Learn to identify the different parts of your kitchen knife

Just as a car racer needs to know well his car to be able to perform at his best, a cook should also know well his kitchen knives. You might know that a knife has a blade and a handle, but that's a very simplistic view of the anatomy of a knife. In fact, within the blade and the handle there are specific parts that are important to know and identify especially when choosing a new knife to buy. Let us give you a brief explanation of each of these parts using the image above as a reference:

Parts of the blade

Tip / Point: This is the part of the blade that is the farthest from the handle. In fact, the tip is final section of the blade, and the point is the exact point (hence its name) where the blade's edge and spine meet each other coming to an end. The point is the part that you would use for making a hole, and the tip could be used for doing fine cutting of ingredients such as spring onions. 

Edge: The sharp part of the blade; this is the part that you use for cutting most of your food ingredients. In most Western kitchen knives, blades have a V-shaped edge that can be sharpened on both sides. However, in some Japanese knives, the blade's edge is single-beveled, which means that it can cut only from one side, thus the knife can be used only by a right or left handed cook (depending on the model).

Spine: It is the thickest part of the blade, which is located at the opposite side of the blade's edge starting at the bolster and ending at the point. As a general rule, the thicker the spine the stronger the blade is.

Heel: The lowest part of the blade which is the closest to the knife's handle. It is the starting point of the edge, which comes to an end at the blade's point.

Finger guard: This part is located at the rear of the blade (assuming that the tip is the front). As its name suggests, its main function is to provide protection for your fingers when you are holding the handle. Indeed, the larger the finger guard is the least would be the risk of getting cut with the edge.

Parts of the handle

Bolster: It could also be argued that it is in fact part of the blade. To be honest, it is actually in between the blade and the handle; it is the part that joins both sides. In most cases, this part is made of a different material from that of the blade and the handle, thus it is quite visible. However, there are also kitchen knives where there is no apparent bolster as the handle is made of stainless steel and so the blade seems to be simply a continuation. Such is the case for the Sabatier Fuso Nitro knives.

Rivets: Also known as handle fasteners, these are the metallic "dots" that you sometimes see on the handle. They are what hold the handle to the tang of the knife. It is important to know that not all knives have rivets, but for those who do, the presence of rivets usually guarantees solidity for the handle.

Tang: This is the metal inside of the handle that serves as its "backbone." The tang can be full or partial. A full tang extends all the way until the end of the handle, whereas a partial tang stops somewhere in the middle. Knives with full tang, such as the ones from the Sabatier Ideal range, are more robust and have a better balance, as they allow cooks to apply more force upon the blade when cutting food.

Butt: Its name speaks for itself, doesn't it? It is the back end of a kitchen knife. In the case of many kitchen utensils and even some sharpening steels, this part of the handle has a hole that allows you to hang the utensil in your kitchen to always have it at the reach of your hand.

And there you have it. Now that you've finished reading this article, you can now brag in front of your cooking peers about your new developed knowledge about the parts of a kitchen knife (but please remain humble). If there is something that you didn't understand or anything else that you'd like to know, please do not hesitate to contact us, and we'll be glad to help you with your inquiries.

Now that you know the parts of a knife, it will be easier to choose the right knife for your kitchen: