Meat knives: types and subtleties of choice

Chefs pay great attention to the knives they use. For them, a high-quality knife is not a luxury, but a guarantee of fast and professional cooking. A good knife will be an excellent assistant not only in the restaurant kitchen, but also at home. Therefore, you should not choose the cheap option at the nearest bazaar. A correctly selected knife will serve you for many years without losing its attractive appearance and properties.

To begin with, it is better to get a separate knife for almost every type of work. Do not be alarmed, there will not be many of them. This will allow you to cut and process products with high quality, while maintaining the necessary hygiene standards. The meat knife is designed for rough work, so it cannot be small and thin. It should handle cutting raw meat easily.

For these purposes, there is a separate category of cleaver knives. If you have no idea what the perfect butcher's knife should look like, then check out its features. This will help you make the right choice when buying and pay attention to important details.

1. Meat knife is a classic model of a kitchen knife with a rather massive handle and blade. A distinctive feature is the presence of a recess for the handle. It is necessary so that the palm does not roll to the blade during work. Raw meat can be tricky to cut and can cause injury if you apply pressure.
2. Working with coarse fibers requires certain characteristics from the tool. One of the most important will be a fairly thick blade.It should not bend when cutting or deboning.
3. As for the pattern, it is completely absent on the blade itself. Its surface should be smooth, without any jagging. Also, knives with teeth are not suitable for this type of work.
4. The handle is quite massive. This is logical if you have a fairly thick blade. It can be made of quality plastic or wood. When processing meat, metal handles do not show themselves well, therefore experts recommend abandoning such a choice.
5. The blade itself must be made of durable material. After all, often they are not just cut, but hit on a piece of meat. There are a wide variety of high-strength metal blades at the moment, but high-carbon steel knives remain the favorites.

As it becomes clear from the summation of all the features of cutting knives, they must be massive, durable, but at the same time comfortable and easy to handle.

There are several types of knives for working with meat. You don't have to purchase all of them. But even the presence of several basic ones will greatly facilitate the cooking process.

• Ax-cleaver. The most massive and largest knife. The dimensions of the blade vary from 450 to 500 mm. It is with such a knife that carcasses are cut. But even if you do not do this at home, the need to chop up large pieces still arises from time to time. It is a hatchet, the blade is large, almost rectangular. The blade is below the handle line, protruding strongly downward. Due to its size, it is not always convenient for women. It is more of a male instrument.

• Boning... This knife is very convenient to remove meat from bone. Its peculiarity is a thin and rather flexible blade. It has a slight rounding, which has a beneficial effect on the cutting ability. Since separating meat from bone is not an easy process and has to work in different directions, special attention is paid to the handle. It should fit perfectly in your hand. This simplifies work, minimizes the risk of slipping and getting cuts.

• Universal. This is a classic knife model that can be found in almost every home. The length of the blade is average (about 15 cm), its thickness is also close to the average parameters (1.5-2 mm). Almost any kind of work can be done with such a knife. But practice shows that it is not so convenient. Still, the use of specialized kitchen accessories for cutting and deboning meat simplifies the whole process several times.

• Sirloin... Perhaps the thinnest and most elegant meat knife. Its original purpose was the thin slicing of the sirloin. But cooks and ordinary housewives quickly realized that it was very convenient for them to make thin slices from other products. Therefore, today it is often used to cut cheese, bacon or vegetables beautifully and thinly. The length of the blade has a wide range and depends on how large a piece of fillet you need to cut. For chicken and small pieces, knives with a 15 cm blade are suitable.But you can also find knives with a rather long blade of 36 cm.

• Scimitar. A knife with a rather massive handle and blade, but thin and curved. Notches can be made on the blade. The slight bend makes it look like a saber. Despite such an exquisite look, the knife belongs to the category of universal. It can be used for shredding, cutting food, chopping minced meat, except for deboning and cutting offal.

• Steak... A small knife with a fairly thin but durable blade. The upper line of the blade is straight, the lower one is smoothly rounded towards the end. The small size and sharp blade of the steak knife allow you to make perfect portions and enjoy a juicy piece of meat without too much difficulty.There are other types of knives for working with meat. For example, the unique giymyakesh, which is used in the preparation of kebab, or the butcher's knife, which is a necessary attribute of the real representatives of this profession, as well as the famous Turkish satyr.

There are a lot of knife manufacturers, so it is simply impossible to list them all. We will present you the most worthy representatives.

1. Fiskars. Stainless steel and soft quality plastic on the handle.
2. Rondell Flamberg. Choose large models with double-sided sharpening.
3. Grand. Quality knives that have proven themselves in the market.
4. OPINEL Parallele... Stainless steel and wood handle make these knives versatile.

The choice of a knife must be approached consciously. The convenience of cooking and the service life of the selected instance will depend on this. If you do not want to “throw your money away” and ask yourself the question “which knife to buy this time” every year, then remember the parameters on which your choice should be based.

Manufacturers now provide us with a wide variety of knives. The material of the blade itself can be different. Each has its own pros and cons.

• Ceramics. At first glance, it seems that this material is ideal in all respects. It is hygienic, the surface of the blade will not absorb odors. In addition, bacteria will not grow on it. The material is very durable. And what is especially valuable, it can be sharpened to the desired sharpness of the blade. But if we talk about the daily use of such a knife, then problems may arise. Ceramics do not tolerate sudden changes in temperature.

• High carbon stainless steel. Perhaps this is the ideal option for a blade. This material is durable and quite elastic. In most cases, it is he who is used to make boning and butcher knives. Steel is able to withstand strong impacts and loads. In this case, the sharpness of the blade remains at a height. The flexibility allows you to easily separate the meat from the bone. In this case, there will be no need to be afraid that it will break when the blade is bent. The anti-corrosion properties of steel are due to the presence of hydrogen.

• Titanium. The material has become quite popular not so long ago. And he has his own fans, but there are also enough of those who did not like the knives. Titanium is not as strong as steel. But this is not so critical. With frequent use, the blade will quickly dull. Sharpening it at home, like an ordinary knife, is almost impossible. We'll have to resort to the services of specialists. Another disadvantage is the high cost of such knives.

• Damascus steel. It is appreciated all over the world for its unprecedented high strength. The peculiarity of this type of steel lies in the use of several alloys in the manufacture of the blade. Refined Damascus steel will be the most durable. It is made from a homogeneous piece, and all other impurities are removed during smelting. Another type is welding type. With this manufacturing method, several types of steel with different carbon content will be combined in one blade. It's pretty easy to recognize Damascus steel. Its surface is heterogeneous. May have beautiful streaks and blotches.

The material from which the blade is made plays a key role when choosing a knife. But there are several other factors to consider.

1. Handle material. For meat knives, it is better to choose handles made of wood or plastic.
2. Ergonomic handle. The knife should fit well in your hand. In this case, it will be a pleasure for them to work.
3. Price. Don't go for cheap options.Quality materials cannot be cheap. But very expensive copies are also not worth buying. This is a kitchen tool, not a piece of art.
4. The form. You can buy a whole set of knives for different purposes, or you can get by with two, if you choose the right one.

Nowadays there is a wide variety of knives. Each housewife independently decides whether she will have one universal tool for working with meat, or purchase a separate one for each type of work. In the first case, you can significantly save on the purchase. After all, together with three or five knives, you get one. At the same time, he copes well with all the tasks set. But it's worth noting that frequent use (especially for different purposes) can quickly dull, ruin or simply wear out the product.

In the second case, you will need to pay a large sum to buy several knives at once. But they will last you much longer. After all, a boning knife will only serve for cutting meat, and a cleaver for cutting large pieces and frozen meat. In this case, the universal or sirloin will be waiting in the wings. There will be no additional load on any product. And it is quite possible that with such a careful and rational attitude, the products will serve you much longer than even the manufacturer himself promises. There are a few more unspoken rules when working with knives.

1. Only use the meat knife for its intended purpose. Purchase individual pieces for slicing sausages, cheeses, vegetables and fruits.
2. Cut only on wood or plastic cutting boards. It will be easier to change the board after a year than to buy a new knife, the blade of which will be damaged on the glass or marble surface.

Competent and careful care of knives can extend their service life several times. This is not difficult at all. It is worth remembering just a few basic rules, and your knives will delight you for a long time with their excellent appearance and excellent cutting abilities.

1. Do not store products with a wooden handle in damp conditions. Also, avoid prolonged contact with water. After washing, it is better to wipe off the handle and blade immediately.
2. It is recommended to hand wash the meat knives. Therefore, do not rush to put them in the dishwasher.
3. When washing, it is necessary to clean not only the blade itself, but also the handle to get rid of dangerous germs.
4. Knives must be thoroughly dry with a towel. Water has a bad effect on both the blade and the handle, as well as the connecting elements.

You can buy a whole set of knives and none of them will work for you. The choice must be approached deliberately, then the item will serve you for a long time and will be pleasant and convenient to work with.

For information on how to choose kitchen knives, see the next video.