Identify Parts of a Knife

Kitchen Knives

• A knife is a vital tool in a chef's kit, used for various food prep tasks.
• Parts of a modern knife:
  • Blade
  • Handle
  • Point (end of the knife for piercing)
  • Edge (cutting surface extending from point to heel)
  • Grind (cross-section shape of the blade)
  • Spine (thickest section of the blade)
  • Fuller (optional groove to make the blade lighter)
  • Ricasso (optional flat section at the junction of blade and bolster or guard)
  • Guard (optional barrier between blade and handle to prevent hand slipping)
  • Hilt or butt (end of the handle for blunt force)
  • Lanyard (optional strap to secure the knife to the wrist)

Types of Kitchen Knives

• Chef Knife (most versatile, a must-have in every kitchen)
• Utility Knife (mix between chef knife and paring knife)
• Cleaver (for breaking down meat, bones, and dense foods)
• Paring Knife (lightweight, short blade with a pointed tip for delicate work)
• Butcher Knife (long, curved blade with a sharp point for cutting through meat)
• Bread Knife (long, straight blade with a serrated edge for sawing soft items)
• Boning Knife (narrow or wide blade, flexible, semi-flexible, or stiff options for cutting meat)
• Oyster Knife (essential for shucking oysters)
• Carving Knife (long, narrow blade that tapers to a sharp point for slicing)
• Cheese Knife (small, for slicing and portioning cheese)
• Santoku Knife (Japanese-style, wide, straight blade with a curved spine)
• Nakiri Knife (Japanese-style, thin, lightweight, rectangular blade with a straight edge)
• Tourne Knife (short, curved blade, mimicking a bird's beak)
• Breaking Knife (type of butcher knife for cutting large sections of meat)
• Cimeter Knife (type of butcher knife, similar to breaking knife)

Table Knives

• Butter Knife (short, broad shape, dull, rounded edge for spreading butter)
• Steak Knife (similar blade length to dinner knife, serrated edge, and pointed tip)
• Fish Knife (invented in the Victorian era, specialized for soup course, fish course, and meat course)
• Dinner Knife (standard knife for breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
• Dessert Knife (smaller than dinner knife, for dessert courses)

Philippine Knives

• Balisong (also known as Butterfly Knife, Fan Knife, or Batangas Knife)