Regardless of what you are going to cut, you need to know which knife to use. If you are just completing your kitchen, do not forget about a set of knives. And if someone else fills the kitchen with utensils, be sure to give him this set. About what and with what knife you need to cut, we will tell in this article. There are several types of knives, and each of them is designed for a specific type of work.
1. Chef’s knife
The chef’s knife is the most important of all knives in the kitchen. It should have a length of 20-25 cm or a little more. However, a knife that is too long will already be flexible and uncomfortable to use. It is with a chef’s knife that they perform about 90% of daily work in the kitchen. They cut meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables.
Even though a chef’s knife is the king of the kitchen, it should not be used for tasks such as chopping meat or poultry, peeling large vegetables, or opening cans. The wide blade of this knife is not suitable for such activities. The price of a real high-quality chef’s knife can reach $100.
2. Paring knife
This knife is needed where a chef can’t handle it. It is good for them to cut vegetables and fruits into small pieces, which is completely inconvenient to do with the first knife. It is with a paring knife that it is good to cut the garlic, shallots, strawberries, etc. The average blade width of such a knife reaches 8.8 cm, which makes it an excellent tool for working with any vegetables and fruits.
Do not, however, use this knife to cut very tough vegetables such as carrots, celery, or parsnips. These knives are quite weak for slicing this kind of food, so you’ll have to use more force to get the job done. Experienced cooks say that if you have to make a lot of effort when cutting, it means that you are doing something wrong.
And if you do something wrong in the kitchen, it can be dangerous for you. A knife under increased pressure may come off and cut you. A good paring knife costs about $20. At the same time, never peel vegetables with ceramic knives. Buy only knives with a metal blade.
3. Toothed or sawtooth knife
Serrated knives are mainly designed for cutting bread. But they can also do other things. The blade length of a sawtooth knife, on average, reaches 15 cm. They are especially good for cutting products with a waxy surface, such as tomatoes, pineapples, watermelons, citrus fruits, and peppers. The serrated blade has a better grip on the product, which is not the case with smooth-bladed knives that often slip off. It must be remembered that serrated knives should only be used for cutting food, but not for chopping.
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These knives are good only when you need to cut something with sawing movements. The serrated blade grips the product and cuts well. Do not use this knife when cutting berries, herbs, or garlic. The average price for a good sawtooth knife ranges from $30 to $40. If you use this knife for its intended purpose, it will serve you for many years. If the knife is dull, it should not be sharpened. You just need to buy a new one.
4. Bone Knife or Boning Knife
This is the best knife for cutting and deboning the meat, poultry, and fish of any size. Knives of this type come in different sizes, from 7 cm for butchering anchovies to 40 cm for butchering pork. It is this knife that can cope with the joints or chest of the animal. When working with a boning knife, do not try to cut the bones with it. They need to trim the meat around the bones. It is also good for cartilage work.
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A good boning knife costs at least $30. And if you constantly have to work with meat, then you can buy a knife, and more expensive.
5. Honing a knife
The fifth of the types we are considering is not a knife at all. It is somewhat more like a nail file. It is an abrasive tool that helps previous knives always stay sharp. We can say that after the chef’s knife in importance, he is the second.
After processing knives with such a tool, their blades become sharper, so it becomes more convenient to use them. All knives should be honed daily with a honing knife. True, since he still does not sharpen the knives, but only slightly undermines, once a year all kitchen knives should be sharpened.
Honing tools can only be used on knives that have a straight blade. Serrated knives should not be treated with them, as their teeth can be smoothed out, and the knife will begin to slide over the products when cutting. A honing knife is often included in kitchen knife sets. If your set is without it, you can always buy it separately. As an abrasive tool, ceramic or metal specimens costing about $ 25 are quite suitable.
