Blades 101: Types of Essential Kitchen Knives

Blades 101: Types of Essential Kitchen Knives

A perfect kitchen knife can take a chef's cooking skills to the next level. More than a variety of kitchen utensils, kitchen knives are the most essential for chefs, whether you are professional chefs or just ordinary home cooks. But how to find suitable blades for yourself? First, you need to get to know them. Here's what you need to know to find the perfect kitchen knives.

 

 1. Chef Knife

 

Japanese knives

 

The chef knife concept originated in Europe and is positioned in the kitchen as the heart of all knives, a knife used to process ingredients such as meat, fish, and giant vegetables. It features a thick, long blade that can cut through tough fish and meat by its weight.

 

2. Santoku Knife

 

best santoku knives

The Santoku knives 三徳包丁(さんとくぼうちょう) is a Japanese version of the chef knife, and it is also a versatile knife for cutting vegetables, meat, and fish. The most commonly used knife type in Japanese households.

 

3. Boning Knife

 perfect boning knives

The boning knives has an extremely narrow, flexible blade that tapers to a pointed tip. This design allows the user to easily separate the meat from the bone while reducing the amount of wasted meat. Generally speaking, the thinner the blade, the sharper it is. With a thin blade, cutting hard ingredients can easily damage the edge, so when boning, don't scrape hard on the bone and just pick the meat off along the bone.

 

4. Utility knife

 buy utility knives

The utility knife is the tool of choice when handling small kitchen tasks such as cutting fruits, tender meats, or vegetables. The best kitchen utility knives have long, sharp blades that feel comfortable in the user's hand.

 

5. Cleaver Knife

 best cleaver knife

Cleaver knives are more considerable than chef and Santoku knives, so they are great for handling a variety of large and heavy vegetables, such as pumpkin and broccoli. However, it is worth noting that Cleaver knives can take almost any ingredient. They are not suitable for cutting bones, as they are relatively thin and tend to chip once they do so.

 

6. Paring knife

 peeling knife

Also known as peeling knives, they are probably the smallest of the common kitchen knives you can find. Normally, the spear point and bird's beak are the two most popular blade shapes. They have simple, sharp, and precise blades that are great for peeling and cutting small fruits and vegetables.

 

7. Bread Knife

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The serrated blade design of the bread knife allows the user to effortlessly slice through the crust and the soft crumbs inside without tearing or flattening it. The average length of a bread knife is 8 -11 inches. We recommend adding bread knives to your kitchen knives collection. Long blades should always be at the top of your list.

 

8. Nakiri Knife

 Nakiri knife for sale

The Nakiri knife is a Japanese-style kitchen cutting tool that is arguably made for slicing as it has a thinner blade than regular knives. The blade design is ideal for slicing ingredients for a more consistent finished size. Cutting vegetables is one of the most common meals prep tasks, so adding the Nakiri knife to your kitchen knife set will make your slicing tasks much more fun!

 

In Conclusion

 

Each professional kitchen knife has its exclusive features and strengths, and using the right kitchen tools makes every cooking process pleasurable. Can all the knives mentioned above be found in your kitchen? Which one are you missing? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments section!

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