The kitchen can be a mysterious, complicated place for some people. By getting a good foundation of the basics, the rest will surely fall into place. One of the most frequently used tools in cooking is the knife–by conquering the many different kinds and uses for knives, your utensil drawer will no longer be a scary, incomprensible part of your kitchen. You don’t have to be a corporate event caterer or professional chef to appreciate and have a quality collection of knives. Here’s a look at the basics for when you decide to go all out and try to cook for a very special event of your own.
Chefs Knife (French Knife)
The chefs knife, also known as the French Knife, is the work horse of the kitchen, used for multiple tasks rather than being extremely specialized. Chefs knives are often used for mincing, slicing, dicing, chopping veggies, slicing meat and occasionally disjointing large pieces of meat. These knives range in length from 6 to 14 inches. There is a gentle curve from the point of the blade to the handle that allows for a balanced, smooth rocking motion.
Paring Knife
Paring knives are also designed to be multipurpose tools, but tend to be much smaller than a chef’s knife. Ranging from two to four inches in length, this smaller size allows for more agile, intricate activities such as peeling, deveining seafood, etc.
Bread Knife
A bread knife typically has a a long, thin serrated blade which allows for slicing of bread without crushing it. These blades range between 6 and 10 inches long.
Meat Knives
As a texas caterer, meat and barbecue are important parts of our menu, and meat knives are an equally important part of our kitchen.
Carving Knife
Carving knives are primarily used for cutting thin cuts of meat. Ranging from 8 to 15 inches, these large, thin blades allow for precise slicing.
Slicer or Slicing Knife
A slicer or slicing knife is closely related to a carving knife, but is traditionally longer and narrower. Typically slicer knives have flat, plain blades but may sometimes come in serated forms. A slicer knife ranges from 10 to 12 inches because one of the main purposes of the slicer is to make long, clean strokes when carving meat or poultry. Slicer knives may also be convenient for slicing sandwiches, vegetables and fruits.
Boning Knife
A boning knife has a thin, flexible blade with an extremely sharp point and is used to remove bones from cuts of meat. The blade allows for intricate work around the bone and typically ranges from 3 to 9 inches in length.
Cleaver
A cleaver has a large, thick rectangular blade for separating, or “cleaving”, meat from the bone. This thick, heavy blade is designed to allow for quick strokes through tough surfaces without breaking or splintering the blade. A typical home kitchen cleaver is around 6 inches long.
