What Makes a Good Chef's Knife?

Chef's knives can be found in different colored handles for identification.

A chef's knife is an important culinary tool in the kitchen and is used often by cooks. Hallmarks of good chef's knives include ergonomic handles, sharp blades and cleaning ability. Does this Spark an idea?

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Handles
- Since chef's knives are used daily by cooks in professional kitchens, the handles should be comfortable to grasp and ideally ergonomic for repetitious use. Some handles may be color coded using the HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Controls Points) code for food safety and prevention of cross contamination. For example, blue handles are only used for fish and seafood, red for raw meats and green for vegetables.
Blades
- Quality chef's knife blades can be made of a mixture of materials which depend on what the chef is looking for in a blade. Stainless steel or steel mixtures create very durable knives that will not discolor or rust. By contrast, carbon steel blades keep a very sharp blade, are best used for precision cutting such as sushi and need to be oiled to keep from rusting. Ceramic knife blades are chemically inert and will not transfer metallic tastes onto foods.
Cleaning Ability
- Handles made of heavy duty composite plastic clean easily, and rivets should be made of stainless steel to prevent rusting. One piece knives, knives that are made of one solid piece of metal or ceramic, do not have any crevices for bacteria to hide and are the most hygienic.

Photo Credit knifes image by Ogis from Fotolia.com

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