Chef Master USA's guide to chef's knives and knives provided by Chef Master USA.

Chef Master USA provides high quality chef knives, using high carbon solingen steel, by Hammer Stahl Cutlery.

Chef Master USA would like to provide you with a bit of information about Hammer Stahl Cutlery:
Hammer Stahl Cutlery's focus is to provide world class German Steel Cutlery with exceptional design and superior performance at an affordable price. Hammer Stahl is a premier brand of New Era, Inc, one of the oldest manufactures of cookware in North America. New Era's legacy began as the direct-to-consumer division of the Volrath Company in 1874. In 1981, Donald Henn purchased the consumer division of Volrath, establishing the New Era Cookware Company and thus launched a strong initiative to bring superior products to home kitchens. New Era has served as an innovator in kitchen products from its earliest onset. It introduced the very first 7-ply Surgical Steel Multi-Ply Cookware, the Vita-Seal Whistle System, and was one of the first cookware companies to manufacture induction ready cookware as early as the mid 1980's. New Era primarily focuses on private label and OEM manufacturing, creating cookware for several companies throughout the US and abroad.

Below Chef Master USA has provided a guide explaining why high carbon solingen steel is something you want to look for in your knives.

A good chef’s knife is an essential piece of any kitchen cutlery set. It’s your workhorse. With the way the blade is shaped, a chef’s knife can be manipulated to chop, slice, dice, and mince. Chef Master USA would like for you to think of it as an “all-in-one” knife.

Chef Master USA would like to provide you with some tips on how to do different cuts with your knives. The heaviest part of the blade, near the bolster, is best used for chopping. Slicing and dicing tasks are meant for the middle portion, and the knife’s sharp tip makes quick time of mincing.

What To Look For

Since you’ll be using this knife a lot, don’t skimp on quality. Look for blades that are made from quality materials. Terms like high carbon stainless steel, Solingen steel, and VG-10 are a good place to start. Stainless steel that is “high carbon” will not only be resistant to stain or rust, but it’ll also hold an edge for a very long time, explains Chef Master USA. The term Solingen references a city in Germany that’s renowned for its production of high quality steel, informs Chef Master USA. And in Japanese cutlery, VG-10 is a commonly seen term. This type of steel is easily sharpened and is an excellent strength for basic kitchen chores, just not a lot of heavy chopping.

A forged knife is superior to its non-forged counterpart, points out Chef Master USA. The forging process ensures a strong, sturdy product, since the edge is created during the heating process. Stock knives that aren’t forged are shaped after being heated, which means there’s excess metal coming off the blade.

Chef Master USA would like to shed light on the fact that most quality knife manufacturers will only produce full tang knives. This means that the portion below the blade, or tang, extends fully into the handle. This construction provides better balance, more leverage, and less chance of the knife breaking if overworked.