Parts of a Knife
Examining the parts of a chef's knife will provide a good understanding of what each part plays in the knife and what to look for when selecting a knife.
The Knife consists of three main parts:
1.Blade, Bolster and Handle
The Knife consists of three main parts:
1.Blade, Bolster and Handle
1. Blade-includes the point, tip,edge and heel
The best chef's knives are made of high-carbon stainless steel, which is a very hard metal that keeps its edge for a long time and won't discolor or rust like ordinary carbon steel.
POINT This is where the edge and the spine meet at the tip. Sharp points, such as those found on chef and utility knives, are for piercing foods such as cutting into a watermelon.
TIP This is the 1st ¼” to ½” of the cutting edge. This is usually the thinnest and most fragile part of the knife and is used for fine or delicate cutting and trimming small items. The tip on chef’s knives and utility knives are often used as pivot point when chopping or mincing. The curve of the tip should be such that you can easily hold the knife and quickly and comfortably cut up food while keeping the knife under control.
CUTTING EDGE This is the entire bottom of the knife from the point to the heel. This is the most used part of most knives. This is where you would do most of the chopping, peeling and slicing.
HEEL This is the area of the cutting edge that is the last ¼” of the blade, just before the handle. This is usually the thickest part of the knife and is used when a lot of leverage is needed. Because it is so close to the handle, you can deliver more force so its the spot to use when chopping through small bones.
2.Bolster
The thick metal collar between the blade and the handle is known as the bolster. The job of the bolster is to provide balance and weight to the knife. With forged knives, the bolster is constructed with the blade; if a stamped knife has one, it is attached separately.
3. Handle-includes rivets and tang
RIVETS-There are usually 2 or 3 rivets holding the handle scales to the tang creating the handle. Rivets go through the tang securing the blade to the handle. They should be flush with the handle so that food or water cannot get trapped around them.
TANG-The tang refers to the metal that extends into the knife handle. Full tangs are cut to the exact size of the handle and handle scales are attached to both sides with rivets.
The best chef's knives are made of high-carbon stainless steel, which is a very hard metal that keeps its edge for a long time and won't discolor or rust like ordinary carbon steel.
POINT This is where the edge and the spine meet at the tip. Sharp points, such as those found on chef and utility knives, are for piercing foods such as cutting into a watermelon.
TIP This is the 1st ¼” to ½” of the cutting edge. This is usually the thinnest and most fragile part of the knife and is used for fine or delicate cutting and trimming small items. The tip on chef’s knives and utility knives are often used as pivot point when chopping or mincing. The curve of the tip should be such that you can easily hold the knife and quickly and comfortably cut up food while keeping the knife under control.
CUTTING EDGE This is the entire bottom of the knife from the point to the heel. This is the most used part of most knives. This is where you would do most of the chopping, peeling and slicing.
HEEL This is the area of the cutting edge that is the last ¼” of the blade, just before the handle. This is usually the thickest part of the knife and is used when a lot of leverage is needed. Because it is so close to the handle, you can deliver more force so its the spot to use when chopping through small bones.
2.Bolster
The thick metal collar between the blade and the handle is known as the bolster. The job of the bolster is to provide balance and weight to the knife. With forged knives, the bolster is constructed with the blade; if a stamped knife has one, it is attached separately.
3. Handle-includes rivets and tang
RIVETS-There are usually 2 or 3 rivets holding the handle scales to the tang creating the handle. Rivets go through the tang securing the blade to the handle. They should be flush with the handle so that food or water cannot get trapped around them.
TANG-The tang refers to the metal that extends into the knife handle. Full tangs are cut to the exact size of the handle and handle scales are attached to both sides with rivets.