what is a bread knife used for

Not only can it easily tackle large, crusty artisan loaves, it also easily cuts through soft, delicate breads. It easily slices through food with thick or resistant outer surfaces. However, there's a bit of a learning curve when you're using a knife to peel for the first time. Bread knives use a sawing action, where the sharp points dig into and grip the bread, cutting into it in a horizontal fashion. Tougher foods are no match for a bread knife either. Use a bread knife to cut perfect slices from soft fruits and vegetables like tomatoes or citrus without covering your cutting board in juices. A quality bread knife can also be used to slice through delicate pastries and to divide cake sponges. Its large serrations allow it to grip the crumb and the crust of bread to cut it, without having to press down on the bread to do so. If you do a lot of cake work, look for a bread knife with a more rounded handle so it’s comfortable to hold horizontally when leveling cakes. An offset serrated knife uses an offset handle to ensure the cook's knuckles will not touch the cutting surface when the blade has cut all of the way through the food. The name of the knife does not matter, but a good 'bread knife' will have serrations which are optimally designed for slicing real bread. Bread knives occupy a niche role in your kitchen blade arsenal. Straight-e It’s also the perfect tool for shaping and leveling cakes for decorating, along with cutting delicate slices to serve. When cutting bread into slices, the key is to keep the knife perfectly vertical so that each slice is the same thickness from top to bottom. Sharp | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy. Let’s cut right to the chase: There are only like four ways to use a bread knife. You won't use a bread knife nearly as often as a chef's knife, the true workhorse of the kitchen, but for a limited set of tasks, they are necessary. You want a bread knife that looks more like a saw than a steak knife. But, there are different types of kitchen knives that are designed for various purposes. If you’re set on sharpening your bread knife yourself, be sure to familiarize yourself with the specifications of your knife as they vary by brand – and be sure to practice, practice, practice! Then use your bread knife to easily remove the rind or cut it into wedges. Thanks! This keeps your melon from rolling all over the cutting board. When it comes to sharpening your kitchen knives, there are a few different tools you can use. In the meantime, you can prolong the sharp edge of your bread knife by properly cleaning and caring for it, by following the rules of, If you don’t want to sacrifice your bread knife for practice, then definitely seek a professional. Some can double as a carving knife. Put Your Bread Knife to Work With These Recipes: Break Out a Pineapple and Bread Knife for This Recipe: , there are a few different tools you can use. When using a manual bread slicer, the knife should be slid into the guide and, with very little downward pressure, it should be gently used to saw through the bread. A long, serrated bread knife should be used with a manual bread slicer. The serrated edge moving back and forth across the bread should cut the bread rather than downward pressure. See It. Bread knives are used for cutting bread and are one of many kitchen knives used by cooks. "Series 1893 means that in this year, Friedr. One such knife was exhibited at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893 in Chicago by the Friedrich Dick company (Esslingen, Germany). It’s especially well-suited for breaking up blocks of baking chocolate, which is brittle and may snap under the pressure of a straight-edged knife. In a pinch, it can even be used to slice meatloaf and carve roasts! It even handles specialty loaves loaded with extras like raisins or olives. The wider the scallops are, the better it performs. Of course, with practice also comes a higher chance of destroying your favorite bread knife, so it might be best to leave it up to the professionals – not to mention, many knife brands might offer knife sharpening services and even “lifetime guarantees”, but such services can be nullified if you destroy your knife by trying to sharpen it yourself. This gives a bread knife some distinct advantages when it comes to cutting certain types of food – especially bread since it’s designed to slice right through crusty loaves without crushing the soft center. Because of its design, these knives tend to remain sharp far longer than straight-edged blades, but the serrations also make them harder to sharpen at home. Prepping other fruits and vegetables, like tomatoes or pineapple, is also a good occasion to break out your bread knife. Bread knives can also be used to slice cakes with soft, fluffy textures, as they can cut through them without knocking the air out of the sponge or damaging the overall shape. ), then it’s time to, 6 Types of Knives to Keep in Your Kitchen, The F.N. Serrated knives are also known as bread knives. This design enables the serrated knife to cut easily through food items with tough exteriors and delicate interiors, such as crusty loaves of bread. A serrated knife is great for cutting or slicing food like melons, tomatoes and bread as these tend to have a tough exterior and a soft interior. This might be obvious, but you can use a bread knife to slice all kinds of breads, from baguettes and brioche to bagels and biscuits. If you’re set on sharpening your bread knife yourself, be sure to familiarize yourself with the specifications of your knife as they vary by brand – and be sure to practice, practice, practice! Bread knives are usually between 15 and 25 cm (6 and 10 in). In the meantime, you can prolong the sharp edge of your bread knife by properly cleaning and caring for it, by following the rules of kitchen knife safety, and making sure you’re using the best cutting board for your knives. Knives are the most important tool in a chef's kit, and they can be used for just about any food prep task from chopping onions and butchering a cut of beef to opening oysters and slicing bread. Look for a knife with large, scalloped serrations as they are more effective than small ones and create less crumbs while slicing through bread. To properly cut rounded squash or melon, first cut off the stem or blossom end to create a flat surface. It’s also quite common for serrated blades to be single-beveled (sharpened on one side only), which makes sharpening even trickier for a novice. The knife's long serrated blade works well to slice through food that is hard on the outside and soft on the inside, such as slicing through the hard crusts of bread. When splitting cakes, this is also the best knife to use. Other models, however, may have a rounded end, or an angled tip. Some people advocate simply discarding a dull bread knife and getting a new one, but with a high-quality knife, it’s worth using a sharpening service rather than replacing it entirely. A bread knife, or a serrated knife, has saw-like notches formed on the cutting edge of the blade. Many kitchen knife sets will include this knife, although they are easily purchased separately. Dick exhibited during the biggest international fair in Chicago", Cutlery and Allied Trades Research Association, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bread_knife&oldid=983816990, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 16 October 2020, at 12:09. Copyright © 2019 F.N. Although this particular Fibrox Pro knife is marketed as a Bread Knife, it is in fact far more versatile than that which is why it gets our Best Choice spot in today’s Best Bread Knife review. When it comes to thick-skinned squash and melons, using a straight-edged knife can actually be dangerous. If you don’t have a cake leveller in your kitchen, a bread knife can also be used to even out your sponge cakes after baking. Purchase your foam here: http://www.fabricfarms.com/Upholstery-Foam.html Other blades such as a straight-edged knife will tend to squash the bread down. If you don’t want to sacrifice your bread knife for practice, then definitely seek a professional. Though a serrated knife is ideal for slicing bread, the Nakiri Knife is also a great alternative for soft bread. It can even double as a carving knife. Chocolate – The sharp little teeth on serrated knives make quick work of a block of chocolate that we need broken into smaller pieces. The serrated blades of bread knives are able to cut soft bread without crushing it. Serrated knives work just as well as so-called tomato knives to cut tender tomatoes into thin pieces. What defines them is their serrated blade, which gives them a saw-toothed edge that can make quick work of some of the most rugged items, and also the most delicate ones. What a bread knife will do is enable you to slice bread without squishing it. A serrated knife cuts the exterior skin or crust efficiently without harming the delicate interior. 8 inches is a common length used for a bread knife. Melons and squash, which can trap straight-edged knives and pose a cutting hazard to cooks, are easily sliced with a long bread knife. Chef’s Knives. By choking up on the blade, you have more control over it, which allows you to relax your arm as you cut. This design makes the serrated knife highly efficient at certain kinds of cutting. [2] His knife had sections of grooves or serrations, inclined with respect to the axis of the blade, that form individual small cutting edges which were perpendicular to the blade and thus cut without the excessive normal pressure required of a scalloped blade and without the horizontal force required by positive-raked teeth that would dig into the bread like a wood saw. This takes some practice in order to achieve every time, but it’s a skill worth mastering. It’s also quite common for serrated blades to be single-beveled (sharpened on one side only), which makes sharpening even trickier for a novice. 2. A bread knife is designed with a long blade that has a serrated edge. Opt for the sturdiest knife you can afford, since less flexible blades tend to make more even slices. Keep the arm of the hand holding the knife relaxed as you cut. And if you’d rather spend more time cooking and less time sharpening your knives (who doesn’t? Aside from bread which it effortlessly excels at slicing, it’s also fantastic for leveling cakes, cutting sandwiches and slicing a range of fruit and vegetables too. Well truth be told, the bread knife isn’t just for bread, and we’re here to tell you why it could become one of your go-to knives in the kitchen. You might wonder why in the world you need a different knife for each task, or why you would ever need a knife “just for bread”. But if you like to cook every day and experiment with different meals, a larger range of professional Japanese Honshu steel knives will suit you better. Use a bread knife to easily cut the chocolate into small, manageable pieces suitable for melting or mixing into doughs and batters. It’s rare to find a single tool as versatile as a bread knife. Don’t press down – let the serrations do the work for you. Interestingly, this particular knife shown is called a Scie à tourte (tourte sometimes refers to a large loaf of very crusty bread) so it’s specifically up for the challenge of sawing through large round loaves of French bread with a dense exterior. Tougher foods are no match for a bread knife either. Sharp Guide to Buying Shiny New Kitchen Knives, How the Rockwell Hardness Scale is Used in Kitchen Cutlery, The Best Knife for Cutting Veggies – Hint: It’s Not Just One, Elevate Your Kitchen With Damascus Steel Patterns. [1] One design was patented in the United States by Joseph E. Burns of Syracuse, New York. The blade of a bread knife is 8 to 10 inches long. Bread is not the only use for this knife – it is great for cutting through both soft cakes (sponge) and dense cakes (pound cakes) even when freshly baked. But, since bread knives feature serrated edges, it can be tricky to sharpen them yourself. With its straight cutting motion, you don’t have to saw your way through. And if you’d rather spend more time cooking and less time sharpening your knives (who doesn’t? A bread knife is a long knife with a serrated (or "scalloped") cutting edge. The thin blade eases its way through your tender and delicate pastry. For more irregular squash, it helps to cut the squash in half, then use a smaller knife (like a paring knife) to score the flesh and a spoon to remove it from the rind in cubes (like you would with an avocado). Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0 A serrated knife is good at one thing – cutting without downward pressure. The serrations grip well on waxy surfaces – so good for carving into pumpkins and removing skin from pineapples, too. This serration allows you to easily cut through crust without smooshing the loaf, thus preserving the airy quality and volume of a perfect slice. Home › Top Uses for a Bread Knife – It’s Not Just for Bread. This might be obvious, but you can use a bread knife to slice all kinds of breads, from baguettes and brioche to bagels and biscuits. There were also sections of grooves with the opposite direction of inclination, separated by a section of smooth blade, and the knife thus cut cleanly in both directions in both hard and soft bread. Discover, create, and experience the flavors of the world with F.N. Peeling ingredients. With so many different types to choose from, picking out a new set of kitchen knives can seem like a daunting task – especially if you’ve always used that one hand-me-down knife for every task. The Superior series bread knife consists of a thin, 2-millimeter blade (which is a hair over 1/16 of an inch) that’s tapered from spine to edge to reduce wedging. The tips of these knives may be rounded or pointed, but it actually makes no difference since the tip of the bread knife isn’t used for cutting. Thick as in a crusty loaf of bread. A go… It’s also perfect for removing the bark from a pineapple. Sharp! Break Out a Pineapple and Bread Knife for This Recipe: Pina Colada Guacamole. Meanwhile, the bits between the points … If you’re a home cook with a sweet tooth, you’ll definitely want to keep a bread knife on hand. 2. Bread knives are used for cutting bread and are one of many kitchen knives used by cooks. The average bread knife will have a somewhat pointed, if blunt tip on the end. These changes in texture would cause straight-edged knives to snag and tear, but the bread knife slices through with no problems. What is a Bread Knife Used For? A bread knife can be used to cut many different kinds of bread. These knives tend to be fairly slender and have a bit of flex to the blade. Additionally, it can also act as the perfect tool for shaping and levelling cakes for decorating, along with cutting delicate slices to serve. It glides with effortless ease through breads, soft vegetables, and fruits, and creates paper thin … The key is its serrated edge. Just as with savory baked goods, there are many reasons to break out the bread knife for sweets, from cakes to pastries. Bread knives typically come in lengths from seven to ten inches, but a longer knife tends to be more versatile, and there is certainly no shortage of tasks at which this knife excels! The serrated blades of bread knives are able to cut soft bread without crushing it. You can also use a bread knife to prepare some of the accompanying ingredients for your sweet treats. In English, it’s labeled simply as a “bread knife.” Different knives serve different purposes. You can even use a bread knife to cut loaded sandwiches into more manageable pieces. Unlike a chef’s knife or utility knife with their smooth, straight edges, a bread knife features toothy, saw-like scallops or serrations along its cutting edge. It’s quite easy to learn how to use a bread knife, but it does take practice to make even slices: you simply hold the food in place on a cutting with your other hand, careful to keep your fingers out of the way, and draw the bread knife smoothly back and forth through the food. Hard skin fruit like pineapple or vegetables like pumpkin can also be peeled with the bread knife so long as one is careful not to flex the blade. This article is about the item of cutlery. Not only does it easily slice through the delicate sponge of a cake, its blade is also longer than most other kitchen knives, meaning you can slice through the entire layer in just one pass. Dunno bout a meat knife, wouldn't carve with a serrated knife, it wood rip the meat to bits, and you'd use a carving fork or tongs with meat, not the back of a knife to serve. Scoring bread is an art form, and while you can keep using that serrated knife, you can get a gorgeous ear with a lame (pronounced lahm), a fancy tool designed for just for this purpose. That one trait makes the bread knife useful for both squishy, delicate foods and very firm, tough foods. Why You Need a Serrated Knife. For the mountain in New South Wales, see, "We are producing serrated knives thus bread knives since we started the production of knives in 1889." It’s also the perfect tool for shaping and leveling cakes for decorating, along with cutting delicate slices to serve. Essentially, the types of kitchen knives you nee… The primary job of a bread knife is to slice bread. A bread knife is a kitchen staple because, despite its name, it can perform a wide variety of tasks. These tough foods can trap a blade, requiring you to use more force to either push it downward or pull it back out, which increases the chances of cutting yourself in the process. For slicing real bread, a serrated blade is the tool of choice. Chefs must work with the best available tools and the right blade will allow you superior precision and skill. Sharp! If you only cook occasionally, you may only need a paring knife and a chef’s knife. But, since bread knives feature serrated edges, it can be tricky to sharpen them yourself. This also works well on other thick-skinned/tender-flesh fruits like peaches and nectarines. They’re distinguished by the saw-like appearance of the blade’s edge. These act just like a saw, slicing through food as you move the knife back and forth, rather than using downward pressure. Paring knives are great alternatives to conventional peelers. Bread knives appear similar in size and shape to carving knives, but they differ in their serrated edges. This can easily cut through thick or crusty bread and sandwiches. Our upholstery manager, Bernie, shows you how to cut foam with a bread knife! Of course you can use a bread knife to slice all kinds of breads from baguettes and brioche to bagels and biscuits. Use your paring knife to make a small incision, then pry the line up with the tip of your blade. ), then it’s time to get F.N. Of course, with practice also comes a higher chance of destroying your favorite bread knife, so it might be best to leave it up to the professionals – not to mention, many knife brands might offer knife sharpening services and even “lifetime guarantees”, but such services can be nullified if you destroy your knife by trying to sharpen it yourself. My suggestion is it's a cheese knife, the fork on the back is for spearing the cheese, Usually they are only small knives, bread knives tend to be longer to give you more sawing action.. As with all kitchen knives, it’s important to use a sharp bread knife. And sandwiches for cutting bread and are one of many kitchen knife sets include. A good occasion to break out the bread knife to slice all kinds of from... Work for you tool for shaping and leveling cakes for decorating, along with delicate. Are, the Nakiri knife is a kitchen staple because, despite its name, it can be tricky sharpen. Grip well on waxy surfaces – so good for carving into pumpkins and removing skin pineapples! Staple because, despite its name, it also easily cuts through soft, delicate.. Chocolate into small, manageable pieces work for you over it, which allows you to slice kinds. Are designed for various purposes efficient at certain kinds of breads from baguettes brioche! Breads from baguettes and brioche to bagels and biscuits, delicate foods and very firm, tough foods very,. Arm as you cut your knives ( who doesn ’ t have to saw way. Soft bread the saw-like appearance of the hand holding the knife relaxed you. Time to, 6 types of knives to keep in your kitchen blade arsenal eases its way through the. Slicing real bread, the better it performs, serrated bread knife good!, it can perform a wide variety of tasks or citrus without covering your cutting board removing bark! Blade ’ s also the perfect tool for shaping and leveling cakes for decorating along. Carve roasts down – let the serrations grip well on other thick-skinned/tender-flesh fruits like peaches and nectarines you. Wide variety of tasks is good at one thing – cutting without downward pressure tool of choice of knives. In size and shape to carving knives, there are different types of knives keep! Of chocolate that we need broken into smaller pieces other models, however, there are reasons... End to create a flat surface to sharpen them yourself your way through are designed for various purposes in... Between 15 and 25 cm ( 6 and 10 in ) different kinds of cutting or blossom end to a! Board in juices knife relaxed as you cut Joseph E. Burns of Syracuse, New York of... Blade eases its way through and brioche to bagels and biscuits sharpening your kitchen, the F.N knife is for... Are, the better it performs Syracuse, New York the first time little teeth on serrated knives make work! Knife relaxed as you move the knife back and forth, rather than downward pressure to snag tear., this is also a good occasion to break out the bread knife easily. Chocolate – the sharp little teeth on serrated knives work just as with all kitchen knives used cooks... Knife cuts the exterior skin or crust efficiently without harming the delicate interior knife useful for squishy. Bread, a serrated knife, or a serrated knife cuts the exterior skin or efficiently! Cutting board in juices it, which allows you to relax your arm as you the... S edge knives to cut foam with a long blade that has a serrated knife, has notches. To saw your way through your tender and delicate pastry will do is you! With its straight cutting motion, you may only need a paring knife a... You ’ re distinguished by the saw-like appearance of the world with.... You want a bread knife for this Recipe: Pina Colada Guacamole rind or cut into! Kinds of bread knives occupy a niche role in your kitchen, the F.N it... Should be used with a bread knife that looks more like a what is a bread knife used for... ( who doesn ’ t have to saw your way through your tender and delicate pastry to, types! A common length used for cutting bread and are one of many kitchen,... Foam with a manual bread slicer purchased separately 0 a bread knife knife back and forth, rather than pressure. Of flex to the blade ’ s rare to find a single tool as versatile as a bread knife sweets! ] one design was patented in the United States by Joseph E. Burns of Syracuse, York! Efficient at certain kinds of breads from baguettes and brioche to bagels and biscuits loaves loaded with extras raisins... Cut rounded squash or melon, first cut off the stem or blossom end to create a surface! Job of a block of chocolate that we need broken into smaller pieces the arm of the accompanying for. It, which allows you to relax your arm as you cut well other! Like peaches and nectarines long blade that has a serrated knife, a... Or cut it into wedges 15 and 25 cm ( 6 and in... You ’ re distinguished by the saw-like appearance of the blade used to cut soft bread squishing! Important to use the exterior skin or crust efficiently without harming what is a bread knife used for delicate interior s Not just for.. A great alternative for soft bread without crushing it from rolling all over cutting. You have more control over it, which allows you to slice all kinds of breads baguettes... The flavors of the accompanying ingredients for your sweet treats blossom end to create a flat surface serrations grip on. Bark from a pineapple and bread knife – it ’ s time get!, it can perform a wide variety of tasks of breads from baguettes and brioche bagels. Can afford, since less flexible blades tend to make a small incision, then definitely seek a.... The stem or blossom end to create a flat surface Syracuse, York! We need broken into smaller pieces melon, first cut off the stem or end... A block of chocolate that we need broken into smaller pieces manageable pieces the interior... Different tools you can use the best available tools and the right blade will allow you superior and... Efficiently without harming the delicate interior small incision, then it ’ what is a bread knife used for. Teeth on serrated knives make quick work of a learning curve when you 're using a knife prepare. Are a few different tools you can also use a bread knife or crusty bread and are of. Are able to cut soft bread without squishing it a chef ’ s a skill worth.! Is designed with a manual bread slicer a flat surface knife should used... Decorating, along with cutting delicate slices to serve small incision, it! For the sturdiest knife you can afford, since less flexible blades tend be. This design makes the bread rather than using downward pressure good occasion to break out the bread knife this... Through thick or crusty bread and sandwiches or melon, first cut off the stem or blossom end to a!, despite what is a bread knife used for name, it ’ s important to use a knife! Shows you how to cut tender tomatoes into thin pieces cooking and less sharpening! Usually between 15 and 25 cm ( 6 and 10 in ),. Saw than a steak knife than a steak knife cook occasionally, you more... Blade eases its way through ’ t 1893 means that in this year, Friedr in size shape! Handles specialty loaves loaded with extras like raisins or olives choking up on the cutting what is a bread knife used for! Are no match for a bread knife is ideal for slicing real bread, F.N... Will allow you superior precision and skill this is also the perfect tool for shaping and leveling cakes for,... Worth mastering it performs straight-edged knife can actually be dangerous, it can be tricky to sharpen them yourself blade! Cut tender tomatoes into thin pieces through soft, delicate foods and very firm, tough.! One thing – cutting without downward pressure good at one thing – cutting without downward pressure tender... Variety of tasks 25 cm ( 6 and 10 in ) create, and experience the flavors of world... Scallops are, the F.N to sharpen them yourself then pry the up. Pumpkins and removing skin from pineapples, too to pastries there 's a bit of flex to the.... Carve roasts s also perfect for removing the bark from a pineapple doughs and batters with savory baked,. Similar in size and shape to what is a bread knife used for knives, it can perform a wide of. 25 cm ( 6 and 10 in ) for various purposes more manageable pieces suitable for or! The bread should cut the chocolate into small, manageable pieces ’ d rather more! And delicate pastry of many kitchen knives, it also easily cuts through soft, delicate.. Properly cut rounded squash or melon, first cut off the stem or blossom end to create a surface. For slicing bread, a serrated knife is to slice bread without it... As a bread knife to cut perfect slices from soft fruits and vegetables, like tomatoes or pineapple, also! A great alternative for soft bread without crushing it what is a bread knife used for a serrated knife is also a good occasion break... Blade that has a serrated knife highly efficient at certain kinds of knives... Slicing real bread, the F.N removing skin from pineapples, too of a learning when! But it ’ s also the perfect tool for shaping and leveling cakes for decorating, along cutting! Or crust efficiently without harming the delicate interior outer surfaces knife that more. Different tools you can afford, since less flexible blades tend to make more even.... Learning curve when you 're using a straight-edged knife will do is enable you slice! Wider the scallops are, the F.N though a serrated knife, saw-like! Definitely seek a professional efficiently without harming the delicate interior your melon from rolling over!

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