There is a large number of types of Kitchen Knives, each designed and made for specific use. Using the appropriate knife for a particular task allows for better performance, achieving good results while avoiding unnecessary efforts.
An essential Knife
Let’s start with the most important knife: the classic Kitchen Knife, also known as Chef’s Knife or Cook’s Knife. Its main feature is the shape of the blade, with the back and edge being almost symmetrical curved, and the tip pointed and thin.
This is the ideal knife for cutting, chopping, or mincing any food: meat, fish, and all kinds of fruits and vegetables.
It is available with blades of various sizes, from 12 cm up to 30 cm and beyond. The most common size is 20 cm, while larger blades are more suitable for professional use. Among the various types of kitchen knives, this one is indispensable!
Other Important Knives
Within the Kitchen Knives range, the Paring Knife is the smallest. There are two main versions: one with a slightly curved blade, 6 or 7 cm long, and the other with a blade similar in shape to the kitchen knife, slightly narrower and 10-11 cm long. The Paring Knife is used for cutting, peeling, and cleaning fruits and vegetables or for paring work on meat or fish.
Another very important knife is undoubtedly the Bread Knife, with its serrated blade, usually longer than 20 cm (bakers prefer larger versions of 30 cm and beyond). It easily cuts through crusts and allows for easy slicing of loaves, baguettes, and any type of bread.
Other knives for very specific uses
Santoku: a Japanese kitchen knife
For those passionate about oriental cuisine, especially Japanese, the most common among various types of Japanese kitchen knives is Santoku. This knife can be considered the equivalent of our classic kitchen knife described earlier, although it has a different and wider blade shape. Santoku, which means “three virtues” in Japanese, is named for its ability to perform three main operations: slicing, dicing, and chopping. The wide blade allows cutting with the hand elevated higher than the cutting board.
Other Types of Knives
There are other types of knives not commonly categorized as kitchen knives but can be particularly useful for specific needs, such as cutting large meat slices or boning.
Meat Knife: is the most used knife by butchers and is often called Butcher Knife. Thanks to its robust blade with a straight back and a curved tip, it is suitable for cutting large pieces of meat.
Boning Knife: with its narrow and pointed blade, straight or curved, the Boning Knife is a very specific knife used exclusively for deboning any type of meat, poultry, and ham.
Finally, even though it is not widely used, we would like to briefly mention the Cleaver, also known as a Chopper : the ideal knife for splitting large pieces of meat or breaking bones.
Now, if you have finished your food preparation work and cooked it, you will need to sit down at the table and finally enjoy the meal along with your family or friends. Usually, table knives that are part of the cutlery set have limited cutting capabilities. Therefore, it is always advisable to separately purchase, either from a cutlery store or online, good Table Knives or Steak Knives. These knives, with a blade of 11-12 cm, smooth or serrated, will offer exceptional cutting performance of all kinds of meat and cheese or, after the meal, peeling and cutting fruit. They are also great for pizza.
Let’s finish with a tip: generally, the knife size indicated by manufacturers and retailers refer to the length of the blade only, not the entire knife. So, when making your purchase, especially if you are buying your knives online, make sure to choose the knife with dimensions suitable for your needs.
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