How to Choose a High-Quality Cooking Knife

Beside how it's made, the most important criterion in choosing a knife is how it feels in your hand. Buy the best quality knives and build your collection little by little, with just the knives you need. After all, not every cook needs a fillet knife for deboning fish! Does this Spark an idea?

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Instructions

- 1
  
  Learn about the blade materials. Professional chefs agree that high-carbon stainless steel is the strongest, most maintenance-free of all knife blade materials.
- 2
  
  Consider the three different handles types. For ease of construction and cool-to-touch handling, most high-quality kitchen knife handles are made from composite materials to form a black, ergonomic (shaped to the hand) handle that feels good when you hold it. Wood, known for it's beauty, can be a fire hazard in the professional kitchen, and stainless steel gets quite hot.
- 3
  
  Look for sintered knives made by fusing together all the parts that are produced separately. This allows for a knife that is simply not able to be cheaply blocked (made cookie cutter fashion). If the knife is an imitation, you will know because it will be too heavy.
- 4
  
  Try before you buy. Feel the knives in person, either in a retail store or at a friend's house. Good quality knives are well-balanced to feel like they fit in your hand and move in the direction of the cutting easily.
- 5
  
  Purchase a block or magnetic strip to store your high quality knives. It will keep them sharp and away from little hands.

Tips & Warnings

Don't keep knives in a drawer because the blades get dull, plus they're an easy target for little hands.

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