Each knife has a different shape to allow a suitable cutting gesture for each use. This is why there are so many different types of knives. Each food has a different consistency. It can also have different densities in the crust and the interior.
Thus, depending on consistency and density, in addition to the thickness of the cut, we will choose the appropriate knife: the length of the knife, the width of the blade, or the type of edge of each knife. In addition, this way we can make the correct cutting gesture. Sometimes we use knives for a different use than they were designed for. This can lead to easy deterioration, or worse, kitchen accidents.
Let’s see the most used:
Cook .
The Damascus chef knife is the king of the kitchen, the most used for its versatility. It is used to cut, chop and chop all kinds of vegetables in its multiple varieties of cut. The cook is an essential knife. The blade can vary in size but ranges from 20 to 25 cm. long. In some places, they call him an onion man.
The Vegetables or Tomato .
It is also a peeler and cutter for those products with hard skin, but soft on the inside. It is also used for peeling and cutting fruits. That is why its blade, about 12 cm., Is sharp with fine teeth to facilitate cutting the skin.
The Boning Knife
It is used to remove the bone, cut and cut joints. The blade is thin but hard, with a very curved edge to facilitate the work and a very sharp point. It measures between 12 and 15 cm.
Santoku .
It is the oriental variant of the chef’s knife. Its name in Japanese means “three virtues” and refers to the fact that it is used for vegetables, meat and fish . In addition, it is used for cutting, mincing and filleting. Its blade is wider than that of the chef and it almost always has alveoli to make it easier for food not to stick to the blade. The length of the blade varies between 15 and 18 cm .
The Steak Knife
It is easily replaceable by the cook. He is slim but strong. Originally the edge was not serrated, but with the passage of time, its use has passed from the kitchen to the table and the blade has been serrated to facilitate the cutting of tougher meats.
The Carving Knife .
It is long, between 25 and 30 cm. and with the blade not excessively hard. It is used to cut roast meat preventing it from breaking. It is accompanied by the Carving Fork that makes it easier to keep the meat fixed on the table and to allow it to move as little as possible.
La Puntilla .
It is a short multipurpose knife that is used to cut small pieces for which the cook is too big. It also serves to peel. Together with the cook, it is the essential knife in the kitchen. Short leaf between 6 and 10 cm . finished in point.
The Cheese Knife .
It has a perforated blade to facilitate cutting in soft cheeses. Generally the edge is serrated and has a double point to puncture the cut pieces.
The Yanagiba
It is a Japanese knife very similar to the carving knife of similar dimensions and is used mainly to fillet suchi and sashimi.
The hatchet
Little used in non-professional kitchens. It is very useful for slicing boneless meat.
The Mondador .
It is mainly used for peeling. Its short blade, about 6 cm, in the shape of a bird’s beak, facilitates the operation of peeling and turning
The Fillet
It is a knife with a very narrow and fine blade. It is one of the few knives with a flexible blade to be able to fillet both meat and fish well. The long blade is between 15 and 20 cm.
The Salmon Knife
It is long, about 30 cm. Slender flexible and often with a honeycombed leaf. Of course, especially for very thin slicing of salmon, or other fish.
The Jamonero.
A long knife, between 25 and 30 cm, thin and with a very flexible blade, to cut the ham into slices that are transparent to the eye.
The Panero knife
It has a hard blade and the edge is serrated, so that the crust of the bread can be easily cut and the slices do not crumble. Its blade is between 20 and 25 cm.
There are many more types of knives, especially for professional use. Examples are: the spatula, the fish hatchet, the fish scaling knife, the pastry chef, two-handle hatchets, special cheese knives, and a long endless that we will no longer deal with here so as not to bore.
How to clean and maintain kitchen knives.
Finally, we will give some tips to always keep knives in good shape. We have become used to always using the dishwasher for everyone. But this appliance is not always suitable for kitchen knives, as they can damage the handles, the blades and especially the inserts of the handle with the blade. You have to take care of premium knives, not because they are more expensive, they are immune to poor maintenance.
1.- Hand wash knives immediately after use. Do not let them sit with food scraps, especially acids such as tomatoes that can stain the blade of the knife.
2.- Better to use detergents as neutral as possible.
3.- Avoid being submerged in water inside the sink, especially if the water is dirty or salty. This could leave stains on the blade.
4.- Do not use bleach or soda.
5.- Do not use metallic or abrasive scourers.
6.- If you do not want to follow the advice to wash them by hand and prefer to put them in the dishwasher, rinse them very well with water as best as possible and place them on a tray apart from the rest of the cutlery and always with the blade down and the handle up to facilitate draining. Sufficient time may elapse from use to the beginning of the wash to stain the sheet.
7.- Dry them well with a soft cloth that absorbs the water well. Moisture damages the blade, its shine, and its sharpness.
8.- If you have washed them in the dishwasher, take them out immediately at the end of the cycle and finish drying them by hand. Do not leave them in the dishwasher for a long time.
9.- Sharpen the knives frequently. If you use them, they wear out and lose their cutting ability. Use a sharpener, or a good manual sharpener, or better take them to a specialized cutler who will leave them as good as new.
10.- Store the knives with care. Do not stack them in a drawer. Avoid letting the knife blades collide with each other. Better keep them in a Tacoma or a magnet bar.
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