Owning a best chef knife (or cook’s knife) is essential for any kitchen whether you’re a professional or cook out of necessity. You can use a chef knife for many different purposes, including slicing, dicing, and mincing.
If you have a good one, it’ll not only make things easier in the kitchen because a high-quality chef knife can cover the majority of cutting tasks that you need to do.
Due to how important a cook’s knife is for your cooking and its fairly high price, selecting the right one is not a decision that you should take lightly. A majority of people prefer to buy a chef knives that can last for a long time, rather than having to replace it constantly with a new knife. If you make the decision and buy the wrong knife it will only leave you with cut fingers and feeling aggravated.
The following are some useful tips to help you select a high-quality chef knife.
1. Knife Material
The first thing you should do is closely examine what type of steel that the knife’s blade is made from. There are many different kinds of knife steel that are available. I recommend that you choose high carbon stainless steel vs something like a Damascus steel chef knife.
Although cosmetically a damascus blade looks amazing, they just don’t hold up to the higher end carbon steels. The high carbon stainless steel just makes the blade rust-resistant, sharp, and strong.
2. The Manufacturing Process
Next, the process that was used to produce the knife is also very essential in selecting a quality knife. There are two different processes, stamped and forged. A majority of high-end cutlery manufacturers use the forging process to make their knives.
Forged knives are well-known for being long-lasting and extremely sharp. To find out if a knife is forged or not, check the knife’s description.
3. Tang
Usually, when a blade is made using a forging process, it will be full-tang. What full-tang refers to is that the blade of the knife extends from the handle to the point. Full-tang helps to determine the knife’s quality.
The knife in many situations has been designed to display its full-tang running from the point of the knife to the end of the handle. A full-tang blade provides a knife with better weight and balance while you are cutting.
A high-carbon stainless, forged knife with full tang meets the features above and is the smartest and safest option. Those features affect your knife’s quality as well as your satisfaction in the kitchen. Their fairly high price is the only drawback with those features.
However, if it is definitely worth it to invest in a high-quality Vertoku Knives.
Other features of a high-quality chef knife include the blade edge, blade shape, and length (normally 8 inches long). Those features relate more to your personal preferences, and not the knife’s quality.
However, for first-time buyers, I recommend that you purchase a classic and basic chef knife that is designed for everyone from beginners to professional chefs. Certain features on advanced models might not be necessary for beginning cooks.