Types of kitchen knives and their purpose

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The knife rightfully deserves the title of the oldest kitchen tool. Even in the 21st century of high technology, when the kitchen cannot do without a mixer, blender, electric meat grinder, etc., an object with a sharpened blade does not lose its relevance.

On the shelves of shops today you can find many types of kitchen knives with names and photos, but they will tell little about anything to the average housewife and novice cook. It is easy to get lost in such a variety of models. How to choose a product that fully meets your needs and not overpay for unnecessary features? Answers to this and many other questions in this article.

Michelin-starred chefs say three knives are enough in the kitchen. And they're right… in a way. Because these three knives are different for everyone. The characteristics of the tools are determined by preferences in food and how it is prepared. And yet, we will consider the main types of kitchen knives with a photo first of all.

Chef Knife

The chef's knife, or simply "chef" - like a pen for a teacher, a steering wheel for a driver, is the main tool of 98% of cooks. Almost alloperations for grinding products are carried out with his direct participation. On different continents, the instrument has characteristic differences due to the unique gastronomic and cultural traditions of the population.

European chef's knife

Received the maximum distribution in our area. The length of the blade does not exceed 30 centimeters. The presence of the back of the handle and the butt at the same level creates a comfortable clearance for the fingers between the cutting board and the handle. Thanks to this design, the tool can be used for hours without feeling heavy or uncomfortable in the hand.

The production is based on 55-58 HRC - medium hard steel, sharpened at an angle of 20 degrees to the side. The product requires frequent editing, while it has an enviable strength and can withstand impressive loads. The described type of kitchen knives is universal - it will chop soft foods, cope with the separation of tendons and cut bones of medium thickness. The side surface will perfectly cope with crushing, the butt will beat off the meat no worse than a hammer.

German and French types of kitchen knives are distinguished by the shape of the blade, the photo and purpose are presented below.

"Germans" are equipped with a cutting edge with a prominent uniform bend.

"French" has smoother edges, the edge is a straight line that curves slightly towards the point. The shape of the cutlery determines the cutting technique characteristic of the national cuisine of the country - oscillating or linear, respectively.

Japanese Chef's Knives

The peculiarity of instruments with more than a century of history in a narrow specialization and a specific profile, which makes them not popular enough among a mass audience. After World War II, European-made knives came to the east, which the local population modified and adapted in their own way. Returning to the West, the updated models were received with interest and quickly gained popularity.

The following types of Japanese kitchen knives can be distinguished:

1. Gyuto. Made in the French style. Its production is based on steel of maximum hardness (from 60 HRC), reduced quite thinly and sharpened only 15 degrees to the side. In terms of performance, a simple guto will give odds to elite European knives and practically does not need sharpening. The Japanese representative also has weaknesses, due to its increased fragility, it is intended exclusively for cutting.
2. Santoku. The blade is shortened, expanded, with a butt rounded to the base. The knife is indispensable for shredding, slicing, fine cutting. Like the gyuto, the tool is made in the national traditions of the country - high hardness steel and a minimum sharpening angle.

Chef's knife comes from China

The "visiting card" of such a device is an expanded rectangular blade. Often it is called the "Chinese cleaver", although, as you can see in the photo, it has nothing to do with the types of kitchen knives of this type.

Too light and thin blade will not let himchop hard foods. Much more convenient for them to cut and chop. The wide blade often acts as a spatula: gently prying off the chopped ingredients of the dish, you can immediately send them to the pan.

Recommendations for selection

With the types and purpose of kitchen knives sorted out, it became clear that the choice of "chef" is a responsible task. Other (specialized) tools will be used less often, they will do what they are designed to do. As for the “boss”, he will practically never get out of hand. If initially a mistake was made during the selection process, after 2-3 months it will manifest itself, and it will be problematic to work with a knife.

In order not to lose your head from the types of kitchen knives, it is enough to observe yourself for a day or two. What is your preferred cutting method? Vertical, horizontal or oscillating? The answer to the question will determine the length and shape of the blade. A curved blade is suitable for swing cutting, a straight wide blade is ideal for cutting, pulling movements are easier to carry out with a straight tool of an elongated shape.

Getting acquainted with the photo of the types of kitchen knives and their purpose, you should pay attention to the volume of the handle. It must match the parameters of the user's palm. A thick device in a small hand, and vice versa, will create discomfort, degrade the quality and speed of cutting.

Steel quality. Offers of well-known brands meet the price-quality ratio. The characteristics of the cut are determined by the method of sharpening, and the steel grade determines only the duration of maintaining the sharpness of the knife. For home useenough "chef" of the budget and medium price category, they will not quickly become dull and provide a decent quality of grinding.

Beginner cooks who study the types and purpose of kitchen knives are advised to purchase a European knife with a blade length of 20 centimeters. This is a versatile option, easy to learn and undemanding to use. "Japanese" are best left to hone their skills, they are "capricious" in care and difficult to sharpen.

Universal Model

These types of kitchen knives are a cross between vegetable and chef's tools. The length of the blade is within 12-15 centimeters, the width does not exceed 3. They can perform any operation, but this will not always be convenient. Experts agree that this is not the most useful type of cutting tools. For amateur chefs, such a device can serve as a spare.

Knife for vegetables and fruits

Chef's cutting tools do an excellent job of quickly grinding large volumes of food, as for small jobs, problems can arise. Their weight and dimensions play against maneuverability. This explains the popularity of types of kitchen knives, and their purpose is indicated in the name - cleaning vegetables, chopping them, removing small contaminants. The blade of such a knife is 7-12 centimeters in length. The blade can be straight or concave. It is convenient to work with such a knife when cutting edible decorative figures.

Bread knife

The main difference between such a device isserrated sharpening. The task of the tool is clear - to cut through a hard bread crust without damaging the crumb. The long, narrow blade can handle even freshly baked rich food.

Resourceful chefs also use the compact knife for other similar culinary operations, such as butchering oven-baked duck with a crispy crust.

Fitting and Boning Knives

Types and names of kitchen knives most often reflect the task assigned to them. The two types of tools mentioned above will cope with the separation of meat from the bone, thinning, removing the skin, etc. With a flexible thin blade, they smoothly separate the meat from the ridges, bones from the most inaccessible places. The boning knife has a shorter and stronger blade than a fillet knife.

Cutting knife

To cut the finished dish into thin, neat slices, a special type of kitchen knives is used. A narrow, thin, elongated blade allows you to cut longitudinal long movements without the use of force. Beautiful slices will be a stylish presentation of any dish.

Axes and cleavers

The purpose of the cleaver is cutting pieces of meat with small and medium bones. His blade is thick and heavy, there are no high requirements for its sharpness. Such a device is indispensable for owners of small farms and hunters. The tip of the hatchet is made in the characteristic shape of a triangle and allows you to cut larger bones.

Special purpose knives

There are dozens of knivesdesigned to perform one operation. The tool for cutting soft cheese is equipped with special holes in the blade. Reducing the area of contact of the knife with the product prevents the product from sticking and allows you to get even thin slices.

For cutting tomatoes, a device with fine serrated sharpening is used, it easily cuts through a strong skin without deforming the vegetable pulp.

This group also includes a pizza knife, the cutting element of which is a pointed disc.

Ceramic knives

Products with a blade made of zirconium dioxide (ceramic) have gained serious popularity in recent years. Manufacturers produce them in the most popular variations - universal, cooking or vegetable. The advantage of such tools is high hardness and sharpness of the blade, which lasts for a record long time. The price for this is fragility - they cannot cut bones and frozen foods. Sharpening is carried out on special equipment, at home it is almost impossible. Most manufacturers indicate on the packaging: "return to factory for sharpening".

Additional tools

Kitchen scissors will become a useful attribute in the kitchen. The range includes reinforced versions of standard scissors and analogues of garden pruners. They are indispensable for butchering poultry, removing fish fins, etc.

Musat is a metal rod with special notches and a handle. Its main purposeconsists in straightening knives. The tool will effectively cope with the wrapped cutting edge without removing metal from the blade.

Use and care

In order for a new knife to serve its owner for decades, bringing pleasure from every perfect cut, a number of rules must be followed.

Learn proper slicing technique. This will save hours of time in the future and also minimize the chance of injury and cuts.

Keep your knives sharp. It's much easier to cut yourself with a blunt tool. The spicy one listens to the cook, the blunt one lives his own life. European-style knives need regular editing, optimally before each start of cooking. Sharpening is appropriate when editing does not help. Following this recommendation is the key to a long service life of the product. "Natives of Japan" sharpen as needed, but without fanaticism. If the blade needs maintenance, it is enough to refresh it a little, without complicated sharpening with fine and coarse abrasives.

Avoid hard surfaces. Ceramic plates, glass boards and steel countertops are the main enemies of knife sharpness. They instantly blunt the equipment. A suitable base for work is wooden and plastic boards.

At the end of work with the knife, it must be thoroughly washed, wiped dry and put away for storage. Prolonged exposure of the tool to the sink and dishwasher leads to premature rust formation. Heap storage in a drawer is not the best solution. Here they become a potential source of danger. Better get yourselfspecial stand or magnetic tape.