Materials    Knife blades can be manufactured from a variety of materials, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. 

Carbon Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, often including other alloys such as vanadium and manganese.   A typical carbon steel blade is very inexpensive, and can be very sharp, and hold its edge well.  Some professional cooks, particularly those in Asia, are partial to carbon steel blades because of their reasonable cost, cutting power, and edge-holding ability; others find these advantages outweighed in the kitchen by the extra maintenance required, as these blades must be cleaned, dried, and lubricated after each use.

Stainless Steel is an alloy of iron, approximately 10-15% chromium, possibly nickel, and molybdenum, with only a small amount of carbon.  These knives cannot take as sharp an edge as carbon steel, though most are highly resistant to corrosion.  The thin, flexible, shiny blades common in cheap kitchen knives are typically made of low-carbon, inexpensive stainless alloys. They are difficult to sharpen, so they are often made with serrations, which slows dulling and enables them to cut adequately when they do become dull.

High Carbon Stainless Steel normally refers to higher-grade, stainless steel alloys with a certain amount of carbon, and is intended to combine the best attributes of carbon steel and ordinary stainless steel. High carbon stainless steel blades do not discolor or stain, and maintain a sharp edge. 

Laminated blades attempt to use the best of multiple materials by creating a layered sandwich of different steel alloys.  Such knives are a modern descendant of the ancient Japanese San-Mai sword-making process, sometimes known in the West as Damascus steel. Frequently a harder, more brittle steel is sandwiched between two softer, tougher steel alloys, so that the blade combines the attributes, to some extent, of both metals.  In more expensive Japanese San-Mai kitchen knives, a carbon steel core (usually of a chrome vanadium cobalt alloy) may be laminated with outer layers of alternating hard and soft stainless alloys (up to 65 or more), in order to reduce vulnerability to corrosion while maintaining strength and flexibility.

Titanium is metal that is lighter, more wear resistant, and more flexible than steel, but also less hard and it will not take as sharp an edge. But carbides in the titanium alloy allow them to be heat-treated to a sufficient hardness. Titanium does not impart any flavor to food. It is typically expensive.

Ceramic blades are incredibly hard blades; so hard that they will maintain a sharp edge for months or years with no maintenance at all. Like titanium, they do not impart any taste to food and are immune to corrosion. On the other hand, although ceramic blades can be sharpened on silicon carbide sandpaper or many grinding wheels, it is difficult enough that they are usually professionally sharpened.  They are hard enough to cut through glaze on dinnerware, so they should only be used on cutting boards. Further, although they are hard, ceramic blades are also very brittle, and will chip if struck against hard objects, or even sharpened improperly.

Plastic blades are not very sharp at all. Their primary use is for cutting through vegetables such as lettuce without causing them to discolor (a steel knife will cause the cut edges of lettuce to turn black.) Plastic knives can cut skin, especially wet skin, but will not penetrate far into flesh, a boon for cooks. They cannot scratch dinnerware or cutting boards. 

Forged blades are made in an intricate, multi-step process. A chunk of solid or powdered steel alloy is heated to a high temperature, and pounded while hot to temper the steel, restructuring the molecular structure of the alloy. After forging, the blade is polished and sharpened. Forged blades are typically thicker and heavier than stamped blades, an advantage in some situations. Forged blades are often considered superior to stamped blades, and are often preferred by chefs.

Stamped blades are cut to shape directly from cold-rolled steel, heat-treated for strength, then ground, polished, and sharpened. Stamped blades lack the benefits of the molecular restructuring and resultant hardness brought by forging, but they are cheaper to produce, and often perform very well for many cooks.  As the quality of rolled steel improves, they may approach the quality of forged blades. Stamped blades can often be identified by the absence of a bolster.

Edge  

The edge of the knife can be sharpened to a cutting surface in a number of different ways.

Flat Ground blades have a profile that tapers from the thick spine to the sharp edge in a straight or convex line. They are heavier and tougher than a hollow-ground knife.

Hollow Ground blades have concave, beveled edges that are ground starting midway down the blade, instead of at the spine. The resulting blade has a thinner edge, so it may have better cutting ability, but it is lighter and less durable.

Serrated Blade knives have a wavy, scalloped or saw-like blade. Serrations make knives ideal for cutting things that are hard on the outside and soft on the inside (such as bread or tomatoes) that might otherwise be ruined by a slightly dull knife with a plain, flat-ground edge. They are also particularly good on fibrous foods like celery or cabbage.  Serrated knives cut much better than plain edge blade knives when dull, so they may go longer without sharpening.  However, they require specialized equipment and a different technique in order to resharpen them.  Serrations are often used to improve the cutting ability of a less-expensive, soft stainless alloy blade.  For this reason, some professional chefs recommend buying at least a moderately-priced serrated knife made of high-carbon stainless, as these knives will inevitably dull and have to be replaced or resharpened.

Granton Edge does not refer to the edge of a blade, strictly speaking. Granton edge or kullenschiff blades have a number of hollow scallops machined into one or both sides of the blade above the edge. These are normally found on meat carving knives, but have recently appeared on other types of knives, especially Western copies of the Japanese Santoku.  The granton edge improves the cutting and separation of sliced meats, cheese, and vegetables.  Because the scallops tend to weaken blade strength, granton edges are normally found only on knives made of softer and less expensive single alloys of stainless steel.

Handle 

The handles of kitchen knives can be made from a number of different materials, each of which has advantages and disadvantages.

Wood handles provide good grip, and most people consider them to be the most attractive. They are, however, slightly more difficult to care for as they must be cleaned more thoroughly and occasionally treated with mineral oil. Most wood handles, especially those of ordinary varnished hardwood, do not resist water well, and will crack or warp with prolonged exposure to water. They should be hand-washed for that reason.

Plastic handles are more easily cared for than wooden handles and do not absorb microorganisms. However, plastics may also be less resistant to ultraviolet damage and may become brittle over time, resulting in cracking. Some plastics are also slippery in the hand. The material is lighter than most other materials, which may result in a knife that is off-balance or too light for some tastes.

Composite knives are made from laminated wood composites impregnated with plastic resin. Pakkawood and Staminawood are commonly encountered composite wood handles. They are considered by many chefs to be the best choice because they are as easy to care for and as sanitary as plastic, they have the appearance, weight, and grip of hardwood, and are more durable than either. They often have a laminated, polished appearance, and may have intense or varied coloring.

Stainless Steel handles are the most durable of all handles, as well as the most sanitary. Many argue, however, that they are very slippery in the hand, especially when wet. To counter this, many premium knife makers make handles with ridges, bumps, or indentations to provide extra grip. One disadvantage of some all-metal handles is that knife weight usually goes up considerably, affecting the knife's balance and increasing hand and wrist fatigue. 

Types of Kitchen Knives

Also known as a Cook's Knife, the Chef's Knife is an all-purpose knife used for slicing, chopping, dicing, mincing, and many other functions. The blade is curved to allow the cook to rock the knife on the cutting board for a more precise cut.  Most chefs recommend using the largest Chef's Knife that is comfortable in the cook's hands. Larger knives can cut more and are more versatile, but can be more difficult to handle.

Bread Knives are a type of serrated knife, though unlike other serrated knives, they are often simply called a Serrated Knife. The serrations on the blade make it ideal for cutting bread (and other foods with hard/soft composition).

Similar to a bread knife, and arguably a type of bread knife, an Offset Serrated Knife is a knife with a serrated blade and an offset handle that ensures the cook's knuckles will not touch the cutting surface when the blade has cut all of the way through the food.  These knives are particularly popular with chefs.

A Paring Knife is a small knife with a plain-edged blade that is ideal for peeling and other small or intricate work (such as de-veining a shrimp, removing the seeds from a jalapeño or cutting small garnishes). It is designed to be an All-Purpose Knife.  

A Utility Knife is somewhat of a misnomer. It is a medium-sized knife intended for a myriad of cutting duties. However, it is too short and thin for heavier cutting tasks, nor is it well suited to finer chores such as peeling small fruits or vegetables. Many chefs have found that ownership of either a Chef's Knife or a Santoku Knife, and a Paring Knife adequately covers any task suitable to the Utility Knife. 

A Steak Knife is used at the table (as opposed to the kitchen) to cut through especially tough foods, such as meat. It is somewhat like a serrated Utility Knife, though its purpose is different. Most are also decorative, since they are set on the table with the silverware.

A Carving Knife is a large knife that is used to slice thin cuts of meat, including poultry, roasts, hams, and other large cooked meats. A Carving Knife is much thinner than a Chef's Knife (particularly at the spine), enabling it to carve thinner, more precise slices. They are generally shorter and wider than Slicing Knives.

A Butcher Knife is a utilitarian Kitchen Knife. It is used primarily for the butchering and/or dressing of animals.  During the late 1700's to mid 1840's, the Butcher Knife was a key tool for mountain men. Simple, useful and cheap to produce, they were used for everything from skinning beaver, cutting food and fighting. In the 1830's an American company named J. Russell became the major producer of inexpensive, high-quality cutlery. The Butcher Knife soon became a name in every household. Even today, the Butcher Knife is used throughout the world in the meat processing trade. The French Chef’s Knife is a derivation of the Butcher Knife, and is used as a general Utility Knife. Other similar meat-cutting knives include the Carving Knife, which is designed for slicing thin cuts of meat with a scalloped or “granton” blade to improve separation of sliced cuts of meat, and the Cleaver, which is similar to the Butcher Knife, but has a lighter, thinner blade for precision cutting.

A Slicing Knife serves a similar function to a Carving Knife, although it is generally longer and narrower. Slicing Knives may have plain or serrated edges. Such knives often incorporate blunted or rounded tips, and feature kullenschiff or granton edge (scalloped blades) to improve meat separation. Slicing Knives are designed to precisely cut smaller and thinner slices of meat, and are normally more flexible in order to accomplish this task.  As such, many cooks find them better suited to slicing ham, fish, or barbecued beef and pork.

A meat Cleaver is a large, rectangular knife that is used in cutting meat. The blade is very heavy, with a thick spine, enabling the knife to chop through bone and joints with relative ease.  The so-called "Chinese Cleaver" or Chinese Chef's Knife is actually a form of general-purpose Cleaver, most varieties being much thinner in cross-section than the Western meat Cleaver. 

A Boning Knife is used to remove bones from cuts of meat. They have a thin, flexible blade that allows them to get into small spaces. 

A Fillet Knife is like a very flexible Boning Knife that is used to fillet and prepare fish.  

A Ham Slicer is a special type of Slicing Knife, with a long blade and rounded tip, that is offered by some manufacturers. They are specially tailored to cutting ham, as they are generally thinner and more flexible.

The Peeling Knife, also known as a Tourne Knife or Bird's Beak Knife, has a pointed tip that curves downward (towards the blade). They are often used for many of the same tasks as Paring Knives. They can be used to cut decorative garnishes (such as rosettes or fluted mushrooms), slice soft fruits or peel skins or blemishes. They are also used to make a cut known as a "tournée" cut in vegetables such as carrots.

A Decorating/Garnishing Knife is any knife with a decorative blade. The most common pattern is a simple zigzag. Decorating knives are used for making fancy cuts for garnishes and presentation.

A Trimming/Garnishing Knife has a small, curved blade that is shaped somewhat like a Boning Knife. Trimming/Garnishing Knives are ideal for small tasks such as decorating and peeling.

A Fluting/Garnishing Knife has a small blade that is very straight. Fluting/Garnishing Knives are ideal for small tasks such as decorating and peeling.

Soft Cheese Knives are specially designed for slicing soft cheese. They generally have holes in the blade to prevent the cheese from sticking.

Hard Cheese Knives are specially designed for slicing hard cheese. They are sharp, so they can cut exact slices, and often have a forked tip, allowing them to be used as a serving utensil as well.

Parmesan Cheese Knives are specially designed for slicing very hard cheeses. They have very short, thick blades that allow the user to put pressure into the cut.

The Santoku Knife has been called an Asian Chef's Knife in deference to its general utility at a variety of cutting tasks. The Santoku Knife has a straighter edge than a Chef's Knife, with a blunted sheepsfoot-tip blade and a thinner spine, particularly near the point. A true Japanese Santoku Knife is well-balanced, normally flat-ground, and generally lighter and thinner than its Western counterparts, often using superior blade steels to provide a blade with exceptional hardness and an acute cutting angle. This construction allows the knife to more easily slice thin-boned and boneless meats, fish and vegetables. A standard in Asian (especially Japanese) kitchens, the Santoku Knife and its Western copies have become very popular in recent years with chefs in Europe and the United States.

The Sashimi Knife or "Sashimi Hocho" knives are Japanese knives, frequently made of high-carbon steel, that are used to prepare sashimi. They are very long and slender, with 7 to 15 inch blades. There are two styles of Sashimi Knives:  in Tokyo, the blunt-tipped Takobiki is used, whereas the pointed Yanagiba is used in Osaka and somewhat resembles a European Carving Knife.

The Deba Knife or "Deba Hocho" knives are Japanese knives used primarily for cutting fish. They have blades that are 7 to 12 inches long, have a curved spine, and are surprisingly heavy.

A Tomato Knife is a small knife with a serrated blade. Typically about the size of a Utility Knife, Tomato Knives are ideal for cutting through the tough skin and soft flesh of tomatoes.

An Oyster Knife has a short, thick blade that is used to pry open oysters and separate their meat from the shell. Some models have a shield built into the handle that prevents the knife (and hand) from slipping and going too far into the shell.  A Clam Knife is essentially an Oyster Knife, and is uded to pry open clams.

A Grapefruit Knife has a small, slender blade that is ideal for separating the meat of a grapefruit from the peel and inner membranes. The blade is usually serrated, with a blunt tip, and some knives even have a different blade style on each end of the handle.

A Mincing Knife/Rocking Knife, also known as a Mezzaluna (Italian for "half moon"), is a uniquely designed knife comprised of a semicircular blade within a similarly shaped handle. Because they have a highly curved blade, they make a good rocking motion and are ideal for mincing. Some models have two parallel blades to increase their mincing power.

The curved blade of the Tourner/Bird's Beak Knife is used to “tourn” vegetables. (A “tourn” is a seven-sided, football-shaped cut often used as a garnish.) A Tourner/Bird's Beak Knife can also be used to peel vegetables.