No culinary experiments are complete without the use of a kitchen knife. Usually in the kitchen you can find several knives of different sizes, but you rarely see specialized ones – for slicing cheese, for butchering meat. Such as- for butchering the best knife will always be.
How Do I Pick a Good Kitchen Knife?
Perhaps due to ignorance, many believe that a universal kitchen knife is the best when cutting vegetables, and when working with meat and fish. However, it is not.
Each type of food has a corresponding knife, it is not only convenient, but also hygienic. Of course, you should not start a few dozen, but the main types must be in the kitchen. In this article, we will tell you about what choice they can offer you in stores, how to choose the best kitchen knife among them.
Appointment of a kitchen knife
The first thing you need to decide on when choosing a knife is what you need it for. There are special ones for bread, arranged in such a way as to easily cut the crust, but not deform the crumb. There are for tomatoes, allowing you to carefully cut the skin without damaging it, for cheese.
We advise you to choose knives for the types of food that you work with really often, so that cooking becomes really convenient.
Features and characteristics of kitchen knives
First of all, the knife must be comfortable. Take it in your hand, feel how comfortable the handle is, whether it is too heavy for you (otherwise the hand will get tired very quickly). The handle should not be too slippery, otherwise there is a danger that it will jump out of the hand.
All knives differ in blade shape and edge. These differences can be caused both by belonging to a particular type of product, and by the design features of a particular manufacturer.
Blade Features:
- The thinner the blade, the thinner the pieces, neat cuts can be made with it.
- The size. Depends on the type of knife – experts have calculated the optimal configuration required for a particular product. Of course, this or that manufacturer makes its own adjustments, but, nevertheless, the main proportions will be observed.
- The tip of the blade also matters a lot. It can be raised, centered or lowered – the shape depends, again, on the purpose.
- For example, a centered tip is useful when you need to cut something, such as coreing a vegetable.
- Sharpening. There are double and one-sided, many housewives note that it is still more convenient double. Knowing the type of sharpening is necessary if you are going to sharpen the knife yourself during operation. The optimum sharpening angle is 10–35 degrees, the width of the cutting edge depends on the angle.
When choosing a good kitchen knife, pay attention to the presence of a neck – this is a small thickening located between the blade and the handle. It is necessary so that during the cooking process you can emphasize with your finger, and also serves to balance the knife.
Carefully inspect the handle and blade for any chips, cracks or scratches. If they are noticed, then the knife will not last long – the materials from which it was made are easily deformed.
Material
The quality of the material of a kitchen knife directly depends on how long it will last, how easy it will be to operate and how convenient it is to take care of it.
First of all, when choosing a kitchen knife, you need to pay attention to the blade material, because it is its main component. Today, manufacturers use carbon steel, multilayer, high-carbon steel, stainless steel, titanium, and ceramics.
Let’s consider the materials of kitchen knives in more detail:
- Carbon steel. It is an alloy of iron and carbon, knives made of it are not too expensive. It sharpens perfectly, the sharp edge of the blade remains for a long time. But there is also a minus – such a knife must be carefully looked after, in no case should it be kept in dampness. It tends to darken, sometimes even rust.
- Multilayer steel. The blades, which are made of multi-layer steel, are considered one of the most expensive. From the name it is clear that this is not a full-fledged piece of metal, but layered steel. The high price is justified by unsurpassed qualities – strength, easy to sharpen and stays sharp for a long time.
- Stainless steel. These knives are not as durable as those made from other types of metals. They do not keep sharpening well, so this will have to be constantly sharpened, but unpretentiousness in care can be indicated as an advantage – this one will not change color, rust.
- High carbon stainless steel. This is the concentration of the positive qualities of the two materials described above – stainless steel and carbon steel. Knives made of it are very durable, sharpen well, do not give in to rust.
- Titanium. The titanium knife is suitable for those who love exotic. Its price is quite impressive, but, nevertheless, it cannot boast of strength, but it is resistant to corrosion.
- Ceramics. If you want a kitchen knife to stay sharp for a long time without leaving a metallic aftertaste, choose a ceramic knife. It is quite durable and easy to sharpen. It does not oxidize or rust like others with a metal blade.
It is worth mentioning the material of the handle. The most popular are wood and plastic. If you choose a kitchen knife with a wooden handle, make sure that it is carefully coated with a compound that protects the wood from drying out, otherwise sooner or later the blade will begin to wobble in the handle. The good thing about the plastic handle is that it does not absorb odors and is easy to clean.
If you choose good kitchen knives, you will find that cooking has become enjoyable and convenient. Of course, you should not buy several dozen pieces at once – still, much less amount is required for home cooking! But if you want to open your own restaurant … You will definitely need a complete set there!