The most popular and irreplaceable working tool in the kitchen is a knife. If we are talking about catering establishments where professional chefs work, then a special chef's knife, or chef's knife, comes first. This device allows you to perform the entire volume of manipulations necessary in the kitchen for processing food products.
Content
- What is the difference between chef's knives and regular kitchen knives?
- Steel for professional chef knives
- Types of Chef's Knives
- Chef's knife sizes
- Choosing a Chef's Knife
- Determining the quality of sharpening
- Caring for Kitchen Chef's Knives
- Popular models from well-known manufacturers
- VIDEO: What knives do chefs use in the kitchen.
What is the difference between chef's knives and regular kitchen knives?
The toolkit of a serious kitchen usually includes a set of at least three knives. Among them, you will definitely find a chef's knife. The main feature of such a kitchen accessory is its special versatility. A chef's knife can do the lion's share of manipulations in cutting and cutting products.
Professional chefs, for the most part, individually select such a knife for themselves, creating conditions for easy and convenient work. Usually, alloy steels, characterized by increased hardness, are used to make chef's knives. These products are characterized by a sharp blade and a heavy handle.
Important! The main difference between a professional chef's knife and a regular kitchen knife is its ability to quickly and very efficiently cut poultry, butcher pork and process large fish. It is just as effective in chopping vegetables, various greens or fruits.
Successfully coping with the three main tasks of chopping, cutting and cutting, chef's knives also differ in their parameters from simple kitchen knives. The classic version of the chef's knife also surpasses other professional analogues in its dimensions.
Another significant difference of such devices is the high quality of the material used to make them. This is due to the fact that during operation they experience significantly greater mechanical loads than kitchen ones. This also explains the higher cost of professional cutting tools, which is several times higher than the price of ordinary ones.
Steel for professional chef knives
When choosing a kitchen knife, you should consider its purpose, geometry, ease of use, and especially cutting properties. The latter indicator depends on the grade of steel used to make the blade. The durability of the cutting part, as well as its resistance to organic compounds from food products, depend on its quality.
Please note! If a knife is made of metal with a low hardness index, it quickly becomes dull, stops cutting well, and requires frequent sharpening. Such products also have a low ability to resist bending. They also have a low cost. Therefore, you should give preference to more expensive, but at the same time, high-quality steel grades. Their designation is often applied along the spine of the knife in the form of a marking strip.
Sometimes you can see the steel hardness on the marking, expressed in Rockwell or HRC units. Steel for standard kitchen knives has this indicator in the range from 40 to 61 units of hardness.
Among the domestic brands used for the production of knives are:
- Steel 65X13. It has a high percentage of chromium, due to which it practically does not rust. It is sometimes called medical or surgical steel, since it is used to make medical instruments. Most brands of inexpensive knives are made of 65X13. This steel is quite soft, so sharpening the blade for it is very easy, but it will also become dull too quickly. Some domestic manufacturers harden the blades after factory sharpening, giving them the necessary hardness.
- Steel 40X12 is easy to process, but it cannot be hardened. Therefore, blades made from it quickly become dull and bend easily. However, they are also not subject to corrosion, and knives made from 40X12 are very cheap. The use of this grade will be justified if there is a steel for sharpening knives in the household.
- A more solid option from domestic manufacturers will be kitchen knives made of 95X18 steel. This steel also does not corrode, is very aesthetic, but its processing, including thermal, is possible only in factory conditions. Sharpening the blade on home devices is impossible, but the cutting edge of such knives lasts a long time. Defects in the form of increased fragility with the appearance of nicks are also possible when inexperienced manufacturers overheat the blades. In general, steel 95X18 is one of the best options. It is used to make chef's knives, as well as souvenir blades.
- Steel 50X14MF is a universal and high-tech domestic brand. As a result, it is used only by reputable companies with the appropriate equipment. When heat treatment technology is followed, knives made from it receive the appropriate strength characteristics and the required elasticity. According to users, long and thin blades of knives made of 50X14MF are fragile, so they require careful handling.
As for foreign steel samples, cheap Chinese products entering our market are made from the comparatively cheap grade 420. The negative reputation of Chinese knives is due to poor material processing, although this steel has certain advantages. Knives made from it do not rust, it has received high marks from European manufacturers, blades made from steel 420 are in demand among divers.
It is important to know that when purchasing an imported knife made of this steel, it is necessary to take into account its country of manufacture. In particular, Spanish knives have too soft cutting edges, while Swiss, German and Austrian products have a hard blade and neat sharpening.
A pleasant exception are American knives made of 420 steel. Their blades have a hardness rating of 50-60 HRC, their blades are carefully processed, and are distinguished by their small thickness with a high degree of elasticity.
Blade markings may not always contain the number 420. Little-known manufacturers usually do not put markings on blades, or put an inscription on them like Stainless Steel, which means "stainless steel". Well-known brands, on the contrary, rarely resort to such designations.
The second most common grade of steel for knives is 440C. It has long been the leader among foreign manufacturers due to its hardness and ease of processing.
Types of Chef's Knives
In professional circles, it is customary to distinguish the so-called “chef’s trio” of knives that every chef must have:
- A chef's knife is the main working tool that allows you to not only cut meat or poultry, but also cut vegetables.
- A serrated serrator designed for cutting bread, as well as vegetables and fruits. The external similarity to a saw, however, allows this knife, about 20 centimeters long, to work very delicately, without denting soft products.
- A small knife about 6–8 centimeters long for peeling vegetables and processing fruits.
Japanese Chef's Knives
One of the traditional world leaders in the production of high-quality professional kitchen cutting tools is Japan.
This country produces over 700 different types of knives. The most famous of them is the chef's knife called "Santoku", which means "three virtues". This universal knife is designed for meat products, fish and plant materials in the form of greens, fruits and vegetables. Such a Japanese chef's knife, capable of cutting, slicing and chopping without difficulty, is every chef's dream.
European knives
Products of European manufacturers, especially German ones, are no less popular in Russia. The famous Solingen steel has proven itself over the centuries. In France, the main production of knives was concentrated in the city of Their. At the same time, kitchen knives acquired their familiar appearance somewhere around the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Today, however, only a small number of knives from well-known European brands are produced on this continent. The vast majority of production has shifted to the Southeast Asian region, and what is made in Europe today is significantly different in quality from the products produced just a couple of decades ago.
Chef's knife sizes
Such products are distinguished by a wide blade, the cutting accuracy of which is achieved due to its weight. The most popular blade length is about 20 cm. Such knives are universal, because they fit any hand and cut everything from large pieces of meat to small vegetables. Experienced chefs are not limited to this length, and they resort to products up to 25-30 cm.
Choosing a Chef's Knife
The selection criteria for such a product are:
- the quality of the steel from which such a knife is made;
- the quality of its blade;
- sharpening of the cutting edge;
- handle condition;
- ease of use.
The properties of steel determine the time during which the knife will retain its cutting ability, whether it will be subject to corrosion, and the main features of caring for this product. The main grades of steel used to produce chef's knives were described above.
Its blade should not have any roughness, chips or scratches, it should have a uniform structure. The cutting edge should be free of chips and dents. Preference should be given to products with blades of sufficient thickness and smooth polished surfaces.
As for the handles, they come in two types. In the first case, the metal part extends along the entire length of the handle, in the second - half or up to 2/3.
The first option is more preferable in terms of optimal balance.
Important! If liquid gets on the handle, it should not cause your hand to slip.
As for convenience, the knife should not be too massive, and its handle should fit well in the hand.
Determining the quality of sharpening
The so-called "tomato test" is the best way to test the sharpness of kitchen knives. To do this, take a ripe tomato and cut a slice from the very edge of the vegetable without pressing. If the skin is cut easily and without any effort, then the knife is sharpened well.
Caring for Kitchen Chef's Knives
High-quality knives require special care:
- stored separately from other kitchen utensils, for which they should be kept on special stands or wrapped in cloth;
- immediately after use they should be washed and wiped with a dry cloth;
- Do not wash knives in dishwashers;
- Good boards should be selected for knives, with wooden ones being the best choice;
- Do not use hot water to wash carbon steel knives.
Popular models from well-known manufacturers
Samura Mo-V (SM-0094)
Samura knives are made of AUS-8 steel with excellent performance characteristics. These durable, reliable and comfortable products with an ergonomic fiberglass handle are affordable and in demand by chefs in many leading restaurants.
The products do not stick to the blade during cutting. These products are easy to clean and do not require special storage conditions.
Chef's knife Tojiro (F-807) 18 cm
The Japanese tojiro is a multi-purpose product. Its main application is chopping vegetables and slicing meat, and the butt of the knife can be used for beating meat. The blade is made of VG10 steel, the hardness of the cutting edge is 60 HRC, which allows you to work with obtaining precise cuts on any board.
Chef's knife series "Tramontina Century"
These knives are famous for their affordability among forged products made of DIN 1.4110 steel. The Century Tramontina line was created specifically for both restaurants and home kitchens.
Chef's knives "Power of granite"
The knives of this series, made of stainless steel, have a special, "marble" coating of the Granitex blade. The special shape of the blade contributes to ease of use, since food particles do not stick to it.
Chef's knives "Samura"
They are distinguished by the sharpness and high durability of the cutting part, and its special hardness eliminates the need for sharpening. These products are equipped with an ergonomic plastic handle that prevents slipping.
“Be sure to check with the store to see what size chef's knife is best for your specific needs – 200mm or 300mm long.”
THAT IS, ARE YOU SURE THAT THE “GIRLS” LOOKING NEXT TO THE SHELF IN “ELDORADO” WILL TELL ME EVERYTHING AND SHOW ME ABOUT THE (SOMETIMES) QUITE EXPENSIVE CHEF’S KNIVES THEY HAVE???