The Comprehensive Guide to Kitchen Knives: Double bevel

Knowledge

Introduction

In the culinary world, a knife is one of the most essential tools in a chef’s arsenal. From preparing vegetables to filleting fish, the right knife can make all the difference in terms of efficiency and precision. This comprehensive guide will delve into the various types of kitchen knives, their specific uses, benefits, and drawbacks. Whether you’re a professional chef or a home cook, understanding these tools will enhance your cooking experience and improve your culinary skills.

*The sizes mentioned are within the standard range, though occasionally, special sizes are available.

Paring

-Size 7-10cm / 2.5-4inches

Overview

A paring knife is a small knife with a straight, sharp blade. It is ideal for tasks that require precision.

Uses

  • Peeling fruits and vegetables: Perfect for removing skins with precision.
  • Detailed work: Ideal for intricate tasks like deveining shrimp or hulling strawberries.
  • Trimming: Useful for trimming excess fat from meat or cutting away small imperfections in produce.

Drawbacks

  • Limited scope: Not suitable for large tasks like chopping or slicing big cuts of meat.

 

 

Petty  (Utility knife)

-Size 10-15cm / 4-6inches

Overview

Utility knives are mid-sized knives that serve as a bridge between the chef’s knife and the paring knife, offering convenience and control. They are handy for quick, small tasks and easier to handle than larger knives.

Uses

  • Cutting fruits and vegetables: Suitable for medium-sized produce.
  • General tasks: Versatile for various small to medium kitchen tasks.

Drawbacks

  • Limited use: Not ideal for very large tasks.
  • Durability: May not be as robust as other knives for heavy-duty use.

 

Japanese style Boning (Honesuki)

-Size 15cm / 6inches

Overview

Honesuki knives feature a straight blade and Triangular in shape. They are designed for removing bones from meat, poultry, and fish.

Uses

  • Deboning: Effective at removing bones from cuts of meat.
  • Filleting fish: For filleting small fish about 20-40cm.
  • Trimming fat: Can easily trim excess fat from meat.

Drawbacks

  • Specialization: Basically Limited to tasks involving meat and fish.

 

Western style Boning

-Size 15-18cm / 6-7inches

Overview

Boning knives feature a narrow, flexible blade. They are designed for removing bones from meat, poultry, and fish.

Uses

  • Deboning: Effective at removing bones from cuts of meat.
  • Filleting fish: Its flexibility makes it perfect for filleting.
  • Trimming fat: Can easily trim excess fat from meat.

Drawbacks

  • Specialization: Limited to tasks involving meat and fish.

 

Santoku

-Size 15-18cm / 6-7inches

Overview

The Santoku knife is a Japanese knife. It has a mostly flat edge and a sheepsfoot blade that curves in an angle approaching 60 degrees at the point.

Uses

General use: Versatile enough for most kitchen tasks.

  • Chopping vegetables: Flat edge and wide blade make it excellent for precise, clean cuts.
  • Cutting meat: Its width allow for smooth cutting of various meats.
  • Slicing fish: Its thin blade allows for delicate slicing.

Drawbacks

  • Limited rocking motion: Flat edge makes rocking cuts less effective.

 

Nakiri

-Size 15-18cm / 6-7inches

Overview

Nakiri knives are traditional Japanese vegetable knives with a rectangular blade. They have a straight edge, ideal for chopping vegetables.

Uses

  • Vegetable chopping: Perfect for cutting and chopping all kinds of vegetables.
  • Slicing: Effective for creating uniform vegetable slices.
  • Dicing: Great for dicing vegetables.

Bunka

-Size 15-21cm / 6-8inches

Overview

The Bunka knife is a Japanese traditional knife. The Bunka knife is a Japanese traditional knife.
The usage is same as Santoku, the shape of the point is just different.

Uses

General use: Versatile enough for most kitchen tasks.

    • Chopping vegetables: Flat edge and wide blade make it excellent for precise, clean cuts.
    • Cutting meat: Its width allow for smooth cutting of various meats.
    • Slicing fish: Its thin blade allows for delicate slicing.

Drawbacks

  • Limited rocking motion: Flat edge makes rocking cuts less effective.

 

Gyuto (Chef’s knife)

-Size 18-33cm / 7-13inches

Overview

The chef’s knife is a versatile tool that every kitchen must have. It features a broad, tapered blade that can handle a wide range of tasks.

Uses

General use: Versatile enough for most kitchen tasks.

  • Chopping vegetables: The broad blade makes it easy to chop large quantities of vegetables quickly.
  • Cutting meat: Its length and width allow for smooth cutting of various meats.
  • Dicing and mincing: The curved edge facilitates a rocking motion, ideal for dicing and mincing herbs and garlic.

Drawbacks

Weight: Can be heavy and tiring to use for extended periods.

Sujihiki (Slicer)

-Size 21-33cm / 7-13inches

Overview

Slicing knives have long, thin blades, typically 8 to 14 inches long. They are designed for slicing cooked meats and roasts.

Uses

  • Carving: Ideal for carving large cuts of meat.
  • Thin slicing: Great for creating thin, uniform slices.
  • Slicing roasts: Perfect for slicing cooked meats like roasts, ham, and turkey.

Drawbacks

Specialization: Basically Limited to slicing and carving tasks.

 

Bread knife

-Size 20-25cm / 8-10inches

Overview

Bread knife is characterized by its long, serrated blade, typically around 8 to 10 inches. It is designed to cut through bread without crushing it.

Uses

  • Cutting bread: Easily slices through both crusty and soft bread without compressing it.
  • Cakes: Ideal for leveling and cutting through delicate cake layers.
  • Tomatoes and citrus fruits: The serrated edge makes it effective for slicing through tough skins.

Drawbacks

  • Limited versatility: Not suitable for general kitchen tasks.
  • Sharpening difficulty: Mostly can not be resharpened or More challenging to sharpen than straight-edged knives.

 

Yo-Deba

-Size 15-27cm / 6-11inches

Overview

Yo-Deba knives have wide, thick blades, typically 5-8mm thickness. They are designed for cutting bones, Crustaceans such as lobsters and crabs.

Uses

  • Cutting Crustaceans: Suitable for cutting and chopping crustacean shells such as lobster and crab
  • Filleting fish: Its thickness makes it perfect for chopping bones and filleting.

Drawbacks

  • Limited versatility: Not suitable for general kitchen tasks.
  • Weight: Can be very heavy and tiring to use for extended periods.