Knives: 3 We Love Using in the M&B Kitchen!

Knives come in a variety of lengths, blades and grips. It can be overwhelming when choosing the right ones for your kitchen. Therefore, we have put together an easy to follow guide, featuring the three knives we use the most.

The Chefs Knife

The chef’s knife is probably the single most important kitchen knife that you can own. Many professional chefs refer to it as an extension of their own arm. These knives are incredibly versatile. Featuring a pointed tip, this knife allows you to trim the fat off meat and pierce the shell on seafood. It can also be used to cut through tough fruits, such as melons or pineapples. These knives have a curved blade which allows for a rocking style of cutting. That is, where the blade rocks backwards and forwards, chopping garlic and herbs with ease. These knives usually measure around 20 cm and are weighty. This facilitates cutting through meat and bone easily.

These knives are the workhorses of the kitchen knife drawer. Therefore they need regular sharpening to keep them in good working order. One of our favourites is the Sabatier Soft Grip Chefs Knife. Made from quality stainless steel with a lightweight soft-grip handle, this is the product of 175 years of knife-making expertise. This really is a top-quality product. It also has a 20-year guarantee to back it up. This will definitely be one of the most used pieces of any kitchen kit.

The Serrated Knife

Typically called a bread knife, but in truth, the serrated knife is so much more. Serrated knives are ideal for gently cutting foods that are hard on the outside with a soft interior – for example, a tomato. The small grooves of the blade hold their sharpness for a long time. With that in mind, it is worth investing in a knife that will stand the test of time and is a pleasure to use.

With its classic full tang design, the Sabatier Professional Bread Knife is a beautifully balanced knife. Full tang simply means a blade that runs through the length of the handle for greater stability and strength

With a 25 year guarantee, this is one knife that you will reach for far more often than you think you will.

From cutting tomatoes to sawing through the rind of melon, this knife is also the perfect tool to level off an uneven cake. Top Tip – never press down when using a bread knife, always let the serrations do the work for you.

The Humble Paring Knife

Finally, no kitchen is complete without a paring knife. Paring knives come into their own when you need to tackle those small scale precision jobs. In fact, paring knives are one of the most recommended pieces of cutlery, second only to the chef’s knife. Usually measuring under 10 cm, this knife can tackle everything from deseeding a chilli to slicing cheese and even removing the vein from a prawn. Perfect for the precise work that bigger knives just cannot tackle.

The paring knife is ideal for removing the skin of delicate fruits and vegetables. The pinpoint accuracy and finesse offered by a paring knife is the reason we love it so much here at Meadows & Byrne.

The Syracuse 9 cm Paring Knife is our current go-to. This is a fantastic kitchen knife that has everything you want from a paring knife. It is lightweight and comfortable to hold but most importantly…sharp. This allows for an easy grip without having to apply much pressure.

The Syracuse 9 cm Paring Knife comes as part of a set of three knives, which also includes an All-Purpose Knife and a Chef’s Knife.

More Kitchen Must Haves

The Any Sharp Knife Sharpener

If you’re investing in quality knives, take good care of them. The Any Sharp Knife Sharpener makes this incredibly easy to do. There is a reason it is known as the world’s best knife sharpener. Simply attach to any smooth worktop surface and you can sharpen your knives quickly and safely.

The Kitchen Scissors

A surprisingly underrated kitchen gadget but one that when you have it, you realise you can never be without it. From opening packaging safely to snipping herbs neatly from your garden to breaking down a chicken carcass, every kitchen needs good scissors.

Knives will mostly handle taking apart a chicken. However when removing the backbone for a spatchcocked bird (our preferred way of roasting and grilling chicken) you cannot beat a good pair of scissors.

Buy one with blades you can take apart. This is essential when a tool can go from boning a chicken to snipping rosemary in the same meal. Also, it will dry faster and therefore prevent rust.

The Universal Knife Block

This is a fantastic accessory for those who have curated a collection of knives not suitable for a traditional knife block. Sleek and simple in design, this universal knife block is the ideal solution to safely and neatly store any knives. The specially designed inserts also prevent your knives from becoming scratched.