Allright, if you have never used a chef's knife before, the task might seem daunting. Chef's knives are a lot larger and sharper then your average potato peeler. But not to worry, using a chef's knife is quite simple. So lets just jump in.

How do you hold a chef's knife?

While just holding the handle might seem the most logical way to hold a knife, but this doesn't give you nearly enough control. The correct way to hold a chef's knife is the 'pinch grip'. Place your index finger against one side of the blade, just ahead of the bolster and your thumb on the opposite side of the blade. Now curl the rest of your fingers around the handle. Tada! the pinch grip.

Now thats you cutting hand taken care of. One hand left to go.

The claw

To make sure you only chop the food on your cutting board, it is imperative that you use the claw grip. Make a claw with your hand and rest the blade against the middle part of your fingers. With the tips of your fingers you can hold the food you are cutting. Using this grip you ensure the safety of your finger tips.

Chopping technique

Now you have perfected your knife holding technique, it's time to actually cut something. The chef's cut, most importantly, take it slow. Get the basic motion down before attempting to speed through a pile of vegetables.

The basic motion is simple. While resting the blade against the middle part of your finger, and resting the tip of the blade on your cutting board move the blade back and forward while simultaneously moving is up and down. Essentially, your hand will describe a circle. While making this motion move your knife along the piece of food you are cutting.

Another good technique to know is the chop. Hold the knife against you fingers as discussed before, and simply move your knife up and down. This is a great technique to chop herbs or small vegetables into very fine pieces.

If you're interested in more things you can do with your chef's knife, we have listed 11 of them here.

Cleaning up

Allright, everything in your fridge has now been reduced to perfect cubes. it's time for the cleanup. Hold your knife under a running tap for a few seconds and if necessary, wipe it of with a non-abrasive sponge or cloth. Then dry it of. Store the knife spine down in a knife block or on a magnet strip.

A couple of quick tips for you to get the most out of your knife.

• Make sure you never put a high quality chef's knife in the dishwasher. The dishwasher is a sure way to encite rust and dull your knife. If your knife does rusts a bit don't be worried, this is normal and be easily be taken care of. Here is how.
• Don't store a knife in a manner it can come in contact with other metal objects, such as a cutlery drawer. This can scratch and dull your knife.
• Don't use a cutting board that is made of very hard materials. Glass or metal cutting boards might seem like a good idea, but the will dull your knife much faster then a wood or plastic cutting board. Secondly, on a hard cutting board your knife is more likely to slip.
• Let the knife do the work. If you find yourself applying excessive force to cut through something, your knife needs to be sharpened. Excessive force leads to knives slipping of cutting boards and hurting you. This is why we say; a sharp knife is a safe knife.
• Don't use the knife's edge to scrape food of a cutting board. This will dull the edge. Instead turn the knife 180° and use the spine of the blade.

The most important thing of all is to make sure you are safe. Using a good chef's knife makes cooking a lot more fun. Make sure it stays fun by being careful with your knife.

In this article we'll look at the differentiating factors between Chef’s knives, let's call it knife anatomy 101. This should help you in choosing the right knife for you. We’ll also explain which choices went into designing our BARE Cookware 8” Chef’s knife.

1. Blade profile

The first thing that separates knives is their shape. The blade profile of a (Chef’s) knife can be rounder or flatter. A rounder blade profile is referred to as having more belly. Works for Chef’s too. A knife with a more pronounced belly is better suited for rocking. A flatter blade edge is better geared towards straight up and down chopping. We have a complete overview of knife types here.

The width of the blade profile is a design choice too. A wider blade offers a wider base for the fingers to rest against. On the downside: a wider blade is heavier, resulting in less speed during fast work.

Lastly a knife blade can be profile tapered, meaning that it gradually gets thinner from spine to cutting edge. This is seldomly used, as the primary bevel accomplishes most of the benefits gained by this difficult to produce geometry design. More on that further down.

2. Spine profiles

Obviously, the thickness of the spine is a defining factor in knife design. A thicker blade is stronger, but heavier. A thicker spine is also more comfortable when pushing down on the spine of the knife. For our BARE Chef’s knife, we have settled on a straight spine thickness of 2.5mm. This allows the knife to withstand all daily cutting tasks without becoming cumbersome.

Besides thickness, the spine of a knife can be shaped to. There are two varieties of knife spine types:

1. The straight spine. Straightforward and functional. The straight spine does not vary in thickness. It offers the most strength and durability.
2. The tapered spine. Here the spine gets thinner from handle to tip. If a blade gradually thins toward the tip this is called a full distal taper. This is especially useful in knives for delicate or fast work. A full distal taper adds significant cost in manufacturing. A drawback of a full distal taper is the decreased strength of the blade near the tip. This means increasing the risk of breaking the tip of your knife should you drop it.

3. The bolster

The bolster is the part that merges the handle into the knife. Structurally, a bolster is not necessary. It can be a very beneficial part to improve the balance of a knife. Some knives come with a full bolster that extends to the heel of the knife. This adds a strong point at the heel of the knife that can then be used to hack through small bones. We’re no fans of the full bolster as it makes sharpening almost impossible.

BARE Knives come with a half-bolster that balances the knife out and increases ergonomics when pinch-gripping the blade. The half-bolster ensure you can easily sharpen your knife yourself. Read more about knife sharpening here.

4. The tang

The tang is the part of the blade steel that extends into the handle. There are two types of tangs.

1. The full tang. Extends fully into the handle. A full tang does not always have to be visible, but almost always is. A full tang provides more weight in the handle and is stronger than a partial tang. It should be noted that this added strength is only beneficial in survival or hunting knives. Kitchen knives should never be strained to the point where such added strength would make a difference.
2. Partial tang. Extends partially into the handle. Japanese knives are traditionally made with a partial tang and no bolster. For kitchen work this construction is plenty strong enough. In the kitchen it is a question of aesthetics and weight balance whether you prefer a partial or full tang.

5. The handle

Where the rubber meets the road. A handle should feel right. This is very subjective. We encourage you to try different types before you buy a knife. A handle should provide good grip, also in wet or oily conditions.

Besides ergonomic, a handle must last. That is why BARE Cookware knives come with a natural hardwood handle. These handles last a lifetime when taken care of. See our hardwood maintenance guide for more info.

Looks

Lastly, there’s look. Though we are very utilitarian here at BARE, we love a knife that just looks good. Additionally: a beautiful product is more sustainable and durable. Because you will care better for a beautiful knife. Beautiful tools do not get thrown out so fast. That is why we have designed our knives to look as they do. We want to make a lasting impression.

In future articles we will dive deeper into edge geometry and grind types. Stay tuned!

Or how to murder a vegetable. Let’s start with some onion-crushing basics. The utility knife. But not the nice 'cheffy' sharp one. This isn't cut an onion the easy way. No, we mean the plastic one pictured below. Feel free to use the edge or spine, makes no difference really.

In our quest for the worst onion-cutting-experience possible this is our weapon of choice. Preferably get one with a blade length smaller than the diameter of the onion you’ll be cutting with it. That way you will have to make each cut twice. Double the work: double the fun!

This excuse for a knife must have been banged around in your kitchen drawer for at least five years. If not, we recommend taking the blade to a brick wall. Get ‘r nice and blunt. We would not want to be able to cut ourselves, or anything else.

Cutting technique

Time is money. And we want to get the most bang for the buck. So, let’s find a way to maximize effort and risk of injury whilst minimizing usable end product. Grab the onion with extended fingers. No bear-claw-safety-first-proper-technique here. Avoid rock chopping. Rather, stab the knife point-first into the onion as that’s the only sharp part left. Then rock and crunch. Try to get the onion to expel as much juice as possible. Crying is mandatory. It’s supposed to be hard. Sheer force of will and character should net you about 1 ‘chopped’ onion every 15 minutes. Cooking is fun.

if only there was a better way...

If you have done any of the above and thought: “If only there was a better way!?”. We are happy you found us! Because cutting an onion properly is so much more than just learning how to cut an onion. It is the gateway to proper cutting technique. And with that it can be the first step towards learning how to cook. Or learning how to cook better.

Now we will not give advice on proper onion cutting technique on this page. The internet is full of it. Just try the first 5 YouTube results for “How to chop an onion”. You’ll be rocking rock-chopping in no time. There’s only one thing we would advise you:

Walk before you run

If you have just picked up your first Chef’s knife: go slow. Or if your knife skills could use a polish: go slower! This does 2 things for you:

1. You can try to perfect the technique with slow controlled motions. Don’t start out with the wrong technique. It’s harder to unlearn something than it is to learn something fresh.
2. You’ll be safer. There’s no point in trying to dice an onion sliver-fine under 5 seconds like Gordon Ramsey. He’s had decades of practice.

The good news: you can practice knife skills and cooking for years to come. We promise you: that’s enough to get good at it. We have listed some basic knife techniques for you here.

How did you know?

That “How to chop an onion” is one of the more popular cooking-related search terms? As is “How to cut an onion without crying”. Goes to show how fundamental a skill chopping a simple onion is. About that crying situation we have good news! All it takes is a sharp knife. A sharp knife will damage less of the onions cells releasing less 'tear jerking oxalic acid'. Secondly, by being able to cut an onion faster, you'll spend less time crying. Last tip, try not to cut to closely to the stem of the onion. If you still let out a few tears: it’s okay. We all cry sometimes.

So, what is the right way?

You didn't think we would just leave you hanging right? Cut an onion in half and lay one half flat on your cutting board. Then, slice the onion starting at the root.

Rotate the onion 90° and make one or two horizontal cuts. Take care to ensure the safety of your fingers.

Finally, in a chopping motion cut the onion into small pieces. The result should be equally sized cubes of onion.

Have we gotten you curious about our chef's knife? Have a look at our 8'' Chef's knife

Ingredient choices

Like a chef can fine tune a recipe by adding or removing ingredients we can fine tune steel alloys to ensure certain characteristics. To make a dish sweeter, you can add sugar. To make steel softer or harder you can add carbon. In its most basic form steel contains iron and carbon. The amount of carbon (C) ranges from 0.02% to about 1.70% for high carbon steels. This includes mild steels and exotic high carbon alloys. For knife steels the usable range is commonly in between 0.30 and 0.85%.

Other elements can be added for certain characteristics. Chromium (Cr) adds corrosion resistance. Vanadium (V) and Molybdenum (Mo) drive grain formation. This results, among other things, in a steel that can be better heat-treated. In a future blog post we will dive into more detail per ingredient and include some more exotic ingredients.  

Cooking technique

Process matters too: searing a steak changes its texture and flavour. Heating or cooling steel changes its characteristics. Just like multiple dishes can be made from the same set of ingredients, a steel can have greatly varying characteristics depending on the way it is processed.

For example: even high carbon steels can have a very low Rockwell-C Hardness rating if they are not quenched and tempered properly. The steel alloy only determines the upper and lower bounds for the characteristics of a knife. Just like a chef can go all sorts of ways with a set of ingredients and equipment, it is up to the knife maker to get the best results out of a certain steel alloy.

Common recipes

Every chef knows how to make basic recipes from basic ingredients. In the same way there are alloys and tempering procedures that every knife maker should know. This helps when you pick a knife. There are a dozen steel types you will commonly see. Their characteristics are well known, and how to process them is standardized.

Just like it is unwise to eat something without knowing the ingredients, don't buy a knife of which you don't know the steel alloy. We advise you to stick to the 'tried and tested' types of steel when starting out: you really cannot go wrong here. Once you know your style in cooking and have a solid grasp on the basics of knife skills and care you might want to branch out into more exotic steel types or boutique handcrafted knives. Or you might not! There is a lot to say for standardization when consistent quality is desirable.

The check please

As any chef will tell you cooking is a balancing act. Just as there is no dish that has the perfect flavour, there is no perfect knife steel. It is about personal preference. The ‘right’ steel type and treatment is very relative. For example: a harder steel will be more prone to rust and cracking. And a hard and rust-resistant steel will cost significantly more. A big part of the balancing act that is alloy composition comes down to cost. Just make sure you understand the trade-offs involved with your steel type of choice before buying a quality knife.

BARE Knives

At BARE Cookware we choose to use X50CrMoV15 steel for our knives. This is a well-known knife steel with excellent corrosion resistance. Our steel alloy contains:

• 0,55% of Carbon
• 15% of Chromium
• 0,8% of Molybdenum
• 1% of Manganese
• 1% Silicon
• 0,04% of Phosphorus
• 0,015% of Sulfur
• 0,20% of Vanadium

In our experience X50CrMoV15 strikes a perfect balance between price, rust-resistance, and hardness. Our knives bolster an impressive Rockwell-C hardness of 58. This hardness ensures our knives are razor sharp and stay that way but are still resistant to chipping or breaking. Can you get a harder steel? Sure, but you'll either compromise on rust-resistance, chip-resistance or pay dearly for it. In future posts we will elaborate on steel characteristics, alloy elements and composition, quenching and tempering methods, and the result of these factors in the final product.

A good quality kitchen knife will last a lifetime. If taken care of properly. Knife maintenance is easy and costs little to no time at all. It’s a matter of habit really. Adopt the right cooking habits and you are rewarded with a tool that stays sharper for longer and will probably outlast you. We have 4 simple tips for basic knife maintenance.

Cutting

To keep your knife as sharp as possible during cutting you should avoid cutting into anything that will dull the knife more rapidly. Because the steel of your knife is hardened it is also more brittle. This means that a knife can chip when abused. Here’s some pointers how to properly use your knife:

• Use the right knife for the right task. Don’t use a Chef’s Knife to hack through bones for example. Use a cleaver for that. Generally speaking, using a knife should not require much force. If it does, than you are probably using the knife for something it wasn’t meant for
• Use the right cutting board. Avoid cutting on anything hard like stoneware, steel, glass, or marble. This will dull the knife or even cause it to chip. Kitchen knives should be used on a soft cutting board. We prefer wooden cutting boards. They look nicer and are better for the planet. But plastic boards work almost as well.
• Do not put lateral pressure on the blade edge. This means: do not push or scrape the blade side to side. This will cause the sharp edge to roll over or chip. Need to scrape something of a board? Use the back of the knife!

Cleaning

The best way to cut down on knife maintenance is cleaning you knives the right way.

• Even though some knives are dishwasher safe, we always recommend you to hand wash your knives directly after use. BARE Knives are NOT dishwasher safe due to the wooden handle.
• Do not let your knife sit for too long with food residue on it. Especially acid foods may cause the blade to stain. Though this can be scrubbed off, it’s better to be avoided altogether.
• To wash your knife simply use some dishwashing detergent and a non-abrasive sponge or brush. Dry the knife carefully. Keep the sharp blade away from you during washing and preferably lay the knife flat on the bottom of the sink. This way you minimize the risk of cutting yourself accidentally during cleaning.

Storing

Perhaps just as important in your knife maintenance routine is how you store your knives

• Store your knives in a dry place so they don’t stain or rust. Even stainless steel knives can rust over time. 
• Keep your knives from banging into other knives or utensils. This would dull the blade. Therefore, do not throw them carelessly into the kitchen drawer. Use a knife block or a magnet strip. (We happen to sell such a magnet strip)
• Most importantly: store your kitchen knives out of reach from children. 

Periodical care

Every once and again you will need to touch up your kitchen knives. Here are a couple things you can to to keep your knives in tip-top shape.

• Sharpening the blade. Eventually every sharp blade will dull with use. You can sharpen the blade yourself or have it sharpened by a professional. You can find more information about the first option here. If you want your blades sharpened by a pro we recommend asking at your local kitchen specialty shop.
• If your blade has a wooden handle: apply oil to the handle. To keep a wooden handle in water resistant it needs to be oiled. We recommend once every two or three months for the first year of use, and once every 6 months every year thereafter.
• After lots of use a little discoloration or rust can form on your knife. Don't worry, this is easily dealt with. Here you can find how.

Like a painter has a brush, a chef has a knife. Of all the kitchen equipment you'll ever own, nothing is more indispensable than a good knife. Most Chefs have an array of knives to choose from. But if only given the choice of one: the Chef’s Knife would be the top pick. The fact that we were able to list 11 cutting techniques speaks to the versatility of the chef's knife.

With this single knife you are able to cut, dice, mince, chop and slice anything from a fine steak to fresh veggies. Whether you are a beginning cook or experienced chef, the most important tool at your disposal is your chef's knife.

So what are some of the things you can do with a Chef's Knife? Let's list some examples! Oh and be sure to check our guide on how to hold the knife safely.

The 'Chef'

Obviously! The most straightforward cutting technique is the 'Chef's chop'. Put the tip of the blade on the cutting board and push the knife through the product. Lift on the backstroke and repeat. This technique takes a little time to master but is essential in any kitchen.

Chop

Simply move the blade up and down. The flat part of the blade near the handle is perfect for chopping. This technique gives a nice straight cut. A more classic approach is to simultaneously move the knife back and forth a little so you are cutting diagonally.

Rock

Rocking is done by placing your free hand on top of the spine of the knife for added control and safety. The upward curve towards the tip of the Chef's knife allows you to lift the handle up without the blade leaving the cutting board. Rocking the knife from heel to tip is perfect for finely cut fresh herbs. It's also a great cut for breaking down hard vegetables like sweet potatoes safely.

Julienne & Dice

The julienne cutting technique is synonymous with high-end kitchens. While not the easiest to perform constantly, a sharp knife goes a long way. When cutting even strips or cubes, you can use the side of the knife to square up your work. This gives you a straight reference to start slicing or chopping while maintaining evenly sizes pieces.

Peel

Yes, even peeling is possible with a Chef's knife. Admittedly: the peeler often works better. But when in a pinch you can move your hand from the handle toward the blade of the knife to gain more control. This takes some skill. When done right is yields a very straight cut. For example when peeling a cucumber.

Fillet

The pointed tip and curved end of the Chef's knife's blade is perfect for filleting fish or deboning meat or poultry. Fish can even be de-skinned by laying the knife flat.

Score

The sharp pointed tip of the chef knife is perfect for piercing and scoring. For example when grilling salmon, scoring the skin yields a crispier result. To score the salmon skin position the knife almost straight up. Push the knife down until the fish skin is just pierced. Don't go to deep. Then drag the tip of the knife toward you to score the skin, keeping the cut shallow.

Mince

Steak tartare? Salmon tartare? Minced meat? Yes, it can be done with a Chef's knife! For a fine mince, use a rocking cut. Simple keep rocking the knife until the result is as fine or course as you want. For a more classic tartar use a slicing technique to get small, even cubes of meat or fish.

Crush

Yes! A chef's knife isn't even limited to cutting. The side if the knife is perfect for cushing! Especially useful for garlic and ginger. Simply place the knife flat over a clove of garlic and smash the side of the blade. Much faster than a garlic crusher. And one less tool to clean.

Bruise

Most aromatics and herbs benefit from being bruised to release more flavor. For this we use the back (or spine) of the knife. For example: to bruise lemongrass, simply hit is a couple times with the spine of the knife to soften it. Same goes for rosemary, sage, ginger, garlic.. you name it!

Grind

Even grinding hard spices can be done with a Chef's knife. Use the side of the blade as mill-stone. To crush pepper for example, place the knife flat over the peppercorns. Push down hard on the side of the knife and rock the handle side to side to start crushing. A trick you can use for this technique is to add some salt as an abrasive to speed things up. We've found the forging pattern on the side of our knives is perfect for this technique.

Just as food is so much more than fuel. A Chef’s knife is so much more than a knife. A great knife feels just right and is balanced. It stays sharp and true. It looks good. It is taken care of with love. A good knife has a soul.

BARE Cookware is about that soul. Because we want to make tools that last. That inspires you to cook better. BARE Knives is about craftsmanship. Because making knives is an art. Just like cooking. Simple, but hard to get perfect.  

This list of cutting techniques is by no means comprehensive, we probably missed a few. While a chef's knife is versatile, some tasks are better suited to specialised knives. Would you like to read more about specific knife types? Continue reading here.

Let’s be blunt: all knives will eventually dull. Even expensive high end high-carbon steel knives eventually need sharpening. Eventually you will need to know more about knife sharpening. We strongly recommend to always use a sharp knife when cooking. Paradoxically: a sharp knife is a safe knife. Blunt knives can slip and offer you less control. That being said: always handle knives with care. Especially when sharpening. 

Safety first

No matter what your sharpening method of choice is, stay safe! Always be weary of the cutting edge of the blade. And as with all skills: learn to walk before you run. Start slowly, move methodically, and don’t rush.

So what are my knife sharpening options?

There are many ways to keep your blades sharp. We listed the most popular options.

1. Have it done for you

Disclaimer: we are knife nuts. We enjoy the art and craft of knife sharpening. We also realize that might not be so for everyone. If you want minimal hassle: have your knives sharpened by a professional. Contact your local kitchen specialty shop and they’ll sure have a service or know a company that does. 

2. Honing/sharpening steels

During use the edge of a blade will “roll over” on a microscopic level. This will cause the blade to be less sharp. When this happens, sharpening isn’t necessary yet. Sharpening removes material and would be a waste at this point. Rather: you can unroll the knife edge and bend it back into shape. This is done by running the blade along another hard material. Usually a honing steel. For the honing steel to work the blade needs to be dragged rather than pushed. Eventually though, sharpening is needed. A honing steel therefor is only a temporary solution, and anyone claiming a honing steel can restore a knife to a razor edge has never used a truly sharp knife.

3. Whetstones

The most popular and easily accessible sharpening tool is the whetstone. They come in different sizes and grits. The finer the grit, the less material the stone removes and the sharper the edge potentially becomes. The coarser the grit, the more material is removed and the faster the stone removes chips or imperfections. 

Knife sharpening on a whetstone is not easy. Especially at first it’s a skill that requires time and practice. However we think it’s a life skill worth learning. Once you become good at sharpening on a whetstone you can sharpen pretty much anything to a razor sharp finish. 

Because using a whetstone results in a razor sharp edge, and is very cost-effective (and honestly it's quite satisfying) it is our favorite method of knife sharpening. But it does take a little practice to get right. There are many in-depth videos on the internet on how to sharpen a knife using a whetstone. We have a quick guide on whetstone sharpening here.

4. Pull through sharpeners

If you want a little more convenience then there are pull through sharpeners. Usually they consist of a rotating ceramic sharpening stone and a slit that you have to pull the blade through. The results are not as good as sharpening on a whetstone. On the upside, pull through sharpeners require zero skill, are easy to use, and get a dull knife usable again in minutes .

5. Sharpening systems

When you want even more control, or don’t want to take the time to practice sharpening on whetstone there are guided sharpening systems. These are designed to take all the guesswork out of sharpening. These systems typically are the more expensive option. However, sharpening systems offer consistent results and may be worth investing in if you want to keep your knives in perfect working order, or have many knives to sharpen frequently.

For more general information on knife care, read this article.