Introduction
If you believe that having a diverse knife collection is only for the elite, think again. The proper knife can assist you in getting the best results in the kitchen. Selecting the correct knife for the job is important for food prep. The wrong knife can cause the food to come out wrong and can also lead to injury. Many professional chefs consider their knife collection to be their most important asset.
This guide will get you started on building a world-class knife collection. But buying the knives is only part of the process. You’ll need to learn to use each knife to achieve the best results. Chefs of a certain level may take years to perfect their abilities and feel comfortable executing various cooking duties. So don’t shy away from practicing.
1. The Chef’s Knife
Most professional chefs would agree that the chef’s knife is the “Most Valuable Player” of kitchen knives. This versatile, all-purpose knife has a broad blade and a long length, making it an ideal tool for chefs looking to improve their productivity without sacrificing quality. The blades on chef’s knives start at 6 inches and extend up to 14 inches. You’ll do well with a Chef Knife that is about 8″ long.
The chef’s knife is a versatile tool that can be used to chop, slice, dice, mince, trim, chop, and carve a wide range of ingredients. It can manage all these activities as well as many others. An important thing to keep in mind is that chef’s knives are the workhorse in the kitchen, so they will need proper and frequent sharpening for best performance. If you can only afford one high-end knife to get started, you’ll want to start with a Chef’s knife.
A knife that feels natural and elegant in your grasp may look clumsy to someone else. It’s vital to discover your preferences when shopping for the ideal chef’s knife, one that will make slicing, dicing, chopping, and mincing more pleasurable, precise, and easy. Finding the right knife for you might take a little time, but it’ll pay off in the end for years to come.
A chef’s knife has 5 main parts for you to consider: Handle, Bolster, Heel, Spine, and Edge. For beginners, the two most important parts to consider are the heel and the edge. The handle should feel comfortable and secure. It shouldn’t be difficult to hold onto and it should feel secure in your grip even when wet. You might be a person that wants your knife handle to be molded for a better grip. If so, look for that. The edge of a chef’s knife is the part of the blade that does the cutting. Your knife should be sharp when you get it. The edge should also be curved to make it easier to rock back and forth while mincing or chopping.
2. The Paring Knife
For many chefs, a paring knife is their favorite because it can be used for smaller things. Paring knives are an essential tool in the kitchen. They’re perfect for peeling fruit, filleting fish, and more because of their lightweight, compact size, and unbelievable mobility. Paring knives have short but strong blades that make them ideal for cutting hard-to-reach places or performing tasks where accuracy is required. Paring knives are classified by the different blades they have, such as a curved blade, bird’s beak, and serrated blade.
This knife cuts through soft things like apples, mushrooms, and garlic.
3. The Utility Knife
A utility knife cuts more than a chef’s knife because it is less wide and has fewer curves. A utility knife is similar in size and shape to a paring knife but has a thinner blade, allowing it to go through tight food passages with ease. It’s between 5 and 7 inches long and less than 5/8 inch thick.
Utility knives are available with either smooth or serrated edges. A serrated utility knife is your best bet for slicing everything from crusty bread to ripe plums. In reality, the serrated utility knife is distinguished from other kitchen knives for its ability to cut through tough outer edges without damaging a food’s delicate interior.
4. The Bread Knife
Bread knives are available in a variety of blade sizes from 7 to 10 inches, with either straight or curved edges, and they’re ideal for cutting rather than chopping. The fine teeth on this knife help it to grip and cut through crusty bread without damaging the softer ingredients.
5. The Fillet Knife
The high degree of accuracy in fillet knives is well-known. The typical length of a fillet knife is 5 to 9 inches long, with a flexible blade. This knife is excellent for deboning salmon or chopping thin fish slices due to the upward slope along its blade and a sharp curved tip. Also, it can be used to remove bones and skin from the meat.
6. The Slicing Knife
These knives are a must-have for meat lovers. They’re ideal for cutting more than thin slices of turkey, chicken, pork, beef, and steak. The long, thin blades of table knives are particularly suited to slicing uniform slivers of sushi and sashimi. They’re also great for chopping up delicate food items like asparagus spears or artichoke hearts. The average blade length is 9 to 13 inches, with Granton, serrated, or straight edges.
7. The Carving Knife
Every good host knows that carving is an essential part of serving a traditional roast. This type of knife has the same blade shape as a slicing knife but it features a thinner, sharper tip for both protecting food from being pierced during the cutting process and allowing smaller slices to be cut. A carving knife should have little to no flex. That’s because the last thing you want is for it to bend when you’re trying to cut your holiday turkey or prime rib roast.
8. The Cleaver
Known to be the preferred knife of movie serial killers, the cleaver is a big knife that can be used for smashing, mincing, chopping, or cutting. It has the weight needed to cut through bone and tenderize meat by breaking down collagen fibers. The blade of this knife ranges from 6 to 12 inches long, with a width of at least 2 inches. There are two types of cleavers: a Chinese cleaver and a Westernized one.
Chinese Cleavers: These large, heavy knives have rectangular blades and sharp points. They’re used for cutting vegetables and poultry and can also be used to chop up meats like ribs, pork chops, beef roasts, and more. Plus they’re perfect for crushing garlic cloves or ginger slices.
Westernized Cleavers: These lighter, thinner knives have curved blades and are used for slicing fish or other thin cuts.
If you believe that cleavers are only suited for tough applications, you’re mistaken. The fact is that they’re quite adaptable when utilized by experts.
9. The Boning Knife
A boning knife is a powerful tool that can debone chicken, meat, and fish. The thin, sharp blade ranges from 5 to 8 inches in length and is suited for separating meat from the bone, as well as for carving and trimming. Depending on what you need, and your individual preferences, boning knives are available with blades ranging from flexible to stiff and everything between.
Conclusion
Knives are used for many different purposes. Other, more specialized knives may be needed for other tasks. Gutting and skinning knives, frozen food saws, and skinning knives are all essential tools a butcher may need. Filet knives, oyster and clam knives, on the other hand, are required by a fish cutter. Bakers will require decorating knives and cake knives, whereas a deli clerk may need sandwich spreaders, butter knives, and cheese knives. All kitchens need the same, basic operations to be performed. Knowing which specific, repetitive duties you must complete in your commercial kitchen will assist you in choosing the ideal kitchen knives and increase your speed and productivity.