But a 7-inch
There is no restriction on the blade length of a fixed blade in California so long as it is in a sheath and open carried.
Understanding Chef Knife Sizes
For most home cooks, a 6 to 8-inch knife is ideal, offering better control and maneuverability. This size is perfect for slicing fruits, vegetables, and most meats you'll prepare at home. If you have smaller hands, a 6 to 7-inch knife might be more comfortable.
The most popular length of a chef knife is 6-8'' (15-20 cm) long, which is perfect for 99% of your knife duties and is easier to maneuver and control. Professional chefs prefer 10-12'' (25-30cm) because they can handle more food prep at a time but they are heavier and harder to use for the untrained user.
Purposes - As general-purpose knives, both santoku and gyutou are good for similar purposes. Mincing, dicing, chopping and thin slices of vegetables. Slicing and cubing raw meat and slicing and portioning cooked proteins.
The knife length is too short for the majority of the prep work we need to do at the restaurant. But a 7-inch Santoku is ideal for home use, and therefore the Santoku is sometimes called the housewife knife suitable for meat, fish, and veggies.
The heavy-duty Mercer Culinary 12-Inch Granton Edge Cimiter is my top pick, thanks to its low cost, large size, and sharp blade. It's a versatile knife for boning, slicing, and chopping almost any type of meat.
Carbon steel blades are also well-known for having high wear resistance, which enables them to keep their edges sharp for longer than stainless.
There is no knife more essential than a chef's knife. The ultimate multipurpose blade, it can do just about anything that needs to be done, whether you're chopping an onion or carving a roast. If, for some reason, you have space for only one knife in your kitchen, this is the one to get.
Most survival knives fall within the range of 6 to 12 inches. Any less and it might not be big enough to do the things you will have to get done in a survival situation, like chopping wood. Larger knives are usually better for chopping wood.
Each has its rhythm: the Santoku, with its slender blade, makes precision cuts ideal for slicing veggies or dicing onions; while the chef's knife, with its curved edge, is perfect for quick chopping tasks. Your preference might hinge on cooking style or hand size.
If you have smaller hands or a compact kitchen, opt for knives with blade lengths between 6 and 8 inches. The santoku knife is an excellent choice for its versatility and ease of use. For home cooks with average-sized hands and kitchens, knives with blade lengths ranging from 8 to 10 inches are ideal.
Butterfly knives, also known as balisong or fan knives, are considered switchblades under California Penal Code sections 21510 and 17235 PC. These knives have blades concealed inside handles that are secured by a latch and can be flicked open with one hand.
The blade must be longer than 12 inches, and it must be an item or “instrument” designed for the purpose of offense or defense. In other words, for the knife to be a “weapon,” it must have a blade longer than one foot.
A dirk is a long-bladed thrusting dagger. Historically, it gained its name from the Highland dirk (Scottish Gaelic dearg) where it was a personal weapon of officers engaged in naval hand-to-hand combat during the Age of Sail as well as the personal sidearm of Highlanders.
There are three primary knives that every home cook should have in their kitchen: a chef's knife, a serrated knife (also called a bread knife), and a paring knife.
It is seen as one of the most important knives to have in the kitchen, coming second only to gyuto (the Japanese version of the Western chef's knife). In basic terms, a petty knife is a preparation knife that gets the ingredients ready for the use of a larger knife such as a santoku, bunka, gyuto, or sujihiki.
Knives with an Obsidian blade are considered the sharpest in the world, but this material is not fit for making kitchen knives as they're extremely coarse and brittle.
Gordon Ramsay
Ramsay likes Henckels knives. This is a German brand known for their toughness and bulky blades.
Always keep your knife dry and clean! Hand wash with warm soapy water. No abrasive sponges. Never put your knife in the dishwasher or leave it soaking in water.
Bread knives are used for cutting bread and are one of many kitchen knives used by cooks. The serrated blades of bread knives are able to cut soft bread without crushing it.
A serrated blade could be a good choice if you use your steak knives solely for hearty steaks and chops. A steak knife with a straight blade is essentially a paring knife, a more versatile option you can use on any kind of meat, fruit, or vegetables accurately.