A good Chef’s knife can last you a lifetime

When choosing a well crafted chef’s knife you should consider what its blade is made of, how it was made (forged or stamped), blade shape, weight and balance, handle comfort and how well it’s put together.

A chef’s knives has a wide blade and may be shaped where both the blade’s edge and spine of gently slope on their end until they meet to a point or the edge may be straight with its spine curving down to meet its point.

The curved edge allows the blade to rock back and forth on the tip (fulcrum) so that it never leaves your cutting board when chopping, mincing or dicing whereas the straight edge allows for downward chopping.

Different types of blade metals

• Carbon Steel – Take a great edge but has a tendency to discolor when it comes in contact with anything acidic such as tomatoes or citrus fruit. It can rust if not in used often or not completely dried after each use.
• Stainless Steel – Resist rust but requires frequent maintenance to keep a good sharp edge.
• High-carbon Stainless-Steel – Tough, holds an edge and won’t discolor and pricey.
• Titanium – Lighter than steel, holds its edge, flexible, durable. Pricey as well but worth it.

Chef’s knife styles

Styles of chef’s knives generally coincide with its cultural foods. American and German style chef’s knives are heavier with the German style having a shorter and wider blade making them great for chopping various tyhpes of meat. The French version has a longer and thinner blade making it better for slicing.

The Japanese chef’s knife is thinner and lighter than its Western counterparts making it perfect for cutting foods that require light precision such as a Santoku which is made to cut without any crushing so that ,in theory, meats, especially fish, retain their natural flavor.

Features all good chef’s knives should have:

• Made of forged stain-resistant stainless-steel
• A full tang for extra strength
• A bolster to protect your hand
• A non-slip handle that is comfortable has a balanced feel
• A sharp rounded edge that allows a quick rocking motion
• Has just the right amount of weight that it can cut through tough foods but won’t tire the arm
• One that is tightly sealed where the handle and blade are joined to keep food from getting trapped
• The handle should be riveted to the blade

Chef knife blade lengths

Chef’s knives generally come in lengths from 6 to 12-inches (also 14-inch butcher size) and are about 1-inch wide. The most widely used length is 8-inch although length is usually chosen based on what you plan to cut with it and how comfortable it feels in your hand.

The following is my list of the top 10 best chef’s knives for the money. There are of course others but I guarantee that at one of these will fit your hand and will definitely get the job done:

1. 8-inch Global Cook’s Knife – Made in Japan
2. 8-inch Zwilling J. A. Henckels 31071-203 – Made in Germany
3. 10½-inch Global GF-34 – Made in Japan
4. 9-inch Wusthof 4581/23 – Made in Germany
5. 8-inch Kasumi 88020 – Made in Japan
6. 8-inch Shun DM0706 – Made in Japan
7. 8-inch Chicago Cutlery Centurion – Made in USA
8. 8-inch Victorinox 40520 – Made in Switzerland
9. 8-inch Henckels 31161-201 – Made in Germany
10. 8-inch Calphalon KNR4008C – Made in China (All Calphalong kitchen knives are designed in the U.S. and produced in China from stainless-steel.)