From a little cooking experience, we can all say that any knife isn’t best for cutting meat. Each kitchen knife has come into this world to execute a particular duty, so when it comes to looking for knife that cuts raw meat, you need to look at those who are competing in the same category. When it comes to meats, you can find the best knife for cutting raw meat and others that cut cooked meat. You can’t use a general purpose knife for both activities because there isn’t one size fits all type of knife available. You need to find just the right knife to get the best cuts of meat.
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Factors to Look for When Buying a Knife for Raw Meat
The stores are full of a mind boggling variety of kitchen knives. Which do you choose and how? Don’t go by what the salesperson says because they may only want to sell the most expensive to you. There are a few parameters to to check before purchasing a kitchen knife for cutting meat.
Handles:
Try to get a feel of a knife before buying it. Pick it up and hold it for a few seconds. Look for a comfortable knife with a good handle.
Balance:
Finding a raw meat knife that is well-balanced is about one of the main ways of choosing a knife. This means that the weight of the knife shouldn’t be concentrated either entirely in its handle or in the blade, but there should be a fine balance between the two. If this happens, you’ll find cutting with it difficult.
Bolster:
The bolster refers to the thick section of the blade that helps it move smoothly to the handle. This helps provide the knife with better balance, and gives you better control, besides adding to the tool’s general strength. It also keeps your fingers safe from slipping on to the blade while you cut meat.
Maintenance:
Look after your knife well. Don’t put it with other dishes in the dishwasher or you’ll only shorten its lifespan. For it to work well and for longer, take good care of it. For one, choose a good quality stainless steel knife.
Cooking Style:
Before buying, ask yourself which style of cooking you are going to need a knife for. If your need is for a specialized dish, look for a whole set of them. Or you can buy extra knives as you go along. For slicing meat, go with a strong knife, say Santoku.
Reviews: Now that you have a general idea of what you should be looking for in a knife for cutting meat, head over to the store and buy it. Or check online for the best buy. Before that, you might like to check out our range of the 10 best kitchen knife for cutting meat and perhaps choose from among them:
1. Victorinox Swiss Army Cutlery Fibrox Pro Slicing Knife:
Pros:
- It is very sharp and cuts meat well.
- The meat slices are smooth and even.
- The blade is well-balanced and a knife can easily be used by right and left-handers.
- It is light and maneuverable.
- The knife has a Swiss blade, is NSE certified and dishwasher safe.
- It’s definitely worth the investment.
Cons:
- It lacks the necessary edge for cutting meat.
- It needs constant sharpening and turns blunt.
- The blade is dull and doesn’t cut as promised.
- It’s more a small sword than a kitchen tool.
2. KUMA Multi-Purpose Chef Knife:
Pros:
- It is razor sharp and cuts meat very smoothly.
- The knife has good balance.
- Its edge is strong and gives good and uniform slices.
- Good bolster makes grip comfortable.
- Its lightweight materials and ergonomically designed non-slip handle give the user the maximum maneuverability and comfort.
- It is extremely versatile.
- The stainless steel blade is soft but durable too.
Cons:
- A user complained that the knife was chipped in two spots within three months of use.
- Another user complained that it wasn’t razor sharp as reviews say.
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3. Professional 10″ Meat Cutting Knife:
Pros:
- This knife is great but inexpensive.
- It can give you smooth and uniform slices of any thickness.
- It is comfortable to handle; doesn’t give fatigue.
- This product is worth recommending to anyone handling a lot of meat.
- it works as well as high-quality carvers
- Efficient and nicely priced
- It is perfectly weighted.
Cons:
- The knife comes in a cheap cardboard sheath. Packaging could have been better.
- It doesn’t hold an edge for long.
- It rusts after the first use.
4. Victorinox Swiss Army Cutlery Fibrox Pro Boning Knife:
Pros:
- It is extremely sharp.
- At six inches, it is at the perfect length for most kitchen tasks.
- It has a comfortable handle.
- The design is so good that when placed on the table, its handle weight does not let the blade touch the table.
- Made of premium quality European stainless steel that remains sharp for long.
- It has a good grip on the handle.
Cons:
- It is not flexible and needs constant sharpening.
- It develops rust spots soon.
- The metal is so thin that you cannot cut a hunk of meat.
5. WÜSTHOF Classic 8 Inch Chef’s Knife:
Pros:
- It lasts forever.
- This knife is easy to control and have a good grip. You can cut smoothly and quickly with it.
- It is a good budget knife.
- It is also good for people with small hands.
- The weight is excellent and the balance is just right.
Cons:
- Requires honing often, particularly if used frequently.
- The user received a new knife with spots on the edge.
6. Shun DM0706 Classic 8-Inch Chef’s Knife:
Pros:
- This knife is awesome; it works like a dream.
- It is super sharp, the weight is just right and it’s well worth the money.
- It is comfortable to use, and the size is easy to handle.
- It needs maintenance.
- Very comfortable to hold and use
- Nicely priced; super-efficient
Cons:
- Finding water spots on a new knife probably means it’s a used knife.
- After using it just twice, the tip of the knife broke.
- It rusts easily on the blade and handles.
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7. DALSTRONG Cleaver Butcher Knife:
Pros:
- It is made of durable Pakkawood laminate.
- The knife is endowed with a full tang for amazing quality and toughness.
- The knife edge is hand sharpened to 14°-16° on each side, which gives the knife total balance between the sharpness of the blade and total resilience.
- The blade is high allows the knuckles to work smoothly with chopping meat and preparing food.
- The blade is beautifully handed polished to a satin finish.
- The blade’s tapered design adds to its robustness and flexibility.
- Chromium is added to the blade for better stain resistance.
- For counterbalance and superior control, there’s a second bolster made of stainless steel.
Cons:
- A user complained that the blade grew dull and wouldn’t give clean cuts.
- Another user complained that the knife was hefty and unbalanced.
8. Mercer Culinary M23510 Renaissance 8-Inch Forged Chef’s Knife:
Pros:
- It is made of the best materials and design.
- It is low on maintenance.
- It is a well-balanced knife with good edge retention.
- It has a great fit and finish.
- It’s inexpensive.
- It sharpens and hones easily.
Cons:
- The knife may look great, but its performance is dull.
- Just out of the box, the blade isn’t sharp.
- It developed permanent stains after one wash.
9. Winco 8″ Heavy Duty Chinese Cleaver with Wooden Handle:
Pros:
- It’s a wonderful cleaver for the price.
- Its heavy handle makes it easy to grip and affords smooth cuts.
- It is heavy-duty and multi-purpose.
- It has a sharp blade and sturdy handle.
- A must for every kitchen
Cons:
- It isn’t durable
- After a year, the handle came loose, complained one user.
10. Global G-2 – 8 inches, 20cm Chef’s Knife:
Pros:
- The design is great.
- It is a hygienic kitchen tool because being a one-piece tool, it is easy to wash.
- It stays sharp for a very long time.
- The blade is well-balanced.
- Lightweight, well-made and doesn’t give the feeling of being cheap.
- The grip is strong and works for the user.
- The knife stays balanced because of the sand in the handle.
- It is affordably priced.
Cons:
- It is neither sharp nor durable.
- Despite good care, it develops rust.
Types of Knives for Cutting Meat
There is three types of knives to cut meat that will make your life easier. To judge which the best is depends solely on the kind of meat you’re cooking. Perhaps, you’re making chicken chunks, or cutting steak or deboning meat? So, much depends on why you need a meat knife.
Let’s look at the three types of knives for cutting meat:
Boning Knife:
Quite obviously, a boning knife is used to take the bone off the meat. The blade on this knife is very flexible and tapers nicely. At its sharp tip, you can use it to enter into crevices and make small slashes to help separate bone from meat. If you’re looking at precision work using raw meat, this is the best. You can get them in various sizes, but generally, five to six inches is best.
Butcher Knife:
Another flexible knife is a good option for cutting raw meat. The handle of this knife gives a good grip. A bit larger than the boning knife at 10 to 12 inches, its grip is superb. If you’re looking to cut a thin slice of raw meat or chops, you couldn’t get a better knife than this one.
Meat Cleaver:
A meat cleaver comes with a long and wide blade. These can be thin and lightweight too and are used variously, for chopping veggies, slicing meat and crushing the garlic. One advantage it offers is that it doesn’t splitter or crack the bone but gives a clean cut. While choosing a meat cleaver, buy one that’s about six to eight inches long.
Chef’s Knife:
A chef’s knife is extremely versatile in the kitchen, what with its wide blade that tapers off. It is ideal for slicing, chopping, and mincing meat. It is available in several sizes, though most popularly, it is used in sizes ranging between eight inches and 12”.
Conclusion
Does this line-up of knives give you a clearer idea of which one to go with? To decide, you’d first have to decide whether you’re going to use it to cut meat alone or it will be an all-purpose knife. Once you decide on this basic question, you can choose the one that answers your needs best and uses it to the hilt.
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