If we really want to develop our culinary skills, we must have 2 or 3 professional knives. This is the minimum if you want to unite the best chefs. Knives can be purchased individually, and we can also choose a ready set – we will have access to a variety of blades immediately. Read more
Knives available on the market vary in appearance (each is used to perform a different task), the material the blades were made from, the design itself, and where the blades and handles were made. If you do not have experience buying professional kitchen equipment, it will be better to familiarize yourself with all the models available on the market. Such research will also help answer the question: what good kitchen knives to buy.
What knife set should you choose for the kitchen?
Before we begin to choose the right models for us, we must learn to recognize the individual types of knives and find out what each of them is used for. Among the basic types of knives, we distinguish:
Chef’s Knife – With a long, wide blade (often more than 20 cm), it is used to perform basic tasks. This knife is used to cut and mincemeat, fruits and vegetables. This is the most basic of knives, which has a universal function in the kitchen,
Bread knife – a long, serrated blade is well suited for cutting thin slices of bread (it can even cope with freshly baked bread),
Peeling knife for fruits and vegetables – unlike the chef’s knife, it has a small and relatively short blade (about 5-7 cm). Thanks to the thin and slightly curved tip of the blade, it will not only peel but also cut artistic compositions,
If we want to do a professional job in the kitchen, we can join our set:
Fillet knife: used to fillet meat or fish. The elastic and pointed blade is used to precisely cut the meat from the bones and separate it from the bones,
Cheese knife: It has characteristic holes in the blade so that the cheese does not stick to its surface. Small sharp ridges aid in cutting
The types of knives mentioned above form a complete set, thanks to which we can easily carry out any culinary activity. Japanese knives are also available in the market, with slightly different properties than the traditional kitchen knives mentioned above. A set of Japanese knives is characterized by great durability and sharpness of the blades; This is associated with specially prepared and machined steel. Japanese knives are definitely more expensive than traditional knives, but they are worth the price due to the quality of workmanship.
What kitchen knife set – material classification
Very often, we can find knives whose blades are made of steel. We can choose carbon steel, which is easier to sharpen, or stainless steel, which will provide resistance to rust and other external factors. The Japanese knives are made by forging a special method that combines steel with iron. Thanks to this combination, the blade in Japanese knives is flexible, which significantly affects the strength and functionality of the blade.
The ceramic knives are also popular. Ceramic kitchen knives are lighter than steel ones; therefore, they are more practical and convenient even for beginning chefs. The ceramic blade is also chemically inert, it will not react with any food (it will not change its smell or taste).
Porcelain kitchen knives have similar characteristics. However, when deciding to buy ceramic knives, we must remember that the blade will not be shock resistant. If you drop the knife or hit the surface of the countertop, it may chip the blade. For this reason, it is not recommended to wash porcelain knives in the dishwasher. The ceramic blades are not flexible either, so we will not be able to separate the meat from the bones or the fish fillet with them.
Sharp kitchen knives: how to sharpen knives correctly?
All types of the knife must be properly cared for. Steel knives after each use are best cleaned with a sponge and detergent (do not use harsh kitchen scrubbers!), And after washing, put them directly on a special holder. When washing knives in the dishwasher, remember that the blade becomes dull when it touches other hard objects; put the knives in a special cutlery basket.
Let us also remember the regular sharpening of knives. This is the basic method to take care of our tools. Many pencil sharpeners are on the market, automatic and made from natural materials such as whetstones and grinding stones. The type of sharpener we should decide on depends on the kind of steel the blade is made of. To enjoy sharp kitchen knives, we need to sharpen them every 3-4 weeks. Ceramic knives do not require sharpening.
Choosing the correct kitchen knives will make our daily work in the kitchen easier. If we want to match chefs, we must invest in a professional set of tools made from high-quality steel. Let us remember that good quality knives will work not only for professionally involved people in the kitchen but also the daily life of each one of us.
