There are many kitchen equipments used by chefs to complete preparing food. Out of which a chef knife is identified to be one of the most basic and essential kitchen tools. The basic function of a chef knife which is also known as a French knife is to perform cutting related functions in preparing food. Historic records indicate that a chef knife is an evolution of the butcher’s knife which was used to slice meat. Today chef knife has become an essential general purpose, day to day kitchen utility.
The basic structure of a chef knife consists of a sharp blade and a plastic handle to hold the knife. The average size of a kitchen knife blade will range between 6 – 14 inches while the width will amount to approximately 1.5 inches. Such blades are of two common types: French and German. French blades contain a curve on the tip of the blade while German blades are those which are straight. A French chef knife is mostly used to dice or chop food and the German knife is used to slice. Nevertheless since there is no hard and fast rule of how a particular chef knife should be used, choosing a chef knife will depend on one’s personal preferences and comfort in usage.
The steel or the material used to produce the chef knife is either hot-forged or stamped. Hot forged blades are often expensive and involve multiple steps. The basic outline of the process is to heat the steel in high temperature followed by beating the steel to acquire the shape. On the contrary stamped blades are ones which are directly cut into shape out of cold rolled steel and heat treated for strength.
The steel of a chef knife can be of many types. Carbon steel and stainless steel are two such types of steels. A chef knife made out of carbon steel is generally mixed with additions such as chrome or vanadium. It is also known that carbon steel blades are easier to sharpen than other types. But on the negative aspect carbon steel is vulnerable to rust and stain. Stainless steel is the metal which is a mix of iron chromium, nickel, or molybdenum along with a minor percentage of carbon. The advantages of a stainless steel chef knife are that it is inexpensive and less prone to rust.
The techniques of using a chef knife will depend from one individual to another. But the commonly used technique involves gripping the handle in a manner which gathers the thumb underneath. Experienced and professional chefs use additional techniques such as grasping the blade with the index finger while holding the handle in order to obtain more precise control.
Thus an individual who wishes to use a chef knife can do so by learning its proper techniques in order to avoid accidents when involved in preparing food.
Here some interesting news site:
Carving the heck out of pumpkins Port Huron Times Herald Carving the heck out of pumpkins. Port Huron Times Herald. First make sure you have the right set of tools. Robinson said a medium chef knife a scoop and a serrated paring knife are needed for the traditional carving. Pumpkin carving kits can be handy for beginners but Robinson said using actual knives.…
