A chef knife is also known as a ‘French knife’ and has a very particular shape for all uses. It has a tapered and broad shape with a fine pointy sharp edge. The blade of the chef knife ranges from between 6 to 12 inches. However, the width of the chef knife is a 1-½ inch that is considered the average width required. 

How To Take Hold Of A Chef Knife

Before cutting any food item, we must have some know-how of holding the chef knife correctly. There is always an accurate manner to hold a non-knife and a knife-hand.

For A Non-Knife Hand

• Firstly, you have to curl your finger in the case to avoid accidental cuts on your fingertips. 

• Put your little finger and the thumb behind the other curled up fingers.

• Evading the edges of the blade, you need to put the side of the blade in between the knuckles of your non-knife hands. By holding this way, the blade won’t be falling or coming in between your fingers. This will help you from unintentionally puncturing your hands. Also, you can measure each side of the cut as your preference.

• Now, you can move your hands in the backward position on the food after cutting each slice and repeating the same method.

• To cut the food with cleanliness, you need to cut it downwards in a rocking motion. The knife should start cutting from the tip to the end of the knife blade.  

For A Knife-Hand 

• To have better control and precision over the knife while cutting, you need to hold it in a very good manner. You have to grip the blade just beyond the handle very tightly with your first finger and thumb.

• If you are mincing or chopping garlic and some bunch of herbs. For that, you need to hold the knife very firmly with one hand and the other hand should be holding the blade from the top to apply pressure while cutting.

• Usually, the tip of the blade is held in contact with the cutting board. The other edge of the blade is used in up and down motion until the cutting isn’t over.

• Trying to cut the fruits and vegetables without slipping them from your hands? Cut them into half and then start chopping them. This will help anchor them rigidly on the board without creating any mess. 

Which Size Of Chef Knife To Prefer

According to Doherty, Food & Health Communications, there is a range of different french knives to use for different purposes. However, if you are looking for a chef knife with which you want to cut herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Always pick for an 8-inch french blade knife. That is perfect to fit in your hands and will help you slice small food items very fluently.

Particularly, for large food items to cut like cantaloupe or watermelon. Doherty recommends you to have a 10-inches chef knife that has a serrated edge. This kind of knife is perfect and safer to use. You can have a sturdy grip on its handle and on the other hand, you can rest your hand on the spine of the blade. Doherty warns that using a small knife while cutting something big makes it difficult yet dangerous. By the way, going through the kitchen knife buying guide by KnifeAdvice is recommended for everyone who wants to buy any knife for kitchen use. 

Precautions To Follow 

To help make your knife work in the long terms, you need to keep a few things in mind:

• There are many knife companies that advise their users to prevent washing the knives in a dishwasher. Washing the knives and then leaving them wet makes the blade more prone to rusting over time. Also, the handle starts to lose its grip. It is always recommended to dry the chef knives right after they are washed. 

• Always sharpen the knife very carefully following the instructions given by the manufacturer. It is beneficial to use a sharp knife then using a knife with a dull blade. A dull blade is risky to cut with.

• Avoid the usage of hard cutting boards like glass boards. These hard boards are very tough on the knife blade and make the edges of the blade very dull. Try having soft cutting boards like plastic polythene cutting boards. These are much easier boards to cut on than the hard ones. 

• Always store your knives in a proper knife storage block. This will keep the different knife blades away from each other. This method will avoid having scratches and dull edges. So, always have proper storage than throwing the knives altogether. 

Conclusion

Hope these guides helped your way out to know what and how the chef knife is used. It is no doubt that the one particular knife that helps in all the chores of the kitchen is the chef knife. We tried our best to provide you the advice that could help you.