| Are you looking for a new kitchen knife or cutlery | | | | holds a sharp edge longer. However, it can rust, |
| set, but have no idea what you should be | | | | corrode, or stain. Stainless steel will not discolor |
| searching for? Between the infomercials, the | | | | and is inexpensive, though it may need to be |
| inexpensive sets found at big-box stores, and the | | | | sharpened more often. Look for high carbon |
| more expensive specialty cutlery sold by major | | | | stainless steel for the best properties of both |
| names in the knife industry, how do you decide | | | | types of metal. Other knives, including titanium, |
| what's best for your kitchen? Luckily, most | | | | ceramic, or laminated blades, come with their own |
| kitchen knives share the same basic attributes, | | | | pros and cons. Titanium is lightweight, with a |
| making it relatively easy to define what makes a | | | | flexible edge, while ceramic blades will not discolor |
| good kitchen knife. | | | | but break easily. |
| Size and blade style - Bigger is better, right? Not | | | | Knife construction - A blade may be forged or |
| always. For most everyday kitchen tasks, a small | | | | stamped. There are pros and cons of both |
| paring knife is easier to use than a large butcher | | | | methods; do your research to find the knives |
| knife. Size is often tied to the style and intended | | | | that will work best for your kitchen. Stamped |
| use of the blade. Of course, you'll need a variety | | | | knives are made from a single sheet of metal, |
| of knives to complete your kitchen. | | | | with a blade ground into one side. These are less |
| The basic kitchen knives include: | | | | expensive, but do not have the balance of a |
| - Chef's knife. With an 8-10 inch blade, this | | | | forged knife. Forged knives have a more |
| versatile knife can be used for many kitchen | | | | ergonomic weight, yet tend to be more |
| tasks. | | | | expensive than stamped blades. |
| - Santoku knife. This substitute for the chef's | | | | Handle - Many people neglect to consider knife |
| knife is growing in popularity. Usually from 5-8 | | | | handles when selecting a knife that they will be |
| inches long, the blade of this Japanese knife has a | | | | using every day in the kitchen. The handle has a |
| sharper angle, allowing for precision cuts not | | | | significant impact on how the knife feels in your |
| possible with some chef's knives. | | | | hand. The choices range from rubberized handles - |
| - Bread knife. With a serrated edge measuring | | | | easy to grip even when wet - to fancy |
| 8-10 inches long, the edge of this knife allows you | | | | decorative handles. Look for a handle material that |
| to cut bread without crushing the loaf. | | | | is easy to clean and feels comfortable in your |
| - Paring knife. This smaller knife, with a 3-4 inch | | | | hands. Look for full tang blades, which means that |
| blade, is used to peel or slice fruits and | | | | a metal edge of the blade can be seen through |
| vegetables. | | | | the full length of the handle. |
| - Filet or boning knife. If you routinely cut whole | | | | When you have found a good quality set of |
| chickens or fish, you'll need one of these. | | | | kitchen knives, you'll be ready to prepare any |
| - Steak knives. The familiar serrated-edge knives | | | | recipe. Slicing, dicing, and chopping will be easier |
| used to cut steaks, you'll need at least 4 to 8 of | | | | than ever. Look for a high quality kitchen knife set |
| these. | | | | - along with a good cutting board and knife |
| Blade material - The sharpness of the blade is | | | | sharpener - if you want to enjoy your time in the |
| reliant upon the quality of the materials used to | | | | kitchen. |
| make it. Carbon steel is easy to sharpen and | | | | |