Many of us novices in the kitchen do not appreciate the intricacies, not only of the preparation of cuisine but also of the tools used to prepare the food. There is a surprising amount of technology that goes into producing top of the range knives and it is all down to their balance. This article examines the technology behind the best kitchen knives and dissects their anatomy, if you will excuse the pun.



A kitchen knife might be just a sharpened piece of metal to most but it has an anatomy of all of its own. Starting from the sharp end, the very tip of the blade is called the point and used for piercing whilst the first third of the blade is actually called the tip, confused yet? From the tip down to the rear part of the blade which is called the heel, is the edge. The thicker side of the blade that runs from the point to the heel is called the spine and this provides valuable weight for balance.

The sturdy metal section joining the blade to the handle is called the bolster and is crucial for balance and provides extra grip so that the chef's hand does not slip. The return and finger guard lie separate the handle and blade on the sharp side so that the chef's fingers do not run onto the blade. Tang, scale rivet, handlegaurd butt are all the parts which make up the handle. These parts are essential for grip, balance and safety.

Knives are made from various different materials, most commonly from metal alloys such as steel and graphite or even titanium. There are also ceramic and plastic blades which have varying uses. The most popular and effective type of knife is the carbon steel type which brings no flavour to food, is light and durable. There are many different internationally known brands that offer ranges of knives with the prices of the top brands sometimes jaw dropping.

The Japanese brand Global knives were founded in 1985 and were innovative in their precision and balance. This was achieved by designing a hollow handle which is filled with an exact amount of sand to perfectly balance the handle and blade. The knives cost in the region of 40GBP per knife so are really only worth investing in if you are serious about cooking. Global knives are a Japanese company however there are other brands of notoriety across the world.

The American brands of Calphalon and Cuisinart are synonymous with quality however due to the precision and balance obtained by the patented design from Global knives, they remain the market leaders. Chefs across the world invest millions in the quality tools of their trade and it is big business with patents still be taken out against certain designs, chef knives are more than just a sharpened piece of metal.