what kind of steel is best for chefs knives?
Better yet what brand name is best, thank you for the info I have received so far. I have been on line and the variations in price for similar knives is mind bogling. Also what is the best way to say thankyou to all of the people who answer?
I have Carbon Steel and Stainless but below is a bit of info from a culinary book I read in college hope it helps.
The blade of a chef’s knife is made from one of these materials:
Carbon steel: An alloy of iron and approximately 1% carbon. Most carbon steel chef’s knives are simple carbon iron alloys without exotic additions such as chrome or vanadium. Carbon steel blades are both easier to sharpen than ordinary stainless steel and usually hold an edge longer, but it is vulnerable to rust and stains. Some professional cooks swear by knives of carbon steel because of their sharpness. Over time, a carbon-steel knife will normally acquire a dark patina, and can rust or corrode if not cared for properly by cleaning and lubricating the blade after use. Some chefs also ‘rest’ their carbon-steel knives for a day after use in order to restore the oxidizing patina, which prevents transfer of metallic tastes to some foods. While some cooks prefer and use carbon steel knives (especially in Asia and the Middle East), others find carbon steel too maintenance-intensive in a kitchen environment.
Stainless steel: An alloy of iron, approximately 10-15% chromium, possibly nickel, and molybdenum, with only a small amount of carbon. Lower grades of stainless steel cannot take as sharp an edge as good-quality high-carbon steels, but are resistant to corrosion, do not taint food, and are inexpensive. Higher grade and ‘exotic’ stainless steels (mostly from Japan – as used by Global, Kasumi and others) are extremely sharp with excellent edge retention, and equal or outperform carbon steel blades, but they are expensive.
Laminated. As noted above, all materials used in blades represent various compromises. A laminated knife tries to use the best of each material by creating a layered sandwich of different materials — for instances, using a softer-but-tough steel as the backing material, and a sharper/harder – but more brittle – steel as the edge material.
Ceramic blades hold an edge the longest of all, but they chip easily and will break if dropped. They also require special equipment and expertise to resharpen. They are sintered to shape with zirconium oxide powder. They are chemically nonreactive, so will not discolor or change the taste of food.
How to Use a Chef’s Knife
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Victorinox 40520 Fibrox 8-Inch Chef’s Knife $24.72 Nothing is worse than going to cut with your cutlery, and having the handle slip around in your hand. To combat this potential for injury, Victorinox has created this Fibrox chef’s knife. The Fibrox® handle is textured and provides a firm grip, even when wet, and does not slip or slide around. It is comfortable and fits naturally to the shape of your hand, and provides an attractive and modern st… |
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Ginsu 04817 International Traditions 14-Piece Knife Set with Block, Natural $28.84 Many associate Ginsu knives with the product’s kitschy infomercial from the â70s that begins with a karate kick to a watermelon and proceeds with a demo of these knives cutting through just about anything in the house. Like the original product, Ginsu’s International Traditions is designed for the home cook who is not attuned to the maintenance required of a more high-end knife. H… |
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OXO Good Grips Multi-Purpose Pastry Scraper/Chopper $8.15 Multi-purpose scraper/chopper. Use to section dough for pie crusts, evenly portion dough for pastries, and scrape dough from your floured board. Stainless steel blade features 1″ markings for precise measuring. Try it for lifting cookies from a cookie sheet, or for chopping firm vegetables like celery. A broad, soft handle cushions your hand. Dishwasher safe…. |
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Essential Knife Skills (Master Cooking Techniques Series) Chef Zimmern teaches you to choose and use more than a dozen different knives to trim, fillet, skin, carve, and create garnishes that can save time and money as well as add style to every dish…. |
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AccuSharp 001 Knife Sharpener $5.33 This knife shapener sharpens any double edge blade whether serrated or plain, thick or thin and it will do it faster than youd believe possible. AccuSharp sharpeners are the best, easiest and fastest sharpeners around. The difference is in the specially formulated, precision ground and mounted tungsten carbide blades…. |
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Smith’s TRI-6 Arkansas TRI-HONE Sharpening Stones System. $14.39 3 Stone Sharpener, 6″ Stone Length, Rotating Triangular Base, Fine, Medium and Coarse Stones, Honing Oil and Groove In Base To Collect Oil…. |
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Work Sharp WSKTS Knife and Tool Sharpener $65.00 Work Sharp’s WSKTS knife and tool sharpener is specially designed to sharpen any number of knives and tools in your collection. Thanks to its flexible abrasive belts, the WSKTS sharpens knives with straight blades, serrated blades, and any other silhouette or sort of blade. Get quality-grade sharpening functionality in your own shop or job site with the WSKTS’s precision-sharpening gui… |
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Who Deserves to Be Here $0.99 … |
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Dim Sum Lose Sum $1.99 … |
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New York’s Finest $1.99 … |
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Helens’s Asian Kitchen Classic Chinese Chef Knife $69.99 Upgrade your kitchen with this durable Helens’s chef knife. With an elegant brushed stainless steel finish, this elegant chef knife will work well in any kitchen. |
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Dr. Tech Black Blade Ceramic 4-piece Knife Set $60.49 This 4-piece ceramic knife set by Dr. Tech is the perfect addition for your kitchen. The set includes a chef’s knife, slicing knife, serrated knife and paring knife in a dynamic black color. |
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French Bull Raj 8-inch Chef Knife $34.99 A bright blue and turquoise contemporary Indian pattern highlights this French Bull Raj chef knife. An 8-inch high carbon steel blade completes the design of this knife. |
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Euro-Home 6-piece Stainless Steel Knife Set in Block $33.99 Every cook needs a knife set in their kitchenKnife blades are crafted of stainless steel Six-piece cutlery set features a bread knife, chef knife, carving knife, utility knife, paring knife and a knife block |
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Dr. Tecch White/ Black Ceramic 3-piece Knife Set $53.56 Update your kitchen tools with this 3-piece ceramic knife set by Dr. Tech. The bold set includes a chef’s knife, a utility knife, and a paring knife in white and black. |
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Stone River Gear 4-piece Acrylic Knife Holder Set $21.99 Materials: Plastic, acrylicFour individual clear acrylic protective sheavesHolds Stone River Gear 6.75-inch chef knife, 6-inch Santoku knife, 5-inch utility knife, 3-inch parer |
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