How are knives made?

Knives can be forged or stamped.

To create a forged knife a piece of steel, about a centimetre thick, is heated and placed in a knife-shaped mould then pounded by a heavy weight. Excess metal is ground away and the knife is heated and cooled repeatedly (tempered) to strengthen the steel. It is then sharpened and given a handle. This produces a heavy blade.

A stamped knife is cut out of a strip of steel then tempered, sharpened and finished. Stamped knives are thinner and lighter than forged knives. They're generally cheaper but not necessarily inferior: two of the top knives in our test, the Global G-2 and the Victorinox 5.2063.20, are stamped knives.

The anatomy of a knife

1: Blade - wide and gently curving. For chopping and dicing it's used in a rocking motion or pivoted on the point. A blade with a long easy curve is easier to use this way than a blade which curves abruptly to a point.

2: Edge - can be plain ("fine") or serrated. Knives with a fine edge will always give a cleaner cut if they're kept sharp. The small teeth of serrated edges work in a sawing action and you usually have to put more effort into making the cut. They can tear the delicate fibres of meat or fish but are excellent for tomatoes or fresh bread.

3: Spine - a strong spine can be used to break up small bones or shellfish.

4: Bolster - provides heft and balance and stops fingers slipping forward as you chop. It tells you the thickness of the original blank of metal used for a forged knife - the thicker the better. Stamped knives don't have a bolster.

5: Tang - the extension from the blade and bolster into the handle. A "full" tang extends right to the end of the handle, giving it strength and balance.

6: Handle - most are made of hard plastic. Wooden handles may deteriorate with age and aren't dishwasher-safe.