Knives 101 - Learning about Cutlery, Part 2
Written By: Alexandra Perez-Urbina on Wed, Jul 30th 2008
Most knives today are made of high-carbon stainless steel or stainless steel. High-carbon stainless steel is the most popular metal in knife construction; it keeps pretty as it does not rust, but it does not keep its edge well. Stainless steel knives are difficult to sharpen and don't often make the best choice as they are disposable, but they do keep their edge longer. Titanium, ceramic, and plastic are used to make other knives. Titanium knives stay sharper longer than stainless steel and are easy to sharpen. Ceramic knives are delicate and strong - their edge is the finest, but they can break if dropped. High carbon-steel knives are probably my favorite! I've had the pleasure of borrowing a carbon-steel blade, and it's a shame that they are difficult to find as those knives can be incredibly sharp! They are high maintenance instruments in the sense that they must be dried after use, but they get the job done so well!
As far as the construction goes, a knife can be forged, stamped, or sintered. Forged knives are heavier and better balanced - they always make me think of swords! Stamped knives are lighter, but they lack balance and are usually not very comfortable. Sintering is mostly used in ceramic knives; it simply means that it is separately melted and then combined to form a stronger element.
A knife's anatomy is made up of a few parts: bolster, tang, handle, spine, flat, point, and edge. The bolster is a thick piece of metal between the handle and blade and it adds weight to the knife, which provides balance. The tang runs from the bolster into the handle - you want a knife with a full tang, meaning, the metal extends to the end of the handle, and it is not visible in all good knives. The handle envelopes the tang and you can find it in almost any material from wood, to plastic, to metal. The spine is opposite the sharp edge, and it is thick in knives like a chef knife. The flat is the wide, flat part of the knife. The point is at the tip of the knife, and the edge is the sharp part.
If you decide you need to purchase a good, new knife, I find that I like going to kitchen stores best. In Philadelphia, we have a little store in the Italian Market called "Fante's" and the store is a foodie's dream! Walking in there is almost like walking into a toy store and being blinded by shiny, new knickknacks. Anyway, at Fante's website, http://fantes.com/knives.html, you can do a little knife research, check out brands, and different kinds of knives.
Please, please, please take your time when you buy a knife! I made the mistake of rushing the process and now I have a knife that goes dull as soon as I pull it out of my bag! It's heavy, it makes my hand hurt, it's not properly balanced, I have to hone it every five minutes, I have to work hard to cut through food, and the knife wasn't completely cheap - I would have been better off buying one of those cheap kitchen knives with a half tang and a rubber handle! Learn from my mistakes and do your research. Thoroughly try out the knives you intend to purchase - heck! Bring your own veggies to the store and chop away! You will most likely spend a pretty penny on a good knife, so be patient and shop smart - you'll be grateful in the end!
Read Alex's Knives 101, Part 3 here.
