A 10-inch blade covers more board per stroke, but it also delivers more impact back into the hand each time it lands. The rubberised SofGrip over-mould absorbs that, which is why the long blades in this line are the ones cooks keep.
Black sits outside the raw-ingredient colour scheme, so it is the code for a knife that belongs to a person rather than a station. That is the usual arrangement for a chef’s own 10-inch.
Dexter-Russell has made cutlery in Southbridge, Massachusetts since 1818 and is the oldest cutlery manufacturer in the United States. SofGrip is its soft-handle line — a rubberised over-mould on a polypropylene core, sealed to the tang and rated for commercial dishwashers.









