The Anatomy of a Chef Knife
Contrary to what most cooks think, a Chef Knife is not just a big knife with a big blade.
A good Chef Knife is a precision tool which allows you to do almost any job in the kitchen.
In this article I will break down the anatomy of the Sakura 8" Chef Knife.
It is the knife I use. Probably one of the best I ever had.
It is a Japanese 8" Chef knife. Hand forged in VG-10 Carbon Steel metal. Folded 67 times.
A: The Chef Knife Tip: Right at the end of the blade. It is used to cut through onions, shallots, and other vegetables to make cuts for cubes or strips. May also be used to cut strips through meat or boning.
Most chefs will tell you never to use the knife tip for anything else, but it will easily open plastic or paper bags.
B: The Chef Knife Cutting Edge: Used for long slice cuts through meat fruit or vegetables. It is the third most used part of the knife.
C: The Chef Knife Heel: These are the last two inches closest to the Bolster. It is the most used part of the chef knife. Used for dicing or slicing in a forward wave motion, and hard cutting of bones or tendons.
Also it is the right place for holding between your forefinger and thumb for best grip of the chef knife.
D: The Chef Knife Back: Mainly the part of the blade that will give you the power to use the knife. It is between 2.5 and 3 inches wide in a quality chef knife.
Can be used for breaking ice, or forced blows.
E: The Chef Knife Bolster: It is the metal part between the blade and the handle.
It usually extends all the way down to the bottom of the blade.
This allows for two uses: It will protect your fingers from sliding under the blade. But more importantly, it is a heavy chunk of metal the gives balance to the whole chef knife making it effortlessly usable for long periods of time.
F: The Chef Knife Tang: The Tang is the back end of the blade. Is a good chef knife it extends all the way to the back of the handle giving the chef knife strength and stability.
G: The Rivet: A metal pin forged into the Handle and through the Tang to hold them together.
H: The Chef Knife Butt: The back end of the chef knife. Helps grip the knife comfortably, but can also, in good quality chef knives, be used as a hammer.
This was a quick break down of the anatomy of a chef knife.
