Preparing breakfast, lunch, or dinner is much safer and easier with the use of the right tools. However, with so many tools at hand, finding the right tools can be tricky, especially in selecting knives for preparing the food. Without the right knowledge of these tools, one can easily buy a selection of knives that he or she will hardly ever use. To take things further complicated, these knives have a variety of names depending on their usage. In this article, we will help you make sense of these types of knives. In addition, we have also compiled a guide on how these things work. So, stay tuned and take down notes.
Parts of the Kitchen Knives
First things, first. In buying a tool, you must know its parts and uses. Having knowledge of how each part work will make it much easier to use. Below are the parts of a common kitchen knife.
Point- This is the very end of a kitchen knife. This is the pointy part that is used for piercing.
Edge- Edge is the cutting surface of the knife that extends to the point up to the counter end of the blade.
Spine- It is the blunt top portion of the knife’s blade or the opposite of the cutting edge.
Handle- This is where you hold or grasp the knife. Usually, knife handles were made out of wood, plastic, and other materials, which are designed to provide a better grip.
What Are the Types of Knives?
There are several and countless types of knives. In fact, one knife that is effective for a specific type of food, might not work well on other types of food. This is why it is important to find the right type of knife to do the job. Here are some of the many knives that are classified according to their usage.
Basic Types of Knives
Chef’s Knife – The chef’s knife, also called a cook’s knife has a long, broad, and straight edge. It has a wide heel and a sharp point. Also, it has a slightly curved blade that allows the chef or the cook to rock it back and forth on a chopping board. With this, the chef or cook’s knife is preferable to use for dicing or slicing food like vegetables or fruits. As well as that, this type of knife is also useful in cutting harder foods like potatoes.
Paring Knife – This type of knife has a distinguishable slim, short, and evenly sized blade and a pointed tip. The paring knife is lighter and much easy to handle during a delicate job. This knife is used to cut or chop fruits and vegetables, as well. Nevertheless, this can also be used in various kitchen tasks. Despite its small size, this knife can also cut potatoes. Additionally, paring knives are much easier to use in peeling, removing seeds, and trimming fruits or vegetables.
Utility Knife – The utility knife is somehow similar to the chef or cook’s knife. It also shares the same qualities as the chef’s knife. However, it is much better to use for chopping smaller foods, fruits, or vegetables like onions. So, if you’re thinking that the chef’s knife is much bigger for the cutting or chopping job, you might want to use the utility knife instead.
Bread Knife – The bread knife has a long and serrated blade. It is somewhat similar to a saw, but this one is for cutting bread, not woods! It can easily and thoroughly cut bread like baguettes, bread rolls, or bagels, even the crusty bread. Interestingly, the bread knife’s grooved edge is designed for soft textures of bread, so it will not be crushed out of shape when cut.
Meat Knives
Butcher Knife – Butcher knife, also called as cleaver knife has a flat and rectangular-shaped blade. They come in various sizes depending on their usage. This type of knife is the heaviest and broadest among the knives. It can be seen having a little hole on its top blade which can be used when hanging the knife. The butcher knife is used when cutting raw meat into a smaller portion before cooking it. The large and heavy design of this knife is designed to cut even the bones of raw meat, making it one of the best knives for preparing raw meats. In addition to that, its broad blade can be used in crushing garlic or gingers against a chopping board.
Boning Knife – This knife has a slim blade and has a very pointy sharp edge and tip. However, it is fairly short, measuring about six inches long. The boning knife is used for cutting meat bones, as well as trimming its cartilage in order to create the perfect cut before cooking. Its pointed tip is designed for cutting around the meat’s bone without ruining the flesh.
Carving Knife – The carving knife has a slim and sharp point. It is also called a slicing knife and is considered one of the longest among the kitchen knives. This type of knife is typically used in slicing the meat, lamb, pork, or beef in a neat, even, and thin size before serving it. It is also be used in slicing fruits and vegetables like melons and courgettes.