How to choose all kinds of kitchen knives?

There are many types of kitchen knives on the market; everyone says their own knives are good. Of course, it is natural for Wang Po to sell melons and boast about herself, but consumers are often at a loss when choosing. So, how can you choose a (set) kitchen knife that suits you?

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Classification of knives:

(Mainly for daily household consumers) Household kitchen knives are divided into slicing knives, bone chopping knives, dual-purpose chopping knives, fruit knives, etc. according to their functions. Others include frozen meat knives, bread knives, and multi-purpose knives. According to the processing technology, there are stamping forming, red hot forging, etc.; according to the material, it can be divided into carbon steel, stainless steel, ceramics (zirconia) and so on.

Many brands now The knives are all complete sets, and the general set of knives also includes sharpening rods and knife holders.

①Slicing knife: used for slicing food, but not suitable for cutting unthawed frozen meat.

②Bone Chopping Knife: Used for chopping hard food such as bones.

③ Chopping knife: It can be chopped and cut, but there is relatively no special slicing knife when slicing. It is sharp and easy to use (material, process

In the same situation), it is not suitable for chopping big bones. The minced meat is good.

④Fruit knife: used to cut the skin of vegetables and fruits.

When choosing a tool, pay attention to the following points:

1. The blade is sharp

The blade should be sharp, straight, and free of nicks.

First of all, from the user's point of view, the first requirement for a kitchen knife must be sharp (fast), preferably lasting sharpness. So let's take a look at the sharpness of the kitchen knife is determined by those attributes?

1. Materials

Usually steel, stainless steel, carbon steel (such as shell steel), or ceramic (zirconia) Damascus and so on. Different materials determine the hardness of the finished knife, so can it be understood that the higher the hardness, the higher the sharpness? It should be said that it is not entirely correct, because the "fastness" of a kitchen knife also depends on the degree and softness of the edge of the knife. .

For example, ceramic knives are usually harder than stainless steel knives, but users often find that they are not as fast as stainless steel knives during use. This is because limited by the material, the edge degree of the ceramic knife cannot be too small, otherwise it will be brittle directly. Of course, ceramic knives also have the advantages of not corroding.

Hardness: 3cr13<4Cr13<5Cr15<8Cr15<9Cr15≈carbon steel<damascus<Ceramic (Zirconium Oxide)

2. The way of sharpening is divided into machine cutting and manual cutting

Therefore, in terms of sharpness alone, kitchen knives with higher hardness of steel, smaller blades, and softer curvature of the cutting edge rather than linear straight drop will be "faster" and more usable, especially slicing knives. Therefore, the same material, the slicing knife of the craft is definitely sharper than the bone chopping knife, which is determined by the degree of the cutting edge.

Two, comfortable to use.

The design of the knife handle should be humanized and comfortable to hold

In terms of knife handles, the main materials are wood, engineering plastics, steel handles, etc., each with its own advantages. Generally speaking, the handles of stamped kitchen knives are better and more refined; traditional forging knives mostly use wooden handles (mostly round handles), and now some traditional knife manufacturers have begun to sell kitchen knives with other handles.

Three, safe to use.

The handle of the knife should have a non-slip design, so that it will not hurt the user if it falls out of the hand. Needless to say, this is the minimum requirement. In addition, let’s talk about the difference between stamping forming and red hot forging process:

Stamping forming: Simply put, it is to use a whole large steel plate (such as a thickness of 2 mm) to directly stamp out a complete knife blank through the punch grinding tool, and then perform subsequent cutting, surface treatment, heat treatment, upper handle, etc. After the process, it is made into a finished kitchen knife. The advantages of this process are high efficiency and more cost advantages, high degree of mechanization, better surface treatment, high degree of standardization, and more perfect details.

At present, mainstream knives in supermarkets and other markets are basically of this kind of craftsmanship (represented by Yangjiang, Guangdong, Shibazi, Qiaowife, etc.)

Traditional forging: The biggest difference from the stamping forming process lies in the stage of knife blank forming. Forging is to burn the steel billet (usually block) to a red hot state, through repeated beating (machine hammers are often used now), to shape the preliminary knife billet, and then manually sharpen (file), surface treatment, heat treatment, etc. , The finished kitchen knife is usually thick on the back, thin on the pond, and wedge-shaped in cross section. Compared with stamped kitchen knives, forged kitchen knives have denser steel, more uniform stress distribution on the blade body, and better sharpness retention.

The disadvantage is that it is difficult to increase the output and the cost is high, and the process details are relatively poor.

Q: What attributes determine the sharpness of a kitchen knife?

Answer: 1. Materials

Usually steel, stainless steel, carbon steel (such as shell steel), or ceramic (zirconia) Damascus and so on. Different materials determine the hardness of the finished knife, so can it be understood that the higher the hardness, the higher the sharpness? It should be said that it is not entirely correct, because the "fastness" of a kitchen knife also depends on the degree and softness of the edge of the knife. .

For example, ceramic knives are usually harder than stainless steel knives, but users often find that they are not as fast as stainless steel knives during use. This is because limited by the material, the edge degree of the ceramic knife cannot be too small, otherwise it will be brittle directly. Of course, ceramic knives also have the advantages of not corroding.

Hardness: 3cr13<4Cr13<5Cr15<8Cr15<9Cr15≈carbon steel<damascus<Ceramic (Zirconium Oxide)

2. The way of sharpening

It is divided into machine cutting and manual cutting. Therefore, in terms of sharpness alone, kitchen knives with higher hardness of steel, smaller cutting edge, and softer curvature of the cutting edge instead of linear straight drop will be "faster". Works better, especially with a slicing knife. Therefore, the same material, the slicing knife of the craft is definitely sharper than the bone chopping knife. The sharpness and ease of sharpening of hand-cut slicing kitchen knives are relatively better, which is determined by the craftsmanship and the radian of the cutting edge.

Machine-sharpened knives have a relatively shallow edge and are more laborious to sharpen after use, while hand-sharpened kitchen knives have a softer edge.

Q: What kind of kitchen knife is called a forged kitchen knife?

Answer: The so-called forged kitchen knife is simply a kitchen knife made by heating the knife embryo red, repeatedly forging, hand-shaping, hand-sharpening and other processes. The typical representative is Longshui, Dazu County, Chongqing, which is known as the hardware capital of the west. The traditional craftsmanship in the area corresponds to the cold-rolled stamping forming kitchen knife, which is represented by the craftsmanship in Yangjiang, Guangdong.

Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of forged kitchen knives compared with ordinary cold-rolled kitchen knives?

Answer: The difference between the two lies in whether the knife blank has undergone a repeated forging process in a high-temperature red-hot state.

Compared with cold-rolled kitchen knives, forged kitchen knives have denser steel and more uniform stress distribution on the blade body, which is durable and not easy to crack. As the saying goes, "Thousands of hammering make good steel!". The disadvantage is that it is difficult to increase the output and the cost is high, and the manual forming is not as good-looking as a cold-rolled knife. (Deng's kitchen utensils have transformed the traditional technology and have solved this problem better.

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Q: How do ordinary consumers distinguish?

Answer: Generally speaking, the back of forged kitchen knives is relatively thick, and the cutting surface from the back of the knife to the blade is relatively not so regular in oblique shape. The edge is not so straight, and the arc is softer.

At present, there are few high-grade stainless steel materials of 9 chromium and 15 molybdenum vanadium on the market, while the kitchen knives on the ordinary market are mostly made of 3 chrome and 4 chrome stainless steel materials (this shop also has them, and the price is much cheaper).

The price per ton of 9-chrome stainless steel is 2-3 times that of ordinary 3-chrome.

Secondly, the forging technology used in this kitchen knife perfectly solves the problem that 9-chrome stainless steel can maintain high hardness while maintaining excellent toughness and durability. Moreover, this technology of Dengjia Knife has obtained a national patent, which is difficult to do by stamping. arrived.

Thirdly, although the overall value of the kitchen knife is not high, it is a durable product. This kitchen knife can be used for more than 10 years if it is well maintained, and the average cost is very low.

Q: What are the differences between slicing knives, bone chopping knives, and chopping knives?

Answer: Kitchen knives are divided into different types according to their uses, such as slicing knives, bone chopping knives, dual-purpose chopping knives, and fruit knives. Normally, the cutting edge of the slicer is about 15°, which is thinner and easy to slice; the cutting edge of the bone cutting knife is above 25°, thick, heavy, and convenient for chopping; the cutting edge of the dual-purpose knife is at 15°-25° Between °, you can cut some not too big bones such as chicken, duck and fish, but it is a little laborious to slice and deal with the big bones of pork legs.