Here's Why You Need A Bread Knife In Your Kitchen!

There's a healthy debate about how many knives you really need in the kitchen. For the new kitchen cook, choosing what knives you need in a beginner kitchen can be daunting. There really are many different knives, made for different purposes, and made of different materials. 

We know how confusing it can get to just choose one knife since there are a few knives that are important to have in any kitchen. 

Of the four basic knives that every kitchen should have, the chef's knife is the first knife every kitchen should have. Its partner, the paring knife, is the utility knife that can take care of small chopping and slicing tasks.

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You can actually ditch the boning knife if you're not going to butcher a whole chicken, but we think the serrated knife (or a bread knife) is a must. It's actually more useful for more tasks than slicing bread. Although slicing bread is the most common use for the specialized knife, you may be surprised how many ways the serrated knife can outdo the chef's knife. 

If you're in the market for knives for your kitchen, here is how the serrated knife can be a useful prepping tool in your kitchen and tips on how to choose a good one:   

Slice a tomato! If you can't easily slice it in half with your chef's knife, it's time to sharpen it - or grab a serrated knife to do the job with ease. 

Photo by Pixabay

1 A serrated knife can slice soft ingredients. 

When it comes to slicing and dicing, the chef's knife is the common tool to use. However, there are times when the serrated knife can outshine the chef's knife in this task. 

This is when the ingredient you're slicing is too soft or when your chef's knife isn't as sharp as it should be. A great example is when you are slicing tomatoes. This tomato test can be a great way to tell if your chef's knife needs to be resharpened. So, if you can't easily slice a tomato in half with your chef's knife, grab a serrated knife. Its teeth will easily catch on the tomato's skin and let you easily slice it in half. 

Watermelons have notoriously hard rinds! Use a serrated knife to cut through it with ease. 

Photo by Patrick Martires

2 A serrated knife is great for slicing hard ingredients. 

Just as easily as you can slice through soft ingredients, you can slice hard fruits and vegetables such as watermelons, cantaloupes, and pineapples, without the edge sliding before the slice is made. 

This cake's even layers are courtesy of a serrated knife and some spinning action on a cake stand. 

Photo by Riell Santos

3 A serrated knife may be used to level a cake layer. 

When it comes to cakes, there's nothing more embarrassing than having a lopsided cake. Prevent this by leveling the cake layers and to do this efficiently, a serrated knife is the kitchen tool you need to use. The teeth will catch on the soft cake and, unlike the chef's knife, will not try to squish it when you begin slicing through towards the center.

Not only that, most bread knives are longer (typically around 9 inches or 23 cm and above) than chef's knives and so, you can make longer and more even strokes with it, reducing the amount of "hacking" that is commonly needed to make the slice. 

Use a serrated knife instead to avoid egg yolks that are in danger of crumbling before you eat it.

Photo by Karishma Etong

4 A serrated knife is great for slicing hard-boiled eggs. 

Use a serrated knife when slicing hard-boiled (and salted!) eggs so there's no pressing down on the delicate egg and perhaps breaking it before it's cut. Plus, the yolks will look as if it was cut rather than squished like these were. The interiors of food will stay intact! 

The sleek edge of the chef's knife is different from the serrated edge of the bread knife.

Photo by from Gourdo's and Kitchen Pro

If you're convinced that a serrated knife is needed in your kitchen, here are a few pointers on what to look for in a great serrated knife: 

1 Comfortable grip 

It's always important that the knife you get, whether a chef's knife, paring knife or a bread knife, feels comfortable in your hand.  

2 Long length

A bread knife should be around 9 inches (23 cm) or longer for long even cuts that minimize hacking. 

3 Big, deep, and pointy serrations  

The bigger, deeper, and the sharper or pointier the serrations are on a serrated blade, the cleaner the slice will be without needing to exert more pressure to make the slice. What you get is a nice slice that cuts through the ingredient easier. 

Once you have your knife, here are more articles you can read about how to maintain and use it: 

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The Masflex Kitchen Pro 8-inches Serrated Knife Flair Handle (P540) is available on Lazada. The Wüsthof Chef's Knife 6-inches (P6,500) and 8-inches (P6,850) is available at Gourdo's. Call 812-3022 or email [email protected] for more information.