It can seem strange that the sharper the knife the safer the kitchen, but ask any professional chef and the answer will be that most knife accidents in the kitchen happen as a result of blunt knives.

The danger behind a blunt knife is that it can slip when offered a harder object to cut - instead of slicing through that swede or fish skin, the blunt knife can slip and cut the hand which holds the object. After slips, trips and burns, knife cuts are probably the most reported causes of kitchen accidents in the UK.

It is widely acknowledged that some of the sharpest blades in the world base their manufacture on the secrets of the Samurai warriors and Japanese knife manufacturers in particular have managed to combine some of those secrets with modern technology to develop and manufacture kitchen knives for both the top chefs in the world as well as amateurs in the kitchen at home.

If you take Global knives as an example, they claim two key features which set them apart from the competition. Firstly the all important edge which like most Western knives is sharpened both sides (except the special one-sided sushi models) - the all important difference is that not just one but both of the edges are ground very steeply thus producing the most acute of angles on the blade. The end of the knife is also very acute and the blade never bevelled like many western knives.

The second distinguishing feature of Global knives is their balance - the hollow handle is filled with sand to achieve the perfect balance. This balance is key to knife control which, when combined with the sharpness of the blade, enables the skilled chef to precisely control the all- important cutting blade that is key to his creative talents.

Global knives should be sharpened using a stone - essentially a uniformly "gritty" surface that allows the knife to be carefully worn at the required angle which is between 10 - 15 degrees for a Global knife. Achieving the right angle on the blade can be difficult and like a number of manufacturers Global can supply both the stone and guide rails to maintain the right angle. Although time consuming, the use of a whetstone does produce the best edge.

The traditional chef's "steel", a scored steel rod against which the knife is run up and down, is not recommended for knives such as Global, unless it is one of the Global diamond or ceramic "steels". A number of the more modern water wheel sharpeners are very suitable and may be considered by some to be an effective replacement for the time consuming method of stone sharpening. These hand held sharpeners consist of ceramic wheels immersed in water and require no special skill in their use - a few swipes through the wheels would normally suffice to ensure that the blade is sharpened at the appropriate angle.

Using a perfectly balanced and very sharp knife is a great joy for any enthusiastic cook as well as an important safety measure.