Chef's knife

[dennis2]

Hello all,

I have an order for a chef's knife with a high carbon steel blade. I'm planning on using my favorite steel, O-1. It will be 9"-10" long. Is this just a spear point bowie with a different handle or are there other differences I don't know about ? Has anyone else made one ? Teach me the finer points of chef knives.

[AwP]

I'm no expert in the kitchen, but I'm making a kitchen knife for my folks so I did look into it a little. The edge should have a good curve so it rocks well, and the edge needs to be dropped so that the entire blade can be used without your hand getting in your way (no guard either for the same reason). There might be some other factors to keep in mind but those are the ones that I noticed were important.

[AUBE]

im no expert either but after cooking in restaurants for 3yrs this is what i look for in a chefs knife.

light weight/good balance to avoid fatigue/onset of carpal tunnel.

slight curve to blade for rocking motions but not too much because then it would require more of an arc to your rock which wastes time.

tall enough blade so your knuckles arent hitting the counter.

handle/bolster to drop down slightly where it meets the blade so your finger isnt rubbing on the bottom of the blade causing blisters...but dont drop this area down to the edge of the knife because as you sharpen the blade over years the edge will wear back away from the bolsters and then you will have a gap between the blade and chopping board when your trying to chop..which makes you have to chop and slice at once.

dishwasher safe materials. materials that can hold up to being dropped repeatedly

fairly thin blade (but still stout) with a convex edge

handle finished with slight texture(canvas micarta is great) so it doesnt slip around on you

spine of the blade slightly rounded/finished smooth so it doesnt hurt your fingers when you "choke up on it"

where the edge meets the bottom of the blade slightly angle/round this spot so it not a sharpened 90degree angle that the chef could catch his finger on

for home use most of this isnt necessary but for restaurant usage i find it important.

-Jason Aube
(edited because i noticed i had butchered the word restaurant....no pun intended)

[paul savage]

Hi Dennis

I've made quite a few in the last year for differant chef's and they seem to like the 10" -12" french pattern chef knife and one thing important is a thin edge so when thy cut carrots they don't come off the knife like bullets.

Paul savage

[Ed Caffrey]

So far it seems that just about all the major points have been covered. The only chef knives I have produces has been for family and friends. A think "rolled" edge is essential for cutting ease, as well as creating a blade edge that can be "rocked" to allow for quick cutting. One note on handle........the last couple I did, I made the handle with a slight upward angle, which was well received, as it keep the hand holding the knife a little further from the cutting board, and totally eliminates anyone banging their knuckels on the board.

[Coutel]

This is a knife I made about 6 weeks ago for my wife who is a keen cook...

Forged from 52100......It started off the usual hand rubbed satin finish... but is now showing a working patina (which is also beging to highlight the selective hardening)....This gets used every day for every meal. Its not dishwasher proof, but I do not see this as a problem....besides which, it would be missed sitting in the dishwasher as it is used too often .....Its cleaned by rinsing under the tap or warm soapy water...then a thin coating of cooking oil on the blade.

[dennis2]

Wow, thanks for all the responce ! Some great advice and many things I had no idea about. I will be refuring back to this thread as I progress. Although, the customer has already selected a beautiful wood handle. My wife is alittle concerned about a wood handle as it may hold bacteria. Any thoughts on that ?

[Shakudo]

if there are no gaps between the blade and wood handle and common sense in cleaning a used utensil is in effect,most any material is fine for a kitchen knife. most wood by it's nature is bateria resistant.

[fitzo]

In the Western culinary world, a "chef's knife" is a reasonably well-defined pattern. Andrew and Jason have done an excellent job discussing some of the design characteristics. I would recommend going online to a place like "Williams-Sonoma" and looking at how the pattern is defined by manufacturers like Henckel, Wusthof, Sabatier.

On the higher end knives, there is a strong distal taper so it has a "fast" tip and yet sufficient mass to be vegetable cleaver, since it's primary intent is working with vegetable preparation and cooking as opposed to "butchering" and working with meat. There is a definite "proper" curvature to the edge to maximize rocking for mincing, as was mentioned. I went upstairs and looked at a Forschner I have and it tapers continuously from the guard to the tip. Should you desire, I could measure the widths at various points to give you an idea of the curvature.

Something folks may or may not know is that, on some of the most expensive production versions, one bevel is flat and one is convex, depending on what "handedness" the knife is. I only learned that about a year ago from my dear friend Ken Beatty of Waco Knives.

[markd]

I cook A LOT and always have trouble with the handle. I would love to see a handle extend up the spine another inch or two. My hands are a little bigger, not huge, but this would make it more comfy, IMHO. I'm working on one right now and experimenting on handle length/shape/comfort. Will post if it turns out.

[PeteCO]

Originally Posted by Ed Caffrey

So far it seems that just about all the major points have been covered. The only chef knives I have produces has been for family and friends. A think "rolled" edge is essential for cutting ease, as well as creating a blade edge that can be "rocked" to allow for quick cutting. One note on handle........the last couple I did, I made the handle with a slight upward angle, which was well received, as it keep the hand holding the knife a little further from the cutting board, and totally eliminates anyone banging their knuckels on the board.

Ed, how much of an upward angle would you say you used? I was thinking of doing one with a 3 to 5 degree angle. Got a pic?

[dennis2]

I went online and checked out some catalogues then drew out on paper what I want to make. I have been playing around with "center lines" the last few years. I start at the point and draw a line through the center of the ricasso and on back to the handle. I try to make the rear center of the handle meet this line. When I did this on my chef knife drawing, the handle was angled up slightly. I feel good about my design.

Ed - I think I might start another thread on centerlines. What do you think ?

Mike - I would like to know more about 2 different grinds on the same blade. Which side is convex for a right handed person ? I suspect the obverse side would be flat.

[fitzo]

Dang, now you're putting me on the spot! LOL I've honestly forgotten which the heck side is the obverse! I think it's the "front side" of the knife?? I'm embarassed, cuz I should know this after 24 years! My mind is fading. (I think it's called a brainfart)

Lemme put it this way: I hold the knife by the handle edge down. The convex is on the left side. It is not heavily convexed, but if you lay a straightedge against both sides, one is obviously very flat and the other convex.

I'll send my friend Ken this link right this moment and ask him to comment if he would.

Hope this'll help, Dennis!

[KandS_KNIVES]

Hello Dennis, just got an email from Fitz, asking me to give you a little insight on the old style grind on chef' knives. I am not sure if this type of grind originated in Sheffield or in Germany, but at one time both made chef knives like this and even folders. If you ar right handed the convex side would be on the backside of the blade. The reverse would be true for a left handed knife. It was done this way so whatever you were cutting or slicing would not stick to the blade, break the static tension, so to speak. May you have a blessed Christmas.

[fitzo]

Thank you, Ken, for the clarification! I appreciate it, my friend!