Kitchen knives can be purchased in upscale kitchen stores, in department stores, and in discount shops. There are some that are very high quality and hardly ever need to be sharpened and there are those that might be good for a while but need to replaced often. Almost every famous chef has a set of knives they market to the public.
There are two different types of kitchen knives. The first is the forged knife where the blade is made by pressing hot steel into a mold. The blade is then run through several machines or hammered out to take a specific shape. This type of blade costs much more money but they are balanced much better.
The other type of knife is a stamped knife which is made by cutting the blade from a single sheet of steel. After it is cut out the blade goes through a process where it is finished and sharpened. The stamped style of blade is thinner than the forged type and they tend to be a little unbalanced.
There are different styles of knives that must be in every kitchen. The first one is called the boning knife which is suitable for cutting the bone away from meat with a 5 to 6 inch blade. The narrow blade makes it easier to move and cut the meat from the bones. If the size of the bone is large then the knife should also be large.
A Chef. 's knife is a must have in the kitchen because you use it in so many various techniques. You can get a chef. 's knife in 6, 8, 10 or 12 inch lengths. If you have small hands do not expect to be able to control a 12 inch knife well. The smaller the hand the smaller the blade should be. Use a chef. 's knife to dice, mince, slice or chop.
A cleaver is a good knife to have in the kitchen if you frequently cut thick items or you need to chop through a bone. Cleavers resemble an axe with a thick blade that can reach 6 inches in length. Use a cleaver to pound food or to crush it and to chop.
It is advisable to always have a serrated knife handing to cut things that tend to have a hard outside and inside be soft like bread. The blade is notched or has teeth like wedges on the 5 to 10 inch blade. Other knives can be sharpened but a serrated knife can not so this is the one that must be purchased on a regular basis.
A carving knife is generally used to slice cooked meat. There are pointed tipped and round tipped carving knives. The blade is rigid and is usually around 8 inches long. The pointed tip is used to get around bone when carving. It most often comes with a carving fork that helps to keep food still while cutting with the knife.
