Choosing Kitchen Knives for Your Commercial Kitchen

From slicing and chopping fruits and vegetables to separating meat and cutting bread, kitchen knives are crucial components of any kitchen. In a commercial kitchen, the right equipment helps staff be more efficient, resulting in better end product. To help you determine which knives your kitchen should stock, we've created a guide to explain the different types of blades, their uses, and the different materials they're made of.

Parts of a Knife

Any knife you invest in has two basic parts: the blade and the handle. Blades have a point, edge, spine, and heel. The blade edge, or belly, runs parallel to the spine of the blade; the two meet to form the point, or tip. The heel, the widest part of the blade, meets the knife handle. To add knife stability and balance, some have a bolster, or a thicker section of steel, where the blade meets the handle. The knife tang is any part of the blade that extends into the handle. Knives with full tang are considered the most durable because the tang, an extension of the blade's steel, runs the length of the handle.

Types of Knives

There are several types of kitchen knives available. While some can be used as multitasking tools, others are best suited to specific tasks.

Type	Uses	Example
Boning Knives	These are used to separate meat from bones and feature blades either straight or curved, flexible or stiff. Curved blades enable cooks to carve precisely, while straight blades are quick at simple cuts. Stiff blades are good for tough cuts of meat such as pork and beef, while flexible knives are preferred for dressing poultry and fish. Blades on these knives usually are 5 to 7 inches long.
Bread Knives	Whether you need to cut an artisan loaf or soft sandwich, a bread knife's serrated edge cuts through bread cleanly. These knives have blades ranging in size from 6 to 10 inches long and may come with an offset blade, which makes it easier to use a cutting board without hitting your knuckles.
Butcher Knives	Designed to cut and trim large portions of meat, these usually have straight blades as long as 12 inches. However, a type of butcher knife called a cimeter knife has a curved blade. Most butcher knives have rounded tips but breaking knives – meant to process large quarters of meat – have pointed tips for precision.
Carving Knives	These are ideal for carving precise cuts in roasts, ham, or chicken and are often used with a carving fork for stability. Carving knives are long and thin, meant to cut through meat in one stroke. Their blades usually are 8 to 12 inches long and may have scalloped edges designed to ease cutting and prevent meat from sticking.
Cheese Knives	These typically have blades 8 to 11 inches long and can have one or two handles, providing better leverage for slicing through dense cheese blocks. Other tools – such as rolling slicers that let you determine slice thickness and cheese knives with holes for soft cheese – can facilitate cheese cutting.
Chef Knives	Commonly referred to as a cook's knife, a chef's knife is designed to cut, slice, chop, and mince various ingredients, from poultry to vegetables. The blades on these versatile kitchen knives can be 5 to 12 inches long, but most commonly are 6 to 10 inches long.
Cleavers	Identified by their broad, square blades – usually between 6 and 12 inches long and as wide as 4 inches – cleavers are well suited to heavy-duty butchering tasks such as separating primal cuts of meat. However, Chinese cleavers are smaller and more lightweight, designed to be a versatile tool that also chops ingredients.
Fillet Knives	Most popular for preparing fish, fillet knives usually have thin, flexible blades for handling delicate meats. Their blades typically are 6 to 9 inches long but can be as short as 4 inches. Although they're similar to boning knives, fillet knives aren't suited to deboning tough cuts of meat.
Oyster Knives	These are equipped with thick, dull blades that to shuck oysters easily. If your seafood menu is expansive, you should consider specialized knives designed for use with lobsters, clams, and scallops.
Paring Knives	Paring knives have blades measuring from 21⁄2 to 4 inches long and often are said to resemble a small chef's knife. These knives are ideal for detail work that requires hand control, such as slicing, peeling, and coring fruits and vegetables.
Produce Knives	Meant for chopping, slicing, and dicing fruits and vegetables, produce knives have general or specific purposes. For example, you can invest in a versatile, all-purpose vegetable knife or choose a knife designed specifically to cut tomatoes. General fruit knives, as well as those made for cutting or coring particular fruits, are also available.
Santoku Knives	A Japanese knife. Its name means 'three virtues' and refers to the three kitchen tasks that it performs best: slicing, dicing, and mincing. Although these knives are as versatile as a chef's knife, their blades generally are shorter, less curved, and their tips are less pointed. Its blade shape is ideal for scooping up chopped ingredients, while the scallops on the side of a Santoku knife's blade prevent chopped vegetables from sticking.
Specialty	Specialty knives can be worth the investment, as they can ease common tasks. The tourne – or bird's beak knife – pictured here is used for peeling fruits and vegetables or making delicate cuts and designs. Other specialty knives include rabbit knives, peeling knives, and boning hooks.
Steak Knives	These can have serrated or non-serrated edges and are useful for cutting steak, poultry, and pork. These usually are for customers but can be used back-of-house in place of a utility knife if necessary.
Japanese Knives	Japanese-style knives include Nakiri and Usuba vegetable knives; Deba, used for filleting fish or cutting meat; Gokujo, used for boning and filleting fish; and Yanagiba, a sashimi knife. Japanese blades are made from hard steel with sharp angles and generally are more specialized in their application.
German Knives	German knives typically are made with softer steel and less angled edges than their Japanese counterparts. This means they aren't as sharp but are more durable and able to withstand heavy use. German knives are known for their weight, making them perfect for chefs who prefer heavier knives.

Knife Materials

The blades and handles on kitchen knives are made from several different materials, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. Read through this rundown of available materials to decide which belong in your kitchen.

• Carbon steel is a combination of iron and carbon, although it can have certain percentages of other elements as well. Knives made with high carbon steel are made with steel that contains higher amounts of carbon, producing a harder blade. Carbon steel is known for maintaining a sharp edge for a long time while requiring more maintenance than other materials because it can stain and rust.
• Stainless steel is famously rust resistant and low maintenance, which makes it a popular material. However, it doesn't hold its edge as long as carbon steel. Some manufacturers use high-carbon stainless steel blades, which offer the benefits of both materials.
• Ceramic is another popular blade material because it is lightweight, can maintain an edge, and doesn't rust. It isn't as durable as its steel counterparts and can be used only to cut softer ingredients.

Handle Materials

Knife handles vary wider in their construction than blades. Traditionally, they've been made with wood, which can be a poor material for commercial kitchens because it must be maintained and can harbor germs. Knives meant for use in commercial kitchens are more often made of durable materials that are easier to clean and may be enhanced with nonslip or antimicrobial properties. These materials include plastics such as polypropylene, santoprene, nylon, and other polymers; metals such as titanium and stainless steel; or composite materials such as G10.

HACCP color-coded knives, which include chefs' knives, utility knives, and bread knives, are also available for commercial kitchens. These can prevent cross contamination in your kitchen, which protects your customers, your food quality, and perceptions of your food.