| The knife was one of the first tools used by | | | | longer. The titanium blade is more flexible than |
| early humans, and in the past thousands of years | | | | steel, they work best for tasks such as boning |
| its use and its design have evolved considerably. | | | | and filleting. |
| Today there are several different kinds of knives, | | | | Ceramic |
| made from a variety of materials, and used as | | | | Ceramic blades are made of zirconium oxide and |
| tools, for cooking and other purposes. Let's take a | | | | aluminum oxide. Although they are much more |
| look at the main types of knives that are | | | | delicate than steel knives, they tend to hold their |
| presently available. | | | | edge up to 10 times longer. However, once the |
| Carbon Steel | | | | blades have dulled, they must be sharpened by a |
| Carbon Steel has been used in the making of | | | | professional. |
| blades for many years. Knives made from carbon | | | | Plastic |
| steel are tough and take a better edge with little | | | | Plastic knife blades are primarily used in order to |
| effort. However, carbon steel blades discolor | | | | prevent vegetables and other edible items from |
| when they come in contact with foods that are | | | | becoming discolored from the blade of a knife. |
| high in acid, such as tomatoes and citrus fruit and | | | | Plastic blades are not very sharp and require |
| the blades must be treated with care to avoid | | | | some force when cutting. |
| discoloration and rusting. If you are using carbon | | | | Hollow Ground |
| steel knives you should wash and dry them | | | | Hollow ground knife blades are manufactured with |
| thoroughly after use. Some box cutter and utility | | | | a process that fuses two separate pieces of |
| knife blades are made from carbon steel. | | | | metal together. After the pieces are fused, a |
| Stainless Steel | | | | beveled blade edge is created. Although these |
| Unlike carbon steel, stainless steel blades do not | | | | blades often have very sharp edges, the blade |
| discolor or rust, however, they are not hard | | | | lacks the balance and longevity of a taper ground |
| enough to maintain the best edge. Some utility | | | | blade. This type of blade is most often found on |
| knives and box cutter blades are made from | | | | knives that are used less frequently. |
| stainless steel. | | | | Taper Ground |
| High Carbon Stainless Steel | | | | Taper ground knives are manufactured with a |
| Knives made from high carbon stainless steel | | | | single sheet of metal and are ground so that they |
| offer a combination of the best attributes of | | | | taper smoothly from the spine to the cutting |
| carbon steel and stainless steel blades. They have | | | | edge. This type of blade can be found on knives |
| the toughness and ability to hold an edge and, like | | | | that are used frequently. |
| stainless steel blades, they do not discolor when | | | | There you have it. These are the most common |
| coming in contact with acidic foods. | | | | types of knives that are commonly available. The |
| Titanium | | | | next time you buy a knife think about how you |
| Titanium blades are made from a mold of titanium | | | | will use the knife and then choose one |
| and carbides. When compared to steel, titanium is | | | | constructed from the materials that best match |
| lighter, more wear resistant, and holds its edge | | | | your purpose. |