What Knives Do Chefs Prefer?

As with most professions, you need the right tool for the the right job. Professional chefs are no different. Knives are an extension of a chef's hand, and should be treated with respect; kept sharp and clean; used on an appropriate cutting surface; and handled and stored in a safe manner.

Knife Materials

When choosing a knife, first concentrate on how the knife blade is made.
Carbon steel---Most knife blades used to be made of carbon steel. They take a better edge (are sharper) but tend to lose their sharpness more quickly than other materials. The problem is that carbon steel must be treated carefully as they are brittle and will corrode and discolor easily.
Stainless steel---Stainless steel is stronger than carbon steel and will not rust or corrode. It's difficult to get a good edge, but it will retain its sharpness longer than most other materials.
High-carbon stainless steel---This is an alloy that is a combination of carbon and stainless steel. The carbon allows the blade to take a good edge, and the stainless steel keeps the material from rusting.
Ceramic---A relatively new material for knives. Ceramic knives have a blade made of very hard ceramic, usually zirconium oxide. They retain a cutting edge longer than most metal knives. They will not discolor or corrode, but as they are very rigid, their cutting edge may chip off or the blade may break free from the handle when used on harder surfaces.

Knife Blades

The second consideration when choosing a knife is to find out from what material it is made.
Stamped---A stamped blade is made by die stamping, or cutting the basic knife shape from a sheet of metal. As the steel is comparatively thin and flat, stamped blades are usually lighter and less expensive than a forged blades. Because of the weight of the blade, they are back-heavy, and more forward pressure is needed to cut.
Forged---A forged knife begins as a steel blank that is struck to form the blade. The metal is then hardened by heating and cooling to contract the steel and make it dense. Forged blades are heavier, tougher and more front-weighted, allowing for a smoother, easier cutting motion.

Types of Knives and Their Uses

Each knife is designed for a specific cutting task. The basic knives everyone should have in their collection include:
French knife or chef's knife---The all-purpose, slice-and-dice knife that everyone must have. The blade usually ranges between 8 to 14 inches, with 10 inches being the most popular. Get the best one you can afford.
Paring knife---The short knife with a 2 to 4 inch long blade. Used for trimming and paring.
Boning knife---Just as its name suggests, the boning knife is used for separating meat from bone. It has a thin, pointed, rigid blade that is usually 6 inches in length.
Filleting knife---This knife is similar in size and shape to the boning knife except that it has a flexible instead of a rigid blade. Used for filleting fish and any meat cutting that requires a flexible blade instead of a stiff blade.
Slicer---A long, thin, slender-bladed knife, up to 14 inches long, used for carving and slicing meats. It's flexible and can have either a rounded or pointed tip.
Serrated knife or bread knife---Similar to the slicer except the blade is serrated.
Cleaver---A heavy, rectangular-bladed knife used for chopping or cutting through bones.

Sharpening

The key to the proper use of any knife is making sure it's sharp. A sharp knife cuts better, easier and safer. Knife blades are given an edge on a sharpening stone and maintained between sharpenings by honing with a steel.
Sharpening stone---Sharpen the blade by passing the edge over the stone at the correct angle (somewhere between 17 and 20 degrees). Begin by using the coarsest surface of the stone and progressively moving to the finest grit. Most stones can either be used dry or moistened with water or mineral oil.
Carborundum stones---These have two sides, a fine side and a medium side.
Arkansas stones---These are three-sided (three stones mounted on a wheel) and consist of various degrees of fineness.

Honing the Edge

Steels---A steel should be used immediately after sharpening the blade with a stone and between sharpenings to keep the blade aligned. The steel does not sharpen the edge, but rather it keeps a knife sharp that's already sharp by straightening, realigning and removing "burrs" from the edge.

References

• Ceramic vs Metal---How Does a Ceramic Knife Differ From a Metal Knife
• Professional Cooking; Wayne Gisslen; 2006