Each specialized knife has its own weight, shape and dimensions. This is due to the difference in the properties of the products for which one or another knife is intended. To ensure that cutting products does not cause difficulties, knife production technologists have calculated the most correct shapes and sizes of handles and blades. Please remember that knives different companies will certainly vary, but the general features of specialized knives remain. Below are short description and the purpose of the most typical and commonly encountered knives.

Utility knife

The set may include several of these general purpose knives of different lengths. They can have either a straight or wavy blade and a blunt tip. They do not have any special features and are intended for rough cutting of potatoes and similar vegetables.

bread knife

A bread and cake knife has a long, strong blade of equal width that ends at approximately a right angle to the cutting edge. The wavy or sawtooth cutting edge “saws” the bread crust, and it cuts the pulp like a regular knife. This allows you to cut products from puff pastry and butter dough without crushing them. This knife is also good for cutting pineapple, watermelon, and melon into slices. This knife is also suitable for cutting watermelon or melon.

Tomato knife

Its blade is long, narrow and wavy, so that it can easily cut through the thick skin without crushing the soft middle. The tip of such a knife is forked, forming a “fork” that is convenient for picking up and placing thin slices of tomato on a plate. Similar knives are used for cutting any fruits and vegetables with hard skin and delicate pulp.

Slicing knife

Designed for cutting hot or cold ham, fried meat, salted or smoked fish into thin slices. It has a long blade with a narrow blade and a smooth, serrated cutting edge. A long blade is needed to obtain an even, neat cut, which is made with one movement of the knife. The blade may have indentations alternately located on each side of the cutting edge.

When cutting, air pockets are formed in these recesses, so the product does not stick to the knife, no matter how thin the pieces are cut. The small width of the blade allows you to avoid creasing and sticking of the product to the blade. This also includes a long flexible knife for slicing salmon. It has a rounded tip and the narrow blade can be designed with oval air pockets to prevent sticking.

Knife for cutting meat from bones

It has a characteristic blade that varies in width; it widens at the base and sharply tapers to a pointed tip. The cutting edge is significantly curved, the back of the blade is straight. This blade allows you to penetrate everywhere. The narrow blade prevents the product from sticking to the knife blade. The cutting edge is without teeth. This knife is designed for both cooked and raw meat.

fillet knife

The narrowest and longest. This knife is designed for cutting thin and even pieces of meat or fish. The cut will be uniform and neat if it is made with one movement of the knife, and this is only possible if the knife blade is long. Thanks to the flexibility of the blade, you can remove thin skin and separate fish fillets from the bones.

Meat knife

The characteristic curved shape with a blade that widens towards the tip is used mainly by professionals. This shape allows you to concentrate the force on one or another section of the blade in order to easily cut stringy, tough meat.

Japanese chef's knife

Has a very wide blade. Its back side is rounded downwards at the end, the cutting edge is straight. It is used for sushi and sashimi. They also use it to cut mushrooms, ginger root, and cut up meat and fish.

Vegetable knife

It has a short, strong blade and a large, comfortable handle, the cutting edge is smooth and straight, and the tip is pointed. It is used for cleaning vegetables and fruits. Knives with larger blades are used for cutting vegetables.

Vegetable peeler

For peeling potatoes, vegetables, apples. It has two blades facing each other. The option with “floating” blades that rotate freely on an axis is especially convenient. You can work by moving the knife away from you or towards you.

This successful design, which allows you to cut a thin, even and, if desired, uninterrupted layer of peel without any skills, was patented several decades ago in Canada.

Peeling knife

Complements the peeler knife. It is a small, lightweight knife (often with a concave blade) with a sharp tip. The curved blade is ideal for processing rounded surfaces. It is used to peel potatoes, vegetables, and fruits; It is convenient for them to remove onion skins.

The sharp curved tip is designed for cutting out potato “eyes” and spoiled areas.

Soft cheese knife

It may have the same shape and a two-pronged fork at the end to transfer slices of cheese from the board to the plate. It has a straight blade to cut slices in one top-to-bottom motion. Sometimes the blade of such a knife has holes made or indentations (air pockets) made to prevent the cheese from sticking to the knife. The handle of such a cheese knife is not in line with the blade, but is raised parallel to it.

Thanks to this, the force of the hand is better concentrated on the section of the cut, and the blade remains strictly horizontal until the end of the cut. In addition, there is a cheese grater knife and a spatula knife for hard types of cheese. The latter is shaped like a spatula, and in the middle there are several pointed slits. This design allows you to cut the cheese into thin, almost transparent slices.

Decorator knife

It has a characteristic blade with convex teeth along the entire straight blade. When cutting, for example, cucumbers, carrots, radishes, it gives the surface of the slices a beautiful wavy shape. Also used for cutting frozen butter and dough.

Pizza cutter

It can only be called a knife conditionally; it cuts with the sharp edge of a wheel that rotates on the handle. The wheel can also be made of special hard plastic; the dough does not stick to it so much. A pastry knife is also used for cutting the cake.

Zesting knife

It would seem that it has nothing in common with the knife except the handle. But its small cutting element flawlessly removes the containing essential oils thin surface layer of orange peel. A knife for peeling oranges is also convenient. He removes it in beautiful, even slices.

Mushroom peeler

A short plastic one, with a flat, hard brush on the handle, used to clean mushroom caps and blades from spruce needles, leaves and other forest debris. The plastic blade allows you to avoid darkening of some types of mushrooms on the cut.

Grapefruit knife

The only one in the family of knives has a curved, non-flat blade. This is in order to evenly and without loss separate the pulp from the rind in a fruit cut in half.

Knife

With a wide symmetrical semicircular blade and two handles on the edges for chopping greens, it is most often used in a professional kitchen. Sometimes such a knife may have two parallel blades, fixed at a short distance from each other. This speeds up the work.

Kitchen hatchet

It is advisable to have it if you often have to cut large pieces of meat. Unlike other cutting tools described here, an ax cuts with movements not along the cut, but deep into it.

Knife saw

It is rarely used for cutting frozen foods. It is distinguished by a serrated blade with a complex pattern: the teeth alternate in a strict order different shapes and size. Thanks to this, he is able to “saw off” a frozen piece so that the remaining part can be put back into the freezer without defrosting.

Kitchen scissors

Kitchen scissors are similar to regular scissors, but have stronger, thicker handles and blades with very sharp tips. Scissors come in different systems: similar to ordinary tailor's scissors or "power" spring-loaded ones, similar to garden pruners. They excel at many kitchen jobs, from chopping fresh herbs or pizza to opening heavy-duty cardboard and polymer packaging and ending with cutting fish and poultry (cutting off fins, cutting a chicken carcass into portions).

Many kitchen scissors have an oval cavity between the handles, equipped with teeth, which is used for chopping nuts. Special scissors for cutting fish have short blades and powerful handles without rings, like a garden pruner.

Their blades move apart using a powerful spring. The same scissors for cutting poultry are distinguished by a semicircular notch for cutting bones at the base of the blades. For safe storage scissors with a spring are equipped with a lock that holds the blades in a closed position.

Special small knives are produced for opening oyster shells and for cutting crabs. Many of us are familiar with cylindrical knives for removing cores from apples.

Below I will discuss three simple steps, three criteria that you need to decide on in order to choose the kitchen knife that is right for you. But first, let's decide on the quantity.

Quantity or versatility: should I buy a set or just one universal kitchen knife?

Quick table of contents:

Knives for home cooking can be purchased as a set or purchased individually. In the first case you will receive a set kitchen knives of 6-7 items made in the same style. But some of them may not be suitable or necessary for you.

If you cook often and enthusiastically, then it makes sense to choose each knife separately. Moreover, maximum attention when choosing and the largest part of the budget should be spent on the main knife - Chef, or Cook. It is with its help that most food processing tasks can be performed.

Regardless of your experience in cooking, you should get at least two knives:

1. Chef, aka chef knife(with a wide blade 15-30 cm long, or 6-12”).
2. Small paring knife, also known as paring knife(blade with a pointed end 5-10 cm long).

This duet in capable hands capable of satisfying almost all cutting tool needs in the kitchen.

If you often cook fish, chop vegetables for salads, or like to taste different varieties cheese or do not do without fresh soft bread, then it would be reasonable to purchase knives for highly specialized purposes.

As needed, it is advisable to buy the following for the kitchen set:

1. Serrated bread knife (blade 25-30 cm long with serrated sharpening).
2. Slicer (hard narrow blade from 20 to 45 cm long) for slicing cooked meat.
3. Fillet knife (flexible blade up to 30 cm long) for cutting and slicing raw meat and fish.
4. Cheese knife (blade up to 13 cm long, sometimes with holes).
5. Kitchen hatchet.

There are about 20 types of kitchen knives in European culture, and several hundred in Asian culture. Three simple steps will help you decide on this diversity.

First step: setting priorities

Before choosing a knife, you need to decide who will use the tool and for what purposes. Three questions immediately arise for the future owner:

1. How do you plan to use the knife: for a specific job or for multiple tasks?
2. Are you a professional or an amateur in cooking?
3. Do you prefer to cook European or Asian cuisine?

For professional chefs, the first thing that matters is how easy the knife is to use. When you have to cut food and butcher carcasses for several hours, the main thing is that the “soldier’s stabbing hand” does not get tired.

For home cooks, the cutting properties of a knife and how long they last are more important. Not last role appearance and ease of care play a role.

The choice of knife is largely based on individual preferences, but there are still parameters that you should focus on in any case.

The best kitchen knife - what is it?
Feeling the difference between a good and a bad knife is quite simple:

Find a suitable knife for a narrow task - slicer, fillet, etc. - not difficult. In this case, you can simply trust leading European or Japanese manufacturers.

But when choosing the main kitchen tool - a multifunctional Chef's knife - you need to take into account the relationship of many parameters in materials and form. And in this case, when choosing, you should move to the second step.

Second step: decide on the material

Steel is a traditional material for making knives. It is an alloy of iron (at least 45%) and carbon (from 0.1 to 3%), as well as others chemical elements. There are two types of steel used in the production of kitchen knives:

• High Carbon Steel– contains more than 0.6% carbon.
• Alloy or stainless steel (Stainless Steel, Inox)– the composition contains over 13% chromium (Cr) and other impurities (molybdenum, vanadium, silicon, nickel, cobalt).

Stainless steel vs. carbon - which side will you choose?

Confrontation between supporters of carbon and of stainless steel based on the predominance of certain properties of these metals. The determining factors are hardness and corrosion resistance.

Hardness is measured using the Rockwell method and for knife steel is determined in the range from 40 to 70 units on the C scale, where 70 on HRC is the maximum hardness of the alloy. The higher the percentage of carbon, the greater the hardness of the metal. But at the same time its fragility increases.

Conversely, by reducing the carbon content and adding chromium and other elements to the alloy, you can give it anti-corrosion properties and eliminate brittleness. But a blade made of softer metal dulls faster. The table below shows the pros and cons of two types of steel:

High carbon	Alloyed
High degree of hardness (59-64 Rockwell units): ✔ cuts better due to a thinner cutting edge ✔ the blade stays sharp longer and requires editing less often ➖ high hardness leads to brittleness; the blade may crumble when it hits a bone or hard object	Softer alloy (54-57 Rockwell units): ✔ plastic material withstands heavy loads ✔ can be easily edited using a grinder or the butt of another knife ➖ the cutting edge becomes deformed over time, you have to sharpen it once every 1-2 months
Metal on the surface can undergo chemical reactions : ✔ over time, a dark layer of patina forms on the surface, it ensures hygienic use of the knife and prevents contact of food with iron ➖ is susceptible to corrosion and therefore requires careful care ➖ can affect the taste of products	Has anti-corrosion protection : ✔ much less susceptible to corrosion ✔ the knife is easy to handle ✔ does not impart any foreign odor to products

Professional chefs often prefer carbon steel to stainless steel. A blade made of this material cuts perfectly and remains sharp for a long time. Recommended for sharpening.

But if you are not ready to pay a lot of attention to knife care, then high-quality stainless steel knives will be the best choice for your home kitchen.

Metal composition in detail

Many leading European knife manufacturers, such as Wusthof, indicate the steel composition directly on the blade. This notation usually looks like this:

And here's how it stands for:

• X means that the blade is made of high-alloy surgical steel;
• 50 – carbon content (C) is 0.5%, that is, the steel will be relatively soft – about 56 units. according to Rockwell;
• The following are alloying impurities, the total share of which in the metal is 15%:
  • chromium (Cr)
  • molybdenum (Mo)
  • vanadium (V).

It is chromium that provides protection against corrosion. Molybdenum enhances its effect and increases hardenability, which means it increases the hardness of steel. Vanadium gives the alloy strength and wear resistance.

It is worth paying attention to how the manufacturer's mark is applied to the blade.

On knives High Quality the method of etching or electrochemistry is used. Stamping can damage the structure of the metal and cause it to become brittle. The application of paint to the surface of the blade is not allowed by companies of the highest level.

A successful union of soft and hard steel

The lamination method allows you to find a compromise between hardness, fragility and durability. Brittle high-carbon steel is encased in a shell of softer, anti-corrosion steel. This allows you to combine best properties both alloys and neutralize their disadvantages.

This technology is used, for example, by the Japanese knife manufacturer Yaxell:

• The basis for the blade is steel with a hardness of 60-64 units. Rockwell (usually VG-10 or SG-2 grades are used). It provides a very hard and sharp cutting edge.
• Most of the blade is covered with several dozen layers. It protects the blade from rust and makes it more durable and elastic.

What about ceramic kitchen knives?

A less popular material for making kitchen knives is ceramics. In terms of hardness, it is much closer to diamond than steel, while a ceramic kitchen knife retains its sharpness for a long time with careful care.

The first manufacturer ceramic knives became the Japanese company Kyosera. Its line includes tools with two types of blades - black and white. The essence of the difference lies in the different strength of the materials.

White ceramics are made from zirconium oxide, and the basis for black ceramics is zirconium carbide. The latter is subjected to longer firing and is stronger, which is why it is valued higher.

Ceramic Chef's Knife is hardly a good choice

With intensive use, it is unlikely to last longer than a few months. As can be seen from the table above, fragility, coupled with high hardness, and therefore extremely difficult editing, in not very skillful or careless hands results in a very short lifespan of such a knife. But as additional tool, for example, for cutting fruits and vegetables, it will be good.

Third step: select the shape and size

The cutting properties of a knife depend not only on the blade material. The geometry of the blade also plays an important role. Correct geometry - easy cutting!

When choosing a knife, pay attention to its reduction - reducing the thickness of the blade from the butt to the cutting edge. The correct one would be a wedge-shaped reduction, in which the thickness of the blade decreases constantly across the entire width of the blade. Such a knife literally falls into the product itself.

If the blade has a long rectangular cross-section from the butt to the beginning of the narrowing, then more effort will have to be applied to cut the products. When cutting soft vegetables with such a knife, you may end up with crushed pieces.

Obviously, the smaller the sharpening angle of the cutting edge, the easier the knife will cut the product. But in this case, the risk of chipping when hitting a bone increases.

Blade parameters for different types of kitchen knives: European or Japanese?

Western knives are always sharpened on both sides. And Asian ones are characterized by one-sided sharpening

If you prefer European cuisine, then traditional Japanese knives will be inconvenient for you. You can consider a hybrid option - Japanese knives in Western style. They have the shape familiar to Europeans, but have the lightness and hardness of “Asians”.

The main kitchen tool must be convenient

If everything is quite certain with the cutting properties of the blades, then comfort in using a knife is a subjective concept. To choose a tool that is convenient for you, decide on the length of the blade, balancing, shape and material of the handle.

As for the sizes, when choosing the main kitchen knife (European Chef, or Japanese Guyto), you should focus on the blade length of 20-25 cm for men, and 15-20 cm for women. Depending on the length, the width of the blade near the bolster (the thickening between the blade and the handle) will be approximately 4-5 cm.

Professionals are better suited to large knives that cut more products at a time. For home kitchens, where the volume and speed of work is not so high, you can choose a smaller knife. But in any case, the length of the blade should be proportional to the size of the hand.

Many European chef knives have a closed bolster heel. This creates a safe and comfortable finger rest. But knives with an open (sharpened) heel have a larger working length blades. You can decide for yourself which is preferable for you.

But what you can’t argue with is the fact that a good kitchen knife should have a full tang

This means that there must be a solid piece of metal running from the tip of the blade to the end of the handle. In this case, the shank serves as the basis of the handle, and gaps between it and the plates are unacceptable.

Looking for the balance of handle and blade

The handle of European-style knives can have a classic or ergonomic shape. Traditional Japanese kitchen knives have a wooden handle with a 6- or 8-sided cross-section.

The weight ratio of the blade and the handle can be tilted in one direction or the other, or it can be balanced. It is only possible to understand which balance is more convenient for you personally by actually practicing working with different knives.

By the way, the Japanese knife manufacturing company Global has an original approach to the issue of balancing. At the last production stage, the hollow handle is filled with the required amount of sand to achieve perfect balance.

Conclusion

The main criteria when choosing a knife: cutting properties, ease of use and wear resistance. Based on your dominant needs and purposes for using the tool, you should select its material, type, geometry and size.

• Having purchased a high-quality European-style stainless steel knife, you will receive a convenient, durable tool that retains its appearance for a long time, but quickly loses the sharpness of the blade. But it is unpretentious and this sharpness can be easily restored with a simple musat. Excellent price/quality chef's knives are made by the brand already mentioned in the article from the German capital of knifemaking - the city of Solingen - Wusthof (synonymous name Wuesthof). In the most popular blade size of 18-20 cm, you can buy them online with delivery in Moscow and the regions in these stores - current prices:
  
• Traditional Japanese kitchen knife will retain the extraordinary sharpness of its single-sided sharpening longer, but may rust when insufficient care. Yes, and it’s better to edit it using or. Its geometry is ideal for preparing Japanese dishes, but may be unusual for Europeans.
  
• Japanese-made knives with laminated blades and Western-style knives(adapted), combine the advantages of cutting tools different types.Among these Chef knives () there are well-deserved leaders in terms of price/quality ratio - Japanese Tojiro. Current prices in Russian online stores for the most universal size:
  For professionals, the brand produces special Tojiro Pro series, which includes Chef's knives made of multi-layer high-carbon steel:
  A more budget option, but quite acceptable - kitchen Chef knives Samura:
  
• Ceramic knives There may also be a place in the kitchen. They are good for slicing vegetables, fruits, and bread, but we won’t call them universal Chef’s knives. However, for these purposes there is great option by price/quality - Samura Eco Ceramic with a 17.5 cm blade:
  

Types of kitchen knives, purpose and classifications

Every housewife, and every owner, without exception, keeps at least two or three different kitchen knives in the kitchen, and this is normal. But the whole problem is that most people use the knives in the kitchen not for their intended purpose, but when it is most convenient, without even thinking about their correct use. But the time has come to change something, and that is why further we will tell you about everything that concerns knives, about their varieties, types, classifications, and much more. Well, let's start with the main thing...

Types of kitchen knives by purpose

There is such a knife in almost every second kitchen, which is not surprising. Thanks to its aesthetic and convenient shape, it can be used in the main part of cooking work. Typically, the length of its blade ranges from 12 to 15 centimeters, and the blade is sharpened in a double-sided manner.

The smallest of all existing ones, it is used exclusively for cutting and peeling vegetables, although in most kitchens it is not used at all for its intended purpose. Its blade never exceeds 10 centimeters.

Its blade is always made in the form of a saw (toothed) and can vary in length. Convenient only for slicing baked goods.

This type of knife is convenient because it can be used to easily cut meat and fish products. And all thanks to the thin and long blade. Usually used by masters in preparing dishes such as sushi.

All the beauty of this variety is in the shape of the blade and the knife itself. The unique shape of the blade with a sharpened, gradually rounded tip, and a reverse rounding at the base, makes it easy to separate the sinews from meat and bones, and just as easily cut up any bird or fish.

Such blades are rarely found on the shelves of ordinary stores, although they are quite convenient chef’s tools. They are somewhat reminiscent of an ordinary hatchet, but only have a narrower blade of steel. The shape allows you to quickly and thinly cut any vegetables and fruits without lifting the knife from the cutting board.

A long knife (blade up to 30 cm), with a narrow blade and a blade pointed towards the bottom. Purpose - preparation of characteristic Japanese traditional dishes. It is very rare in our country, despite its unique effectiveness.

This type of knife has become popular in our area only in recent years. At its core, this is a Japanese chef's knife, reminiscent of appearance a hatchet, but only with the tip of the blade curved and lowered to the bottom. Thanks to the center of gravity shifted to the tip, it makes it easy to chop different types of products.

The classic “Chef”, with a heavy handle, is perfectly balanced, but has a traditional point, slightly raised towards the top. With such a knife, it will not be difficult to cut any product, be it a vegetable, meat, fish or fruit, even into fairly thin slices.

Should be in the kitchen of every self-respecting person. They can easily chop bones, fish, and meat. Not capable of a neat cut.

Classifications of knife blades

At the moment, there are three classifications of blades, and each type is good in its own way. So, for example:

A standard (ordinary) blade is usually a blade with a double-sided sharpening, which can be easily sharpened after dulling even at home and even without the use of any modern technologies. True, in the case of expensive knives from well-known manufacturers, it is worth using proven sharpening methods, for example, using Japanese water sharpening stones.

A blade with notches on the sides - this can generally be seen only on knives from well-known manufacturers and only those belonging to exclusive (expensive) series. The whole point of the notches on the blade is that they prevent food from sticking to the side of the blade, as is the case when slicing cheese, sausage, or even fruits and vegetables. Such a blade can also be sharpened at home, but only with a specialized tool.

Serrated blade - this blade is equipped with knives whose purpose is to cut hard foods or food items with a crust (for example, a bread knife). This blade can maintain its original sharpness for a very long time. Its main drawback is that it cannot be sharpened at home.

Blade with one-sided sharpening - used in knives of a certain type, although manufacturers can also use them in knives of exclusive series. Single-sided sharpening is very convenient, in particular when it comes to thin slicing.

Types of knives by blade material and hardness level

Single-layer steel (Standard grade) is usually the standard, inexpensive type of knives, though. Depending on the uniqueness of the series and the manufacturer, the price range can vary greatly. Typically, the hardness of such steel reaches a level of 52-60 H.R.C. . Such blades quickly become dull, but are easily sharpened.

Multilayer steel is a blade with a blade hardness of 60-63 HRC. The main feature is multi-layer forging of steel, thanks to which the knives have both springiness (protecting from mechanical damage) and good rigidity.

Ceramic knives (hardness up to 87 H.R.C. ) - essentially, we are talking about zirconium ceramics. Knives made from it are hard and slightly susceptible to dulling, but they are fragile - falling on a hard surface or hitting it can cause the knife to break (break).

Ceramo-titanium knives are ceramic knives of a new generation. Their main feature is titanium coating, thanks to which the sharpening lasts even longer, and the blade itself is practically impervious to corrosion and food acids.

Types of knife steel and their differences

Single-layer knives - made of single-layer steel, which we wrote about above, have standard characteristics, quickly become dull and easy to sharpen, cost several times less than knives made of Damascus steel.

Damascus (multi-layer) knives are knives with a unique pattern on steel, created by using expensive hard steel in the center of the blade, and using softer (springier) steel on the sides. The most popular are knives made of 67-layer Damascus steel, but they are also the most expensive.

Damask steel - knives made from it are becoming more popular every year, although the technology of its production itself has been known for quite a long time. Bulat steel is soft, but the knives use carbon-reinforced steel, which protects the blade from physical damage.

: for all occasions…

Of course, acquiring all types of knives when setting up a personal kitchen is not so easy - it’s an expensive and stupid task, because not every knife will be used and many will simply sit idle, leaving an imprint on the wallet. But if you can’t bear to get good knives, then first, you should try to get a good chef’s troika.

This is a set of knives for all occasions - usually the set includes a utility knife, a vegetable knife, and a chef's knife. This is enough to prepare the simplest dishes and to prepare exclusive culinary masterpieces.

By the way, good. Moreover, at an affordable price, you can get it in “ Magazin-Company ", which presents cool elite threes, and simple threes from famous manufacturers, and even ceramic chef sets from leading European manufacturers.

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“A knife should cost a penny, shave hair and cut nails at the same time, be as strong as a crowbar and stick in no matter how hard you throw it, not rust or become dull, and if lost, find your way home on your own.”
Kuznets L.B. Arkhangelsky

This is a saw knife, the same one that is convenient for cutting bread, vegetables and peeling fruits. However, this knife differs from a traditional saw knife in that its teeth are in the same plane. This allows you to cut without crumbs and leave a smoother edge. Probably every housewife has a serrated knife in her kitchen. This form is extremely popular and is shrouded in commercial myths.

Myth 1

• The serrated knife sharpens itself
• In fact, scientists have not yet invented such a knife. A serrated knife made of hard steel holds a factory sharpening for a long time, and if it becomes dull, it is compensated by its sawing properties.

Myth 2

• There is laser sharpening
• By definition, a laser cannot sharpen anything. The knives are sharpened by a machine, and the highest quality machines have a device that regulates the sharpening angle. This device has a laser. Therefore, it is more correct to say sharpening with laser angle control.

Myth 3

• A serrated knife is not sharpened at home
• Yes, the process is complex and time-consuming, but there are special devices for sharpening serrated knives. In addition, the serrator can be ground clean with a stone and you will get an ordinary smooth knife.

What to cut with a serrator?

Bread and rolls can be cut with a thin serrated blade with large teeth.

Cut and peel vegetables and fruits with a fine-toothed knife; it is also suitable for soft cheeses. Wide-profile large serrated knives for hunters and fishermen. The knife can be easily inserted under the skin or scales. They are also good at cutting fishing lines, nets and slings. The natural prototype of the serrator is shark teeth; they are also serrated at the edges, strong, sharp and durable.

What is a serrator not suitable for?

For cutting thin slices of sausage and hard cheeses. For cutting cooked fibrous meat and fish. You won’t be able to chop greens and carrots, only chop them, and this is not always convenient. The edge of the cut will always be wavy and uneven.

Summing up, it should be noted that a serrated knife is a useful invention, undoubtedly needed in every kitchen. However, you should not blindly succumb to fashion trends and completely abandon smooth knives. Each type is functional and useful in its own way. Serrated knives should be stored in the same way as regular knives. special care they don't require it. There may be problems with sharpening. You can sharpen it with special mussates, but it is better to use a thin sharpening rod or a pocket sharpener. There is no point in sharpening light kitchen knives for bread and vegetables, but you can tinker with a wide hunting knife.

If the theater begins with a hanger, then the kitchen, without a doubt, begins with knives.

Of course, if heating a finished pie in the microwave is the height of culinary skill for you, then you can easily get by with one kitchen knife, inherited from your grandmother.

Everyone else should approach the choice of cleaning and cutting objects more thoroughly.

“Young housewives often ask me: which knives are better - long or short, with a smooth blade or a saw blade?” Tatyana Novikova, founder of the “Cooking Tasty at Home” course, told VB. “This question is not entirely clear to me, since there is no universal a knife for the kitchen for all possible occasions. For example, for slicing bread, a fairly long saw knife would be best, and for peeling vegetables, a short one with a smooth blade.”

Let's figure out what basic knives every housewife needs .

“You need to have at least three main knives,” says Tatyana Novikova. “A large, so-called chef’s knife (or chef’s knife), a utility knife (or kitchen knife) with a 15-20 cm blade, as well as a small peeling and slicing knife with a blade 6-9 cm".

Chef's knife used in a variety of cases. The thin part of the knife is used to cut fillets, chop greens, the middle part is used to chop cabbage and other vegetables, and the thicker part is used to cut meat and chop thin small bones. The flat part of the blade is used to crush garlic. The butt of the knife also comes in handy: you can use it to beat meat if you don’t have a special hammer at hand. Since a chef's knife has a wide blade, it is also used as a spatula for carrying food into a pan.

Utility knife Used for cutting raw and cooked meat, ham, cheese, bread and vegetables. With this knife it is convenient to make an even cut with just one movement.

The smallest of the basic knives used for cleaning.

“Given the peculiarities of our diet, our housewives will need special bread and fillet knives,” continues Tatyana Novikova.

fillet knife- the narrowest and longest. This kitchen knife is designed for cutting thin and even pieces of meat or fish. Thanks to the flexibility of the blade, you can remove thin skin and separate fish fillets from the bones.

bread knife has a long, strong, equal width, wavy or sawtooth blade. It ends approximately at right angles to the cutting edge. This knife “saws” the bread crust and cuts the flesh like a regular knife.

“A bread knife allows you to cut products made from puff and pastry dough without crushing them,” explained Tatyana Novikova. “By the way, it can be used not only for bread. This kitchen knife is also good for cutting pineapple, watermelon, and melon into slices.”

These are the main types of knives. But if desired, the kitchen arsenal can be expanded almost indefinitely.

“When choosing your next knife, you should focus on your culinary preferences and not buy everything,” warns Tatyana Novikova. “There are knives for pizza, ham, cheese, sausages, tomatoes, etc. For wet products, knives with special blades with There are also traditional Japanese knives, without which it is difficult to prepare Japanese dishes, such as sashimi and sushi."

How to choose kitchen knives

“Personally, I think that buying knives in sets is not very practical. So, some knives from the set are not used at all, and others are not always convenient due to their size. It is better to buy knives one at a time,” recommends Tatyana Novikova. “Then you need to decide how many "You are willing to pay for a knife. It is clear that a good knife cannot be cheap. Be sure to hold the knife in your hand - the handle should fit your palm. Besides, I prefer knives with a wooden handle."

You should also pay attention to what the knife blade is made of and how the blade is sharpened (see infographic).

"And in order for your knife to serve you longer, remember that knives need to be sharpened correctly, they cannot be washed in dishwasher. And most importantly, do not store knives with metal objects (cutlery, other kitchen utensils)."

For the convenience of housewives, special knives have been invented for cutting tomatoes or, for example, peeling mushrooms.

It’s clear that you can’t get by with just standard knives in the kitchen. Moreover, modern industry offers devices of all shapes and sizes for cleaning, cutting and cutting anything. These knives are highly specialized. That is, as a rule, they can only cut what they are intended for. But they cope with their task brilliantly.

In general, there are a great variety of knives. Literally for everything. There are special knives for cleaning mushrooms. They are short and usually plastic. They have a flat, hard brush on the handle for cleaning caps and plates from everything that has stuck to them in the forest. And someone will probably have special knives for opening oyster shells... You never know - they got them from their grandmother, the countess.

I have a huge number of special knives in my kitchen. Most of them were gifts to me from family and friends. As a result, the purpose of some devices (even after a long search for analogues on the Internet) is still not clear to me. For example, these two knives in the photo. Maybe someone knows why they are needed? The round one is not sharpened, and the knife in the shape of a fairy hatchet is very sharp.

But now I don’t know how to cope without others.

For example, a special knife for slicing this product has become an important assistant in our cheese-loving family. A cheese knife resembles a spatula. But it has a special slot. With its help, cheese can be cut into thin pieces, and not into terrible pieces, as often happens in not the most best houses. But we almost never use a different type of cheese knife (with holes in the blade). Maybe our cheese is somehow inappropriate?

In our family, an apple knife does not lie idle. By the way, it doesn’t look like a knife at all (see infographic). However, it is equipped with very sharp steel blades. Using such a knife, you can remove the core of the apple in one motion and divide the fruit into eight parts. It is quite possible that those who like to chew a whole apple will find such a device useless. But for us - connoisseurs of freshly squeezed apple juice - this device has become an important assistant. After all, you can’t put a whole apple, and not even peeled, into a juicer!

We also cut bread with a special bread knife. It has a long blade, the width of which is the same throughout. The cutting surface is wavy. Only this knife can accurately “saw” the crust of fresh bread. And the pulp is cut as usual. By the way, we use the same knife for cutting cakes.

Or recently I lost a potato peeling knife - small, with a slot along the entire length of the blade - as a result, potatoes peeled with a regular knife irritated me terribly. The peel was cut too thick, and the potatoes themselves came out somewhat uneven. And the whole cleaning process took a lot of time.

There are a few other knives that we use (since they were given as gifts anyway), but irreplaceable assistants they didn't. These are a pizza cutter (a toothed wheel attached to the handle), a knife for coring apples (without cutting into slices) and kitchen scissors. A paring knife also belongs to this category - one in which the blade is placed between two holders and has a hole. The technology for cleaning with such a knife is somewhat different from the traditional one. I usually use it to process jacket potatoes, carrots, and beets.

I also have an electric slicer. Its purpose is the same as that of ordinary knives - to cut food evenly and thinly. But more on that next time.

Do you need a ceramic knife in the kitchen?

Which knife should you prefer - a glamorous ceramic one or a familiar metal one?

In 1984, a real revolution in the field of knife production took place in Japan. A similar thing happened five thousand years ago, when our ancestors switched from bone and obsidian blades to metal ones.

However, ceramic knives have not been able to displace the usual cutting tools from the kitchen. And still many housewives cannot understand why a ceramic knife is needed and what its advantages are.

"VB" asked chef Marina Gasparyan to compare a ceramic knife with an ordinary kitchen knife.

I would like to note right away that this knife has a very comfortable, so-called ergonomic handle,” said Marina. - For professional chefs and housewives who spend a lot of time in the kitchen, this is very important. A ceramic knife is convenient for cutting soft vegetables, such as tomatoes, beets, and cucumbers. But it may not pierce the skin of a watermelon or pumpkin - it will break. In addition, it is inconvenient for them to cut such products, because the blade length of such knives is no more than 16-17 centimeters. You cannot cut fish or chicken with it - because of the bones, on which the knife can break. It is not suitable for frozen meat either.

Marina also emphasized that a ceramic knife remains sharp longer than a metal one, but special equipment is required to sharpen it.

I also have a ceramic knife in my kitchen. I received it as a gift from a relative who traveled to Japan. I liked the gift first of all for its appearance - a shiny blade and a green handle. The knife itself is inserted into an equally green sheath-stand. Very beautiful!

I've had this knife for over a year now. It must be said that so far he is doing his job well. However, it should be noted that I use it exclusively to cut vegetables and sushi (the “sausage” itself - rice with filling, wrapped in nori or “paper”).

One more thing. This knife is really very sharp. So in the beginning, while working with him, I cut myself quite noticeably a couple of times (which doesn’t usually happen to me).

So, to summarize, we can say the following. If you are used to working with a pair of utility knives, then you definitely shouldn’t spend money on a ceramic knife. If you like to have a separate cutting tool for each category of food, then a ceramic knife for cutting vegetables fits better others.

However, it should be remembered that the production of ceramic knives is expensive and labor-intensive, so such a knife cannot be cheap.