Knives are an essential part of eating. Not only do we eat with knives, we prepare our foods with cooking knives. But for a person who is learning to cook for the first time, or has little culinary skills, choosing from different types of cooking knives can be downright scary! When a person goes to the store, there are so many different types of knives to choose from in addition to the many types of locations that sell cooking knives. There can be a lot of questions that form in the mind of someone who wants to buy different types of knives. They might wonder what type of cooking knives work for what types of task? Should they buy cooking knives that come with a butcher block, or should they buy individual types of Benchmade? If they buy individual types of cooking knives, how many should they buy? These thoughts can make a person shopping for cooking knives want to run out of the door in fear.
The first thing that they need to do is to relax! It’s just cooking, not rocket science! Yes, while it’s true that a person will need more than a butter knife to cook and to eat with, finding the right types of knives isn’t hard, and will make their cooking a joy to accomplish. Here’s a look at some of the standard types of knives and what they are useful for:
1. Butcher Knife: Everyone has seen a butcher knife. They are also called cleavers, or cleaving knives. They have thick blades, are wide, and have heavy-duty wooden handles. Their purpose is to cut off pieces of meat. This is especially true when a butcher or cook is separating pieces of meat from the body. For example, a butcher would use this type of knife to cut off legs, separate ribs, etc. This type of work requires a knife that can cut through ligaments and bones. A butcher knife will be well up to the task.
2. A filet knife: This type of knife is narrow, and has a fine point. The purpose of this knife is to perform filets. A filet is done when the cook takes a piece of fish for example, and cuts away the flesh from the bones. This is done by making a long incision into the middle of the meat, not disrupting the bones. When the bones are exposed, the cook will then make a long incision along the bone line to separate the bones from the meat. When they are finished, the meat should be free of bones.
3. A paring knife: This type of knife is short, and has a pointed tip. This type of knife is good for slicing the rinds off fruit and vegetables. This is also good for slicing tomatoes.
4. Steak Knives: These knives will be set at the table. These are good for cutting into steak, meats, or anything else that might need a knife that is sturdier than a butter knife.
