Cheese knives: how to choose and use?

Many people love cheese. But to cut it with ordinary knives is a very dubious pleasure. It is very important to choose a specialized cutting tool that will cope with this task as it should.

Sandwich cheeses without any problems cut into ordinary blades. But any professional cook and even just a gourmet can not agree with this decision. Cheese knives may be different. When creating a knife, the specific weight and consistency of each product are taken into account. Cheese knife for cutting especially soft varieties (dorblue and similar varieties) is not suitable, according to professionals and experts, for cheese of a slightly larger strength. In turn, Both of these types of knives will not cope effectively enough with durable and extremely durable varieties of the product.

The taste of good cheese is not uniformly distributed over the mass of the workpiece. Even moving from the middle to the edges, gourmets recognize flavors. Therefore, lovers of this product believe that all the pieces should be cut with the expectation of smooth changes in taste sensations. The vast majority of cheese knives are equipped with a handle located above the blade. This scheme greatly facilitates cutting and ensures uniform pressure along the entire line. As a result, breaking and crumbling of the product is excluded.

The length of the cheese knife should reach 0.37 m, it includes a blade 0.24 m and a handle 0.13 m. The blade should not be too thick - the maximum allowable metal layer is 1.6 mm. In this case, the greatest length of the blade may be only 0.4 m. Deviation of even 1 mm above the permissible dimensions is not allowed.

For cutting combined varieties, along with straight knives, string devices, blades and a number of other structures can be used.

Normally, the tips are made of stainless steel with high carbon content. A classic example is Damascus steel. You can use more modern alloys with similar composition. The handle can be different, it is selected individually. A large part of experienced cooks believe that metal and fire-resistant plastic definitely lose to wood.

But the general requirements can not be limited. Even if the cheese cutting knife looks just like a regular one, in fact it is different. The classic option is a long knife with ergonomic handle structure. Company designers Samurawho developed such a version, provided for the use of a wavy cutting edge. Special "air pockets" exclude the adherence of cheese fragments to the surface of the knife. In the descriptions it is noted that the joint of the blade with the handle is raised. This allows you to distribute the load as correctly as possible.

Occasionally, professional chefs come up with more unique tools, such as:

• parmesan knife;
• two-handed blade;
• grater;
• cheese planer.

Professional devices usually have a narrow specialization. Sometimes they are designed to process one or more varieties of cheese. Because of their purchase and not too much demand.Classical modifications are good because they process both hard and soft cheeses quite well. The vast majority of versions use bactericidal bolster, helping to effectively cut aged cheeses.

Products with two handles are usually used for cutting very large heads. The usual tool copes with this task not too satisfactorily. And still popular device, which is called fatty. It looks simple and unassuming, but effectively solves the problem. With the help of fatty oil, it is easy to cut:

• Swiss Tet de Moine;
• Edam;
• smoked cheese brands;
• petit basque.

Spatula is a knife for soft cheeses. It looks like a hatchet, and the tool ends with a thin blade. The wooden handle is designed with a view to a comfortable grip, because cutting the product is easy and fast.

Traditional blade allows you to adjust the force of pressure. Therefore, it is possible to make pieces of exactly the specified thickness. Another type of blade - knife with a side blade, like a fork. This product is widely used to work with delicious cheeses. There are also shoulder blades with an elongated part: they are needed to spread ricotta or almette.

Apply to processing soft cheese string knife. Such a cutting machine can turn even the least hard product into cubes with neat edges. This is the ideal solution for blue moldy cheese, which turns into an incomprehensible crumb under the blade of an ordinary knife. But high quality strings can handle a moderately tough product.

String constructions can be divided according to the version into platform and designed for manual work. Stands come in from different materials:

• wood (especially bamboo is often used);
• non-corrosive steel grades;
• glass.

Manual and platform cheese knives can cut the head into segments of the desired thickness. In most designs, this thickness is set rigidly in the design. Only a few versions allow, by rotating special screws, to adjust the size of the sliced ​​fragments. Melted cheeses are most often cut with knives with “ends” and with shaped teeth. These cloves allow you to grab and spread the sliced ​​pieces on a dish.

Parmesan has unusual properties: it is hard, but very fragile, easily divided into grains. They cut it with a completely different tool. Rather, it looks like a plane and a chisel. The blade must have a large width, and it is necessary to apply special solutions that reduce the adhesion of the cut pieces. For this purpose, either Teflon coating is applied, or special grooves are made.

Smaller cheese heads are cut by approximately the same one-handed or two-handed knives, which are smaller in size. But there is an alternative solution - Traditional Swiss tool, similar to a spatula. Blades at "spatulas" can have a straight or semicircular shape.

As for the knurled knives, they can help when working not only with cheeses, but also with vegetables, and even when cutting chips. In a separate group are the tools that allow you to cut:

• soft cheeses with moldy crusts (camembert);
• washed soft crust (Limburg);
• blue mold cheeses (Gorgonzola or Roquefort).

All such knives differ in frame execution. A significant part of the metal is deliberately removed from the blade. Retain only the frame with the cutting edge, butt and a number of ribs. The construction is completed by a two-tooth end fork, suitable for impaling and serving portioned pieces of cheese. Important: for products with each type of a mold use knives with the handle of the corresponding coloring.

To work with soft cheeses like gourmet often used Wusthof knives manufactured by the German company Solingen. The feature of this version is the use of strong steel with the addition of vanadium and molybdenum. Plastic handles have a great strength and serve a very long time. The blade is equipped with holes that prevent sticking of the sliced ​​cheese, double-sided grinding is performed on a bilateral scheme.

String product Aluminum (manufactured by Westmark) designed specifically for cutting semi-solid product. Both the pen and the case are made of sturdy aluminum. The model will instantly prepare pieces of almost transparent thickness. Products from the Czech brand are useful for working with parmesan. Tescoma. Its characteristic feature is a large thickness of the handle, which is convenient to use.

Construction from Tupperware provides for covering the edge with small teeth. This model is designed to work with Roquefort. Specific feature - 3 large holes. For the manufacture of handles used strong plastic. The package includes a convenient storage pouch.

For slicing cheese, only a knife with a blade is used, which contains 15% chromium and 10% nickel. Necessary information can be found in the label. Models for soft cheese, which is hard to cut, must have a notch in the middle. But for a solid product, other modifications are needed that look like a spatula or a chisel. With this tool, cutting into portions and removing strong crusts is easy.

For the type of kitchen, the type of steel is also important. Damascus rafting is very expensive and not everyone can afford. However, it will make it stand out from other consumers, and if you have money, you should choose it. As already mentioned, many cooks hold special views on what kind of material will be the best for the handle. Here it is necessary to be guided only by personal tastes, and not by someone's advice.

The same applies to the design of knives. So, Samura models embody the traditional elegance of a Japanese approach. However, they are also rejected by some people. The parmesan knife must be included in the kit. For your information: if a manufacturer supplies its knives in a wooden case, this is very convenient and indicates the quality of the product.

If you want to choose not a whole set, but only a single copy, you should give preference to cheese knives of medium softness. They are more or less suitable for very soft and extremely hard products. Those who can not consider themselves a gourmet, you can restrict one device with serreytornoy sharpening. When buying a kit to give preference to the largest number of knives should not be. Most manufacturers include in sets of 1 or 2 tools that are practically useless in everyday life.

Whatever knife or whole set was purchased, it is very important to use it correctly. If you make a mistake, if you cut the cheese incorrectly, no constructive perfection will help. When in the hands of cheese there is a plane, you need to move it to yourself. At the same time thin sheet shavings turn out. Parmesan, which is characterized by extreme hardness, is not cut in the usual sense of the word, but split into pieces.

The point is not only in the convenience of cutting, but also in eliminating the mixing of tastes and smells. The knife must be held parallel to your body - this is the only correct position. The end part of the blade is always directed from itself and strictly down, this is the safest and most practical orientation.

Do not push the knife too hard. If, after passing through the head, it hits a cutting board or other surface, it will be:

• impractical (without any benefit);
• too noisy;
• not safe;
• harmful to the blade (reduced service life).

But even if the kitchen tool is used correctly, storage errors and improper care can be very harmful.

In the kitchen of a modest size hinged magnetic holders are used. If there is enough space, use a regular stand. Important: rotating stands more comfortable than usual - they allow you to quickly get to the right tool.

Categorically it is impossible to put knives loose in boxes, in boxes and on shelves. This leads to rapid loss of sharpness and rusting. It is extremely important: each tool should be used only for the work for which it is intended. The best boards are wooden, and the contact with them makes the blades least of all dull. When work ends, the knives are washed immediately, and the blades are then wiped.

In the next video, you will learn how to use different types of knives for different cheeses.