Kitchen knives: types and the best set for the kitchen

kitchen knives - main instrument, without which it can not do any one owner. They can facilitate the cooking and turn it into hard work. It all depends on how responsible you come to their purchase, and if chosen correctly for a particular job. No wonder all connoisseurs of culinary art, from the chef to the hospitable housewives are among the blades of their pets.

select the Basics

If you have all kitchen knives, "one person", it is better to buy a standard set or more universal models. What products and more convenient than cut, you will understand with time.

This advice is suitable and those who relates to cooking easy and does not claim the laurels of the famous chefs. A few good knives with different blades will be enough for the job. But the kitchen does not become a weapons room, hung with hatchets, lancets and fearsome knives of all kinds. In a family where the kitchen dominates one mistress, in any case, will have enough knives 3-5 for continuous use.

Standard set

Most of the food preparation operations successfully carried out the so-called kitchen trio. It includes knives of different sizes:

1. chef chef knife (45cm) would do well with meat;
2. average knife with a wide blade (35-40 cm), will reveal itself well to prepare snacks, sliced ​​cheese and sausages;
3. small (25-30 cm) suitable for the cleaning of vegetables.

Such a set of kitchen knives perfectly cope with daily tasks, so that the equipment of the new kitchen the right tools necessary to start with the purchase of a trio. These blades will be used more frequently than others, so it's best to keep them at hand - at a special stand-deck or wall magnet. The remaining clean in boxes so as not to clutter the kitchen.

blade material

The most important part of any knife, chef's option whether or ax for meat - its blade. Traditionally, it is made of stainless steel, but it is with the addition of certain alloying elements can have different characteristics.

stainless steel

• Molybdenum and silicon as high manganese content makes the steel more ductile. Even a very thin blade of this alloy is difficult to break.
• Knives made of iron with the addition of vanadium, after sharpening retain their sharpness for a long time - to blunt them or leave a burr on the blade is almost impossible.

The only drawback of almost all nerzhaveek - sharpen them have every month and a half.

Carbon steel

Have greater hardness and hence brittleness. But on these blades is easy to achieve excellent cutting edge sharpness. In the absence of chromium in the alloy, the knife may darken in noticeably kitchen environments. But there were no problems this will cause. A thin patina film does not allow the blade to rust, and further, the reviews, looks very noble.

Consider the blade on the world - quality knife is different absolute smoothness and uniformity of color. Roughness, spots or marks on the surface of the steel annealing webs indicate poor quality metal.

Ceramics

Alone in this ranking are Ceramic knivesWhich cut is not worse than steel. But often they do not require sharpening, while maintaining its sharpness for many years. Otherwise, no one would buy them, since it is difficult to grind ceramics at home.

Their only drawback - fragility. Dropping the knife on hard surface, you run the risk of his natural way split. If you still really want to buy a ceramic knife, give preference to models with a black blade - it is stronger than white ceramics.

damask

The best is, of course, forged kitchen knife. Damascus steel is particularly highly prized by chefs around the world. Like hundreds of years ago, it has no equal in strength and durability. After production sharpening of a knife will not need any special care. Year after year, it will be perfectly cut is all you need, smooth slices and without any effort.

Kitchen made of Damascus steel knives are not afraid of no acids or alkalis, does not deteriorate from improper storage and do not break. Cost knives simply prohibitive, but these luxury items are buying a lifetime. Despite the preserved through the ages the name of the modern production of this technology the best mastered Japanese. That is why the rating of the leading manufacturers of forged knives today are headed by Japanese companies Samura, Hattori, Kasumi, and Tojiro. Europeans, in this sense, judging by the reviews, are still far behind.

Handle materials and size

For ease of knife handles are made of different materials:

1. Plastic. Not so long ago he testified knife belonging to the budget models. But now plastic handles and are equipped with luxury items from the collections of famous brands.
2. Wood. Well crafted wooden handle is easy and pleasant in the hand. This knife should be protected from prolonged contact with moisture, and provide him with timely care to not rassohlas timber or odors and accumulated food particles.
3. Wooden composite - a cross between a natural wood and plastic.
4. Metal - almost not to kill stuff, though too heavy for hand tools. However, in some cases, heavy grip helps balance the weight of the blade chef knife or kitchen hatchet. But in a large set of metal pen is not the same for all products convenient kit.
5. Hard rubber - excellent and modern option for lining liner, but only if the surface is guaranteed to be not slide in the hand.

Pay attention to the size of the handle. For the cutting knives need it longer, but the kitchen hatchet will be more convenient with a short handle.

Types and forms of kitchen knives

On sale is a lot of knives, "specialization": for pies and sandwich masses, pizza or tomatoes, hatchets and other meat. Buy all the existing types of knives for home use does not make sense. Firstly, most of them not so much need, so they can not be replaced by generalists. Secondly, a large number of assorted professional tools easy to get confused, and store them where it is necessary.

It is much better to buy a few basic knife, which you often use in everyday life. We represent a wide, but is not a complete list of models that you may find useful:

Chef Knife, aka Chef

The most popular in the world, it can be cut in almost any product from cured meats to crunchy vegetables. Narrow and sharp blade chef knife 15-30 cm long, smooth enough, so it is convenient to make the movement in any direction. It works by itself, save your strength. A rounded carts allow to master proprietary high-speed cutting boss.

Correct chef chef knife has a long handle 18-22 cm and well-balanced, so it will be convenient to work with all of them.

In the ranking of the best producers of chef knives Zwilling leading German companies and Wusthof. Slightly cheaper cost products of the Spanish brand Arcos and Swiss Victorinox. The latter, according to reviews, is not there the less reliable watches and banks. A wide range of customers for accessible knives Tramontina Brazilian and French Opinel.

Knife for cutting

He looks like a chef, but much shorter. It refers to the universal instruments, as with its help it is easy to cut most of the main products such as raw and ready. The main producers of knives in this category has been added and low-end models of the American brand Tupperware.

Bread Kitchen Knives: serrated blade

They recently came into our life, but have already earned good reviews, and love the fans of homemade bread. Smooth Serrated Blade Saw neatly cut fresh pastries and fruit with soft flesh under the thick-skinned.

Pick the length of the blade of the knife is not only the destination, but also on his own hand. For women with small hands shorter blade will be more convenient than a strong man - it is easier to work with a long "boss."

Special knives

Unlike generic product, these knives are designed for a specific job. Hatchets, professional carving knives, traditional national utensils. Around the world, its popular tool group. Our chefs and housewives often used are:

Fillet

Easily recognizable by the narrow blade length of 18 cm, slightly upturned at the end. It is very flexible, which makes the knife absolutely manageable. Any complex movements that need to perform to remove the fillets of fish or meat, the blade will repeat perfectly.

carving

More adapted to separate from the bone meat. His blade unusual form - with a slight bulge at the handle and marked the transition to the end of the round. This knife does not tear the meat fibers, namely, cut them off.

Hatchets for kebab

In Asia and the Caucasus, they have different names and may be slightly different shape of the blade. Buy these axes only need a pair, since they are used for cutting meat into fine mince. They work at the same time with two hands. In principle, the manual cutting is no big deal, but this procedure is tedious and requires skill. It is best paired with a kitchen hatchets are controlled by men.

For cutting fish

It will require not just the knife, but a real unit, similar in operating principle to the shears. However, such a tool, you can only prepare the fish carcass to further cutting, cutting off the tail fins and bite very large bones.

Peeler

So the people called the original knife with a floating edge for fruits and vegetables. Paws fixed in the metal plate has a long hole with a sharpened inner edges. They are razor-cut thin skin with any vegetables. But this knife is used for cutting and transparent vegetable slices of potatoes, onions or carrots. For those who prefer to peel potatoes in the old, accustomed to a vegetable knife with a short blade.

kitchen hatchet

Huge knife, designed for cutting, can be used for cutting certain types of products. But the ax movement will still need to make the vertical chopping. Which vendor to choose? Most good hatchets made by the Japanese. However, cheap axes of the US Thomas brand has consistently received positive feedback from the hosts. European producers better at bending knives with sharp edges (carts).

Shaped knives

The kitchen also has a place of beauty. After all elegantly decorated dishes look much more appetizing than just a set of sliced ​​products. To cut fruits and vegetables fancy figurines, flowers and other original decorations, need a special set of kitchen knives for carving.

Unusual Instruments with curly edges rarely sell full sets. Most often these are small sets of 2-3 items. So if you have seriously decided to try himself as a sculptor on vegetables, collect your own collection will have the piece (nuazetki, sickles, engravers, etc.).

Tips Before You Buy

Do not look for good knives on the market - they sell only the most affordable, but short-lived, and sets the universal single. In this case, a cheap knife does not have to be broken, so that they become unusable. Poor grinding, lack of balance between the handle and the blade or just bad combination blade parameters will impede the movement when cutting any product.

Even the most ordinary knife kitchen universal is better to buy from a retailer, where it has the necessary certificates and guaranteed quality.

Let it would cost more than the Chinese counterpart of the market, but will last much longer. And you do not want a year or two to replace it with something better.

When buying, pay attention to the external appearance of the knife - he has a lot to tell:

• The longest serve knife blade and handle which represent a single metal element. Laths of wood or plastic, provide ease of use with a knife, but a long service life guarantees only full tang.
• The blade of the knife should be a new beginning sharpened, and it is better if both sides.
• Fine matte notch on the sharp side of the blade indicates that the additional hardening after sharpening edge made on laser factory. Such a model can be taken safely - blunt knife more soon.

Understand which knives should be used for different products, you will be easier to find a set of really useful things. Will only have to decide on quality: read reviews, compare prices - and you can go shopping.