Knives: Who's who in the knife block The knives in your kitchen come in all sizes and shapes. Some are for dining, chopping, slicing, carving, and tearing. But which knives are made for what purpose and which are essential to have in your kitchen? In this section, we'll look at some popular knives and discuss what each type of knife is designed for (and some unconventional uses for them). Chinese Cleaver (Asian Cleaver) The knife that is consistently rated as the single most essential knife in the kitchen is the chef's knife. However, if I could only pick one knife to have in the kitchen, it would be a Chinese or Asian cleaver. This knife's sharp edge is thin enough and sharp enough to easily cut and mince food and at the same time strong enough to handle light cleaving jobs. The side of the blade can be used to smash garlic and ginger and the top edge san be used (with care) as a meat tenderizer. The broad blade is often used to move food from the cutting board to the stove. Chef's Knife The most versatile knife in the western kitchen is the chef's knife. It is used for cutting, slicing, chopping, and mincing. The curved blade allows rocking back and forth for fine chopping and mincing. Chef's knives come in blade lengths from 6 to 12 inches. The longer the knife, the more you can cut, but the more difficult it is to control. If you've got small hands (like I do), you may want to stick with the 6 to 8 in. variety. Paring Knife The paring knife is great for working a blade in a small space. Paring apples, cutting fruits, butterflying shrimp, and seeding a jalapeno are just some of the tasks the paring knife is well suited for. The paring knife has a thin blade that makes it easy to manuever while cutting. The sharp tip is also useful for removing potato eyes and other such tasks. Carving Knife (Slicing Knife) A carving knife's special purpose is to carve poultry, roasts, and hams after they have been cooked. Carvers typically have points to reach into tight places, but roast beef carvers have blunt ends. Some have hollow recesses along their blades and are referred to as granton or hollow edged. These air pockets allow for thinner slicing because they prevent meat slices from adhering to the blade. Bread Knife Utility Knife Boning Knife (Fillet Knife) Meat Cleaver Steak Knife (Dining Knife) Buy from amazon.com Price Plastic Wood < $10 Farberware 3-Piece Poly Cutting Board Set Midnight Granite Poly Cutting Board (9x15 in.) from Target Michael Graves Poly Cutting Board Cutting Board - Midnight Granite (14 x 17") Polysafe Cutting Board (14x17 in.) from Target Farberware 12x18 in. Poly Cutting Board with Microban Farberware 3-Piece Wood Cutting Board Set Wood Cutting Board (14x10 in.) from Target Henckels Birch Cutting Board $10 to $20 Over-the-Sink Cutting Board from Target Color-Coded Cutting Boards from Target Trudeau 12-Inch Round Polypropylene Cutting Board Trudeau 8x10 in. Polypropylene Cutting Board Trudeau 13x10 in. Polypropylene Cutting Board KitchenAid Poly Cutting Board with Santoprene Handles Kitchen Cutting Board Set (3-pc.) from Target Catskill Craftsmen Square Wood Chopping Block with Groove Cutting Board with Groove(11x14.5 in) from Target Cutting Board (14x17 in.) from Target Catskill Craftsmen Adjustable Wood Over-the-Sink Board Catskill Craftsmen Reversible Wood End Grain Block with Groove $20 to $50 Trudeau 20x24 in. Cutting/Pastry Board Prep and Serve Cutting Board from Marshall Fields Catskill Craftsmen Reversible Wood Turkey Board with Groove Catskill Craftsmen Grandma's Turkey Wood Cutting Board with Feet & Graphics Catskill Craftsmen Wood Cut 'N Catch Board $50 to $100   Catskill Craftsmen Wood End Grain Round Cutting Slab with Feet J.K. Adams Maple Counter Board Catskill Craftsmen Wood End Grain Cutting Slab Related links Cutting boards: Plastic vs. Wood Knives: Who's who in the knife block The Kitchenaid Stand Mixer

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Last modified: Tue Jun 24 18:12:13 Pacific Daylight Time 2003