What is a knife?
A knife is a type of kitchen tool used to cut food items into smaller pieces. There are different varieties of knives used to cut different foods with varying textures. Knives have been around since ancient times, and have been modernized for different uses in the kitchen.
Knives have a metal blade and a handle that is made of either metal, wood, or plastic.
Most knives are made up of two parts, the blade, and the handle. The handle is made up of the tang, the butt, and rivets that hold the knife together. The blade itself is comprised of several parts as well, including the spine, the tip, the edge, the heel, and the bolster.
What are the different types of kitchen knives?
Butter Knife
A butter knife is a somewhat dull knife with a smooth edge that is slightly serrated on one edge. This type of knife is best for cutting soft or cooked foods and is the standard cutting instrument used in standard cutlery, along with a fork and spoon.
Steak Knife
Steak knives are a type of knife used for cutting cooked foods that may be too tough to cut with a butter knife, such as cooked beef and chicken. This knife is sharper than a butter knife, but not as sharp as a paring knife.
Paring Knife
Paring knives are small knives that are very sharp and have narrow blades. These types of knives are great for cutting and peeling fruits and vegetables. Their sharpness allows you to cut very soft foods, such as tomatoes into clean and neat slices. The small size of the paring knife also lets you remove the pith on the insides of peppers like jalapenos and bell peppers.
Serrated Knife
A serrated knife is great for cutting into foods with hard crusts, particularly bread. This type of knife has a jagged, serrated edge that allows you to cut into foods easily using a sawing motion.
Chef’s Knife
A chef’s knife is a great multi-purpose knife that is great for dicing, chopping, mincing, and other cutting styles. Chef’s knives are large and come to a tip.
Cleaver Knife
Cleavers are heavy, bulky, and sharp knives that are great for cutting meats. Unlike the other knives we’re talking about, these knives have a square blade, rather than a pointed tip, and the sharp part of the blade is flat rather than at an angle.
Is there a knife that you use in the kitchen that you think we missed? Let us know!
