When you walk into a passionate cooks kitchen you are sure to see several knife blocks, and lots of magnetic strips all displaying an assortment of knives that would make the Bondon butcher tingle with joy. You may be wondering what all those knives are for, what each one does and if it makes a difference.
Tourne Knife
The tourne knife is among the family of utility knives. It is similar to its more traditional companion the paring knife but with a bird’s beak blade which is shorter (two-three inches long) and with an upward curve.
Ceramic Knife
A ceramic knife is made from a very high grade industrial ceramic known as zirconium oxide. This substance is very hard, being only slightly softer than that of a diamond. That makes the blade of this knife harder than steel of even the highest carbon count. It will not easily dull and needs only to be sharpened occasionally (usually less than once per year). These knives are good for slicing very thin cuts due to their exceptional sharpness.
Chef’s Knife
The chef’s knife is also called a cook’s knife; it is an all-purpose knife that is used for chopping, dicing, mincing, and slicing. This knife comes in lengths of six, eight, ten, twelve and fourteen inches. The hefty weight and very good balance of the chef’s knife allow for heavy duty tasks such as thicker vegetables, larger fruits and tougher meats.
Cleaver
This knife has a short wide blade that is very rigid and thick that tapers with a very sharp cutting edge. This knife is used to chop, shred, pound or crush ingredients. The blade has a beveled edge and is balanced and heavy. The back edge of the blade can be used for the breaking of bones, pounding of meat and the crushing of seed and garlic.
Deli Knife
This knife was originally designed for cutting through thick sandwiches and has a blade made for dealing with the various ingredients of a sandwich from soft vegetable to tough meats and heavy bread. The blade is off set which allows for easy usage and good handling.
Filet Knife
The Filet knife consists of a very long, very thin and flexible blade that comes either 6 inches long or 11 inches long. The purpose of having such a narrow blade is to allow the knife to move easily along the back bones of fish and around bones and joints.
Roast Beef Knife
The roast beef knife is good for cutting all kinds of meat, including ham, beef pork and lamb. It is made with a very long grantoned blade that can be laid across the length of a roast; the blade is usually between 12-14 inches long.
Santoku Knife
This knife is the Japanese equivalent to the chef’s knife and is the primary knife used in the preparation of Asian dishes. It has a short, wide blade that is thinner and has a long, straight cutting edge that curves upwards at the tip.
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