TYPES OF KNIVES

TYPES OF KNIVES

Chef's Knife- a large, general-purpose kitchen knife usually 8 to 10 inches long that has a blade curving upward along its length and ending in a narrow point

Utility Knife- a cutting tool having a sharp replaceable blade that can be retracted into a usually metal handle.

Paring Knife- a small short-bladed knife (as for paring fruit).

Bird's Beak Paring Knife- Great for garnishes or tasks where precision is key. Also ideal for peeling round fruits and vegetables, allowing more of the blade to come into contact with the surface of the food.

Boning Knife- a short knife with narrow blade and sharp point for boning meat.

Bread Knife/Slicer- a knife designed or suitable for slicing bread, as one having a wavy or saw-toothed blade.

Butcher Knife- a heavy-duty knife usually 6 to 8 inches long having a broad rigid blade that curves slightly at the tip.

Carving Knife-  a sharp knife that is used to cut cooked meat.

Cheese Knife- a large spatula used to break down the curd in making cheese.

                                   - a knife with a curved blade for cutting cheese.

Spatula Spreader- A small flat, round bladed utensil that is serrated on one side and smooth on the other, appearing somewhat like a round spatula. It is used to apply food spreads, such as deviled ham, peanut butter, jelly, egg salad, butter, dressings, and many other spreads over bread slices. When finished spreading, the serrated edge of the knife can then be used to cut the slices before serving or for making decorative patterns in soft spreads. The blade is flexible but sturdy so it can be used for both spreading and cutting. Not only for use with sandwiches, this spreader can be used to cut sandwich ingredients into thin slices, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, or other ingredients. This utensil may also be referred to as a sandwich spatula.

Kitchen Shears- A kitchen tool, specifically made for food preparation, that is more versatile than a standard pair of cutting scissors. This utensil is made with a plastic or rubber coated handle which are often textured allowing for ease of cutting and gripping. The blades have a notch for cutting through poultry joints. Various parts of the handle may have teeth to be used for opening jars and bottles, as well as having a screwdriver-like protrusion to pry off lids. The scissor consists of two separate sections or sides that work together to cut, which may be riveted together or may be detachable so each half section can be easily washed and dried. The blade is sturdy and made from aluminum or stainless steel.

Meat Cleaver- A kitchen utensil with a wide rigid blade approximately 6 inches in length, which tapers to a sharp cutting edge. This tool is used to chop, shred, pound, or crush food ingredients and materials. The blade of the cleaver is thick, somewhat heavy and well balanced with a beveled cutting edge, which allows for ease of chopping through vegetables or materials as hard as bones with the beveled blade. The flat blunt side of the blade can be used to pulverize meat. If the handle is flat on the end it may be used to crush seeds, garlic or other similar ingredients. A hole is typically provided on the top end of the blade to allow for ease of hanging this tool.

Santoku Knife- A type of knife commonly used to prepare ingredients for Asian food dishes. This knife, which is also known as an Asian cook's or chef's knife, is very similar to a traditional chef's knife with a wide blade that has a long straight edge curving up slightly at the end. The main difference is that the Santoku knife has a wider blade that is thinner in thickness, shorter in length, and curves up very gradually at the end providing a straighter cutting edge. Constructed of stainless steel, this knife will typically be expensive to purchase, since it is precision made to be well balanced and well formed for ease of handling and greater control. With a thinner blade than a chef's knife, the santoku can cut smoothly and more precisely through dense vegetables, which may have a tendency to provide more resistance when using thicker width blades.

Salmon Knife-With a thin blade, sharp and flexible enough to remove the delicate skin from fresh salmon, this knife is perfect for getting delicate fillets of your favorite fish and for sushi, too.

Table Knife or Steak Knife- A steak knife is a sharp table knife, used for cuttingsteak. These often feature serrated blades and wooden handles, and are the only sharp knife commonly found at the modern table.

Vegetable Cleaver- Rectangular vegetable cleavers, which are traditional in Asia, have a straighter edge that, unlike curving Western-style knives, stays in contact with food as you cut and chop, ostensibly streamlining vegetable prep. Unlike meat cleavers, which have thick, heavy blades and a blunter edge for hacking through bone, vegetable cleavers have thin blades that taper gently to a honed edge, for cleanly slicing vegetables and other, more delicate boneless foods.

Source: https://www.cutco.com/products/knife-types.jsp#sm.00087lrtw5t5fr611is2ffwbct50q
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