Are you going to buy a kitchen knife but don't know which one? Then read what types of kitchen knives are and how to choose the right one. What you should pay attention to when buying Every housewife or owner in the kitchen should have several types of knives, it all depends on what you are going to cut, butcher or clean.
Types of kitchen knives
Bread slicer
should have a long blade with the same width everywhere. The end of the blade should be cut and not sharp, and the handle should be large and comfortable for the hand. The blade of such knives is usually wavy. This type of knife is also suitable for slicing cake, pie or muffins.
In addition to such an everyday knife for flour products, there should also be set of three … They should all have large and long blades. The largest is 20-30 cm, the average 16-20 cm and the short 12-16 cm. They are needed for cutting products with a dense structure. Their blade must be sharp and lead to the very tip of the knife, which in turn is also sharpened.
There is still fruit and vegetable knife, it is very convenient for them to clean and cut them. It has a short (7, 5-9 cm) and straight blade with a sharp end, and the handle is small and comfortable.
There is also knifewhose purpose is cutting meat, thanks to it, it is very easy and convenient to cut meat from bones, as well as cut and cut chicken. It is short in length, and the blade is narrow and curved to the end. The cutting surface can be smooth, or it can have teeth, which is quite effective when cutting meat.
- There are also table knives with a rounded end and not a sharp blade - this is for spreading butter or pâté on bread.
- There is also a dining room fish spatula … It is blunt and the blade is a little short, which resembles a spatula.
- If you like cheese, then you will need a special cheese knife … Its blade is of medium length with cutouts in it. Thanks to these notches in the blade, there is less friction with the cheese when cutting, thus making thin slices (slices). The cutting surface can be smooth or serrated, the second option is more common.
Naturally, there is no need to have all kinds of these knives in the house. Usually, many types are used only in restaurants and other culinary establishments, and most housewives are limited to a set of 3-4 pieces and that's enough.
How to choose a kitchen knife?
The most important thing is not to skimp on buying a knife. Naturally, you should not buy the most expensive ones, they also may not be of the highest quality. But the money saved on buying "cutting" can turn into agony and inconvenience in the kitchen: very frequent sharpening, poor cutting blade, uncomfortable handle and very heavy weight. You won't really want to cook with such knives.
Blade composition - quality
The most important thing to look for when choosing and buying a knife is its blade quality. The cutting characteristics and service life of the knife will depend on this component. The main thing is steel, its brand from which the blade is made. Highest quality knives are made of stainless steel with the addition of chromium … Chrome makes steel harder and more beautiful (although beauty is not important). Another better option is chromium doped with vanadium and molybdenum, this alloy is also harder and less brittle. There is a very durable material with high wear resistance, from which knives are made - white and black ceramics, the second option is better than the first. These are completely new technologies, thanks to which a black ceramic knife can be sharpened once every 1-2 years. They are made from zirconium oxide, which is fired in huge furnaces for several hours (the longer the better - the stronger the material) at a temperature of 1600 ° C. In addition to its strength, this material does not oxidize against metal, it does not interact with acids and alkalis. There is no danger of corrosion when cutting various products: fruits and vegetables, they also do not absorb an unpleasant metallic taste. Better to buy SAMURA brands.
But ceramic knives have their drawbacks, with a strong fall, they can burst, and it is also not advised to cut on a glass cutting board, preferably a bamboo one. When cutting meat, you need to be careful with the bones, you can damage the blade. Yes, for such one knife you need to pay about 2500-3000 rubles. It is worth it or not to decide for you, but I think there are other options that are described above - metal, which is no worse and cheaper.
It is very important that the alloy from which the knife is made is homogeneous. You can notice this on cheap knives, looking at the blade, you can see strange spots, streaks on the metal and other defects. Such a cutting tool will not last long and with high quality, only a waste of money, time and nerves.
Knife cutting surface
The next important parameter is the cutting surface of the knife (working blade). It is enough to take a knife and look at it from the side, if the cutting surface has small extensions, waves or other irregularities, then it is better to put this tool aside and not buy. By the way, high-quality knives have a double-sided cutting surface (the blade is sharpened on both sides, not just one). For cleaning fruits and vegetables it is better to buy a knife with a narrow blade, and for general cutting it is worth stopping at a medium-sized blade.
In the store, you may be offered to buy a knife from which laser sharpened blade … As a rule, the blade is not sharpened with a laser, but hardened so that it is stronger and grinds longer. Such knives are also called self-sharpening ”, But this is nonsense, this is not and will not be. You can find out whether the knife is hardened by a laser by looking at its blade, if matte horizontal lines are visible on it, then it was sharpened according to this system. These knives are a little more expensive in price, which justifies itself.
Knife handle
The blade of the knife must enter and completely occupy the space in the knife handle. If the blade only partially fits into the handle, then most likely it will loosen and come out soon.
- Knives with a wooden handle. They sit very comfortably in the hand, do not slip and look beautiful. But the minus is that over time the tree dries up, cracks, scratches, collapses under water, absorbs fat and various acids with alkali (stains appear and the look deteriorates). Depending on the type of wood, these handles can be heavy. As a rule, consider only expensive options, made of good wood, then it will last a long time and there will be no problems either with the weight of the knife or with the rapid appearance of defects.
- Knives with a plastic handle. This is a fairly durable and high quality material that you should trust. Very long service life and easy maintenance. If he lies for several days in a sink with oily water, then nothing bad will happen. The tree will not tolerate this.
- Knives with a metal handle. This is probably one of the best options, although there are some small drawbacks, for someone it is uncomfortable in the hand and sliding. Despite the fact that they are made of metal, they are lightweight, do not deteriorate and are not afraid of various effects of temperature, moisture, salts and acids, do not break, do not loosen or crack. Consider the more expensive metal grip options as the cheaper ones can be heavy.
That's it, now you just have to walk around the store and look at the various options in the types of knives, hold in your hands to find out which knife is easier and more comfortable to hold in your hand. Evaluate the parameters that I described above and consult again with a specialist in the store (if he is there). And after that it is only worth making a purchase. It must be remembered that you are buying a knife for a long time, and it should please you and justify its cost.
Video tips on how to choose a knife:
