Types of Knives and How to Sharpen

Types of Knives

In general, large knives are for heavy cutting and chopping and small knives are for precise delicate work. The chef knife is the most important knife that you need in your kitchen.

The “chef knife” also known as a French knife, Chinese cook knife, Japanese cook knife, and Santoku knife, is a multipurpose blade that you need no matter what cuisine you are cooking.

The different parts of the chef knife blade are used for different purposes.

• The tip is for precision cutting.
• The middle of the blade is used for general cutting and slicing.
• The heel of the blade is for firmer tougher cuts because it is thicker and stronger.

Sharpening your Knives

It is very important to sharpen your knife. Sharpening your knife helps to keep your knife in a good condition so that it lasts longer. Sharpening your knife also makes it safer to cut ingredients because it prevents slipping which a dull knife will often do. Finally, a sharp knife makes cleaner more even cuts which are ideal for your ingredients to cook evenly. 

There are various kinds of knife sharpeners that you can use based on your needs. Pick the one that works best for you personally, there is no wrong choice. 

• The water/whetstone is a type of sharpening stone that requires soaking before use. It usually has two sides, one coarse and one fine. Use the coarse side first then the fine.
• The diamond stone is a type of sharpening stone that requires water to be applied as you sharpen. The metal top helps to stop metal shaving build-up.
• The manual sharpener is a kind of sharpener that does not require you to keep your knife at an angle while sharpening like the stones, you just run your knife lightly along the slot from the heel to the tip of the knife.

In my cooking career, I have used each of these sharpeners. They range from easy to difficult. Now that I cook at home, I find the manual sharpener is very convenient and quick to use. 

Keep in mind that you do not want to sharpen your knife too often, instead, you should use a “steel”.

A “steel” is a metal rod that is used to maintain your knife in between sharpening sessions. By maintaining your knife with the “steel” a sharpening session will last longer so you can avoid over-sharpening your knife. 

Using a “steel” is easy once you get the hang of it.

1. First, hold the blade of your knife towards the steel at a 20-degree angle. 
2. Then make light strokes, the same amount on each side of the blade by alternating sides in between each stroke. Only do about 5 strokes on each side, the steel is for maintaining your blade, not sharpening your knife! Too many strokes on the steel will make the knife dull.