TYPES OF KNIVES

The chef’s knife is one of the most popular knives in the kitchen. It is suitable for cutting meat, fish and vegetables and for cradle-cutting and chopping herbs. The blade is usually between 16 and 26 cm long, curved and tapered towards the tip. The pointed shape of the chef’s knife enables especially fine cuts. A chef’s knife should feel comfortable in the hand, thus equally distributed balance between the blade and handle weight is an important criterion when choosing a chef’s knife. Of course, sharpness and edge-holding ability and thus the long life of the blade play an important role. The Japanese Santoku is an alternative to the classic chef’s knife.

The Chinese chef’s knife stands out due to its large, high blade that is rectangular in shape. The blade is about 18 to 20 cm long and quite thin. A Chinese chef’s knife is not only suitable for Asian cuisine but also for many types of food, such as vegetables, meat or fish. However, it is not so good at the cradle cut, popular in Europe, and not good for chopping due to its thinly ground edge. It should therefore be used for other cutting techniques.

The utility knife is a real all-rounder Also known as an all-purpose knife this cutting tool generally has a serrated edge and a medium-length blade of 11 to 13 cm. A utility knife is best suited to cutting fruit and vegetables, e.g. tomatoes, but also rolls and cold meat. As with all types of knife be sure that it is well balanced and ergonomic, so that the knife sits comfortably in the hand.

The paring knife is particularly suitable for more intricate cutting. The name comes from its original purpose: garnishing pieces of meat. The meat is pierced with a sharp-pointed knife and filled with spices, for example. Paring knives, also called garnishing knives, are also suitable for garnishing food such as carrots, apples or radishes. For such fine, technical preparation it has a 8 to 13 cm-long, pointed blade.

A vegetable knife is designed so that it can be used to cut a wide variety of vegetables and fruits. The very narrow blade of the paring knife runs straight and is relatively short at 7 to 9 cm. As a result, the versatile cutting tool can also be used excellently for fine work such as peeling and pitting vegetables and fruit. 

The ideal knife for peeling fruit and vegetables. To make this fine kitchen work easier, it is fitted with an slightly curved, short blade. They are usually 5 to 7 cm long, to separate the peel precisely, even with thin peel and small pieces. With the help of the pointed blade, damaged areas can be easily removed.

A carving knife is suitable for different types of meat, but also for fish, and is used to cut precise slices or pieces. The blade is usually between 16 and 26 cm long and with a tapered tip. Carving knives are often used in combination with a carving fork, a carving set, to slice meat portions easily. A ham slicer is a special type of meat knife which often has indentations on the blade, so that the food does not stick.

The filleting knife, a variation of the boning knife, is a specialty kitchen knife for precise cutting and disjointing meat and fish. The knife blade is particularly thin and flexible and 14 to 31 cm long. The blade’s flexibility is particularly important for filleting fish and meat, to ensure fine work and good handling. But if you want to use the knife for loosening bones, a classic, shorter and more rigid boning knife is better.

A steak knife is designed for precise and effortless cutting of steaks and other pieces of meat. The narrow, pointed blade is between 7 and 12 cm long and either smooth or serrated. Steak knives are made for a set table and replace dinner knives when steaks are served. It is therefore advisable to pay attention to the design of the knife when buying, so that it goes well with dinnerware and other cutlery.

For chopping food you should always use a special cleaver, also known as a hatchet. Classic chef’s knives have too fine a blade and can be damaged. A cleaver has a rectangular blade that is wedge-shaped, particularly robust and usually about 15 cm long. It can be used to mince meat and bones, but can also be used for vegetables or herbs. And to be able to work well with it, it should be ergonomic and well-balanced in the hand.

A bread knife is essential to cut uniform slices precisely. The blade has a serrated edge similar to a saw, to be able to effortlessly cut firm crusts. In addition to the classic serrated edge, there are inversely corrugated blades: alternate small and large serrations for particularly easy cutting without tearing. The blades are usually 20 to 30 cm long and thus also suitable for large loaves. In addition to bread, it is also suitable for large food with a hard skin, such as melons. Ensure that the ergonomics of the handle are good, for good handling and effortless cutting.

The cheese knife is specially designed for your needs when cutting different types of cheese. To prevent the cheese from sticking to the blade, most cheese knives have different-sized recesses in the blade, so the cheese easily slips off the blade. This is particularly important for soft cheeses But there are also cheese knives designed for hard cheeses, these have a continuous blade. Many cheese knives have a double point at the end of the blade, with which to directly pick up the cut cheese.

The Gyutoh knife is a type of Japanese knife traditionally used for meat. But it can be used to cut vegetables and fish. The blade is generally between 16 and 24 cm long, running to a pointed tip, similar to the classic European chef’s knife.

The Sujihiki knife is a Japanese carving knife that is particularly suited to cutting fine slices, ham, for example, and precisely dividing meat. Thanks to its slender blade that is commonly 24 cm long it is also ideal for filleting fish.

The Japanese Shotoh knife is used above all in Japanese cuisine for cutting fruit and vegetables. With a blade of between 9 and 14 cm long, running to a point, the Shotoh knife is especially suited to fine work, such as peeling and cutting all kinds of fruit and vegetables.

Suitable for shredding vegetables and herbs thanks to its broad, rectangular blade. Food being cut can be picked up directly with the blade. Its length of 17-18 cm makes it a compact knife. Due to the fine blade, it is not suitable for chopping, despite it looking similar to a cleaver, but for pushing cutting techniques.