Monday we started off the cutlery series by announcing a huge drawing for your very own Shun Ken Onion 8″ chef’s knife. Didja enter? You should.

Today we’re going to start at the very beginning: metals. Knives can be made of a range of materials, and if you’ve ever shopped for cutlery, you’ve probably read a billion different metal-related buzzwords. Stainless, carbon, high carbon… what’s the difference? Here are some of the most common metals you might hear of when researching kitchen cutlery:

Carbon Steel

Kitchen knives have been made from carbon steel for centuries. Carbon steel is essentially iron with a little carbon added in, which makes for a stronger blade that keeps an edge much longer than a solid iron blade. While these knives are known for being solid workhorses, they also rust easily and don’t stand up very well to acidic compounds. If properly seasoned, carbon blades can become more resistant to breakdown.

Still, a good carbon steel knife will last forever if properly cared for, and some folks relish the dark stains they develop as they would stripes on a military uniform. Even though the market has been taken over by newfangled stainless steel cutlery, carbon steel knives are still treasured by chefs who appreciate a solid kitchen tool.

Stainless Steel

In the early 20th century, stainless steel was developed by adding chromium to carbon steel to make it more durable and resistant to rust. Stainless steel is also much slower to corrode when exposed to acids (hence the name stainless steel, duh). It’s important to note, though, that no steel knife is completely invincible – they all break down when exposed to acids, salts, and moisture. This is why you’re supposed to wash and dry your knife immediately after using it, but you already knew that, right?

Other factors: stainless knives don’t take an edge as well as carbon steel blades, and they’re more of a bear to sharpen. This is why knife manufacturers are always futzing with their metal mixtures, trying to come up with the perfect balance of strong/sharp/soft/etc. Recipes for steel are almost as prolific as recipes for cookies, and they’re kept under lock and key.

High-Carbon Stainless Steel

High carbon stainless steel is basically stainless steel with a little more carbon added (get it, high carbon?). This is supposed to make the knife both stain resistant and more capable of holding an edge, though the jury is still out as to how effective this is in practical, every day use. While high carbon cutlery may hold its edge a little longer than standard stainless steel, it’s not by a huge margin.

Damascus Steel

Damascus, or pattern welded steel, is more of a process than a type of metal. By taking a few different kinds of steel and layering them together, artisan knife-makers achieve unique patterns in their cutlery. Take a peek and you’ll notice that Damascus knives have interesting-looking patterns throughout the metal blade, and these patterns actually go all the way through the knife. Anything called “Damascus-look” isn’t really damascus at all; it’s most likely a superficial pattern that just looks pretty.

Damascus knives are super expensive but woo-wee, are they gorgeous. Someday I’ll get my mitts on a custom Bob Kramer knife… once I’m rich and famous. Actually, pattern welding is something I’ve always been interested in. I’d love to actually make my own someday.

Other Metals

Knife manufacturers put all sorts of metals in their steel mixtures. They can contain such compounds as cobalt, nickel, manganese, and others, each having their own properties. There’s no such thing as “the perfect knife” – each manufacturer will tell you that their steel recipe is the best for X and Y reasons. In the end they’re all pretty similar, and unless you’re interesting in becoming a major metallurgy geek, the only way to truly understand which knives are stronger and sharper is to use them yourself.

Ceramic

Clearly, this isn’t a metal at all. Ceramic knives are becoming more popular these days, and they’ve got a few advantages: they’re super lightweight, they keep an edge for an extraordinarily long time, and they don’t stain, rust, or react to acids. The downside is that they can chip or shatter if not cared for properly, and that’s a big bummer.

Ceramic knives are a lot of fun to use. They cut through veggies like a light saber and their lack of heft makes them feel like an extension of your arm. Plus, there’s just something really satisfying about a super sharp white blade. It kind of turns me on.

Win Your Own Shun 8″ Chefs Knife!

And don’t forget to enter the “Shun Kitchen Knives are Bad Ass” Contest to win your own Shun Ken Onion 8″ chef’s knife. This baby will change the way you chop, that’s for sure.