The first knifes used in the Stone Age were made of either flint orflint or rock, their edge was chipped or ground, and they sometimes, but not all the time, had a handle. With later advances in smelting and metallurgy, blades were able to be made of bronze, iron, and even steel. Although time has changed the materials that are used, a knife’s basic design still remains very much the same.
As previously stated, a knife is composed of a blade and a handle, as well as a tan. The tang is known as a blade’s extension into the handle. Some knifes also have an attached handguard so that a person, while using the knife, won’t have his/her fingers slip onto the blade’s edge, therefore resulting in an injury.
The groove that is found alongside of the blade actually has a name. It’s called the fuller, also known as a blood gutter and/or blood groove. Myth has said that the fuller is used to allow an artery to bleed without having to remove the knife. However, the reality is that a fuller is used to make both knifes and sword lighter without having to sacrifice any large amounts of strength. In fact, on most knifes, a fuller is used solely for decorative purposes.
Also, a blade’s groove allows for surface tension reduction that can occur between a blade and whatever is being cut. This means that both easier movement and also removal of the blade is allowed.
Another feature of a knife is its shoulder. This is where the blade thickens to meet the handle. This is most commonly seen in kitchen knifes. It keeps the knife from any kind of jamming, for example when cutting into the bone of a chicken. It also allows for the chopped item to stay stationary and not move back toward the person’s hand while chopping with kitchen knifes.
Kitchen knifes are the most commonly used type of knife today. It seems that everyone who has a kitchen has at least one, although many of us have several that are used for many different purposes.
One of the most commonly known of the kitchen knifes is the French knife, also known as a chef’s knife. It has a broad, tapered shape with a fine edge that is great for things such as chopping vegetables.
A slicing knife, with its long and narrow blade, is used to cut through things such as cooked meat.
Those kitchen knifes that feature scalloped edges are perfect for slicing those foods that are softer, such as tomatoes, bread, and cakes.
One of the most used of the kitchen knifes is the smaller paring knife. A paring knife has a short, pointed blade that is very easy to handle. It is mostly used for quicker jobs such as peeling and removing cores.
Other kitchen knifes are used for table service. These are usually named after the service they provide such as a dinner knife, luncheon knife, fish knife, butter knife, and the popular steak knifes.
