Picking the best chef's knife from the multitude of options out there isn't easy. Deciding on the style of the knife alone is a challenge, whether it be a santoku, chef, cleaver, etc. So what makes a chef's knife different from the others?
A traditional chef's knife usually has a blade that is eight inches long and is about one and a half inches wide in the center. Due to the design of the blade curving toward the tip, the knife can be used efficiently by rocking the knife up and down. Chef knives are supposed to be utilitarian, performing well at many differing kitchen tasks instead of specializing in one thing.
Without a doubt a great chef's knife will quickly become the most used knife in your collection. You will use it nearly every time you cook and thus you should do your research before purchasing. When you first start the shopping process, however, you might be surprised by just how expensive these knives can be.
So why should you pay a lot of money for a kitchen knife? First and foremost is sharpness and quality. Superior-quality knives are extremely sharp and will certainly hold their edge longer than a cheap rolled knife. The finest chef's knives are manufactured from much higher grades of materials such as stainless steel, carbon steel, or laminates of both metals. Ceramic knives are becoming very popular as well, albeit at a higher price. When buying something that will last a lifetime, you should spend some money to get good quality.
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How are quality top chef knives made?
Producing the best chef's knife is much more labor intensive than lower quality knives-and thus more expensive. A process called hot-forging uses a variety of steps that require highly skilled labor to manufacture. For carbon steel knives, raw steel is heated to a very high temperature and shaped in a mold to form the blade. After forging, the blade is ground and sharpened using various trade-secret processes, including a process called differential sharpening. This allows for a variety of sharpness along the length of the blade. A diamond-tipped grinder is used to finish off the edge.
A forged knife carries the benefits of being full tang, which means the metal in the blade extends from the tip of the knife all the way down to the bottom of the handle. This gives the knife better balance, helps reinforce the handle which absorbs much of the pressure at the bolster, and allows for great stability and longevity.
You may often hear that a sharp knife is safer to use than a dull one. This might not make sense until you consider the amount of force necessary to slice through an object. With a dull knife, considerable pressure must be applied and this increases the potential for the knife to slip and possibly cut the hand holding the food. Balance is another factor that can ensure safety, and the best knife manufacturers use high tech methods to make sure the weight is distributed evenly.
Generally, there isn't one particular, "best chef's knife."People come in all sizes and the trick is in finding the one knife that feels right for you, does what you want it to, is sharp and stays sharp. Before you purchase any knife, shop around and get an idea of what your needs really are in the kitchen. Are you a barbecue nut and work with alot of primary cuts of meat? Vegetarian and need a real slicer? If you have small hands, you might want to go with a lighter knife like a Japanese Global ceramic. Larger hands might want heavy European steel like a Wusthof.
The knife should be evenly balanced in your hand and feel comfortable. If you are not familiar with a traditional chef's grip, you simply hold the knife with your back fingers on the handle, but thumb and forefinger are on the blade like you are pinching it. This position gives you the most control but might feel unusual at first to the beginning home cook.
Again, don't let the prices frighten you. You have to remember that you are buying something that with proper care will last your lifetime and will be something your grandkids will fight over to inherit. When you consider the durability of high-quality knife when compared to cheaper ones you can see why it's worth the extra money. Cheap knives dull quicker, crack and eventually break meaning you'll have to replace. It just pays to buy the best chef's knife you can afford.