Know Your Kitchen Knives

Contrary to modern popular belief, knives are more than just things to open your microwave meals with.  The pointy ends are not just for stickin' 'em with which proves that Jon Snow indeed know nothing…about kitchen knives.  Unlike you after you're done reading this.

The Usual Suspects

There are several types of knives that every kitchen should have.  We've listed them below with a brief description and what they are designed to cut.

Bread knife- Used for cutting bread (duh!).  The serrated edge of bread knives allow the blade to cut soft bread without crushing it.  Can also be used to cut produce and meat (if you have no alternatives)

Fillet knife- Long and flexible, a fillet knife can easily be moved along the backbone and under the skin of a fish.  Can also be used to fillet meat.

Chef's knife- Also called a cook's knife.  It can range from 15 to 36 centimeters or 6 to 14 inches in length.  Originally designed to slice large cuts of beef, it has now become the general utility knife used by chefs.  Modern chef's knives are somewhat like a jack-of-all-trade.  They are designed to perform varying tasks well instead of doing one task excellently.  As such, it can be used to cut produce, cheese, meat, and fish.

Carving knife-  About the same length as usual chef's knives but are thinner.  This design allows carving knives to create thinner and more precise meat slices.

Boning knife- Characterized by a sharp point and a narrow blade, this is perfect for removing the bones of poultry, meat, and even fish.  Stiff boning knives are great for beef and pork while the more flexible variety are perfect for poultry and fish.

Cleaver- The largest of the lot.  Cleavers come in different shapes but usually resemble a rectangular hatchet.  Its size and weight are perfect for hacking through bone.  It can also be used to cut produce since the weight makes cutting easier.  Also, the broad side can be used for crushing like with garlic during food preparation.

Steak knife- A sharp table knife used to cut steak.  They usually have serrated blades.  Not much use aside from cutting up your steak and opening microwave meals.

Paring knife- A specialized knife with a plain edge.  This small knife is used for small and intricate work like de-veining a shrimp or cutting small garnishes.

Getting Edgy

There are three common types of blade edges:

Serrated blade-  A serrated blade is what you would see on a bread knife.  The serration means the knife will be hard to sharpen.  On the other hand, it also protects the blade so a knife with a serrated blade would stay sharp longer.  A knife with this kind of edge is perfect for cutting bread and delicate produce.

Granton edge-  The term Granton is actually a copyrighted trademark but many knife makers are now using the term to describe a particular design of a knife blade edge.  The design is characterized by oval-shaped depressions on the side of the blade.  These depressions keep food from sticking to the blade.

Plain blade- Your run of the mill plain blade.  Knives with plain edges are easy to hone.  To keep food from sticking to the blade, you can dip it in water before cutting.

We hope that you know your kitchen knives now.  You won't start becoming a better cook by knowing this but at least you'd know what to ask for when shopping for knives.