There are many different types of knives, serving many different uses.
However, a knife is basically a sharp blade inserted into some sort of handle. This can be further categorized as being a fixed blade or a folding blade.
Knives can be used for many purposes, as weapons, for cooking, etc. Just within cooking knives, there is a huge range:
- Bread knife – this usually has a serrated edge
- Boning knife – used for removing bones from meats and fish
- Carving knife – used to carve roast joints
- Chef’s knife – general all-purpose knife
- Cleaver – used by chefs for hacking through bones, less common in the domestic kitchen
- Coring Knife – a cylindrical knife for removing fruit cores
- Electric knife – a powered knife with two blades, mostly used for carving
- Kitchen knife – any knife used in cooking, e.g. vegetable knife,
- Oyster knife – a short, broad blade knife for opening shells
- Paring Knife – a kitchen knife used for removing peel from fruit or vegetables
- Table Knife – used for eating, may include steak knives, fish knives and butter knives
These are all fixed blade knives. Prices for cooking knives vary as to the quality of the blade and handle. It is well worth buying the best you can afford, as they will stay sharper longer. French knives of all types are very popular.
Handles of knives vary too. Wooden handled knives are nice to hold, but they need caring for. They cannot be put in the dishwasher, and should be oiled to keep them in good condition. For this reason, most modern knives for the kitchen have a dishwasher proof handle made of laminate or stainless steel.
Folding blade knives are characterised by the blade disappearing into the handle. A prime example is the Swiss Army Knife, which has anything from one blade to 87 tools folding into the handle. The owner is always protected from the blades, whereas with a sheath knife, for example, the knife is always visible and needs to be in a protective sheath.
In the weapons line, there is also the flick knife (or switchblade as it is known in the US), commonly used in gang warfare. This knife is sheathed in the handle, but flicks open at the touch of a button. Flick knives have been banned in Britain since 1959, but certain US states still permit these types of knives to be carried, albeit with certain reservations.