Knife types: The most important knife types explained
There are many different types of knives. In normal household and everyday use alone, you can find different knives every day. Here we explain everything you need to know about the most important types.
Knife types from the west
The common knife types in every kitchen include the cooking knife and the bread knife. The tomato and cheese knife is also often found in everyday kitchens. Each knife attaches its own edge to the food differently and thus helps with quick preparation. To avoid injury, you should sharpen your knives. For this we have tested the best knife sharpener for you and prepared all information for you.
- The most important knife is the chef's knife. It is the universal tool of every kitchen. It can be used to cut meat, fish and vegetables. The chef's knife is usually 20 cm long.
- In addition to the chef's knife, the bread knife is the second most important knife in a German kitchen. Bread is difficult to cut with a smooth blade. The serrated edge of the knife therefore helps to break through crusty surfaces. Bread knives are usually around 23 cm long.
- The tournament knife or peeling knife is slightly smaller and is suitable for peeling work. The shape is curved, making it easier for you to peel.
- Tomato knives can do what even the sharpest knives can't. With their fine serrated cut, they cut into the tough skin of the tomatoes.
- The cheese's food culture is varied. So you need several versions of the cheese knife here. Hard cheese knives are compact and robust.
- To cut the soft cheese correctly, the friction must be as low as possible. For this reason, parts of the cheese knife are punched out on the inside.
- The ham knife is not just for ham. The narrow blade creates little friction and therefore little resistance when cutting. It is also ideal for meat and fish. Especially if you want to cut thin slices.
- The ham knife is still available in a special version. That is the salmon knife. The blade is longer and flexible. Often this has a scalloped edge, which additionally reduces the friction during cutting. A serrated edge means fine round notches in the knife blade. It can be used for salmon and fine serrano strings.
Asian knife types
Food in Asian countries, especially in Japan, is prepared differently. That is why cooks in the east use other types of knives for preparation.
- The Santoku knife means "three virtues". The name comes from its ability to process fish, meat and vegetables. It is the Japanese counterpart to the European chef's knife. Here the high blade is used as a kind of pallet. The clippings are placed directly on the blade and transported directly to the pot or pan.
- The Chinese chef's knife is the central knife in traditional Chinese cuisine. The shape resembles a cleaver, but has nothing to do with it. With its high weight, it is suitable for effortless cutting of vegetables, meat and fish. Because of the large blade, the clippings can also be packed on it.
- The nakiri or usuba is a paring knife. Translated, it is called "leaf cutter". Cooks use it for larger quantities of vegetables, because the wide blade of the Nakiri knife always protrudes beyond what is cut. So it can easily be added to the pan.
- The Sashimi or Yanagiba knife is a special fish knife. No sushi chef wants to do without it. It is extremely sharp and ground on one side. The blade length is around 36 cm long, but can be even longer. If the knife is used correctly, fish can be filleted and cut into the finest slices.
- But the use of the knife has to be practiced for a long time. With the one-sided hollow grinding and the wide blade on the back, the sashimi knife requires a special cutting technique. Japanese sushi chefs have been training for many years to master this technique.
- The Deba knife is characterized by its extremely wide blade back and one-sided grinding. It comes from traditional Japanese cuisine and is used for cutting work. The top does delicate work. The back of the blade can chop bones.
In the next article you will learn how to sharpen knives properly.