Your Guide to Selecting Perfect Kitchen Knives

One of the most essential tools in the kitchen is a sharp, well-balanced knife. What makes a good knife? How do you choose the right one for your needs? Follow our guide illustrated with Mercer Culinary knives.

What features make for the best knife for your kitchen?

Even if a chef can do almost all his cutting work with a good chef's knife, using the right knife to do a specific job is less tiring, more efficient and will produce better results. Which ones should you pick? 

Forged or stamped knives?

While a forged knife is made from a single piece of steel, heated and then hammered, a stamped knife features a blade cut from a large sheet of steel, then sharpened and heat-treated for durability.

A forged knife is generally heavier and stronger than a stamped knife, although the line can sometimes be blurry. In contrast, a stamped knife will be lighter and more flexible, and therefore more resistant to splintering and breaking. The important thing is to choose according to how you feel when you hold it, but also according to its use and your budget. Some people prefer the latter to the former, and vice versa.

Blade edges

There are 4 main types of blade edge for professional food service knives, each with its own specific use:

• Straight: a classic edge with two sloping sides, often used for chef's knives.

• Serrated: resembling a saw, this configuration is ideal for cutting foods that are hard on the outside and soft on the inside, such as bread, citrus fruit, watermelon, etc.

• Scalloped: its rounded edges are used for cutting bread and as slicing knives.

• Granton: incorporates scallops for clean cutting, preventing the product from sticking to the surface of the knife blade.

All these types of knife edge are available from our partner Mercer Culinary. 

Blade hardness

Rated on the Rockwell C (HRC) scale, the harder your knife blade, the more resistant it is to shock and wear. It will therefore retain its sharpness and precision for longer. On the other hand, harder blades have a more fragile edge and are harder to sharpen (though less frequently). With lower blade hardness, it's impossible to achieve a razor-sharp edge, but your knife will be more resistant to impact. It's all a question of selecting the right knife for the job. 

The performance of Mercer Culinary knives

Mercer Culinary knives are sturdy, solid, sharp, and well-balanced, making them ideally suited to intensive use in the professional kitchen. 

Mercer Culinary knives are reasonably priced, yet offer excellent results. The brand's product offering is constantly evolving to adapt to the feedback the brand has received over time, so it can always offer you the best products.

Mercer Culinary knife highlights

• Comfortable handles

• Sharp blades 

• Balanced

• Sturdy

• Affordable price points

Mercer Culinary knife collections — elegance and performance in every cut!

BPX

The complete range of Mercer Culinary butcher knives takes performance to new heights. Specially designed to withstand the rigors of intense butchering, these knives guarantee clean, precise cuts, use after use.

Their high-carbon German steel blade is cryogenically hardened for greater strength. The BPX range's ergonomic, textured, fiberglass-reinforced nylon handles ensure a secure grip and incredible durability.

Choose the blade hardness that's right for you from Mercer Culinary's BPX knife range and enjoy its pleasant grip and everyday efficiency. 

Millenia

The Millenia range of knives incorporates innovative features and unrivaled performance to meet the demands of today's chefs and professionals. Benefit from the power of high-end Japanese steel, for easy blade maintenance and rapid sharpening for a razor-sharp edge. Handles made from Santoprene for comfort and polypropylene for durability.

Millenia Colors: The colored handles on Millenia Colors knives allow better application of HACCP food safety practices.

Damascus

Magnificent knives with razor-sharp Super Steel blades in Damascus style for unrivaled performance and style.

And so much more! 

Mercer Culinary knives, a fine addition to our inventory

The Mercer Culinary brand of knives is a real addition to our inventory, offering food service professionals in Quebec and across the country a unique opportunity to access first-class cutting tools at an affordable price. We're confident that these professional knives will quickly become the preferred choice of chefs and professional cooks looking for unrivaled performance.

Explore our selection of Mercer Culinary knives today and discover culinary excellence redefined! At Atelier du Chef, we're proud to bring you the best brands to equip your professional kitchen.

Explore the full range of Mercer Culinary knives!