Okay gang... I managed to overlook the most important item you'll need for cooking... other than perhaps food. The Knife! Off to the left you'll see a typical knife... except yours probably doesn't have all those lines and numbers. That's okay.... all they really do it make it harder to use and store anyway so you're lucky. Since those are there on this one... let's use them to get acquainted with the different parts.
#1 is the blade but you probably knew that.
#2 is the handle and again I suspect you knew that. So from here on out it ought to be a learning experience!
#3 is called the spine. Depending upon the purpose of the knife this can range from very thin to nearly a quarter of an inch thick. The knife will taper from here to the next number.
#4 is the edge.... the place where most of the work gets done. Depending upon the grade of the knife, the material of construction and the purpose.... this can be either a rather straight taper or it can gradually taper to near the edge then take on increasingly steeper angles (usually no more than three) until it comes to a point... or edge.
#5 is the heel of the blade... usually the last 1/3 to 1/4 of the length of the blade.
#6 is the tip and this is usually about the last inch of the blade farthest away from the handle and eventually meeting up with the spine to form....
#7 the point! Some folks call this the tip. Call it what ever you wish.
#8 is the bolster. Technically this part is neither blade nor tang but rather a transition between the two. It adds stability to the knife.
#9 is called the finger guard and is generally built into the bolster.
#10 is the tang of the knife and it's always hidden inside the handle material. Typically on a chef's knife this part is at least 1/8 of an inch thick. the handle material covers this and that material can range from bone to man made substances to wood. On a quality knife the handle material will be attached to the tang with 3 large rivets.
#11 is called the butt... and I have no idea why.
Okay... so much for anatomy class. What we have now is a bewildering array of knives to choose from. This is one area where I recommend that you don't skimp. As the old saying goes you don't get cut by a sharp knife... only a dull one. Why? Dull ones require more effort to use and increased effort leads to accidents.
What you'll want to buy is a very high grade of stainless steel for the majority of your knives. This material has a high carbon content and is typically heated to about 2000 degrees then forged into the approximate shape. After forging it is ground, heat treated, polished and sharpened to a fine edge. A good blade will hold it's edge well and require little effort to keep sharp.
A second type of knife is a stamped blade rather than forged. Here the knife starts as a roll of steel which moves through a stamping press. As the press cycles it stamps out blade blanks. These are then hardened, quenched, tempered ground and polished to form the blade. These can range from really cheap to pretty well done high grade products. Typically your very thin flexible knives will be made this way. A salmon knife for example. (Although it will work on more than salmon)
The last material is fairly new and still somewhat expensive. Ceramic. These blades are made from an industrial grade of zirconium oxide which is heated to very high temperatures until it can be molded into shape. Once sharpened these blades can hold an edge for many many years... which is a good thing... because they are much harder than 99% of the tools typically used to sharpen a knife! It takes a professional using diamond abrasives to sharpen a ceramic knife. On the plus side this blade will never rust... or react with anything! Impervious to even acid it may be the wave of the future.
As far as types of knives go there are a total of 13 different standard types made expressly for kitchen use. These range from cleavers (the largest and heaviest) down to paring (about a 3 inch blade) which is the most commonly used knife. In between those two extremes are boning knives, steak knives, carving (slicing) knives, bread knives, utility knives, tomato/bagel knives, salmon slicer, ham slicer, oriental cleaver and the fish fillet knife.
Yeah.... I know... all you snooty types out there are yelling.... what about the cheese knife? Well I consider those to be kitchen gadgets and not a true knife. Best cheese cutter? Piano wire. Just remember to put it back in the piano when you're done.
And now.... a word about safety! The safest knife you can use us a very sharp one. The sharper the cutting edge the less effort it takes to do the work. Less effort means less frustration and far fewer accidents. When exerting force with the edge always direct that force away from your body and all it's parts. Look and think before you start cutting and slicing. Do you have your fingers... or someone else's in the path of the blade? Is anything other than what you intend to cut in the way? Knives have one purpose in life and that is to separate things.... be that your favorite brisket or a head of lettuce. If a finger or arm or anything else gets in the way... the edge does not care. Nothing ruins a good dinner presentation faster than a severed finger.
Buy the best knives you can afford because they can be a lifetime investment if you choose correctly. The best knives will not rust or tarnish and can hold an edge for up to a year with moderate use. Between real sharpenings the edge can be dressed with a sharpening steel in a few seconds. Don't drop knives in the same general drawer everything else goes in either. Try to keep them separate. If you don't have a wooden storage rack take some heavy weight paper and make a protective sleeve for the blade. This not only prevents nicks on the edge but also cuts on your fingers. A sharp well constructed knife makes preparing meals so much easier. Invest in quality and enjoy that investment for generations.
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