The variety of professional cutlery is abundant, so much so that finding a good quality knife is much more challenging then you would imagine. There was a book written some years ago called The Paradox of Choice, by American psychologist Barry Schwartz, with the premise being that too many choices actually inhibits our decision making. Start shopping for the perfect Chef’s Knife without any recommendations or brands in mind and you may encounter the decision making paralysis described in the book. There are many, many options available from many, many vendors. But if you are ready to jump into the fray, here are the three most important characteristics you’ll want to focus on when making a final selection.
Weight – this is a personal preference, so you’ll need to try several Chef’s knives to find the ideal weight for you. There are many foodservice professionals that believe a hefty chef’s knife cuts though foods easier because it falls with more force. The other side believes that a lighter knife flows more freely allowing you to handle the knife more skillfully. Test out several knives and select the weight that feels best in your hand.
Balance: Much like weight, finding perfect balance is also self-defined. The way to test for balance is to grip the knife by the handle and see how it feels to you. If it feels uncomfortable or unbalanced, where the weight is toward the blade or toward the back of the handle, then the balance is not right for you. A balanced knife will feel right in your hands, where there isn’t too much weight either forward or backward. With an unbalanced knife, you will have to work harder in the kitchen, like steering a shopping cart where one wheel isn’t working right. Side-to-side balance is also an important characteristic. A knife should feel stable when you come down on the blade. If it is unstable or feels like it wants to lean more to one side or the other, it does not have side-to-side balance, and again, you will want to keep shopping. A balanced knife feels good in your hand as your working and let’s you work efficiently.
Size: Does it matter? Yes it does; when selecting your Chef’s knives. The most commonly found sizes of professional Chef’s Knives are the 8” Chef’s knife and the 10” Chef’s knife, although you will see a range from 6” to 12” lengths. An 8-inch Chef’s knife is popular because of its versatility, while the longer blade of a 10-inch Chef’s knife will cut more volume but may feel more daunting or difficult to handle. The shorter s-inch Chef’s knife provides the user a bit of agility with the shorter blade but is not a good fit for cutting larger items like squash or larger cuts of meat.
Once you’ve narrowed down the field of knives to choose from, you need to try them out to make your final selection, looking for weight, balance and the size that best fits your preferences.
