what are the types of kitchen knives
A few months ago we told you about the characteristics of a knife both for its morphology and for the type of edge it can present. But for the information to be complete, we would like to tell you what are the basic kitchen knives that exist according to the use of each one.
To choose the best kitchen knife, the one that will become your perfect ally during the preparation of your best recipes, several details must be taken into account. Among them, and one of the most important, is the use that is going to be given to that knife .
Cutting thin slices of salmon is not the same as peeling a zucchini or cutting slices of bread. Each food needs a certain cut that will be provided by the type of knife blade (both its length and its shape). In addition, it is necessary that the kitchen knife that you choose has a good resistance to be able to give it continuous use and that it does not spoil over time.
One of the most common mistakes made in the kitchen is to use a single knife to cut and peel all kinds of food . What happens if we use this utensil for everything? That we are not getting the most out of the food and that, surely, the cut is not as good as it should be.
It is true that there are two types of knives that, at Alambique, we call them ” all-terrain knives ” because they are two basic models that are used to cut, chop and peel several different types of food such as vegetables and meat. These are the onion knife and the lace knife .
From Alambique, we want to open the doors to the fantastic world of kitchen knives. For this reason, we want to introduce you to the full range of knives that we have available for you , explaining their correct use so that you can get the most out of them in the kitchen.
TYPES OF KITCHEN KNIVES
PARING KNIFE OR LACE
The paring knife usually has a blade of about 9-10 cm and a very sharp point. It is ideal for peeling vegetables or fruits, as well as being able to make all kinds of small and fine cuts with it.
CHEF’S OR ONION KNIFE
It is also known as a chef’s knife . With a much more versatile use, this chef’s knife is used to chop vegetables, chop meat and fish, and other more general uses. They usually have a wide and stable sheet of about 20 cm, although they can measure up to 30 cm. This last size is usually used when you have larger pieces of meat or fish than usual.
PESTLE KNIFE
With a curved and thin blade, this is the right knife, as its name indicates, to remove the bones in a piece of meat, as usually happens when a chicken is cut up and the breasts are removed.
FILLETING OR FILLETING KNIFE
They are knives with a long, thin and flexible blade indicated for cleanly filleting pieces of meat or fish. Thanks to their versatility, fillet knives can be used as both meat and fish knives. Within this category we can also include the carving knife that resembles an onion but has a narrower blade and is usually 20cm or more in length.
HAM KNIFE OR HAM KNIFE
This is the right knife when cutting ham or large pieces of meat. It has a very long, thin and generally flexible blade to facilitate proper cutting or slicing. Ham knives usually have a sharp point.
KNIFE FOR CARPACCIO OR SALMON
It is a knife very similar to the ham knife, only that its tip is rounded. In addition, in most fish knives, the blade has alveoli to make it easier for the slices of food that are cut not to stick.
BREAD KNIFE OR SERRATED KNIFE
In this case, the blade is also long and strong, but unlike the previous ones, bread knives have a serrated edge to cut the bread crust without difficulty.
SANTOKU KNIFE
This is the Japanese cook’s or chef’s knife equivalent to the western onion knife. In the Santoku knife, the shape of its blade is very characteristic since it has a flat base, a rounded tip and a length between 12 and 20 cm. Due to its shape it is a very versatile knife, since it is used to cut, chop or slice both vegetables and fruits, meat or fish.
