Features, types and rules for the selection of chef knives

In everyday life, many of us are accustomed to using comfortable and sharp knives in our kitchen, the quality of which during active work can not always be called ideal. If this tool is incorrectly chosen, it often becomes the cause of painful corns, serious pain due to pinching of the nerve in the wrist. By purchasing a quality knife for the main cook, you can now effortlessly and quickly cut up any kind of meat, bird carcass, make a neat shredder, quickly chop the greens.

It has been a proven device for years, on which most professionals opt for a superb balance quality, a comfortable grip and a sharpest blade.

Cook's is the biggest knife in the restaurant kitchen and it looks really impressive. Its length reaches 300 mm, it has a fairly wide and sharp blade. Thanks to this parameter, it can even be used as a spatula in order to move products that have already been cut. The indisputable advantage of this cook fixture is not only in its universality, but also in its low weight - it is quite light, so even girls who work in the kitchen as cooks can easily use it.

The main advantages of this device are as follows:

• it is the most convenient knife to use in both professional and ordinary kitchens;
• Perfectly suitable for cooking dishes of European and Russian, Eastern and southern cuisines;
• provides high cooking speed of any dish.

Chef's knife will be the main tool in your kitchen. Its usual length is 20–25 cm or even a little more. However, an excessively long blade may not be comfortable for everyone at work. About 90% of the daily cooking work is performed with just such a cook.

The ability to use it correctly is a whole science. Upscale chefs work with these knives in the kitchen, striking ordinary citizens with their masterly cooking of difficult dishes. The thin part of the product is careful cutting and fresh greens are chopped. The middle part is needed for cutting cabbage head, diced. The most thick and close to the handle part of the cut meat, chopped the bones of chickens or fish.

The flip side of this cooking tool is a good way to beat off tough meat or easily split a nutshell. In professional hands, the chef's knife is a fairly functional device. It is not worth the chef-knife to perform such difficult work as cutting the meat or poultry carcass, they do not clean large vegetables and do not open cans.

Among the huge variety of modern chef knives stand out 2 most popular options - European and Japanese. The main criterion for their differences can be considered a feature of sharpening. The European version will have a sharpening from two sides, with an angle of 20 °, the Japanese tool may have the usual sharpening on the one hand, with an angle of 15 °, but you can also find sharpening on the European model - from two sides. Professionals fundamentally distinguish European instrument and Japanese Santoku, habitually applying both. For the average man in the street the question of choosing one of the options will most often be reduced to the convenience of their use.

On the Rockwell scale, the strongest steels with a hardness level of 60 units correspond to European products. For these tools, the main characteristic is a wide blade, having a length of up to 300 mm. Butt line closer to the tip will be lowered, the tip is sharp. This knife is perfectly suited for cutting, plasticizing and even shredding, in order to quickly cut the meat of fish and poultry, all kinds of vegetables and fresh greens. European products are divided into the following varieties:

• Traditional German - very practical, thorough and quite heavy;
• more versatile French - will do well with the finest cutting of fillets, cheeses and fruits.

In addition, you can find options such as:

• Chef-de-Chef with a very thick and rather strong butt; it is used when cutting seafood;
• Super Cook Chef has differences in the thickness of the butt.

Professional chefs use different types of knives from Europe in their work, depending on their goals and the specialization of the restaurant itself. An ordinary person most likely will not even see much difference between the two products, but he will appreciate the quality of sharpening each blade.

Chef knives of Japanese origin are called Santoku, which in translation means “a blade that makes three different actions at the same time”. Due to the high quality of the metal and high-quality balancing, this “descendant of the katana” has become very popular far beyond the borders of its Asian homeland. Santoku is perfect for slicing thin slices of fillet and fish, as well as for crushing and cutting. On the famous Rockwell scale, this product has a hardness value from 58 to 61. This knife has a rather modest length of 120–180 mm, it has a more straight edge and a slightly lowered tip.

Santoku, when viewed in profile, is a bit like a small hatchet. In addition, it has impeccable polishing, balance, and can also have special recesses at the blade, which will prevent sticking of the ingredients. Santoku is lightweight. The knife is very productive in work, differs in the increased ergonomics and very much attracts a look with laconicism of the unique design.

Sometimes you can meet a Chinese knife in a professional kitchen. It has a wide blade in the shape of a rectangle. He is often called the "Chinese cleaver", although this tool has nothing to do with the hacksaws - his blade for this is too thin and light so that they can chop something rather hard.

But this product is extremely convenient for shredding, as well as high-quality and fast cutting. The Serbian kitchen knife is shackled from instrumental alloy steel. The uniqueness of the Serbian cook knife lies in the straight cutting edge with more subtle mixing and in the heavy weight of the blade itself.

According to the materials from which they are made, professional knives may be as follows:

• titanium - titanium coating is deposited on carbon steel, which makes the blade sharp and durable;
• with special Damascus steel plates - about 16 layers of carbon steel are superimposed on the basis of the product, after long-term polishing the device acquires a characteristic pattern;
• ceramic - the lightest products, with a thin sharp blade; such tools help to preserve the original taste of the products, it is convenient to cut the cheese, various varieties of sausage and various fruits;
• stainless steel product - one of the cheapest options, the most affordable;
• Kitchen products made of damask steel are knives made of high-quality material, which are distinguished by excellent cutting properties; such reliable items will not be affected by natural conditions and are famous for their high wear resistance;
• knives of high carbon steel are considered the best; they can be both stamping and forged, while the latter among the experts are considered the most reliable and expensive.

A good knife will be made of a single piece of metal, and it must enter the handle to its full length. If in the product the blade passes into the handle only partially or even ends at its beginning, then this knife will be considered weak and will quickly break. Sometimes professional knives can be glass or plastic. It is difficult to meet these models in regular stores, as they are chosen to work in a professional kitchen much less often. Such products can be found in the collections of experienced chefs who give master classes or participate in culinary contests. Models of glass and plastic are available with restrictions and are much more expensive than the same products made of ceramics or steel.

If you ask the cook what kind of knife is better, he will answer: that copy that will perfectly lie in the hands. Not only the appearance of the knife plays a big role in the selection, it is extremely important that the handle is ergonomic and comfortable with all types of grip. Chef's chef's knife is usually selected for each professional individually. An important role can be played by the material of the handle, namely:

• steel - ensures durability and acceptable weight of the tool;
• wood - the most comfortable and eco-friendly handles; the tree is comfortable in the hand, looks aesthetic;
• ceramics - light, but will require the most careful attitude;
• Polymers - these modern types of materials allow the handle of the knife to become very ergonomic and extremely durable, but cheap plastic will be slippery at work, for this reason, the handles can be very smooth and with a “rubber” non-slip surface.

Cook chef knives are produced by many well-known brands.

• Especially popular today are manufacturers from Germany and Japan. Their knives are high quality, and the design is pleasing to the eye. Chef knives can be of different lengths, usually from 20 to 30 cm. The long blade allows for deep cuts for only one movement, which is extremely important for the thinnest cutting. The knives of the "German style" have a slightly more curved blade, which is excellent for grinding products with swinging movements.
• Of the Russian manufacturers, the most famous is considered Trud OJSC, which began to work from the XIX century in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Forged knives of this brand are very high quality and are sold at an affordable price. Once the brand even received a medal at an exhibition in Paris for the best quality of its products.
• One of the most famous Japanese brands is called Kasumi - It is a company that successfully combines the Japanese tradition of producing cold arms with innovative developments in the field of professional cooking tools. Such products look very impressive. Steel can be painted, and titanium spraying or stylish patterns on the blade itself can also be present. Japanese devices do not need sharpening for a long time, their handle is perfectly balanced.
• A popular Japanese brand is Hattori. All knives of this company are made by hand, so they can be called real works of modern art. They are not ashamed to demonstrate in their kitchen.
• In Europe, the leaders in the production of knives are several companies at once, most of which are located in Germany. By purchasing German products, you can be completely confident in their high quality - all the blades are made of hardened carbon steel, which is resistant to corrosion. German products differ from their Japanese counterparts in a more restrained design. Most often, this is a traditional combination of colors - the blade itself is a silvery tone and a black handle.
• French products Sabatier made by hand from quality steel. They are distinguished by a thin handle and a rounded base, which makes them an extremely comfortable and moderately elegant instrument. Quite attractive are Arcos knives. Their blades are stunning strength. They serve for a long time and are able to keep a long sharpening.

In the top of the German leaders are several companies.

• Wusthof - a brand that produces products of exclusive quality. Brand makes chef knives since 1814. They are in great demand among many famous chefs.
• Friedrich dick manufactures products since 1778. Today the brand produces excellent knives and kitchen accessories.
• Zwilling produces excellent cook knives with a durable rust resistant blade. A characteristic feature of these tools is also the fact that their blade is created from a single piece of steel.

When buying a chef's knife It is necessary to pay attention to the following points:

• what material the blade is made of;
• sharpening quality;
• handle characteristic;
• the presence of different rivets.

If you do not cook at a professional level, then chasing famous expensive products does not make any sense. You will clearly stop your choice on the most budget product that will fully satisfy your culinary abilities. For a professional, his main knife should have several characteristics.

• Maximum ergonomics. This means that it should rest comfortably in his hand. Cooks work extremely intensively, so the balance of the product should not burden the wrist or hand. Cutting should be done without effort, but be as clear as possible. Therefore, you should select only a high-quality device, as a bad tool will spoil the products during the cutting. Brands with the release of knives should take into account the anatomy of the hands of a specialist, the mechanics of actions taken.
• Sharp blade. A dull or too soft blade will not allow fillets to be cut as thinly as necessary. The length of the blade itself will also be significant for many.
• The handle should be pretty heavy. High-quality, ergonomic, without unnecessary elements, it will play the role of a balancing plumb, with which the blade will receive an additional impetus.

You can not select a chef-knife only by brand name or by the high cost of the product. It should fit exactly for you, to be “sharpened” under your brush. A product that is approved by a male chef may be too cumbersome or inconvenient for a female chef.

In the following video, see what knives the chefs use in the kitchen.