Saturday, January 23, 2010

How To Get The Greatest Kitchen Knives Possible

By Jake Zertosky

Kitchen knives can be purchased in upscale kitchen stores, in department stores, and in discount shops. There are some that are very high quality and hardly ever need to be sharpened and there are those that might be good for a while but need to replaced often. Almost every famous chef has a set of knives they market to the public

There are two different types of kitchen knives. The first is the forged knife where the blade is made by pressing hot steel into a mold. The blade is then run through several machines or hammered out to take a specific shape. This type of blade costs much more money but they are balanced much better. The other type of knife is a stamped knife which is made by cutting the blade from a single sheet of steel. After it is cut out the blade goes through a process where it is finished and sharpened. The stamped style of blade is thinner than the forged type and they tend to be a little unbalanced.

There are different styles of knives that must be in every kitchen. The first one is called the boning knife which is suitable for cutting the bone away from meat with a 5 to 6 inch blade. The narrow blade makes it easier to move and cut the meat from the bones. If the size of the bone is large then the knife should also be large.

A Chef. 's knife is one that is used most often in many kitchens. You can get them in 6, 8, 10 or 12 inch lengths and you can use them for a variety of cutting activities. If you have large hands it is advisable to use a larger blade so that you can get control. Chef. 's knives are used to mince, slice, dice and chop.

A cleaver is a good knife to have in the kitchen if you frequently cut thick items or you need to chop through a bone. Cleavers resemble an axe with a thick blade that can reach 6 inches in length. Use a cleaver to pound food or to crush it and to chop.

Serrated knives are the best thing to use to cut crusty bread. They work well with anything that might be soft inside but crusty or hard on the outside. Serrated blades have little notches or teeth and run anywhere from five inches to ten inches in length. You will not have the ability to sharpen a serrated knife as special tools are needed and therefore you will have to purchase a new serrated knife more frequently than any of the other knives in a set.

A carving knife is generally used to slice cooked meat. There are pointed tipped and round tipped carving knives. The blade is rigid and is usually around 8 inches long. The pointed tip is used to get around bone when carving. It most often comes with a carving fork that helps to keep food still while cutting with the knife.

Utility knives can be used for just about anything. The blade is usually around four to seven inches long and you can cut vegetables, apples and other fruit, garlic and herbs. On occasion you can find a utility knife with a serrated edge.

The smallest knife in the pack is the paring knife. This knife is used to cut small things like apple slices or small vegetables and more often to remove skin from potatoes or apples. Paring knife blades are slender and are 4 inches in length or less.

All of the above kitchen knives are a necessity in the kitchen and the expensive ones will work better for you and last a long time. They will balance well in your hand and you will have less accidents working with them. Make sure to purchase knives that feel like they belong in your hand and you will have a set that will last for many years.

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