Why Do Chef Knives Have Dimples (2021 Guide)

Chefs and manufacturers refer to the dimples on the knife as a Granton Edge. These dimples are put in place to reduce friction and suction, making it easier for chefs to pull the knife back when cutting or slicing. A Granton Edge also reduces the chances of food sticking to the knife when in use.

If you’ve been looking at different chef knives on the market, you’ve probably noticed that some have dimples on the face of the blade.

This is a common characteristic of many modern knives and is usually referred to as a Granton Edge.

A knife with a Granton edge is a convenient tool for you to have in your kitchen as it can make prep work easier, faster, and much more efficient.

You can find a Granton edge on many different types of knives, but you can see it most commonly in chef knives.

In this article, we dive into the different benefits of having a Granton edge.

And by the end, you’ll be able to answer the question: “Why do chef knives have dimples?”.

Read on to learn more.

What is a chef knife?

With so many kinds of knives available in the market today (even more when we talk about the Japanese kitchen knife set), it may be hard to distinguish what is a chef’s knife.

Unless you have read the label, let us see what makes a chef’s knife different from other knives available in the market.

Also known as the cook’s knife, a chef’s knife is considered to be for general-purpose use as it can be used easily for a lot of tasks.

It can be used for slicing, dicing, mincing, and even for removing large bones from the meat such as lamb and beef.

Most users prefer this as they can choose a size that will suit their preference.

Coming in different sizes, a chef’s knife ranges from 6 to 14 inches (approximately 15 to 36 centimeters in length) excluding the handle, although the typical blade length is 8 inches.

It doesn’t have a very wide surface and follows the typical household kitchen knife.

There are a lot of variations when it comes to chef’s knives.

For example, the Japanese have their own version by the name of Santoku knife.

In modern times, one of the largest available designs is the indentions or dimples near the blade’s edge.

This is known as ‘granton’ or ‘granton’s edge’.

(See more: top 9 best rated chef knives on the market right now)

Why do chef knives have dimples

Some may think that the ‘dimples’ are just there for design.

They are more than just for aesthetic purposes – they are helpful to the users more than you think.

Have you ever tried to slice an item and it got stuck on the knife’s blade surface?

The main purpose of having these dimples are for letting air pass to the blade’s surface and the item being sliced, which prevents it to stick to the knife.

This assists in having better-looking slices, as it makes slicing smoother.

It will allow the knife to be pulled out easily from the item, making it a better choice than straight-edged knives.

Aside from making beautiful slices, it avoids breaking the item while slicing.

If you have ever tried to force slicing or chopping an item where a side stuck to one of the blade’s surfaces, the effect of that force breaks the bottom part of the item.

The more force you try to exert and push the knife down, the more it damages the item.

This knife variation also helps in slicing tender, juicy, and freshly grilled meats.

The grantons catch the juices on the meat, allowing them to further make smoother slices by having a smoother feel to it.

(We know that hearing the idea of the juicy meat being sliced can make someone hungry.)

The grantons make the knife easier to be lifted up or removed with every slice or cut.

This makes preparation even faster, as the user can make continuous cuts without worrying about damaging the item.

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Taking care of it

Seeing the dimples in the knife, some who are very meticulous in cleaning their knives should exert a bit more effort.

This would require to sometimes give the indented blade a scrub over the grantons to make sure that there are no small pieces that are left on them.

When not cleaned well, it may contaminate the following item to be sliced on the next use.

You may use a dishwasher to clean this type of knife, however, it is recommended to scrub each grantons before placing it inside.

There are instances where some food particles are stuck on the dimples, and brushing each of the indentions can make the appliance’s job easier.

Where to buy

Since this variation of a chef’s knife is getting more popular, finding this in superstores or a kitchen supplies shop should be easy.

This will also help you decide which size of a chef’s knife will be easier to use.

It is also a chance to see if the dimples or grantons can be easily cleaned in terms of how it was manufactured.

It will not be hard to find it online too, where it will give you more variety.

However, always be cautious in buying knives on the internet.

Some of them are substandard or counterfeits of popular knife brands.

Consider checking for buyer reviews or customer feedback to get more information before check out.

Conclusion

In conclusion, grantons on a chef’s knife is a very useful feature and can be a great help to any cook.

Since these dimples are much more helpful than having blades with a flat surface, more and more kitchen knives like a cleaver or carving knife have these grantons too.

This design does not interfere with the knife’s main purpose, so it is recommended to choose this knife over those the flat-surfaced ones.

Ryan Leavitt

Hi my name is Ryan Leavitt a Marine Corps Veteran and currently an over the road trucker (Long Haul). I am no expert chef but am enjoying preparing my own meals on the road and testing all the different knives.