PROFESSIONAL KITCHEN: UNDERSTAND WHICH BEST TYPES OF KNIVES ARE NEEDED
Kitchen knife definition:
According to Wikipedia.org, kitchen knives definition is; A kitchen knife is any knife that is intended to be used in food preparation. While much of this work can be accomplished with a few general-purpose knives – notably a large chef’s knife, a tough cleaver, a small paring knife, and some sort of serrated blade (such as a bread knife or serrated utility knife) – there are also many specialized knives that are designed for specific tasks. Kitchen knives can be made from several different materials.
What will we learn here?
- Types of professional kitchen knives
- Material characteristics and quality
- Before Purchasing Check out
- FAQs
- Conclusion
How about we start by understanding the importance of different types of knives and how a professional should know when to use each one? Read on to find out more!
Different types of kitchen knives and their uses
Here are the different types of kitchen knives and uses with pictures
Chef’s Knife
This is the main knife for those who work in a professional kitchen. It can be between 15 cm and 30 cm, and is very versatile – it cuts vegetables, fruits, and meats. For those who want to assemble a basic kit or just have a knife with a more professional grip at home, this is the ideal item. Mercer Culinary, Victorinox, and J.A. Henckels are among the main brands of this type of knife on the market.
Smaller than the chef’s knife, it makes it easier to cut and chop vegetables accurately than with a more robust item. It allows for more detailed cuts – especially in situations where it is necessary to prepare ornaments and decorations with a higher level of sophistication, for example. It also dispenses the support of the cutting board, for more experienced and skilled cooks.
This type of knife is not only used at home but also in a professional kitchen. After all, several dishes ask for bread as an accompaniment. Many restaurants also serve as an entrance. Therefore, a serrated knife that allows you to cut bread without leaving it crushed is essential for a good presentation. More about bread knife
Utility kitchen knife definition
In addition to the bread knife, a smaller serrated knife is also very useful in everyday life. Some foods – especially some fruits and vegetables – are not so easily punctured with a knife without a saw. At that time, a serrated utility knife guarantees the necessary precision of the cut and saves the cook’s time.
Related:
How To Sharpen a Serrated Knife
Also known as a “boning knife”, it is a great option not only for boning beef cuts. The item helps to cut fish and even chickens more accurately.
The Chinese-type cleaver is a great ally when slicing vegetables, herbs, and some fruits. It is an extremely precise and versatile product, which can even appear as a substitute for the chef’s knife in some moments.
Asian knives blade are thinner and sharp with a more delicate edge. Due to their thinner blade, they can be sharpened on one side. Also, the fine blade sharpness gives accurate and fine cuttings. Moreover, these are for cutting of lighter foods like seafood or less fibrous vegetables.
Cake knives are multipurpose which helps in slicing bread, tarts, or quiche. Moreover, they have a long-serrated blade, which helps to cut cake layers without crushing the bread.
These are swords with a 9-inch blade. Also, carving knives are best for large portion meat carving. While the carving forks help in holding the meat securely in one place while cutting.
These are the electrical kitchen device which you can use for slicing the food. Also, the two serrated blades are clipped together on the device. Moreover, for slicing, you need to switch on the device. Then, blades more lengthways and slice the food.
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Fillet stab is a member of the boning knife family. These blades are mostly 15 to 28 cm long, which are helps in filleting. Moreover, the sword gives great control during use. Also, the purpose is to filet and prepares fish.
Fluting knives are ideal for decorating and peeling. These stabs have small blades of 2 to 4 inches, which are significant for small tasks.
In design, trimming stab is somehow the same as fluting stab. Furthermore, it has a 2 to 3-inch long blade with a curve. The knife is for various small tasks like peeling, removing extras from bones or delicate parts, etc.
Mincing knives are single and even double-bladed too. These are for mince chop food into small pieces. Moreover, these stabs are for seasoning sauces, salads, soups, etc.
The garnishing knives are simple as paring knives. Furthermore, these may include some multi-bladed cutter, cookie-cutter, or melon baller. Thus, these are for cutting garnishing.
These stabs are specially designing for cheese cuttings. Moreover, some cheese knives are for cutting more rigid pieces. There are different cheese knives are for different requirements.
Tomato knives have the design of serrated blades for cutting tomatoes quickly. Moreover, the serration helps in slicing without squashing the tomato. These knives are small in size.
Tourne knife definition
Tourne knife is also known as a peeling knife. These are of short length stabs for peeling or cutting of fruits and vegetables. Moreover, it is a convenient knife.
tourne culinary definition
A strategy for cutting food items into a football or barrel-like shape that structures six or seven sides on the length of the thing being cut. … Instead of having little circles like cuts or longer strands of a vegetable, the Tourner cut outcomes in a little shape with a charming appearance for the food being served.
It is a short knife use for cutting, dicing, peeling, and mincing. Moreover, it is the most common knife in the kitchen. Even these are for garnishing too. More about Paring knife
The peeling knife comes with a pointed tip with a curved blade. These stabs are for peeling fruits, vegetables, and even cutting of herbs. Also, you can use it for garnishing and decorating food.
Specialty knives are the American stabs company which is famous for their products. Also, these knives are best known for their quality and all-purpose use. For example, cutting, slicing, peeling, etc.
Steak knives are table stabs that are for cutting steak. These are with sharp and serrated blades with wooden handles. Thus, it gives easy cutting of meat.
Santoku knife is also the kitchen stab from Japan. It has a flat edge with a bit curved tip. You can use these stabs for mincing, slicing, or dicing. Moreover, these are hand forged kitchen knives.
Kid-friendly stabs are for kid’s chef. Some kids love cooking, and for safety purposes, these stabs are manufactured with serrated nylon blades. Even it has a blunt tip, which is sharp on fruits while safer on skin.
These knives are specially for cutting grapefruits. These are small stabs with a serrated blade that has a curve. Moreover, it helps in the separation of outer edge segments of fruit from the rim.
Kitchen shears help in snipping herbs, break down poultry, and cut open food packaging. Moreover, these shears can do your work more quickly and easily.
Nakiri stabs Japanese style swords. These are straight and used for slicing, chopping vegetables, and dicing. Mostly, it is for cutting veggies. Even the name Nakiri Bocho means “cutting greens.” More about Japanese knives
Material characteristics and quality
A good Blade is essential for the knife to do what it must do: cut and chop food precisely and safely. There are good blades of different materials, and the goals of whoever is going to use the product must be understood before making a decision as to which one to purchase.
Some experts believe that ceramic knives are currently the best available on the market, due to their wire retention. The main difference between ceramic and stainless steel is the hardness and, consequently, the greater capacity of wire retention. Harder materials tend to need maintenance less frequently and, in the case of carbon steel and stainless steel, have greater resistance to corrosion.
However, others support the idea that this type of material is not the most durable. If, on the one hand, ceramic knives are fragile precisely because they have a high degree of hardness, on the other hand, some basic precautions prevent breakage and make the product durable.
Before Purchasing Check out:
Before buying kitchen knives, see the following instructions carefully:
- Being careful to avoid bumps or falls is essential, as the blade can really break or crack easily
- The ceramic blade is not recommended for boning, nor for cutting frozen food that has crusts or is too hard
- The knife should also not be used on a hardboard, such as marble, stone or glass – the recommendation is that the ceramic blades be put into action on wooden or plastic boards
- Anyone who uses knives as “levers” or to separate slices of food should also change their habits when using a ceramic knife – it is necessary to lift the knife vertically after each cut. This is because ceramic knives are usually very thin and tend to break because they are too hard, instead of “warping” – and returning to their original shape – as is the case with steel
- Another detail – ceramic sheets are conductive of heat and, therefore, should not be used in hot environments, especially near heat sources, such as barbecue grills
- It is also not possible to sharpen the ceramic knife at home. It is necessary to send it back to the manufacturer to perform maintenance – which is something sporadic since it retains the wire very well
Considering all of this, ceramic sheets do not need to be changed frequently, as long as all necessary care is followed.
Knife blades are generally made of carbon steel, stainless steel or damask steel. However, there are more than 20 variations within these categories – each brand develops its products in a different way.
While carbon steel knives are recognized for their higher thread retention – after all, they are harder, as measured by the Rockwell scale – the material can oxidize more frequently and rust. Stainless steel, on the other hand, guarantees greater durability, but the accuracy is less.
Whoever uses the knife daily, in general, should give preference to a carbon steel product and try to take the utmost care with the hygiene and storage of the item to prevent rust.
Weight
It is important to be aware of the weight of the knife. Those intended for mincing food – such as knives for vegetables or cleavers, for example – must be lighter, to allow faster movements. Knives that require more precision, on the other hand, should be a little heavier, so that the cook can better balance the necessary force and detail of the cut.
Handle
A detail to be evaluated in relation to the handle is the material. The best is that the handle is full tang, that is, that the metal part of the blade extends over the entire knife, including inside the handle – which, in turn, is made of wood or plastic, in most parts. times.
The cable is, in this case, embedded in the tang by means of rivets or, still, fixed with glue. Thus, the product becomes more resistant and adherent and, at the same time, prevents the metal from conducting heat and burning the hands of those who use the knife.
However, when this is not possible, attention should be paid to the following points:
- ease of cleaning (so as not to accumulate dirt)
- existence of few welds and seams (so that it does not break easily)
- quality of the material and construction of the knife in general (if the handle is well fixed, if the handle rivets give the impression that they will come loose easily or, in the case of plastic handles, appear to be of low quality).
Knife maintenance
Keeping the knife sharp and free of rust is always simple, but some actions must be taken on a daily basis to get there. Washing the knives by hand and then drying them with a clean cloth, for example, prevents them from losing their cutting power and rust from taking over the blade. Food scraps should not be left on the blades to prevent staining and oxidation.
Storing the products in a stump, cloth bag or box is another essential tip for those who want to keep their knife for a long time. In addition to avoiding exposure to moisture, salt air and other factors that can help corrode the blade (depending on the region), correct storage prevents loss of the wire.
FAQs
Conclusion
In this article, we seek to bring some of the characteristics of knives for professional kitchens, with an emphasis on the types of knives, their main characteristics and applications, and also how to store them in the best way. We hope you have enjoyed the material.
