Being a starter chef is very difficult, this is because as a starter chef you lack the sufficient experience needed to successfully operate a kitchen. Hence, this ignorance can result in using the wrong tools for kitchen jobs, which can result in injury to yourself.
There are basic tools that are must-haves for every starter, most especially the range of knives present in the kitchen. The knife is a very tricky tool and without proper knowledge on how to use a particular type of knife, it can be wrongly used.
This article highlights the basic type of knives that is needed by a starter chef and how to use them. The best designs of the different knife types can be found on imarku.net.
The Best Knives To Have As A Starter Chef
There are different varieties of knife types present today, but these are the most important type of knives every starter should have in the kitchen:
- The Chef’s knife: Sometimes called a cook’s knife, the chef’s knife has a long, broad blade, and a straight edge that is widest along the knife’s heel tapering to form a finely-pointed tip. The curved blade of the chef’s knife gives it stability and sturdiness to rock back and forth when in use. This makes it the perfect tool for slicing and dicing lots of vegetables at a time. It can also be used for cutting heavy-duty foods. In general, it is very versatile.
- Utility Knife: It has a similar shape to the chef knife, but it has a small narrow blade. Some designs of this knife possess a sharp tip that tapers towards the spine allowing for more intricate jobs. It is used for smaller vegetables.
- Paring Knife: It is a light knife with a short, slim, and evenly sized blade having a pointed tip. It is small but used for delicate jobs like cutting, slicing, and chopping fruits and vegetables. It is also used for cutting harder foods.
- Bread knife: It is also called a serrated knife, like the name implies this knife has a long, evenly-sized blade with a serrated edge resembling that of a saw. It is used for cutting through foods with softer textures without crushing them.
- Carving knife: Also called a slicing knife, this is a long, slim knife that is tapered to a point having a wide width. This width gives it less drag when cutting through foods creating a clean and uniform slice. It is used in serving meats and it is also efficient for cutting heavy vegetables.
- Cleaver knife: This is also called the butcher knife, and it is has a flat, rectangular-shaped blade and comes in different sizes. The difference in size is because of its different use. It is generally used for chopping meat. The larger design can be used to cut through bones.
- Other knives used for cutting meat and fishes include the boning knife, filleting knife, salmon knife, and santoku knife.
Conclusion
As a starter chef, it is important to have the above-mentioned knives in your kitchen and thankfully this article highlights how the knives are used to help ensure success and reduce the occurrence of kitchen accidents.