The Anatomy of a Knife

When it comes to kitchen cutlery it's easy to think in simple terms - the blade and the handle. In reality, a knife's anatomy is complex. Here we'll explain the full anatomy of a knife so you can use your kitchen cutlery to its fullest potential. As mentioned, knives are made up of two primary parts, the handle and blade. But, to get a better understanding of how to use your knife, the handle and blade can be broken down into more detail.
Most knife handles are made up of four parts: a finger guard, a knife bolster, a knife tang, and the knife butt. Each of these parts play an important part in your knife's safety and overall performance. The knife's finger guard is designed to add pressure to the slicing motion while protecting your fingers from potential cuts. Many chefs consider the finger guard a part of the bolster because they share the same location, but the bolster serves a different purpose. The bolster provides the knife's strength. It improves the knife's balance, strength, and stability by adding forward-weight from the chef's hand. The knife's tang performs a similar task, but it's more of an extension of the blade. The tang encloses the blade and fuses it into the handle. Look for knives with a tang that extends completely to the knife butt. These knives will likely last longer as they have more strength throughout the entire handle. Lastly, the knife's butt is simply the back end of the knife. You'll find some knife butts that have a hanging hook for a way to store them.
The second part of a knife is its blade. It should be noted, quality cutlery is very sharp. (Public Kitchen Supply recommends investing in a cut resistant glove when dealing with professional knives. Chef Revival's D-Flex Cut Resistant Glove is a great choice.) The blade is the key to a knife's anatomy and it has five key components: the heel, spine, cutting edge, tip, and point. The knife's heel is the farthest away from the knife's point. It is designed for maximum strength and leverage. The heel will help you cut through thick slabs of meat easily thanks to the added pressure. You'll even use the heel of your knife for other uses such as when smashing heads of garlic to get crushed pieces. As the heel of the knife is the largest part and will not bend or break.
The knife's spine is the opposite side of the cutting edge, at the top of the blade. It is smooth and dull. Many chefs use the blade's spine for precision. You can steady your hand with your blade's spine as you chop thin, delicate vegetables or garnishes. Next is the knife's cutting edge, also known as the blade. This is most common part of your knife's anatomy and typically runs from your knife's heel to its tip. Your knife's tip is often thought of as the first third of the cutting edge. Chefs use the tip for exact, delicate cuts. Most culinarians recommend using the tip and the spine of the knife for ultimate precision. Finally, the knife's point; the point is one of, if not the sharpest part of your knife's anatomy. The point is located where the edge and spine meet. Use the point of your knife for piercing meats and other foods to start a cut.
Understanding the anatomy of a knife is an important piece of culinary knowledge for any chef. If you're looking for a knife kit that will aid in many recipes, try the Alfi Knife Kit. This knife kit comes with a bread knife, a sandwich knife, and serrated sandwich bread knife, and a bread scorer. It's an especially great purchase for bakeries. For a classic chef's knife, try the Mercer's Renaissance 10" Chef Knife, which can be a go-to knife for a variety of uses. To check-out all of Public Kitchen Supply's available cutlery, visit our Knives Category at PublicKitchenSupply.com.

Resource: http://www.mercercutlery.com/anatomy-of-a-knife