Edge grinds, for the diehard knife connoisseur nothing stirs more debate than how the knife blade is ground. Each edge grind has its pluses and minuses and is something you should at least be aware of when buying kitchen knives. Generally speaking when we talk about grinds we are talking about the geometry of the knife blade itself. A quick read of http://buyingkitchenknives.com/?page_id=11> – “The Anatomy of Kitchen Knives” would be a help in understanding this article.
In no particular order let’s begin with the Flat Grind. This type of grind has a “V” shape to the grind (when looking at the tip from the tip) with the top of the “V” being the spine of the kitchen knife and the bottom point being the cutting edge of the knife. Kitchen Knives with a flat grind can be used for cutting as well as chopping as the cutting edge quickly thickens.
In contrast to the Flat Grind is the Hollow Grind. This is as close to a polar opposite as one can get when talking about knife grinds. A hollow grind is one that has a concave look to the grind (when looking at the knife from the tip). If you can imagine placing two balloons side by side, the pattern formed above where they meet would look like a hollow grind. This grind creates the thinnest cutting edge but a thick spine. Generally hollow ground kitchen knives have a very sharp edge but due to their very thin cutting edge are not good for tasks such as chopping as they can dull quickly or even chip. Kitchen knives that have a hollow grind are excellent knives for slicing.
A Chisel Grind is often seen in certain Japanese style kitchen knives. It forms a half “V” shape when looking at the tip, only one side of the knife is ground. Often a chisel grind is much sharper than other grinds but tends to only cut one way, either left or right depending on which side is ground. This is not a common grind for the majority of kitchen knives normally encountered.
By far the most commonly found grind on kitchen knives is the Taper Grind. A taper grind will have a “V” shape when looking at the knife from the spine but no visible grind lines on the side of the blade itself. It is a grind commonly used in production knives possibly due to its ease of automated machining. It creates a strong blade that is capable of both chopping and slicing.
A similar looking grind to the Taper Grind is the Straight Grind. It is almost only ever found in production knives, as the name suggests the grind is fairly straight from the handle to the tip. If ground, thin these kitchen knives can be very flexible. This is a common grind on less expensive kitchen knives. It is fine for slicing but not for chopping. It is also a common grind for serrated knives such as bread knives.
In the end which grind or grinds are right for you will depend on many factors. Typically however this will come down to price as Taper and Straight grinds are the more affordable options.
Depending on whom you talk to the steel choice when buying kitchen knives is the single most important thing you must determine before buying any kitchen knife. There is a myriad of choices and even more opinions as to the “right” knife steel choice. There are stainless knives, carbon knives, laminate knives, ceramic knives, titanium knives, and yes even plastic knives. Before you go shopping for your new kitchen knives lets talk about all of these blade steel choices so that you can be better informed when taking the plunge into the world of kitchen knives.
I guess the best place to start would be with the carbon steel. Carbon steel is first and foremost not rust resistant. These knives contain little to none of the element Chromium which is what gives stainless steels their rust resistant property. Kitchen knives made of carbon steel typically are easy to sharpen but as stated earlier can rust or stain. Extra care must be used with carbon knives, they must be dried soon after washing and oil applied to them to avoid rusting. Acidic foods such as tomatoes will over time darken the blade. This darkening is called “Patina” and for people who like carbon steel knives is often a look that they prefer. The plus to Carbon steel knives is that they tend to be less expensive than other choices. Carbon steel is a common choice for custom handmade kitchen knives.
By far the most common steel category to consider when buying kitchen knives is Stainless Steel. Be aware though that not all stainless steels are considered equal. Truth be told both stainless and carbon knives have enormous variation but going into the chemical makeup of each one of the steel choices is beyond the scope of this discussion. Any knife considered stainless must have a certain amount of Chromium, how much exactly is debatable. Generally speaking steel with at least 12% Chromium is considered to be a stainless steel. When considering Stainless steel kitchen knives two sub-categories of steel are key to your decision making, namely: Stainless Steel, and High Carbon Stainless Steel. Regular Stainless steel does not hold an edge long and needs frequent sharpening, it is often used in flatware or kitchen knives that are serrated. High carbon stainless steel knives are much higher quality. As the name suggests they have a certain amount of carbon but also the needed Chromium to fend off rust. High carbon stainless steels hold an edge much better than regular stainless steels do and are generally a stronger knife.
Laminate steels are generally reserved for very high end (read expensive) kitchen knives. Laminate steels typically are made up of alternating layers of steel that are fused and sometimes folded together. Generally the steel choices are a mix of hard but brittle steel and softer more flexible ones. This creates a combination that has both good edge holding but is not likely to chip or break during hard use. This category is also sometimes called Damascus. Make no mistake these are going to be very expensive but for some laminate steels are the only choice.
Ceramic, Titanium, and even Plastic are choices typically left to specialized knives. Ceramic is very light and hard meaning it holds an extremely good edge but is very brittle and will chip or break easily. Titanium on the other hand does not hold an edge very well as it cannot be hardened but is quite flexible. Both of these choices are very expensive and not your best choice for an entire set of kitchen knives. Lastly we come to Plastic knives, believe it or not but there really are plastic kitchen knives used for more than buttering toast. They are usually small knives used for cutting soft vegetables, they of course do not hold an edge well but hey they are cheap!
All of these steel choices do have their place in the kitchen. In the end it comes to a mix of personal preference and budget.
The Anatomy of Kitchen Knives:
So you want to buy a kitchen knife or more likely kitchen knives. Once you start to scratch the surface all of these odd words start creeping into the conversation, bolsters, heel, tang, and why exactly are they talking about butts! All of these words apply to pretty well every knife you will purchase. With a little understanding of the anatomy of a kitchen knife you will be better prepared when getting out there and buying kitchen knives.
If the word “Blade” perplexes you it is definitely not time to pick that knife up just yet. The Blade of course is the working end of any knife, yes it is the part of the knife that does the cutting. I know, I know it seems obvious what the blade is but this is an article about knife anatomy and the blade is a pretty important part. Dissecting the blade anatomy we have:
- The Tip – the very end of the blade opposite the handle and usually a very sharp point. As said the tip is usually very pointed but some knives will have a rounded tip or even blunted. The tip is often the thinnest part of the blade used for things like cutting thin strips, or making incisions.
- Cutting Edge – is the true working part of the knife. It is the sharpened part of the blade and runs from the tip to where the handle meets the blade. It is most often a smooth cutting edge but can be serrated as well. We just don’t have the space to get into the different types of edge grinds here but will spend time in another article just on grinds and what to consider when buying kitchen knives.
- Heel – is the last couple of inches of the cutting edge where it meets the handle. The heel is usually the thickest part of the blade and is used when some pressure needs to be applied to what you are cutting. It is the section used when you see someone quickly slicing food such as onions, those show offs!
- Spine – is the back of the blade. It is the thick “backbone” opposite the cutting edge. Generally the thicker the spine the heavier the knife. It is not sharp allowing the user to put a thumb or palm on the spine to add more pressure.
- Ricasso – Not always found on all kitchen knives but when they are you will notice them by it being the flat area where the heel meets the handle. It would show the grind lines of the blade.
Getting all of the dangerous parts out of the way we can now move onto the handle of the knife:
- Bolster – not all knives have bolsters but if they do they are usually metal and are the starting point of the handle. Some knives will have bolsters that are integral to the blade meaning that the blade will “swell” out when it meets the handle. This section adds weight and often helps with balancing a knife. Many people say that a perfectly balanced knife will balance on one finger at the bolster. Whether this is your preference or not will only be determined from handling many knives.
- Guard – Whether the kitchen knife has bolsters or not there is typically an area called the guard or finger guard. This is the part of the handle where it meets the heel of the knife. If there are bolsters these will make the guard, if not the steel of the knife will make the guard. It serves to protect your fingers from the cutting edge
- Tang – This is the part of the knife that runs through the handle. Your kitchen knife can be a hidden tang (no steel shown in the handle), a partial tang (some length of steel in the handle but not all the way around), or full tang (steel running through the entire handle. A hidden tang makes for the lightest knife but weakest handle where as a full tang makes for the heaviest but strongest handled knife.
- Handle – The section where you can safely hold the knife. It is the part that surrounds the tang, usually made from wood or synthetic materials. Of all the parts of a knife this one varies the most in terms of people’s preferences. You really have to try out several knives to find the handle fit that works best for you.
- Rivets – These are the bolts that go through the handle and tang in order to attach the handle scales to the knife. For comforts sake the rivets are usually ground smooth to the handle in order to avoid irritation.
- Butt – Yes finally we get to the Butt. It is go figure the end of the handle. The part of the knife furthest from the tip. Some people use the Butt for pounding but this is not recommended as it can damage the handle.
There you have it, that is the majority of terms used to describe the anatomy of every knife. This is of course not the end of it all when it comes to odd words used when discussing kitchen knives but understanding these terms will give you a good start in your search for buying kitchen knives.
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