serve different purposes. Here are the main features
of most knives:
- The Cutting Edge is the sharpened, honed edge of
the blade. It should be razor sharp—a well-
sharpened knife will literally be able to take the
hairs off your arm (don’t try it). Chef’s knife
blades come in varying degrees of curvature,
designed for various tasks, such as slicing or rock-
chopping. - The Back, or Spine, is the long side opposite the
sharp blade. This is where you hold your non–knife
hand when rocking the knife back and forth for
rapid mincing. It can also be used as a makeshift
bench scraper for moving pieces of food around on
your cutting board (you should never do this with
the cutting edge—it’ll dull it). - The Tip is the sharp point at the end of the blade.
It’s used primarily for precision work. - The Heel is at the bottom of the blade. In many
Western-style knives, the metal thickens
significantly at the heel. This is to make it easier to
grip the knife using the blade grip (see here). - The Bolster is the part of the blade that meets the
handle. It is thick and heavy, providing a good
balancing point for the blade and the handle. In a
well-balanced knife, the center of mass should be
somewhere near the bolster, so that you can rock
the knife back and forth with minimal effort. - The Tang is the extension of the blade that runs