If a chef was asked what is the most important instrument in the kitchen, the answer would almost surely be a knife. Woebetide anyone who calls them simple accessories, kitchen knives are in fact the oldest and most irreplaceable of tools. Knowing how to choose the right ones for the job makes it easier for both professionals and aspiring cooks. But to really make a difference in the kitchen, it's even more important to know how to use, sharpen and maintain them at their best.
Made from different materials and using various forging methods, there are specific knives for every task, for cutting, filleting, boning, peeling, slicing, for opening fish, even for cutting frozen foods.
For maximum performance it is advisable to purchase individual knives, for which it is worth investing some extra money.
Let's start to find out which ones are indispensable:
Chef's knife (cook’s knife or carving knife)
It is the most important of all, it has a balanced, triangular, smooth, wide blade curving along its length, a sharp point and large handle. It is about 20-25 cm long - which makes it versatile and efficient, as well as safe. It's the knife you can't do without, because it can do almost any culinary cutting activity. Suitable for dicing, chopping herbs, slicing and dicing vegetables, carving meat and fish; the flat of the blade is ideal for crushing spices and shellfish shells and for pitting/crushing olives.
Paring knife (the Tournier knife)
Thanks to its small size, it is easier to control; the smooth blade, 8-11 cm long, can be straight or curved. It carries on where the cook's knife stops. It is generally used to cut small things or for fine or complex jobs such as fruit carving: the straight blade paring knife is suitable for cutting small soft foods such as garlic, shallots, mushrooms, fruit, cheeses; for the preparation of cuts of meat and larding, while the curved blade Tournier specializes in peeling and paring food with a rounded surface, for shaping, etc.
It is the classic "bread knife". It can have a medium or long notched blade, (from 13 to 30 cm), which slices without crushing the food. It is useful for cutting soft foods with crust or thick rind: the medium length version is excellent for vegetables or fruit with hard skin such as pumpkins, lemons, heads of salad, cabbages, watermelon, pineapples and - thanks to the jagged edge - for the soft ones with a glossy surface such as tomatoes, peppers and aubergines. The one with a longer blade is, in fact, used for bread, glazed desserts, tarts, etc. not to be used to cut meat or fish because it would fray or tear the fibres.
Vegetable knife
This knife is light and thin, blunt tipped, with a very sharp blade that guarantees greater precision in cutting, length from 18 to 22 cm; the handle is aligned with the upper part of the blade for an ergonomic, non-slip grip. It often has a holed blade which, thanks to the small air cushions that are created during cutting, prevents the very thin slices from sticking to it.
With these 4 essential knives it is possible to deal with practically anything in the kitchen: however, there are other more specific types of knives, usually designed for a single preparation phase or to work on individual foods:
Filleting knife
It has a long, narrow blade (16-20 cm), slightly curved and extremely flexible, specially designed to easily fillet fish or chicken, bypassing the rib cage and joints with precision so that the food fibre is cut perfectly. This type of knife must always be well sharpened along the entire blade, especially at the tip.
Boning knife
È il tipico coltello da macellaio, utile per eliminare pelle, ossa e grasso dai tagli di carne, consentendo di rifilarli e pulirli senza danneggiare le fibre della carne e penetrando a fondo. Ha la lama rigida con una punta curva e affilata; la lunghezza varia dai 9 ai 15 cm. La sua rigidità la rende ideale per pulire carne bovina o suina. Ne esiste anche una versione con la lama flessibile, ideale per pesce e pollame, che lo rende equivalente a quello per sfilettare.
It has a very long smooth blade (ranging from 20 to 38 cm) and a narrow, smooth rounded tip; it is robust, it is used to slice cooked meat (hot or cold) without crumbling it or damaging it and cold cuts. The blade can be more or less rigid, making it more suitable - in the first case - for steaks, beef ribs, roasts and - in the second - for softer, thinner meats such as ham, chicken, roast turkey, smoked or dried fish. It is also often used for carving. The fork that sometimes accompanies it (this is called a "roast set") is useful for keeping roast, ham or poultry still while cutting.