COOKS KNIVES

Cooks knives can be any kind of knife depending on that the chef or cook maybe preparing.  A chef’s knife is sometimes named a cooks knife.  Cooks knives are also referred to as French knives.
The most popular sizes of cook’s knives are 15cm or 30cm, however larger and smaller sizes are available.  A professional chef would normally use a 25cm cooks knife, where as in the home a 20cm cooks knife is the most commonly used.  20cm cooks knives are the knife typically included in pre-packaged knife block sets.
Cooks knives are arguably one of the most important tools in your kitchen.  Cooks knives can be used for almost any cutting you need to do, from dicing onions or shallots to slicing cabbage or melon. Almost any cutting required can be achieved by using your cook’s knives. 
When choosing cooks knives you should chose the largest cooks knife that is comfortable in your hard.  The larger the cooks knife the more tasks you will be able cover with it.
The santoku kitchen knife is also closely related to the cook’s knife.  It was adapted by the Japanese from the Western cooks’ knife.  The santoku has a straighter edge which is suited for Japanese style chopping rather that cutting in a Western style cooks knife which is used in a rocking motion.  In Japan santoku kitchen knives are rarely used in professional kitchens and are only used in the home.
Good cooks knives are a fantastic investment, so always try to spend as much as your budget can afford.  If you care for your cooks knives properly, they will last you a lifetime.
Cooks knives are ideal for chopping, dicing, chiffonading (a technique used to create long, thin strands of herbs), breaking up garlic cloves, trimming – the list is endless, hence the reason cooks knives are one of the most important tools in your kitchen.
Most cooks’ knives are heavy enough and thick enough to cut through most bones, it is not a great idea, as it could cause damage to the blade of your cooks knives.
As no steel is completely “stainless” your cooks knives will stain, pit or rust if not cared for properly.  Make sure you always rinse any acidic foods (for example tomatoes, mustard, citrus juice or vinegar) from your cooks knives after each use.  Acidic foods will cause your cooks knives to slightly tarnish.  If you cooks knives show signs of tarnishing, just use a non-abrasive metal polish to clean them.
Even if the manufacturers care of use instructions says your cooks knives are dishwasher safe, do not put your cooks knives into the dishwasher.  If your cooks’ knives bang against other items in your dishwasher they will damage your cooks’ knives blades causing them to nick.
To clean your cooks knives simply wipe them with a wet cloth and washing up liquid.  Dry your cook’s knives immediately.  To avoid harming yourself when drying your cooks knives always dry from the spine of your cooks knives to the cutting edge, and from the cutting edge to the point of the cooks knives.
If your cook’s knives have wooden handles it is advisable to apply a little oil to the handle to help maintain the finish on your cook’s knives.  This will also help protect your cook’s knives from moisture damage.
Unless you have a knife tray in your drawers it is not a good idea to store your cook’s knives in your kitchen drawers.  Putting your cook’s knives into the drawer with other kitchen cutlery and utensils could cause irreparable damage to your cook’s knives blade.  You are also more likely to cause injury to yourself as you may not see your cook’s knives when you are reaching into your kitchen drawer.
The best place to store your cook’s knives is in a knife block or on a magnetic knife rack which can be mounted onto your kitchen wall.  If you store your cooks’ knives in a knife block try to find one with horizontal slats so your cooks’ knives do not rest on the edges.
Always remember to sharpen your cooks’ knives.  This can be done by using a sharpening steel, a manual pull-through sharpener, an electric sharpener or a whetstone.  When sharpening your cooks knives with a sharpening steel make sure you are holding the cooks knives at the right angle.  The angle for Western cooks knives is 20 to 30 degrees and for Japanese cooks knives the angle is 10 to 20 degrees.  You do not need to press the cooks’ knife hard against the sharpening steel, the weight of the cooks knife is enough to do the job.
Make sure you use the whole length of the cooks’ knife and steel, this will avoid creating a bow in your cooks’ knives.
After sharpening your cooks knives make sure you wipe off any metal particles which may have come off during sharpening. 
Your sharpening steel will normally have a lifespan of approximately 10 to 15 years, depending on who often you use it. 
If you use a manual knife sharpener to sharpen your cooks’ knives, there are usually two types available: one which has grinding wheels and one with rods.  A good manual knife sharpener with wheels will have two pairs of wheels, one of which is coarse and the other fine.
Rod sharpeners have one or more pairs of rods crossed to make a V, you then run you cooks knives through the V to sharpen them.
There are a number of electrical sharpeners on the market.  Make sure you buy the electrical sharpener which has the angle set correctly for your cooks’ knives.  They operate in a similar way to the pull through sharpeners.  However never leave you cooks knives in an electric sharpener whilst it is running, the high speed of the grinding wheels will damage your cooks knives beyond repair.
A whetstone allows you complete control when sharpening your cooks’ knives, so if often considered the best way to sharpen you cooks knives.  You can choose the angle you wish sharpen your cooks knives.
When using a whetstone do not press down on your cooks knives, let the weight of your cooks knives do the work.  Always remember to sharpen your cooks’ knives from heel to point, this will ensure you do not create a bow in your cook’s knives.
If you keep your cooks knives sharp they are much safer to use than blunt cooks knives.  Less pressure is applied to a sharp cook’s knife than a blunt one.  A sharp cooks knife is less like to slip or twist so you will have more control.
Never test the sharpness of your cooks knives by running your finger along the edge of the blade.  Instead, try slicing a piece of paper to see if your cooks knives are sharp.  A sharp knife will cut right through the paper, leaving a clean cut.
When chopping with your cooks knives a wooden or plastic board is the best material to chop on.  Glass or metal boards may damage your cook’s knives.