A bread knife is a unique kind of equipment that serves many different purposes.
Choosing new kitchen knives might seem like a difficult chore with so many options available, particularly when you’ve always used the same knife for everything.
You might be confused as to why in the world you will ever need a knife “only for bread” or why you should need a distinct knife for each activity.
The bread knife, in actuality, isn’t only for bread, and we’re here to explain why it can end up being one of your go-to kitchen blades.
Why a Bread Knife Should be Found in Every Kitchen
Regardless of its name, the bread knife may really be used for a range of activities, making it a necessity in the kitchen. The sharp edge is the key.
A bread knife’s sharp edge has toothy, saw-like serrations or lobes as opposed to a chef’s knife’s clean, straight edge. Instead of applying downward pressure the way you would with a chef’s knife, this works much like a saw, cutting through the material as you slide the knife back and forth.
A bread knife’s scalloped edge offers some clear benefits when it comes to cutting specific foods, particularly bread because it’s made to cut straight into crusty buns without smashing the delicate interior.
It works better the broader the scallops are.
What Is the Purpose of a Bread Knife?
Although it may seem apparent, a bread knife may be used to cut many types of bread, including baguettes, bread rolls, bagels, and pastries.
Additionally, it’s the ideal tool for cutting fine pieces for serving as well as for molding and leveling desserts for decorating.
A bread knife can cut through tougher items too. With a lengthy bread knife, you can easily cut through watermelon or pumpkin, which can catch straight-edged blades and put cooks in danger of injuring themselves.
Using your bread knife when preparing other fruit and vegetables, such as tomatoes or pineapples, is also a wonderful idea. It can also be used to cut roast and cut meatloaf in a jiffy!
Using a Bread Knife
You just hold the food in position on the cutting board with your other hand, being sure to keep the fingers away from the path, and move the bread knife gently back and forth over the food. It is pretty simple to learn how to employ a bread knife, although it does take experience to create even slices.
Let the serrated edge do the job for you instead of applying pressure.
A knife with a broader, scalloped serrated edge is what you want. When cutting through bread, the broader scalloped edge leaves fewer crumbs than conventional serrations. You would like a bread knife that resembles a saw.
These knives typically have a bend to the edge and are quite thin. Choose the strongest knife you can buy because a less flexible blade tends to produce slices that are more uniform.
Cutting Bread with a Bread Knife
A bread knife is a unique kind of equipment that serves many different purposes. It can effortlessly cut through light, delicate bread in addition to huge, crusty artisan loaves.
Even specialized bread filled with toppings like nuts or olives may be cut with a bread knife.
Straight-edged blades would catch and rip due to these textural variations, yet the bread knife effortlessly cuts through them. A bread knife may even be used to slice up filled sandwiches into bite-sized pieces.
Cutting Fruits and Vegetables with a Bread Knife
One task that a bread knife excels at is cutting without applying downward pressure. The bread knife may be used to cut both very solid, rough dishes and soft, sensitive foods thanks to that one characteristic.
It allows you to slice tomatoes and other soft veggies and fruits such as citrus, into beautiful slices without drenching your cutting board with liquid. It works well for chopping up pineapples as well.
Using a straight-edged knife on watermelons and pumpkins with thick skins might really be harmful. These hard foods can catch the blade and compel you to use more power to either force it down or retract it, increasing the risk that you’ll cut yourself.
Cutting Sweets with a Bread Knife
A bread knife is something that any home cook with a taste for sweets should always have on hand. Similar to savory baked products, there are several reasons to use a bread knife while eating sweets like cakes and pastries.
A bread knife’s edge is longer than that of other kitchen knives, making it possible to cut through a whole layer of cake in a single pass. This helps it easily cut through the fragile sponge of a cake.
Go for a bread knife that has a more curved handle if you deal with cakes frequently so you can hold it horizontally when flattening cakes.
Cutting Meats with a Bread Knife
The bread knife comes in helpful when it comes to slicing and carving prepared meats.
This is so that you can get perfectly sliced, juicy pieces of roast thanks to its large blade and scalloped edge, which can effortlessly cut into roasts with thick crusts while preserving tasty juices.
Try carving a crusty prime rib roast or barbecue with your bread knife.
You may even use it to carve that Thanksgiving turkey or an entire roasted chicken!
