Different Types of Knives - Kinds of Kitchen Knife

Knives are one of the most ancient tools prepared by humans. A knife is basically a sharp edged tool, which is used to cut different objects. It usually comprises of a blade, which is attached to a handle. However, as different objects cannot be cut and chopped by the regular knife, different types of knife are available in the market to make the task easy. Each knife differs in the type of blade, its thickness, shape, length, etc. It can be said that all these factors determine the uses different knives are put to. To know more about various kinds of knives and their uses, read on.

Kinds of Knife & Their Uses

Boning Knife - This knife has a 4-5 inch blade. The blade is flexible and suited for separating meat from the bone.
Bread Knife - Bread knife has a 9 inch blade. With the help of its sharp, scalloped blade, the bread can be easily cut without squashing the loaf.
Chef's Knife - The Chef knife has a 4-12 inch blade. It is a versatile knife that can be skillfully used for various purposes. However, it comes very handy, while chopping and dicing. You can choose the blade length as per your comfort but make sure you use a longer knife for bigger jobs.
Cleaver - This knife comes with a 6 inch blade. It is best suited to chop through the bones and joints of an animal. Moreover, its flat side can be used to crush peppercorns and other spices.
Fish Filet - This knife has a 7 inch blade. As the name suggests, this thin, long blade knife has great flexibility for filleting fish.
Fork - Fork knife has an 8 inch blade. This is a carving knife's assistant, used to hold meat in place while slicing. Meat can also be transferred from pan to plate with the help of this knife.
Ham Slicer - This knife has a 10 inch blade. As the name suggests, it is also a specific knife, specially designed for slicing through the unique texture of ham.
Oriental Cleaver - It is a 7 inch blade knife, which is also referred as 'cleaver'. It's really a fine chopper and dicer of vegetables, herbs, meats and fruits. However, it should not be used to chop bones.
Paring Knife - This knife has a 3½-4 inch blade. This is the most commonly used knife in the kitchen, preferred for hand-held tasks, providing utmost control.
Birds Beak Knife - It is a type of a paring knife. It is designed for peeling small round fruits and vegetables.
Salmon Slicer - It has a 12 inch blade knife. It is long, thin and exceptionally flexible, designed for slicing smoked salmon.
Slicer/Carver - This knife has an 8-10 inch blade. It is used for carving paper - thin slices of meats, fruits and vegetables. With the help of the pointed tip, you can cut around bones or pieces of melon.
Steak Knife - The Steal knife has a 5 inch blade. This is a sharp knife that cuts through thick steaks and chops.
Tomato/Bagel Knife - This knife comes with a 5 inch blade. It is a serrated knife, appropriate for cutting something that's soft on the inside and tough on the outside.
Utility Knife - Utility knife has a six inch blade. It can be rightly called a cross between a paring and chef's knife. In effect, it's an all - purpose knife capable of performing a variety of everyday tasks.

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