Western Kitchen Knife Blade Edges

Different blade edges for different uses

Below are the four most common blade edges found on kitchen cutlery:

Straight

A Western straight edge blade, also called a Sabre grind, is formed by grinding both sides of the blade so that it tapers down into a “V” like point.

This type of edge is perfect for making clean and firm cuts without tearing the fibers in raw meat, vegetables and fruit.

Serrated

A serrated edge blade has rows of teeth along the blade edge which are designed to easily penetrate a product’s tough outer crust, much like a saw, to prevent the soft inner flesh from tearing and protect the actual cutting edge from being dulled by the cutting board.

Serrated knives are great for cutting crusty bread, large tomatoes and cooked meats.

Granton

A granton edge blade, also referred to as scalloped or dimpled, has hollowed out sections running along both sides of the blade edge.

These dished out grooves creates air pockets between the blade and turgid foods such as fruit and vegetables which in theory releases food from the knife’s blade during the process of cutting.

Hollow ground

A hollow ground edge blade is created by grinding from just below the midpoint of a knife and forming concave sides that come to a very thin, very sharp cutting edge.

A hollow ground edge is most effective for prep work, e.g., skinning fish, cutting sushi or peeling and slicing fruits rather than heavy cutting tasks.

Kitchen knife blade shapes

Kitchen knife blade configurations:

• Straight
• Curved upward
• Curved downward

Straight

This type of blade is the reverse of the curved up blade, i.e., the spine curves downward to meet a blade that is straight from its tip back to the handle for the purpose of lifting the knife off the cutting board for chopping down.

Curved up

Thus type of knife blade configuration is curved upward from the middle of the knife to the blade’s tip to meet a flat or straight spine (the top portion of the knife that runs from the handle to the end of the blade) which allows for a rocking force to its tapering point for chopping without the knife leaving the cutting board.

Curved down

Curved up is where the spine and blade curve equally to meet one another at its tip. A good example is this type of blade configuration can be found on the standard utility or all-purpose knife or a petty knife

Tagged with: curved kitchen knife blade • hollowed kitchen knife edge • normal kitchen knife blade • Serrated edged kitchen knives • straight kitchen knife blade

Filed under: Kitchen knife blade edges

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!