How to choose the best kitchen knives?

When it comes to cooking, tools are an important point to enjoy the best dishes, but also effective preparation. That is why choosing the right quality kitchen knives are extremely important. As we all know, in the kitchen, respect for the raw material is very important and for this, damascus knives are vital. A bad cut can cause the vegetable or fruit to oxidize before, that the fibers of the meat break inappropriately, damaging the final result or we could cut ourselves during the process of preparing the recipe, among many other things.

How Should A Good Kitchen Knife Be?

Regardless of the type of kitchen knife that we use and the use that we are going to give it, there are a series of awards that must be met and that make it quality. These are:

• Ergonomics: Of course, it must be comfortable in our hands and provide us with security while working with it.
• The use: Not all knives are suitable for cutting and working all foods.
• Material: The material, since it must have a high cutting capacity and be resistant to wear. In addition, it is very important that the material with which it is made prevents the proliferation of bacteria.

How To Choose A Kitchen Knife?

When choosing a kitchen knife, we must look at its blade and its handle. As well as in its assembly. The material is also an aspect that we must not lose sight of, as we said before. Since the type of steel used in the blade of the knife, will determine the useful life of this. One of the best options is stainless steel, as they have a very durable edge and a very high cutting capacity.

All This Is Thanks To The Components Of The Steel Itself:

• Carbon, which gives it great performance both in cutting and sharpening.
• Molybdenum, which makes it resistant to wear and gives it durability.
• Vanadium, which makes it resistant to corrosion and oxidation.

On the other hand, the good cutting capacity and the ease of sharpening are achieved with the quality of the steel and the heat treatment or tempering applied during its manufacture. However, apart from stainless steel, we can find other types of materials with which knives are made.

• Carbon steel: Although it is the best material for knives, it is true that it is not very resistant to rust, so it must be dried very well after use.
• Damascus steel: This is one of the oldest and strongest. They hold the edge very well and are very hard and resistant.
• Titanium: The blades of this type of knife are very resistant, stainless and light.
• Ceramics: They have an unbeatable cutting capacity. They do not transmit flavors, although they are very delicate knives, which are easily damaged.

Above All, Those That Makes Up The Blade Of The Knife Itself:

• The defense: It is the part adjacent to the handle, which helps to balance the weight of the knife and protect the hand.
• The spine: Is the edge opposite the edge. Typically, forged knives tend to have a thicker back as the cutting edge is beveled.
• The tip: The front quarter of the leaf. With it the most delicate works are carried out.
• The edge or edge: It is the part with which most of the cutting work is done.
• Alveoli: this is an addition, which not all knives have. They are oval notches along the blade, which prevent food from sticking.

When we buy a damascus kitchen knives, weight and its balance are important issues. Therefore, the blade is one of the essential and determining parts for these two aspects.

In This Way, We Can Find Two Types Of Kitchen Knife Blades:

• Forged blades. To make them, the steel is red hot and is hit with a hammer, either manual or hydraulic.
• Stamped sheets. They are achieved by melting different metals to shape them with a tonnage press. These are usually found in the cheapest knives.
• Wooden handles. These are one of the most common and even traditional. Wood, if it is good and well finished, is very comfortable.
• Rubberized handles. It is a good quality coating and soft to the touch. These are very comfortable when we have to work with the knife for a long time. To avoid bacteria problems, it is recommended that the material is not porous.
• Plastic handles. These we usually find in the cheapest knives. They are the least advisable, since they do not have a balanced weight, which makes their use more difficult if we use them for a long time.

What Types Of Kitchen Knives To Buy?

As we have been saying, in the kitchen we can find different types of knives, which must be used depending on the type of food that we want to work with. If there are two essential knives in any kitchen, they are:

• Chef’s knives: with it you can cut and chop meat, large fruits and vegetables. We can even use them to fillet. These are also known as chives.
• Lace knife: with it you can peel, cut and chop smaller pieces such as garlic, for example, with more precision. They are also known as peeling knives.

What Mistakes Do We Make When Using Kitchen Knives?

As a general rule, we tend to neglect the sharpness of our kitchen knives. For this reason, it is no longer as efficient and we tend to force and press the cut, endangering precision and our safety. Contrary to popular belief, a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp kitchen knife.

Another of the most common mistakes with kitchen knives is using the same one for different uses and on inappropriate surfaces. In this way, the first thing that suffer and is damaged are the edges, again. In the maintenance of knives, too, we often make mistakes.

Therefore, It Is Best To Carry Out The Following Indications:

• Never put knives in the dishwasher. We must wash them by hand and dry them very well.
• When storing them, always in a wooden block or magnetic bar to prevent them from colliding.
• When we work with them, we must do it on wooden or synthetic boards, which cushion the blow.
• Use briefcase, if you have to transport them.

We hope that this guide has been useful to you in choosing the best kitchen knives.