Kitchen Knives

Foods II
Obj. 4.01
Knife Construction
 Quality Knives
 Made of a single piece of metal that has
been cut, stamped, or forged into its
desired shape
 Metals used include stainless steel and high
carbon stainless steel
Knife Construction
 Stainless Steel
 Made of iron,
chromium, and other
metals
 Won’t color or rust
 Won’t transfer a
metallic taste to
foods
 Difficult to sharpen
and keep an edge
Carbon Steel
 Alloy of iron and
carbon
 Can hold its edge
very well and stay
sharp
 Blade can rust and
stain
 Requires
maintenance
High-Carbon Stainless Steel (the best
knife material available)
 Mix of iron, carbon, chromium, and other
metals that combines the best features
of stainless steel and carbon steel
 $$$$
 Doesn’t rust or discolor
 Can be sharpened easily and holds an
edge.
Parts of the Knife
 Tang
 Part of the blade that continues into the
knife’s handle
 Gives the knife stability and extra weight
 Full Tang—long as the whole knife handle
– Gives knife extra power and strength
– Ex: Breaking down bones
 Partial Tang—does not run the entire length of
the knife
– Used for knives that do light work
– Ex: Paring veggies
Parts of the Knife
 Handle or Scales
 2 portions of handle material that are
attached to either side of the tang
 Made of several types of materials (woods,
plastic, vinyl)
 Make sure the handle is comfortable in
your grip
 Too large a knife and handle can cause
hand cramps
Parts of the Knife
 Rivets
 The metal pins
(usually 3) that hold
the scales to the
tang
 Due to comfort and
sanitation, rivets
should be smooth
and lie flush with the
handle’s surface
Parts of the Knife
 Bolster
 The thick metal portion joining the handle
and the blade, which adds weight and
balance and keeps the cook’s hand from
slipping onto the blade
 At the point where the blade and handle
come together
 Very strong and durable
Western vs. Eastern

 Western (European and American)

knives generally have a bolster.

 Eastern knives (China, Japan and

across Asia) generally do not have a
bolster.
Other Parts of the Knife
 Point
 The very end of the knife,
which is used for piercing
 Tip
 The first third of the blade,
which is used for small or
delicate work
 Edge
 The cutting surface of the
knife, which extends from
the point to the heel
 Heel
 The rear part of the blade,
used for cutting activities
that require more force
 Spine
 The top, thicker portion of the
blade, which adds weight and
strength
 Finger Guard
 The portion of the bolster that
keeps the cook’s hand from
slipping onto the blade
 Return
 The point where the heel meets
the bolster
 Handle Guard
 The lip below the butt of the
handle, which gives the knife a
better grip and prevents slipping
 Butt
 The terminal end of the handle
Parts of the Knife

Name all the parts by letter.

 End of notes for today.
 Applause please.
In the kitchen you are not a Boy
Scout or in the Swiss Army
 Kitchen knives are
designed to do specific
jobs and to do those
jobs very well.
 Chefs and line cooks
who are serious about
cooking have their own
knife kit. Your knife is
your friend. Get to
know it well.
 Types of Knives A must have
knife for any
serious cook
 Chef’s Knife
 Also known as the cook’s knife
or a French knife.
 All purpose knife used for
slicing, chopping, dicing and
mincing.
 Curved to allow the cook to
rock the knife on the cutting
board
 Blade is generally 6 or 8
inches. Some are 10 and 12
inches. Average is 8 inches
 A must have
Types of Knives knife for any
serious cook
 Paring Knife
 Only other knife a cook
MUST have
 Small, rigid, plain knife
that is 2 to 4 inches long
 Ideal for peeling and
other small intricate work
(deveining shrimp,
cutting small garnishes,
carving melons)
 Used to pare
 Trim off a thin outer layer
or PEEL
Types of Knives
 Slicing (nonserrated)
 Long stiff blade for
slicing meat and
carving.
 Good for carving
whole chickens and
roasts.
Types of Knives
 Boning Knife
 Thin angled 5-7”
blade
 Used to remove
bones from cuts of
meat
 Used to trim fat
 Stiff boning knife
 Good for beef and pork
 Flexible boning knife
 Preferred for poultry
and fish
Types of Knives
 Tournee Knife
 Similar to paring
knife
 Curved blade that
looks like a bird’s
beak
 Used to trim
potatoes and veggies
into shapes that
resemble footballs
Types of Knives
 Serrated Slicer
 Long, thin blade that
is ideal for cutting
soft foods without
tearing or mashing it
 Slice coarse foods
such as bread and
cake without tearing
 Cut soft foods like
tomatoes
Types of Knives
 Fillet Knife
 8-9” very thin and
flexible blade with
pointed tip
 Allows blade to easily
move along the
backbone and under
the skin of fish
 Used mainly to fillet
fish
Types of Knives
 Utility knife
 Medium-length blade
will do light work of
a chef’s knife and
heavier work of a
paring knife. Since it
is in between the
two most used
knives, it has
declined in popularity
Types of Knives
 Butcher Knife ( aka
Scimitar)
 6-14” rigid blade
whose tip curves up
at a 25° angle
 Called a scimitar
because it resembles
a sword of that
name
 Used for heavy work
and to cut meat,
poultry, and fish
 Extra Knives
 Cleaver
 Cut through bone with shear force
 Soft Cheese Knife
 Holes in the blade to prevent the
cheese from sticking
 Hard Cheese Knife
 Sharp blades to cut exact slices
and forked tip to allow to be used
as serving utensil
 Ceramic Knife
 These knives stay sharp longer
than steel knives. They are also
extremely brittle and will shatter or
crack when used to pry. They chip
on the edge if used roughly.
Extra Knives  Usuba Bocho
 Japanese knife used for chopping
veggies
 Tomato knife
 Small knife with serrated blade
 Oyster knife
 Short thick blade used to pry open
oysters
 Grapefruit knife
 Small, slender blade ideal for
separating the grapefruit from the
rind
 Santuko
 current fad in trendy cooking circles –
Asian knife with no bolster and large
squarish blade.
End of knife skills notes
 Hurray!