How to choose a knife for the kitchen: full instructions

If you are interested in knowing how to choose knife for the kitchen, so you love to cook and prefer to receive from this process a maximum of pleasure. And in the case with a good kitchen tool more high performance and aesthetic result. Thinly sliced ​​slices of cheese, finely cut fish, perfectly aligned potato cubes in a stew - all this is the work of good hands and a good knife.

Among kitchen knives, as well as among the cutlery, there is a special etiquette. A knife is used to cut bread, and one for cleaning vegetables, meat for the third, the fourth for fish and so the list goes on.

For information: 20 kinds of knives used in European culinary practices, Japanese - about 200 species. For each operation, a knife.

Does it make sense to use all types of knives for cooking in a conventional kitchen? Practice shows that there is. But some of them are, in our opinion, will stand you in good stead. And before you deal with this topic, look at the design of the knife. For further conversation will come in handy the terms used in the title of its parts. Scheme below.

What is a good knife?

1. Firstly, it is a sharp knife. And the time during which the Knife stays sharpIt should be long enough. And it depends on the material quality and its heat treatment.

1. The knife should correctly so easily and smoothly cut products. It affects not only the sharp blade, and more, and its geometry, that is, the shape of the blade, sharpening angles, slopes, angles, slopes and a few more options.

1. The handle of the knife should be comfortable for you personally, both in form and material. What you pleasant to hold in the hand, metal, wood or plastic? Ask yourself this question. And when you buy be sure to hold the knife in his hand.

1. The blade and the handle must be balanced so the knife will be easier to work with. How to check the balance, look at the photo below. Put the knife on the finger in the place where the bolster. It must exactly balance and not be filled up in any direction.

1. Durable and balanced knife is different in that the blade and the so-called stem (the part of the metal that goes into the handle) are integrated, and the stem reaches the end of the handle.

Variety of kitchen knives

Practice shows that 90% of women choose a small utility knife average length of 14-18 cm. And really, if you want them, you can do almost all operations in the kitchen. But from a professional point of view, the kitchen still need at least two knives: a large chef knife with a blade 18-23 cm and a vegetable with a direct short blade about 9 cm. As a result, we have the famous "Povarskaya top three." All requirements can be cut easily to block these three instruments.

Chef knife, or as it is called a chef's knife, it will become an indispensable tool if you have the skill to use it. They can chop vegetables, cut the sausages, carve meat and fish. With skillful handling of such a knife raise productivity in cooking times. Vegetable knife easy to clean all vegetables and fruits.

The remaining varieties of knives you can buy more, based on the needs that your diet is very common. If in a family there is always bread on the table, be sure to buy a special knife for bread. He has a wide blade with a serrated edge that is equally easy to cope with a tough crust of bread, and a soft core. This leaves little knife cuts bread crumbs and not prodavlivaya it and creating aesthetically cut pieces.

If your house is often necessary to carve and cook the meat, it will become your faithful assistant boning knife for cutting meat.

Knives for cutting fish commonly called loin. Flexible, long blade of the knife to help separate the fillet of the fish from the skins of several confident movements.

If every day at your table cheeses, sausages, smoked products, feel free to choose a knife-slicer. He cut each slice in one easy motion. Know the longer the blade, the less effort in a single operation.

Knife-ax is indispensable for cutting meat. The Japanese have a similar shaped knife called Nakeer, but it is used for cutting and chopping vegetables. Not to be confused with the purchase.

Cheese knife. Full of holes has an unusual shape, which makes plastics cheese sticking to the blade.

If you think such a variety of odd, use the following advice. Some professionals suggest having several knives into force hygienic reasons. It is recommended to have a separate knife for meat, a separate one for fish and another for cutting the finished products (sausage, cheese, smoked meat, vegetables, bread).

If you need a nice set of kitchen knives on a stand effectively executed, be careful. Interior beauty it would be a good option for business and workers will be not more than three blades.

How to choose the country of origin

Main proven manufacturers are concentrated in Europe and in Japan.

1. European knives. The main difference - mild steel with a hardness of 54-57 on the Rockwell scale units. The softness of the steel and makes it easy to sharpen the rule blade by means of simple adaptations. The second difference - is a special form of the handle. For Europe, the classic handle - two flat plates connected to each other and the shank of the blade metal rivets. The recent trend - it is ergonomically designed handle to the shape of the palm.

1. Japanese knives. Hardness of 60-62, sometimes 64-67 units. According to Japanese tradition all their blades are made of a very hard high-carbon steel. Due to this, the Japanese knife blade extremely sharp and very long retains this property. But the fragility - the reverse side of the hardness, and the minus knives from Japan. A distinctive feature of the Japanese blade - it always ends around a metal handle bolster that helps protect from dirt the junction of the blade and the handle.

For Europeans, the traditional Japanese products fit with difficulty. They have a different handle, the Japanese knife it has a round or polyhedral shape. A peculiar geometry of the blade, fat butt and one-sided sharpening of the blade and is not adapted for European hands. And the price of products from the country of the rising sun is very high. Therefore, if you buy a Japanese knife, you need to clearly understand what it's you.

1. Japanese knives in the European style. To the delight of many professionals and amateurs the Japanese began to make knives for the European market. From the European hilt or handle ergonomically shaped, with a thinner and butt with a very sharp blade due to high hardness steel.

The latter is, as we mentioned above, has its disadvantage - the fragility. If a chef knife hit bone or you decide to cut them frozen product, its blade is very likely crumble small notches. European knife in this case slightly blunted and few movements Musatov (tool for straightening blades) can easily be restored.

To recover the knife, which crumble out, need a hand of an experienced master and many financial costs. But, anyway, the Japanese blades cut better and therefore to operate them and more convenient, and more enjoyable. At its price the Japanese-European products also are not cheap.

To reduce the brittleness, Japanese Steel "dress" the knife from the solid steel shell from soft. There are options to Damascus coating - the coating comprises several tens or even hundreds of layers of different hardness steel. This not only increases the strength of the product, but also gives it additional decorative effect.

Incidentally, the rough surface of Damascus products once again does not give the product get stuck on the knife blade when cutting. At the same effect and work specially created some knives small depressions on the blade - air pockets.

Select the blade material

• carbon steel blade;
• stainless steel blade;
• titanium blade;
• ceramics;
• keramotitanovoe blade.

The stainless steel blades, unlike the previous use steel with alloy additions. In particular chromium, as an additive, protects the steel from corrosion and makes it stainless. Although it should be understood that it is absolutely rustproof knives does not happen.

From a steel knife is better? Choose to you, everywhere has its pluses and minuses. Knives made of carbon steel, which is preferred by the Japanese producers have a better cut, longer hold a cutting edge. Supporters stainless say that she, too, everything is fine, but it is also a complete protection against taste and odor of iron, than the "suffering" blade made of carbon steel. And stainless steel is no problem if the time has not washed and wiped dry with no, and for carbon steel in this sense it is necessary to watch carefully.

To protect against taste of iron, carbon steel blade covered with an artificial patina. Unprotected knife with time he will be covered with this oxide, but not to wait, sometimes make the coating immediately during production. True blade thus loses its shine and luster, but the qualitative characteristics of the patina of no effect.

For the average family, experts advise to choose knives made of stainless steel, but be sure to make a good master.

Knives of titanium. They are lightweight and comfortable, even though they have their disadvantages. Pros say some softness and irregular geometry of the blade, which is why the blade not only cuts as the product presses.

Ceramic knives. The main producers of these wonderful knives - Japanese. In comparison with titanium, they cut much better and in as a close to the steel knives. The advantage of such blades - it is their environmental friendliness. They have, in contrast to steel, absolutely no off-flavor, odor and do not come into contact either with water or with other products.

As for the disadvantages of ceramics, here opinions diverge. Sellers of such knives say one thing and practice another chef. One of the obvious drawbacks, which both sides agree - is the fragility of the ceramic blade. Contact with a hard object, he can withstand bad and starts to crumble.

The second drawback - it quickly ceases to be sharp. Professional chefs, on the basis of their practice, talk about the dulling of the blade in just a month. Vendors claim that the real Japanese ceramic knife sharpener serve without about 2 years, and quickly tupyatsya counterfeiting in China.

And it should be noted that restore the sharpness of ceramic knife it is difficult, it requires special, usually diamond tools. Ceramic knives in favor only a small fruit knife that long to use and very convenient for the manipulation of the fruit.

Keramotitanovoe blade - a hard ceramic, titanium coated soft to give it strength. According to manufacturers, keramotitan for its cutting and strength properties significantly superior to their counterparts made of ceramics.

Sharpening and knife

As they say the cook: "A sharp knife cuts the way you want, and dull - as horrible."

For steel blades manufactured in Europe with sharpening problems usually arise. To do this, you can use:

• special machines, including electric;
• bars and grindstones;
• Tool for dressing knives - Musat;
• kits and systems for sharpening;
• Pocket sharpeners.

And you get a completely satisfactory sharpening. Perfect sharpening can be done only master. Pleasure is not cheap and requires no special skills, but the pleasure of working with a well-sharpened knife, believe me, is worth it.

Japanese steel knives require special treatment and water Japanese stones. Stones should be several: to repair, sharpening, straightening. And eventually need additional bar for leveling the surface of stones water.

A few words about Musatov. A very handy tool to clean up the knife that you use a lot and often. It serves not only for sharpening the knife for many changes. 2-3 times a day a few movements Musatov and your knife in the right. If you cook a lot during the day, then once a day you will need to use it.

Recommendations for the use and care of kitchen knives

• Do not store knives in a heap with forks and spoons. Use a special stand or magnetic holders, each knife is kept separate from the other, it will retain the cutting edge of the blade.
• For cutting bones and frozen products, use only the knives, hatchets.
• Show respect to the knife and use it as a screwdriver or a tool for opening cans.
• Use a knife for its intended purpose and then you will never feel uncomfortable. Agree, peel potatoes convenient short knife, and shred large chef knife.
• For the safety of the blade only works on wooden or plastic cutting board.
• Do not wash your knives in the dishwasher or soak in the sink with utensils. Rinse with cold water and dry with a dry cloth or towel. So the knife will last considerably longer.
• To blunt the knife, use the right tools for sharpening. Damage to the knife (notch) will be able to correct only a specialist.
• Remember, the more chances you will have to cut yourself in with a blunt knife, rather than acute. Sharpen knives in time.

Good tools - half the battle for a good result.

Treat yourself - use the kitchen and the right high-quality knives.