Serrated Knives
- A serrated knife is used to
slice through food that is hard on the outside and soft on the inside.
- The blade of a serrated bread
knife should be 20-25cm long in order to slice across a large loaf in one
stroke.
- Blades 12-15cm long are
intended to cut tomatoes or other fruits and vegetables. Tomato knives
feature a two-pronged tip.
- Best-quality serrated knives
are forged, but less expensive stamped blades are also acceptable.
Introduction
Serrated knives feature either a broad-set scallop
edge or a somewhat toothier “piranha” edge. Only one side of the knife is
ground down to produce a very thin, sharp edge, which will create the cleanest,
most narrow path while cutting.
The blade of a bread knife should be long enough
to cut across a large loaf of bread in one stroke. It can bite though a loaf’s
hard crust, whilst ripping though the softer crumb without crushing it. A 20cm
blade is the minimum length you should consider.
Serrated knives with shorter blades cut fruits and
vegetables. They can slice lemons and limes without squeezing out a drop of
juice. They’re especially good for tomatoes, where the resistant skin must be
pierced without crushing the tender flesh beneath. The two-pronged tip of many
tomato knives can be used as a fork to move the slices to a plate.
Materials and Construction
A serrated knife is one of the few basic knives
that do not need a forged blade with a full tang. It will never be used for the
impact chopping that makes forged construction necessary in a chef’s knife.
Since a serrated knife slips through relatively soft foods a stamped blade made
of high-carbon stainless steel is acceptable.
Serrated knives may have straight or offset
handles. An offset handle raises your hand so that there’s no chance of
knocking your knuckles on the underlying cutting board.
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