The saw-like teeth of a serrated knife blade help to cut both soft and tough ingredients, but you need to match the knife to the kitchen task. The relatively wide serrations of a bread knife help it slice through light, airy bread without tearing and crumbling. Deeper serrations produce wicked-sharp points that help penetrate into tough cuts of meat and work easily through joints and connective tissue. There are serrated knives for specific cutting tasks, and general-purpose knives suitable for everyday use. Here are three different approaches to designing a serrated knife, and how each one will make your cooking even more of a pleasure.
Your Daily Bread
Bread knives can make quick work of both dense breads such as bagels and light, crumbly goodies like a crusty French loaf. Look for relatively thin blades that will help you create even slices, and average-sized teeth that will allow the blade to start the cut evenly without tearing the bread.
Steak Your Claim
The deep points on a serrated steak knife can grip dense meats for a quick, easy cut. No more sawing and hacking at the dinner table. Look for knives with a non-stick coating that won’t get gummed up with sticky steak fat, and relatively thick blades that can handle the toughest cuts.
Serrated blades aren’t just for T-bones and croissants! A finely serrated edge makes slicing through juicy tomatoes a breeze, and a flexible, rounded blade tip can serve double duty as a butter or jelly knife that cuts the bread just as easily.
