When it comes to cutting vegetables and meat you need to have the right knife in your kitchen for maintaining the texture and shape of your food and getting the best cooking experience. When you choose the right knife for cutting your food, you deliver accuracy, detailing and safety. It’s not necessary for you to be a professional chef to choose which knife you should be using for everyday tasks but a home cook should also know the importance of choosing the best knife for his kitchen. In this blog we will explore the different types of knives for slicing, chopping, cutting, and dicing different food items.
1. Chef Knife – All in one knife
A chef knife is like the unsung hero of your kitchen. Many people don’t realize but they use chef knife on every day basis as it is the most commonly used knife in every kitchen. The main feature that makes this knife so unique is its wide and sharp blades that are sufficient for cutting any day to day ingredient. It can be used for slicing, dicing, cutting, mincing, carving and chopping both vegetables and meat.
2. Santoku Knife – The Japanese Knife
As the name itself indicates, santoku knife is commonly known as Japanese knife. This knife is somewhat similar to a chef knife but with a short and straight blade. It also excels in cutting both meat and vegetables. The sharp edge blades reduce friction which results in preventing food sticking after cutting.
3. Cleaver Knife – The King of meat cutting
A Cleaver knife is called the king of cutting meat because of its wide rectangle shape and heavy weight nature. It is common among the people who cut meat on daily basis. The shape of cleaver knife is designed in such a manner that it fits perfect for chopping through bones and thick cuts of meat. Not only meat, cleaver knife is used for cutting some big vegetables like cabbage and lettuce.
4. Slicer Knife – Best for Thin Cuts
A Slicer knife is the best choice to cut and slice thin and small items. The bladed are thin and long which makes it easy to cut and slice really thin ingredients like chilly and onions. The flexible sharp edge ensures that the slices that you cut are in perfect shape.
5. Utility Knife – Cousin of Slicer Knife
Utility knife is the smaller sibling of slicer knife. It fits in the category of cutting both medium size vegetables and meat. This knife is good for cutting with perfection because of its size and shape. Most of the kitchens require this knife for cutting small things like slicing fruit, cutting pieces of meat or sandwiches and cutting bread.
6. Paring Knife – Most Detailed Knife
Paring knife is the smallest and most light weighted in the knife family and is used for items that need attention to detail. Peeling and Trimming are the two best examples that can describe the use of paring knife. While visiting to a fancy restaurant or hotel, you must have seen some fine vegetable decoration on your salad plate, such fine detailing is made possible by the skilful use of a paring knife.
7. Kitchen Scissors – Must Have Item
Kitchen Scissors is a must have tool for your kitchen. It can be used for some of the obvious purposes like snipping herbs, cutting food packages, opening spice packets and breaking poultry. It can also be used to cut small pieces of unwanted meat and can even cut the raw meat into smaller pieces. A must have kitchen item for every home.
8. Knife Sharpener – Maintaining Sharpness
When you use kitchen knives daily, the blades will eventually lose their shape, and you'll need to maintain them to continue using them effectively. This is where knife sharpener comes in play. A dull knife is essentially useless. To keep your knives sharp and extend their lifespan, it's important to sharpen them regularly.
Choose the right knife for the right task
Each knife serves a unique purpose and delivers best when you use the right knife for right ingredient. It is necessary to understand what knife set fits best for vegetables and meat and what knife further fits best in small and big vegetables and meats. The variety of knives like chef, cleaver, santoku, paring and utility gives the best result when they are used for the jobs that they are made for.
