Chef's knives are essential for anyone who does a lot of cooking from professional chefs to folks who spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking at home. A good chef's knife is suitable for a variety of tasks including chopping vegetables, slicing meats, mincing and dicing. With proper care, chef's knives can last a lifetime despite prolonged, daily use.
So what exactly is a chef's knife? Chef's knives usually have an eight inch long blade and are about one and a half inches wide. The most common designs are curved toward the blade tip, which allows for efficient food chopping by rocking the knife up and down. The less common French design is straighter and more angular. This design excels at slicing where the knife is pulled toward the user. Both designs are highly effective and each have their devotees, but which you choose is a matter of personal preference as neither outshines the other overall. The Japanese santoku knife is becoming more and more popular with Western chefs and home cooks. The santoku is a multi purpose chef's knife with a sheepsfoot blade and a flat edge. The top of the handle is aligned with the tip of the blade leaving plenty of room beneath the handle for your fingers. This makes santoku knives very easy to grip and control. Santoku knives excel at mincing, dicing, and slicing though they are also effective for cutting fish or meat. Regardless of the style you choose, your chef's knife will be your go to knife and the knife you find yourself using most often for food preparation.
When shopping for chef's knives, once you know which style you prefer you will be confronted with an array of different blade materials. Each material has its own set of pros and cons. Stainless steel is a popular choice due to stainless steel chef's knives being resistant to staining and holding their edges well. Carbon steel chef's knives are also popular, but are susceptible to stains and rusting. A carbon steel knife is easier to sharpen and will hold its edge longer than stainless, but requires more overall effort to maintain and properly clean. Laminated blades are made by creating layers of two or more different types of material in order to combine the best properties of different steels. Advantages of laminated steel blades include longer lasting edges and less maintenance. Ceramic chef's knives will hold their edge longer than the steel knives, but are easily damaged if dropped or chipped from heavy, frequent use. Sharpening ceramic knives is beyond most home cooks as it usually requires expertise and specialty equipment so you will likely have to learn a new skill or send your knives out to be sharpened.
Handles on chef's knives vary considerably as well. They can be made from steel, composite materials and of course wood. Wood handles require more care as wooden handles can warp or crack. Wooden handles can also house and spread bacteria due to wood being a porous material.
With so many choices available when it comes to chef's knives, it is often difficult to find exactly the right one. Since you will be using your chef's knife just about every day, it pays to shop around. If you have a cutlery shop, kitchen store or large department store in your area, being able to handle the different makes and styles of chef's knives can make your decision much easier. The best deals, however, can almost always be found online so if you know which knife you want or are loyal to a particular brand then buying it online is usually your best option.