Fish loin knives: rules for selection and use

The knife can be considered one of the oldest tools developed by man. Of course, over thousands of years it has evolved from a universal cutting tool into a whole family of similar in appearance, but at the same time somewhat different in its functionality items. In this article, we will pay attention to special fish fillet knives. The development of this type of tool began with the onset of mass fishing and harvesting of fish.

Cutting fish for sale has always been a difficult task, and when this process acquired industrial proportions, it took a special professional tool.

Fish or fillet knife for fish looks quite unusual. It differs from other knives primarily in form. The tool is equipped with a somewhat curved, long and narrow blade. The length of the blade varies, and involves the use of tools of different sizes for fish with different lengths of cutting blade (from 14 to 30 cm). The most used tools are considered with a blade length of 16-21 cm. Sharpening is very important, ideally it should be no more than 25 °, but 15 ° is often used.

To work with fish requires a comfortable handle that will not slip out of the hand. Initially, it was made of wood, modern versions of products have handles of special plastic or rubber.

The filletfish for fish gradually from the shops of fish processing enterprises, where it was called simply a fish knife, began to migrate to the kitchens of restaurants, and then to domestic ones. The development of the restaurant business has led to the emergence of a special form of tools for various operations performed with fish.

For gutting large fish it took a large knife, often with a serrated blade. Without such a knife it will be very difficult to carve large salmon with its strong skin. It is convenient to cut cod with a filet having grooves on the surface of the blade that will prevent the meat from sticking to the cutting surface.

Since it is very difficult to get fresh fish far from the port cities, as this perishable product goes on sale deep-frozen, a special slicer was needed to cut frozen fish.

Carefully chop the fish - real art. Special knives have an elongated blade. Varieties of slicers will help cut the fish into layers, cubes, or even straws.

Some other requirements apply to the serving fish knife served with the dish. They use it at the table for cutting cooked fish into portions.

In the second half of the 20th century, electric fish knives appeared. The machine is equipped with a typical long, slightly curved blade, sometimes with notches. Most often, the toolkit of such a device includes several interchangeable blades, which allow performing various operations with various fish. The convenient handle is supplied with the electric drive which makes the cutting movements.

Currently, the production of fish knives is established in many countries.However, traditionally, the best manufacturers of this equipment have been Finnish, German, French and Japanese companies for at least half a century.

But the review of manufacturers will not be extensive.

Famous Finnish companies Rapala and Marttiini offer a large selection of kitchen knives, including for cutting fillets. This is perhaps the most preferred home for products, so to speak, the best combination of price and quality. Used stainless steel and modern non-slip materials for handles.

As professional tools for restaurant kitchens, most often used by Japanese companies. Kasumi, Deta, Yanagida, Guito kits for filing. Products of these companies are distinguished not only by the high quality of workmanship, but also by the highest quality requirements for the steel used. No less well-known and popular are the long-established products of the German company. Wusthof. The price of the products of these companies is high, but the instruments they have produced have served for decades.

French companies Opinel and Laquiole became famous for their folding knives. The advantages of a folding design are obvious - there is no need to protect the blade sharpening from all sorts of influences, such a product is easy to store, there is no need for a sheath. However, all this makes the knife more difficult to manufacture, and, accordingly, affects its value. In addition, French companies use only high-quality materials to manufacture their products, which also does not make them cheaper.

Currently, Russian companies also produce good products. "Russian Bulat" and "SV Blade". In addition to the production of standard cutters, they can also make an individual order of a unique handmade product.

For work on floating fish factories, and, in general, the so-called sheaving knife was invented for fishing. From the kitchen fish knife, it differs dramatically. It, as a rule, has a relatively short lanceolate blade, which has in common only an unusually sharp sharpening with the usual shredder. During Putin, such tools are intensively exploited directly on the ship or on a floating base. For a shift with their help, sometimes half a ton of fish has to be processed. The operations performed by such a knife are rather coarse;

• the ripping of the abdomen of the fish;
• separation of the head (preferably in one motion);
• removal of viscera.

After this treatment, the carcass goes either to freeze or to further processing to produce canned food. The tool combines the sharpness and massiveness of seemingly incompatible properties, but its main advantage lies in that. For rough mariners, the sailors simply have no time to change knives, for performing various operations one has to use one maximally universal tool.

In the age of electricity and the acceleration of scientific and technological progress, more and more companies offer high-tech electronic products. Not paid attention to and fish fillets. The already mentioned Finnish company Rapala is actively developing this market segment, offering power tools with a set of blades, facilitating a number of operations with fish in the kitchen.

Of course, if it's not about money, then choosing a fish knife, it is better to immediately purchase the best quality product, for example, from Japanese or German manufacturers. If you use the tool infrequently, the Finnish copy is quite suitable. If the knife will be used extremely rarely, its manufacturer, in general, does not matter much.

The main thing is that the purchased inventory meets several requirements:

• narrow, long, slightly curved blade;
• the blade should be flexible, but at the same time quite tough to break;
• for cutting large fish on the blade can be notched;
• for cutting fatty fish on the blade may be grooves;
• high-quality sharpening;
• ergonomic handle, preferably with an emphasis for the thumb;
• modern handle materials that do not absorb odors;
• sheaths made of plastic or other material designed to maintain knife sharpening and ensure safety even when the tool is not in use.

Sometimes you have to fish for fishing. For this, many use the usual folding tourist knife. However, in the field set of anglers, there may also be a special field variant of the cutter, which is much more convenient and safer to use for its intended purpose. It is easy to choose it, and here, besides the above, you will have to be guided by a couple more requirements.

• A convenient sheath with a clamp from which the fish knife will not slip out accidentally.
• Comfortable non-slip grip. Wood as a material for its manufacture in this case is not worth ignoring. Some fishermen are wrapped around the arms with a leather belt - this does not at all save them from sticking smells, but it helps to ensure reliable positioning of the knife in the hand.
• All other requirements are the same as for kitchen fillets.

Often in a set with a fish knife, and sometimes separately sold a special fork to hold the fish. Ignoring this accessory is not worth it, an easy-to-use device can greatly facilitate the work with the fish carcass, keeping it in all the cutting and cutting operations.

Often together with a fish knife, it is suggested whetstone, it is also an indispensable accessory that should not be neglected. Often filet worn out only from the wrong sharpening.

Universal cutting knife does not exist, for filing at the professional level will have to purchase a set of several cutters.

Of course, you can cut fish with a camping tourist folding knife, but this is a hike, another thing is a restaurant or cafe. Just cutting fish is not enough, you need to cut it correctly.

One of the requirements for cutting fish is the mandatory use of a cutting board. Moreover, boards for cutting raw and, for example, smoked fish should be different.

Directly fillet knife has a very narrow specialization, consisting in the separation of narrow and thin layers of meat from bones and skin. Therefore, if you have to work with fish a lot, it is better to have a set of several fish knives:

• to remove scales;
• for gutting;
• to separate the head and fins;
• a knife with a serrated cutting surface may be needed to cut steaks;
• to remove the spine and ribs;
• for the separation of meat and skin.

Special knives will be required to work with oily fish, for example, beluga or other sturgeon. The blade of such a filet should have transverse grooves.

For information on the rules for choosing fish fillet knives, see the next video.