One cannot cook without using a knife or a two. Therefore, knowing your knives is always an ideal tool that will help you cook easier and better. Having a complete set of knives is cool, but if you do not know the purpose of every knife, you might stop right there.
Each knife has to be used concerning its function. Moreover, it is also important to note down the fact that one should not use one knife to perform every action they encounter in the kitchen. Knives for slicing are different than those used for chopping.
The common types of knives and their usage can help you greatly to perform your everyday kitchen task better and easier. Here is an ultimate guide that will highlight the basic types of knives and their best way of usage.
There is also a long list of knives that have purposes outside of the kitchen. Muela knives are Spanish knives designed to cater the Spanish hunting needs. It has a great style to it along with discreet functionality than typical knives cannot copy.
They are made from hardwoods which adds to its visual aesthetics. This handsome knife is used for several purposes. It is custom designed as it comes with exotic blades along with encrypted images on the blade for enhanced aesthetics.
Table of Contents
The big basic four
Before we go any further, let’s look upon the four big knives. These are called big knives because they have a wide blade. The category includes chefs’ knife, paring knife, serrated utility knife, and boning knife.
Some people may add or subtract a knife or a two from this category, but these are the basic ones that are mostly included.
- The Chef’s Knife is the one with the widest of the blades. It is versatile as it can not only slice through the meat but also smash garlic and tomatoes. This multi-purpose tool is great for chopping vegetables too.
- Then comes the paring knife which can carry out many intricate tasks. You can peel fruits or vegetables with it or create garnishes upon your will in the most delicate manner.
- The Serrated Utility Knife is the one which is sharper and shorter. It can cut clean edges without tearing apart the fruit, vegetable, or bread. You can also carry out small slicing tasks with this knife.
- Boning Knife is the one that comes with a flexible blade that is curved from the side. It has several variations, so people have the freedom to purchase the one that is best suited for their needs. You can cut through meat and bones with this knife, like a knife. You can checkout buying guides and the list of best boning knives at MyKitchenCapers.com
Large Knives
The next category that we are going to talk about includes bread knife, carving knife and cleaver. These are the big knives that are capable of doing heavy tasks. They appear bigger and heavier too.
- The Bread Knife has a blade similar to the serrated utility knife. It comes with grooves that allow fast cutting without any food cutting sticking on it. With the bread knife, you can carry out all the baking tasks very neatly.
- The carving knife is also able to cut neat slices. You can cut thinner pieces of roasts. The next in line is cleaver. Cleaver is the knife that has the widest of all the blades. It is the most favourite horror movie knife used by serial killers due to its appearance.
You can split or cleave meat with it. There are many times where women do not prefer to keep this at home. It is domestically unfit since its main purpose is to prepare own meat from scratch, so it is more commonly used in restaurants.
Small Knives
Now comes the part where we are going to shed light upon small knives. They may be small in size and blade, but their function cannot be overlooked.
Small knives include fluting knife, mincing knife, trimming knife and peeling knife. They have curved blades which perform their own distinct function.
- Fluting knife comes with a short blade which is straight from the button and slightly angled from the front. You can use this knife to carry out delicate peeling or preparing dressings.
- Mincing Knife is the one which has a short blade slightly curved downward. Not every blade has this feature which makes it’s unique. You can remove skins from vegetables and fruits from this knife. To get a distinct cut, this knife is used. It helps prepare special types of cuts on vegetables for fancy salads.
- Trimming knife is the one that can help around with the small tasks while cooking. It can help you remove bones from various places and cut through several parts neatly.