Cooks Knives > Cooks and Chefs Knives
Cooks and Chefs Knives
A modern chef's knife (also known as a cook's knife) is a utility knife designed to perform well at many differing kitchen tasks, rather than excelling at any one in particular. It can be used for mincing, slicing, chopping vegetables, slicing meat, or even jointing large cuts of beef or ham. In order to improve the chef's knife's multi-purpose abilities, some owners employ differential sharpening along the length of the blade. The fine tip, used for precision work such as mincing, might be ground with a very sharp, acute cutting bevel; the mid-section or belly of the blade receives a moderately sharp edge for general cutting, chopping and slicing, while the heavy heel or back of the cutting edge is given a strong, thick edge for heavy-duty tasks. There are two types of blade shape, French and German. The far more common German design features a pronounced curve towards the tip of the blade which allows the knife to be rocked up and down, chopping the food with the belly and heel of the blade. The French design is more triangular, with much less curve at the tip and a longer straight section of blade; it is designed to be pulled towards the user, slicing the food instead. Chef's knives are most commonly available between 15cm and 30cm (6 and 12 inches), though 20cm (8 inches) is the most common size. Most chefs recommend using the largest chef's knife that is comfortable in the cook's hands.
For a full description of other knife types use our Kitchen Knife Guide.
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