Knives made our lives and our work much easier. It is no surprise why we are recommended to buy the best cutlery out there. The modern knife has a remarkable degree of sophistication in its design for one of the oldest tools known to humankind. Getting the best results from your knife is all about learning how to use it properly and getting a clear understanding of its anatomy is required to do that. 

Here’s the basic anatomy of the butcher’s knife that you need to know: 

Tip

 It refers to the blade's first section, and includes the edge. This is used to make delicate or sharper cuts or slices (like in the case of onions and garlic) and acts as an anchor while you're mincing. 

Heel

It is opposite the tip of the knife blade, located closest to the handle on the rear end. It is the blade's broadest and strongest part, and is either squared or shaped. Typically the heel is used for slicing jobs that require greater pressure and strength, such as slicing nuts, carrots and potatoes. Longer blades are usually known to have huge control, that also results in greater cutting force at the blade's heel. 

Spine

This is also referred to as the blade back and is contrary to the cutting edge. Usually it is the thickest and heaviest portion of the knife, and is what gives its overall strength to a segment of kitchenware. Stronger blades tend to have longer, thicker spines. Because it is unsharpened, if you need more support when cutting or slicing in your chopping board, you can keep the part of the knife.

The Bolster

The butcher's knife bolster is the broad shoulder of heavy steel, where the handle meets the base of the blade. Once you cut down, the bolster should be the portion facing you up. This is designed to serve as a brace on the knife, to prevent the fingers from sliding and make cutting easier and safer.

Rivets

Rivets are the tubular studs, scattered around the handle, that are easily visible. Their job is to keep the grip safely fixed to the knife's tang section . Rivets on the knife of a well-made butcher will not sag off the handle. These are most commonly used in wooden handled knives

Tang

 They are made out of a single piece of steel that extends through the handle from the top of the knife all the way down, sandwiched between bits of wood, or wrapped in parts of plastic right down to the edge. The steel section running inside the handle is the tang itself. Usually a tang construction means better knife balance and overall consistency.

Generally, the handle quality is just as important as the blade. It needs for it to feel more comfortable and durable, not slippery or weird to use, or even make excessively hard to grip. The anatomy of a butchers knife perfectly works together to keep you satisfied and suffice your carefree cooking. So it's only fair to take care of them, they need to be sharpened and if you don’t  know how to do that, here’s the Three Tools to Sharpen your Butcher’s Knife that might help you.