Kitchen knives by usage

No, they are not. It doesn't matter if you are just a home cook; thinking that a kitchen knife is just a kitchen knife is not right. Sure, a knife with a blade can probably cut any type of food ingredient, but that is the same as saying that you can run a marathon wearing sandals instead of tennis. It is possible, but is it right? There are knives out there that have a design that makes them polyvalent and thus suitable to work with several different types of foods. Such is the case for the chef knives, santoku knives, and utility knives, but even those versatile knives are not the best option for working with each different type of ingredient.

By using the right kitchen knife for the right purpose, you will not only get better cuts but you will also preserve the quality of your knife's blade. Indeed, if the wrong knife is used for working with the wrong ingredient, the knife will not be as effective as it should be, and it will quickly become blunt. For example, if you use a nakiri knife (meant for vegetables) for working with meat, your cuts won't be as good as they could be if you were to use a carving knife (meant for meats). However, it is true that if you get a knife for every single different ingredient that you use in your recipes, you will end up with a kitchen full of knives. That is not necessary. In average, a cook will mostly need 3 to 5 different types of knives, and that still depends on how often you cook and what you cook. If you cut bread only once every year, then a bread knife is probably not a must-have in your collection. To make it easier for you, we'll explain below what are some knives that you can use for some of the most common groups of ingredients used in the kitchen.

For cutting fruits

The ideal knife for working with fruits, especially the smallest ones, is the paring knife. Thanks to its small blade, it is a knife that is easy to manipulate, which is perfect for doing meticulous work such as making decorative cuts for your salads. For bigger fruits, such as pineapples and watermelons, you can use either a utility knife or a chef knife. If you are a fan of Japanese blades, you can also use a santoku knife, which is a perfec replacement for a chef knife. Last but not least, due to the tricky nature of their skin, tomatoes are easier to cut if you use a serrated blade, which is why tomato knives are designed that way.

For cutting vegetables

Here again, the paring knife and the utility knife can be of great use when you work with small and medium size ingredients. A chef knife can also be perfect for the job, mainly when dealing with bigger vegetables. For the fans of Japanese cutlery, the santoku knife is also perfectly well adapted to work with vegetables, and in fact, in this domain, it is better than a chef knife thanks for its rounded blade. However, if you want to go for a knife that has been specifically thought and designed for cutting vegetables, then you should go for a nakiri knife. Indeed, this Japanese-style knife is the ideal knife for chopping all types of vegetables, which is why it is becoming more popular in recent years in European kitchens.

For cutting fish

There are different ways to work with a fish, so choosing the right knife depends on the type of cut that you intend to make. For example, if you want to prepare a fish fillet, a filleting knife is the right tool for the job. However, if you just want an all-round fish knife, you can opt for a deba knife, which is a Japane-style knife characterised for its heavy weight and its single-beveled blade. Moreover, if your purpose is specifically to make sashimi or sushi, the best option would be a yanagiba knife, which is yet another type of Japanese knife. Nonetheless, if you do work with fish just a couple of times in the year, a chef knife or a santoku knife can fulfill the mission.

For cutting meat

When it comes to meat and poultry, the options are diverse simply because there are a lot of things that can be done with a piece of meat. For simple cuts involving boneless meats, you can use a chef knife, a santoku knife, or even a utility knife. As for slicing roasts and hams, there is nothing better than a carving or slicing knife. However, if you need to perform a more specific task such as deboning a piece of meat, it is important to use the correct knife, which in this case would be a boning knife. Finally, what can make difficult working with meats are the bones, because the blades of most kitchen knives must never be used for cutting bones. Otherwise, you'll end up damaging their blades. If you ever have to cut through a bone or a difficult joint, it is best to use a cleaver or a meat chopper, which are tools equipped with sturdy enough blades suitable for the task.

So now you have a better idea of what knife to use for each purpose. Of course, there are several knives that we did not mention above, but for most of them, their name is very explicit about their function: cheese knives, salmon knives, bread knives... Now you can forget about that wrong idea of kitchen knives being all the same. A kitchen knife is an important work tool, and as such, it deserves to be used for the right purpose so that its quality gets preserved for a long time. This is advantageous for the knife, the food ingredient, and of course, the cook (you). On top of using the knife for the right purpose, it is also important to give it a proprer maintenance, and to know more about it, we invite you to read our article on how to wash and maintain your kitchen knives.

If you think that there is anything that we forgot to mention, or if there is anything that was not clear enough, do not hesitate to get in touch with us. Our friendly Customer Service will be glad to assist you with whatever inquiry you might have.