Chefs and ambitious cooks alike will probably have many different types of knife. They’re one of the most integral pieces of cooking equipment and will serve a multitude of purposes. The one you select will depend entirely on what you’re cooking and how it needs to be prepared. Here is a summary of the different kinds of cooking knives and how they can be used:
- Serrated edge kitchen knife – the serrated blade will give more grip, so this kind of knife can be used to cut things like meat and hard vegetables.
- Straight edge kitchen knife – use this for slicing. It will give you a precise cut and is best used for foods like salmon.
- Paring knife – you will be able to get a range of paring knives with different blade shapes and sizes. They are generally used for more delicate slicing work and can be useful when slicing tomatoes.
- Bread knife – as the name suggests, this is the perfect knife to cut bread. It will easily cut through thick crusts using a backwards and forwards slicing motion. The long serrated blade helps with this.
- Chef’s knife – a multi-purpose piece of equipment with a thick blade that curves upwards slightly towards the end.
- Cleaver – a powerful tool that’s useful for chopping up meat and poultry, and can cut through bone.