Best Chef Knives

Kitchens require quality cutlery to make food preparation ( and that requires the best chef knives ) a painless process. Hence, it is important that the cutlery for the kitchen is chosen with great care. Knives play a major role in the kitchen tools. Better chef knives last much longer and cutting work becomes easy with them. Hence, it is necessary that the best chef knives are selected for all kitchens, whether they are in individual homes or in eateries and restaurants.

Major Brands of Knives

Buying your first set of chef knives need to be a hands on experience as so many have different feels to them. You need a set that not only fits well in your hand, but one that has the balance, grip, and feel that suits you. So if this is going to be your first knife purchase get back into the kitchen and grab your friends knives and see which feels best.

Major Brands of Knives

Chefs of repute consider best chef knives as the most important among all cooking tools. Several major international brands such as Forschner, Cutco, Global, Shu, Wusthof, Henckels, Victorinox, Kershaw, and Misono are available in the market. Best chef knives are available in all price ranges. You can find chef knives below $50 also. High quality chef knives are priced in the range of $85 and $200.

Types of Knives

An average home kitchen must have three types of quality knives, namely a chef knife, a paring knife, and a general utility knife. They perform the basic functions of cutting, dicing, slicing, and chopping to provide maximum versatility. Further types of knives such as fillet knives, boning knives, serrated bread knives, carving knives, cleavers, steak knives, etc. are also available. They should be chosen based on the exact kitchen requirements like filleting fish, boning chicken, cutting bread, carving meat, etc.

Best Chef Knives for Budget Conscious Buyers

Forschner chef’s knives are made from high carbon stainless steel with individual hand finish by Swiss craftsmen. A typical knife is priced at $27.95.  The knives meant for culinary students and line cooks cost $23.44. For persons with limited budgets, Henckels 8” International Eversharp Pro stainless steel chef knives cost $10.95, while its International Classic models are priced at $46.99.

Points to Consider in Buying Chef Knives

Most chef knives today are made of a high carbon stainless steel. The higher the carbon in the metal the sharper the edge you will be able to get on your knife. The stainless steel addition holds the edge longer and makes the restaurant cutlery rust proof.

Sharpness is the first point in selection of knives. Low quality knives lose their sharpness quite fast. Even high quality knives become blunt over a considerable period of use. Knives need to be sharpened regularly to maintain their sharpness and cutting efficiency.

The second point in buying thr best chef knives is not to decide by the brand name, the price, or the manufacturing process of the knives like forging or stamping. The decision should be based on the quality of the steel to ensure that the knives keep their sharpness for longer periods. The description of "high carbon steel" should not be taken at its face value, since most manufacturers never provide specification of the stainless steel makeup.

Many people tend to buy the largest knives sets offered in the market. They assume that a 21-piece knife set costs only 30% or 40% more than a 14-piece set and they are getting a very good bargain. They never realize that they are likely to use most of the knives only on rare occasions and might never use a few of them in home kitchens. For most home kitchens, 3 good knives with a few special application best chef knives are more than enough and they cost much less than even a 14-piece knife set.