What are the 8 basic types of knives and how are they used? - Letcase
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What are the 8 basic types of knives and how are they used?


Do you always have no idea about what kitchen knives to buy? Have you ever been “laughed” at because you know little about knives? You may confused that all knives are used for cutting things, so, what’s the difference of different types of cooking knife? Today, we will tell you 8 most common kitchen knives type, each type has its own specific functions and specialties. And a good chef or cooking lovers will learn how to exploit their various strengths.

How to define a Kitchen Knife Set?

A kitchen knife set is a collection of variety knives to make sure you can handle various tasks for cooking. What kind of kitchen knives set to buy depends on personal’s needs.

In the market, nearly every knife set you find will include a chef’s knife, utility knife, and paring knife, boning knife. Most include at least a few others such as santoku knife, slicing knife, bread knife.

Naturally, the price of knife set can vary significantly based on the number of pieces in the set. To figure out the types of cutting and cooking you actually do before buying your set. It’s meaningless to have an expensive knife set that you never use it for cooking.

Here’s a brief overview of the various knives and it’s intended function:

  • Chef’s Knife
  • Santoku Knife
  • Paring Knife
  • Bread Knife
  • Boning Knife
  • Slicing Knife
  • Utility Knife

Chef’s Knife

The chef's knife is also known as "kitchen life", chef knives are relatively light-weight but can meet multi-purpose cutting needs.  The cutting method is lift up the back half of the knife and don't let the tip of the knife leave the chopping board, like the usage of the guillotine knife. This knife method is used to cut common Western spices such as basil, French coriander . Another classic knife method is to slice with the tip of the knife.

The surface of knife is wider than others and the blade is curved. It can be used to cut meat, fish and vegetables and a wide range of other cutting tasks in the kitchen. in many family, the master knife is the most widely used type of knife.

Santoku Knife

Santoku knife, as the name implies, this kind of knife has "three advantages". There are two interpretations of this knife. Some people think it is saying that this knife can be used for cutting meat、 fish vegetables . some people think it is because it is good for shredding, dicing, and slicing.in a word, It is a versatile knife for cutting meat, vegetables, fruits and vegetables. The size is smaller than general chef’s knife, the edge is relatively round witch make it easily cut fresh meat. so, you should be careful around bones and other hard objects. the curvature of overall blade  is adjusted, making it more convenient to use the knife body for broaching and guillotine cutting and  can adapt to various knife methods. If there is only one knife at home, it will be a good choice. Therefore, it is favored by Japanese housewives. 

Paring Knife

The paring knives in the kitchen are generally used to cut vegetable and fruit, after all, it is more convenient to handle small cutting task than other bigger knife. of course, if you know something about carving or wobble-plate,paring knife is a good choice to test your imagination and creativity. 

Bread Knife

Bread knife is used to cut soft food with a hard skin. the bread knife is long and features pointed serrations along its length.so it’s also known simply as a “serrated knife,” There’s no doubt that its main purpose is cutting bread. The serrations help it break into the crust without smashing the softer, fluffier bread inside. If you’re interested in baking, this is an important tool to have at the ready. Of course, Bread knife can also be used for squishable fruits and veggies such as tomatoes.

Boning Knife

As you may guess from the name, the boning (or de-boning) knife is there to help you separate meat from bone. It features a narrow, roughly six-inch blade that’s easy to maneuver into those odd nooks you find around animal bones.  is specially used to cut hard food such as some hard bones to avoid being dull or cracked.

Slicing Knife

As you may guess from the name, the slicing knife are basically used for slicing food. Special attention, it can be used for slice cooked food. So if you are a little lazy and buy cooked food often, Don't miss this kind of knife. Generally speaking, it is not suitable to cut frozen meat that has not been thawed.

Utility Knife

Most people would describe utility knife as an all-purpose knife used for cutting fruits and vegetables, and carving poultry. Sometimes referred to as the “sandwich knife”, the blade is shaped like a chef’s knife but narrower with5 inch long. With a utility knife, you can maneuver through narrow food cavities that a kitchen knife cannot. At the same time, the utility knife is lighter than a chef’s knife, it can still cut common cooking ingredients more efficiently that a paring knife cannot (melons, potatoes, cucumbers, onions, etc.)

After figuring out the type and function of the tool, I believe you can make a decision according to your needs. With these knives, you can cut any shape you want and make good-looking food. Now, you can go to the market to compare and choose knives.

Here recommend a LETCASE’’S best japanese knife set for you, it includes all the knife mentioned above, it features both easy-to-use and beautiful look, you can try it to save time on comparation and decision. I’m sure this set is the best knife sets under 200.

kitchen knife set


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