parts of care are storage and keeping a sharp edge; these two subjects are covered in their own sections: Knife Storage, Knife Sharpening. Now here are some common and not so common sense knife care guidelines.

Knives and Dishwashers

You will notice that many knives, including some of the lines we carry, state that the knife is dishwasher safe.

I like to think that this is a great sales point for the busy food business kitchen which does not have time for hand washing.

I do not suggest that you wash your knives in dishwashers, and here is why.

1. A knife in a dishwasher tends to bounce around banging against other cutlery, utensils, dishes, and pans causing damage to the blade.

2. The dishwasher's high heat drying cycle may cause tensil damage lessening the quality of your blade.

3. Dishwasher detergents are much harsher than dishwashing liquid and can have damage a knife's handle.

4. Dishwashers ruin wooden handles on cutlery.

Washing Your Knives

Okay, so we are all clear on not using the dishwasher to clean our knives. This leaves hand washing as the proper way to wash your knives.

It is suggested that you wash your knives as soon as possible after use. This keeps acidic foods from eating into the metal. I am sure some of you from college pizza days have seen the pitting tomato sauce can create.

Do not leave your knife sitting in the bottom of the sink. First other things can be stacked on it and bend the blade. Secondly, if the sink has water in it the knife will then bome a hidden cutting danger. Thirdly, soaking a knife in water is neither good for the blade, nor the handle - especially if it is wooden or silver.

Using a scrubbing sponge with soap directly on it is preferred. Wash your knife with the soft sponge side, and only use the scrubbing part if there are any stubborn spots. Use the scrubbing side sparingly to keep down on scratches on the blade.

Rinse with hot water and towel dry. Towel drying keeps knives from getting water spots. And, towel drying keep knives out of the drying rack with other kitchen ware.

Now put your knife away in it's proper storage.

Cutting Surfaces and Objects

You will find that repeated warning of nicking and damaging your blades by letting them strike against each other in storage.

So, let's talk about other surfaces your knife should or should not come into contact with.

Basically you should not try to cut, or cut on, surfaces harder than your blade. So, there should be no chopping through a pork chop bone with your steak knife, or dicing of tomaotes on a marble surface.

If you would like more detail on what makes a good cutting surface see my article on Cutting Boards.

Common Sense 'Knife'isms

NEVER try to catch a falling knife. Pull back your fingers, hands and feet. Knives are intended for cutting and slicing. A falling knife does not care if it is a carrot, finger or toe it cuts into, especially during free fall. DO NOT try to catch a falling knife - let it go and pick it up once the fall has been completed. Oh, and then wash the knife - it's been on the floor.

Keep your knives safe and secure. Do not leave them out in the open where children and pets can easy have an accident.

Keep your knives sharp. A dull knife is a dangerous knife. A dull knife may roll or skip across the surface causing the need for more pressure and the increased likely hood of moving of the desired object being cut and getting a finger or two.

Knifes are not intended as prying tools. Prying objects open with a knife will in the least bend the blade out of shape, at worst it will snap the tip off - sometimes with the tip taking flight. Then there is the added hazard of if your hand slips forward while trying to pry with a tool that is not intended for prying. Do not pry with a knife.

Bread and serrated knives are not made to trim the base of a Christmas tree. No seriously, we've seen it. First, buy a small saw, or a bigger tree base. A kitchen knife belongs in the kitchen not the living room floor with pine needles everywhere. Sawing plants with your bread knife ruins the blade, and leaves sticky pine between the serrations for what seem like forever.

Knives are not toys.

Knives are not toys!!! I do not suggest throwing knives, swallowing, or playing mumbly peg with knives. Yes, they are entertaining on TV and in movies, however, they have been trained. If you want to do neat knife tricks we suggest you find a 'trained' professional, check out their credentials thoroughly and get some training. Plus, don't get too excited entertainers that work with blades start with plastic models.

Use a knife for what a knife is designed for. Do not chop vegetables with a fillet knife, and do not fillet a fish with a cleaver.

Your knife is not a screwdriver. A screwdriver is a screwdriver. Most screwdrivers have a handle that is grounded - does your knife? Plus, a screw driver does not have a sharp edge to slice your hand up if it slips off the handle while trying to screw in a screw that it shouldn't even be used for.

Do not cut your food with a rusty knife. Where do I even start on not ingesting rust. Just don't do it.

Remember keep your knives clean, sharp, and stored well and they'll keep for generations.

As always safety first!

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