Kitchen Knives

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A kitchen knife is any knife that is intended to be used in food preparation. While much of this work can be accomplished with a few general-purpose knives, there are also many specialized knives that are designed for specific tasks. Kitchen knives can be made from several different materials.

Material

Carbon steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, often including other alloys such as vanadium and manganese. Carbon steel commonly used in knives has around 1.0% carbon (ex. AISI 1095), is inexpensive, and holds its edge well. Carbon steel is normally easier to resharpen than most stainless steels, but is vulnerable to rust and stains. The blades must be cleaned, dried, and lubricated after each use and new carbon-steel knives may impart a metallic or "iron" flavor to acidic foods, though over time, the steel will acquire a patina of oxidation which will prevent corrosion.
Stainless steel is an alloy of iron, approximately 10-15% chromium, possibly nickel, and molybdenum, with only a small amount of carbon. Typical stainless steel knives are made out of 420 stainless, a high-chromium, low-end stainless steel alloy often used in flatware. Most consumer grades of low-carbon stainless are considerably softer than carbon steel and more expensive grades of stainless, and must be more frequently sharpened though most are highly resistant to corrosion. The thin, flexible, shiny blades common in cheap kitchen knives are typically made of low-carbon, inexpensive stainless alloys. They are difficult to sharpen, so they are often made with serrations, which slows dulling and enables them to cut adequately when they do become dull.
High carbon stainless steel normally refers to higher-grade, stainless steel alloys with a certain amount of carbon, and is intended to combine the best attributes of carbon steel and ordinary stainless steel. High carbon stainless steel blades do not discolor or stain, and maintain a sharp edge. Most of these 'high-carbon' stainless blades also feature higher quality alloys than less expensive stainless knives, often including amounts of molybdenum, vanadium, cobalt, and other components intended to increase strength, edge-holding, and cutting ability. Examples of such steels include 440-C, AUS-8, AUS-10, ATS-34, ATS-55, vg-10, 154cm and many others.
Laminated blades attempt to use the best of multiple materials by creating a layered sandwich of different steel alloys. By alternating layers of brittle and hard steel the blade combines the attributes of both metals though it is neither as stiff as the brittle steel or as flexible as the hard steel in isolation. Many higher-quality knives are made this way. A laminated blade's edge can often be made harder than an ordinary stainless steel knife, in turn facilitating a more acute grind on the cutting blade and increasing the knife's cutting abilities.
Titanium is lighter and less wear resistant, but because it does not get hard, it does not take a very good edge. However it is more flexible than steel. Titanium does not impart any flavor to food. It is typically expensive and not well suited to cutlery, used only as a buzz word.
Ceramic knives are very hard, light, do not impart any taste to food and do not corrode but require special tools for sharpening. Ceramic blades are also very brittle, and will chip if struck against hard objects or sharpened improperly. They may snap if used to pry or lever foods or other materials apart.
Plastic blades are not very sharp and are mainly used to cut through vegetables without causing discoloration. They are not sharp enough to cut deeply into flesh, but can cut or scratch skin.

Kitchen Knives

Material

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