Anyone serious about cooking should be using the best equipment they can afford in their kitchen. Using good cookware has a big impact on the finished meal. It is also a pleasure to use. Of all of the implements that are used in the kitchen, chef?s knives may be the most important. They can also be the most expensive, so it is important you know which to use in your own kitchen. In most cases the brands of kitchen equipment that are the most popular with professional chefs are also the most suitable for gourmet cooks to use in their own kitchens, as well.
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Choose a Brand of Professional Chef's Knives
Only a small number of cutlers around the world produce the finest quality kitchen tools favored by commercial chefs. These brands are valued for their durability and the longevity of their cutting edges. Top of the line implements can be very expensive, but buyers can find good quality substitutes that are perfectly suitable for the gourmet home cook.Two German cutlers are considered to make the finest quality knives in the world. These are Wusthof in Solingen, and F. Dick in Esslingen. Both are long-established firms with a history of supplying professional kitchens. Just below these in terms of reputation are Mundial from Brazil, and the Swiss Victorinox, well-known for their Swiss Army Knife. See: Wusthof
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Decide Which Kinds of Blades You Want
What types of blades to buy depends largely on the kinds of cooking you do. Every kitchen knife is designed for specific functions. The classic chef's knife is essential because it is designed to slice and chop most of the produce used in cooking. Short sharp blades, on the other hand, are used to pare and turn vegetables. The flexible blades of filleting and slicing knives are used to debone and portion meats. Serrated edges are necessary to slice bread, and other cutting devices (like melon ballers and zesters) are useful for giving carefully-prepared dishes their best presentation.

Choose Chef's Knives that are Comfortable to Use
These are the most personal tools that any cook uses in the kitchen, so they need to be chosen by each individual to suit their own needs and preferences. When you are shopping for your knives, it is important to physically handle them. This will allow you to judge the weight of the blades, and to find the one that is neither too heavy nor too light for your strength. It will also give you an indication of how well the handle fits into your hand. You should choose the longest possible blades, since they will deal effectively and safely with a variety of cutting tasks. Knives that are too small or too light may require the user to force them, which is the most dangerous thing that can be done with any blade.

Learn Some Basic Knife Work Techniques
Because every culinary tool is designed to do a specific set of jobs, there are right and wrong ways to use them all. Learning a few of the basic cutting techniques lets you take advantage of the individual knife design and leads to the best result possible. It also gives you the confidence that you are using the right tool for the task at hand. Also, the proper techniques are designed to keep your fingers away from the cutting edge. There are many books and online videos that show the proper techniques for handling a chef's knife to use them correctly and
efficiently.See: proper techniques for handling a chef's knife.

Cooking is a favorite hobby that many people find enjoyable and relaxing. The fantastic creations of the world's top chefs are an inspiration to many home cooks, but it is impossible to replicate their results without the same equipment that they use. These top quality kitchen implements can be costly but they are also more practical and durable. Purchasing the highest possible quality gear for your kitchen is a good investment in your longer term enjoyment of the culinary arts that will continue to provide value for years.

Article source: Answers.com​ (​http://www.answers.com/article/260744/the-best-chefs-knives-for-gourmet-cooks)

That whorled Damascus steel, vintage Opinel might look nice above your stove, but every farmer knows a knife's a tool — the proof is in the paring. It's one thing to invest in a quality blade, but even the best require some upkeep. A sharp edge is not only safer, needing less force and resulting in fewer slips and nicks, but will make your prep work a breeze — even enjoyable.

We asked master sharpener Josh Donald of San Francisco's Bernal Cutlery for a few easy-to-follow tips on how to keep your knife block not just pretty, but functional.

1. Choose Your Board Wisely. The board matters as much as the blade. Bamboo, glass, or Corian cutting boards might look nice, but they’ll dull your knife. Instead, look for endgrain hardwood (think vintage butcher block), or dense softwoods like shinoki or cedar.

2. Don’t Scrape the Blade.  Even if you’re using a softer board, try not to move your food around with the knife’s edge; flip it over and use the stronger spine. Scraping the edge, or pressing the middle of the spine as you rock and pivot the blade around, puts lateral stress on the edge, bending and dulling it over time.

3. Avoid the Dishwasher.  “There’s no such thing as a dishwasher-safe knife,” Donald says. Not even stainless steel is completely stain-proof, especially in a dishwasher’s hot, caustic maw. Use a soapy brush and plenty of care (no secret knives lurking in the bottom of a sudsy sink), then dry immediately and store in a knife block or magnetic strip, not a crowded dish rack or, god forbid, a free-for-all drawer.

4. Avoid Shoddy Sharpeners.  Those “get sharp now!” edgesmiths parked at your farmer’s market might seem tempting, but when your knife feels past its prime, Donald says, “be wary of guys in trucks.” They’ll grind and buff an edge in seconds, but that rough spinning stone will chew away years of steel, leaving a line of big, jagged, crooked teeth that will bend or break off all too easily. Ditto those steel sharpening sticks you see chefs whipping their knives down on TV. Most are too coarse — meant to hone a quick edge, not slowly build a durable blade.

5. Sharpen Often, Sharpen Well.  So how should you sharpen? “It’s not an easy thing to sharpen well,” Donald cautions — hence his skepticism of speedy smiths — “expect a long learning curve.” But if you’re using your knife hard every day, you should give it a weekly run on a whetstone. Get a 3,000–8,000-grit Japanese whetstone, and make sure to practice your technique on a good knife. “People think they should learn on old, dinged-up blades so they don’t ruin them, but that 35-year-old Henckels will be much harder to sharpen than a new blade,” Donald says. “It’s easier to keep it sharp, than get it sharp.”

Some general advice: don’t be swayed by those Damascus-steel swirls.

For most cooking — e.g., dicing veggies, slicing up boneless meat and fish — a classic 6-10-inch chef’s knife is all you need. Even so, the choices can be daunting. Some general advice: don’t be swayed by those Damascus-steel swirls. “It’s just decorative,” Donald says. And remember that smaller brands might offer better deals than the “four horsemen” — Henckels, Shun, Global, and Wusthof — which are selling a name, not just a knife. Untreated carbon steel sharpens more easily, but demands more care; Japanese steel is harder and finer, but more brittle (nick a bone and you might chip your edge); French and German steel is a bit softer and more forgiving. Donald likes Japanese, but warns that their knives go by many names, so know what you’re buying — they call the chef’s knife a “gyuto.” His picks:
“For around $100, a good entry-level knife is the Sakai Kikumori Nihonkou series, if you want carbon steel, or the Ohishi VG5 for stainless. They’re both very hard, with a lot of finesse for dicing veggies, but hold a good edge and sharpen well. The next level up — $200-275 — would be the Ashi Hamono. It’s very thin and light, amazing for vegetables, and easy to sharpen. The Ohishi Aogami Super is stainless clad with a carbon core. It’s good if you’re not sharpening your knives yourself — it has a really long edge life.” - Shared from http://modernfarmer.com/2015/01/getting-edgy-knife-tips-master-sharpener

Other related posts:
Knife sharpening tricks
Getting the right knife for your cooking




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To be able to quickly glide through the meat or vegetables that you are cutting with more power, you must have a sharp knife. The simplest way to sharpen the kitchen knife is with a whetstone. Ceramic models require higher maintenance, however they remain sharp for a longer time and are stain resistant. 

The main benefit about knife sets is that they consist of numerous knives that are meant for specific usages. Remember to look at a knife for high quality not solely in the cutting blade, but the handle and not to mention the material it is crafted from. No experienced chef would be able to deliver the results without kitchen knives; these are a necessity for the cooking and a crucial tool to make the task simpler. The blade of the boning knife is often tempered to get it really hard for it to endure scuffs against stiff substances, such as bone. 

A nicely balanced, fully forged knife comprises some sheets of folded steel and then gradually sharpened up until it is good to be used. When working with a kitchen knife, don't forget to put safety before anything else. A fully forged carbon knife may be the best quality knife on the market. You will find various knife designs subject to the role of each knife and so you need to consider if a single specific type of knife is essential for your needs.