Testimonials View All
About Us
BIRTHDAY GIFT IDEAS
The perfect gift for your friend or loved one this year... a Gift Card for a Chef Experience conducted by their own Personal Chef in the comfort of their home.
Check out details on our wide range of Chef Experiences, and Contact Us to purchase.
CHEFS SAVE MONEY
The Chef Alliance's money saving program reduces your business costs and increases profits. See the Chef Discounts and Benefits of Joining the Chef Alliance
YOU NEED A PERSONAL CHEF
.jpg)
The Chef Alliance has helped thousands of professionals and families that don't have the time, ability or inclination to cook to eat well. Having a Personal Chef is affordable. It costs less than eating out and gives you over 20 hours a week to do the things you love!
Call Us to see how we can help you!
REDEEM CHEF EXPERIENCE
Complete our simple booking form to begin your Chef Experience. Contact Us for details.
CHEF HIRING TIPS
Our comprehensive checklist will answer all the questions you have, and those that hadn't even occured to you!
25% OFF GIFT CARD PRINTING
.jpg)
Starting your own gift card program is easy and inexpensive.
Create a new revenue stream, attract new customers, maintain existing customers and increase profits. Find out how you can obtain high definition gift cards for your business at a low cost with no minimum printing requirements.
Contact Us for details.
Article - Types of Knives & Handling & Caring for Knives
Article - Types of Knives & Handling & Caring for Knives
By CHEF Sonia
Types of Knife Material
| High-carbon steel Tough blade Keeps a sharp edge May stain or discolour May rust |
.jpg) |
Ceramic Very sharp Rust-proof Must be sharpened professionally May snap if not handled properly |
| Stainless steel Rust resistant Cannot be sharpened |
High-carbon stainless steel Stain and rust resistant Keeps a sharp edge |
Titanium |
|
Knife Folklore In the Western World, a token, such as a coin, is also inclded with the gift of a knife, in order not to 'cut' the friendship. |
Types of Blade
| Type of Blade | Description & Usage Overview |
| Tapered edge | Has a V point tip All-purpose knives Best used for cutting & chopping in a 'rocking' motion |
| Serrated edge | Avoids food from being compressed during cutting Two types: 1. Cutting edge resembles a saw - Teeth grip firm foods for easy slicing, e.g. French bread. 2. Cutting edge is 'scalloped' - best used for slicing food that is firm on the outside but soft on the inside, e.g. Artisan bread. |
| Granton/ Undulated edge | Oval indentations are ground into alternating sides of the blade - creates air pockets to keep food from sticking to knife Extremely sharp Used for moist meats, e.g. ham, fish |
Types of knife
| Type of Knife | Description & usage Overview | Suggestions |
| French/ Chef's Knife | The 'workhorse' of the kitchen Used for everyday tasks, e.g. chopping, dicing, mincing, slicing Blade is usually 8-10" long Wide at the heel (the handle side) and tapers to a V point at the tip Slightly curved edge allows for a rocking motion Tip used as a stationary pivot |
Wusthof-Trident's Classic Cook's Knife |
| Paring Knife | Used for small tasks, e.g. paring, peeling, trimming, mincing small items Blade is usually 3-4" long Similar in shape to the French/ Chef's knife |
J.A. Henkles' 4* Paring Knife |
| Boning Knife | Used to separate flesh from bone Blade is 5-8" long Narrow, strong blade Semi flexible blades used for cutting fish fillets and poultry Stiff blades used for sub primal cuts of meat |
Dexter/ Russell's Sani-Safe Boning Knife |
| Fillet Knife | Used to remove flesh from whole fish for fillets, skin from fish or poultry or portioned steaks Blade is 5-8" long Similar in size and shape to boning knife, but more flexible |
Montana Collezione Maitre Fillet Knife |
| Slicer/ carving Knife | Used to cut items that are hard on the outside, but soft on the inside or for carving roast meat/ poultry Blade is 10-18" long May be straight, serrated or granton edged |
Global Slicer |
| Scimitar | Used for in-house fabrication Blade is 12-16" long Point curves upwards, away from the cutting surface, in a V Ideal for cutting raw meat into portions - meat is pierced by the point & then a rocking motion is used to cut through it |
Dexter/ Russell's Sani-safe Scimitar Knife |
| Serrated Knife | Used to cut through food with firm exteriors and soft interiors such as bread One side of the edge has a wave or tooth profile cut out along the length; the other side is ground to have a thin, sharp edge |
Montana Optima's Adjustable Bread Knife |
| Tourner Knife | Used to work with round vegetables/ fruit, for peeling and garnishing Blade is 2-3" long Point curves downwards, towards the cutting surface, in a V |
|
| Mandolin/ Mandoline | Used for uniform slicing of fruit/ vegetables May be used for cutting, waffle-cuts, slicing or producing juliennes of similar shape and size Blades are adjusted to determine the size |
Bron Classic Mandolin |
| Cleaver | Used for chopping, cutting through bones, smashing ingredients when turned on its side Has a broad, thick, rectangular blade |
Wusthof-Trident's Classic Cleaver |
| Santoku knife | Alternative to the French/ Chef's knife Ground on 1 side for precision slicing Asian-inspired, all-purpose knife designed to replace the Deba (used to fillet fish), Usuba (used to chop vegetables) and Yanagi (used to slice sashimi) knives |
Wusthof-Trident's Grand Prix Santoku |
| Clam/ Oyster knife | Used to open clams, oysters Has a blunt end Look for rigidity to ensure adequate leverage and shortness to make it easier to open the shell Clam knife - rounded blade with a slightly tapered side Oyster knife - longer point with a triangular blade |
Wusthof-Trident's Arrow-shaped Oyster knife OXO Good Grips Clam Knife |
| Mezzaluna/ Ulu knife | Used for chopping Has 1 or 2 curved, sharp blade(s) with 2 handles attached from above Rocking motion used Look for a blade that is inflexible, has a well-defined edge and comfortable handles |
J.A. Henkles' Mezzaluna |
|
Knife folklore Confucius once said that you must not eat what has been crookedly cut, hence the care taken in many Asian cuisines. |
Caring for your knife
When a knife is used, the microscopic teeth (these form the edge of the knife) are rolled back, so causing teh knife to become 'dull.' The following steps should be taken to ensure that you and your knife share many a culinary experience togther!
Honing
Regular maintenance for your knife
Honing Steel should be used before each use
Maintains a blade between sharpening by removing broken pieces of the edge and realigning the remaining edge
Hold the blade at a 20-22.5 degree angle to the honing steel, and make 5-10 strokes alternately on each side of the blade by drawing the entire blade along the shaft of the steel in a sweeping motion
|
Knife Fact For knives that "never need sharpening" you can realign the edge by drawing it across a porcelain plate. The porcelain has a higher Rockwell Rating than the stainless steel alloy of the knife. |
Sharpening
Regrinds the edge of the blade to ensure a sharp edge
Prepare the sharpening stone as outlined in the manufacturer's directions
Inspect the edge of the knife to determine its condition - if in good condition, use a fine grit side of the stone, otherwise use the course grit side of the stone
Hold the edge of the knife at a 20-22.5 degree angle against the stone, placing the heel (closest to the handle) side on the surface of the stone
Draw the knife towards you from heel to toe, using light, even strokes and pressure
Repeat on the other side of the blade, this time pushing the blade away from you.
Repeat the steps for 10-20 strokes, graduating from course to fine grit as the edge sharpens
Storage & Cleaning
Store knives in knife holders/ blocks/ racks, or with sleeves or blade covers to prevent damage to the knife or injury to someone who may touch the blade accidentally. Wash knives by hand, dry and store them properly to ensure the integrity of the edge. Soaking knives in sinks or washing in dishwashers may lead to damaged blades or injury.
|
Knife Folklore Archenemy of the Three Muskateers, Cardinal Richelieu, ordered that all his knives have the point ground down to a round end, after witnessing a dinner guest picking his teeth with the point of his knife. Thereafter, a law was passed making it illegal for French knife manufacturers to produce pointed dinner knives (steak knives excepted), and this soon spread elsewhere. |