Knives Used by Chefs
Most tasks in the kitchen, even a professional kitchen, can be accomplished with just a handful of good knives. Every chef has his own preferences, and there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. However, certain knives are most commonly found in well-equipped kitchens. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
-
Chef's Knife
-
The chef's knife can be used to peel, trim, slice, chop, mince, filet fish and do basic cuts on meat and poultry--it's an all-purpose performer. Blades usually measure between 8 to 12 inches and taper to a point. Look for an equally balanced blade and handle. Use the tip of the blade for fine jobs such as trimming and paring, the cutting edge for slicing, dicing and chopping, and the heel of the blade for jobs that require some force, such as cutting through joints.
Paring Knife
-
This is likely the second most common knife a chef reaches for. A good paring knife can do all the jobs a chef's knife can't, like coring apples, peeling fruits and vegetables and taking the eyes out of potatoes. Like all knives, a paring knife works best when it is extremely sharp--try to sharpen it before every use. Blades on paring knives can be either straight or curved and are generally about 2 to 4 inches long.
-
Serrated or Bread Knife
-
A serrated knife with a long, rectangular blade can cut through the crust of bread without crushing it. It may not be the knife a chef reaches for frequently, but it is uniquely designed for a specific job and is worth having in any well-stocked kitchen. The serrated knife works well on tomatoes as well, though a very sharp chef's knife can handle tomatoes perfectly well.
Boning and Filleting Knives
-
A boning knife is used to break down meat, fish and poultry. It has a long, thin and somewhat flexible blade, usually measuring about 5 to 8 inches long. A filleting knife is similar in shape and size to a boning knife, but it has a more flexible blade specifically designed for filleting fish. Chef's or boning knives can do this job too, but these more rigid blades often leave behind the flesh closest to the bone.
Cleaver
-
Featuring a wedge-shaped, sharp-edged blade, cleavers exist both for meat and vegetables. Note that these are not interchangeable. A vegetable cleaver is too light to stand up to the task of cutting through bones, while a heavy meat cleaver may damage more delicate vegetables. A heavy meat cleaver can break through bones and can also handle other kitchen tasks, such as cutting through the tough skins of squash or smashing garlic cloves.
Clam and Oyster Knives
-
Opening these mollusks is a specialized task that many home cooks won't need to tackle often. Each task requires its own knife to make opening successful: A clam knife has a rounded tip and a 3- to 4-inch blade, while an oyster knife has a pointed tip with a guard where the handle and blade meet. To open a clam, the blade is inserted between the shells on the opposite side from the hinge. For oysters, the blade is pressed into the hinge.
-
