1,435 easy and fully explained recipes, with 66,216 photos and 78 videos

The blog of cooking-ez.com

The right bread knife

We almost all have a bread knife in our kitchen, that is to say the knife we use almost exclusively to cut bread.
Is this knife efficient, is it really the one you need? Here is some information to guide you in your choice.

7,671

Last modified on: September 15^th 2022

Keywords for this post:Knife Bread Size Blade Cutting Saw

The right bread knife

découpe de pain

First of all a statement: It is not easy to cut bread with an ordinary kitchen knife, the blade is too small, it does not allow to cut a bread beyond a baguette, and its small handle does not ensure a good grip.
You really need a specific knife for that, and which has, if possible, the following characteristics.

couteau à génoise

1) A serrated blade
That is to say with teeth, we often say "saw knife", as opposed to a smooth blade, which allows an easier cutting of the bread.
You will sometimes read, here or there, that you should not "tear the bread crumb" with a serrated blade, but this is nonsense.

2) A long blade
This is the main defect of bad bread knives, their blade, although serrated, is not long enough to allow a good cutting. With a long blade, your gesture will be more ample, therefore easier, and the cut more regular.

3) A wide handle
It is absolutely necessary that you have a good grip on your knife, so that its handle is comfortable and well adapted to the size of your hand.

4) Practical materials
It is not an obligation, but your bread knife must be easy to use and maintain, which in my opinion implies both a stainless steel blade and an abs plastic handle or equivalent that does not fear water.

With all these criteria, it is quite simple to find the ideal knife, the choice is quite vast fortunately.

To make a long story short, the main defect you will encounter is a blade that is too short. I advise you to opt for a blade of 10 inches (25 cm) minimum.
You will easily find a lot of bread knives with a 8 inches (20 cm) blade, which certainly cut, but are much less efficient than a 25 cm blade.

taille des lames des couteaux à pains

The trick I suggest is to look for, or go to a professional store, and choose what they call a "sponge knife", which is a saw knife with all the criteria we just mentioned and a 11 inches (28 cm) blade.
You will be delighted with its efficiency, to easily cut from the smallest to the largest loaf, and to make even slices.
The next time you go to your bakery, look at the knife that the sales team uses to cut the bread for the customers, it is exactly this model.

To sum up: For your bread knife, you need a stainless, long (10 inches (25 cm) minimum) and serrated blade.

Lasts posts

Clean your mixer easily

If you use a "bowl" or "blender" mixer, as opposed to a plunger, you've probably noticed that it's a bit of a hassle to clean it after use. And yet, with a simple trick, it can be done very quickly. See how here.
1,4955 June 26^th 2024

Preserving egg yolks

If you're using only the egg whites in a recipe (such as meringues ), you'll need to store the yolks until you're ready to use them again. There's nothing very complicated about this in principle - all you have to do is chill them, but there are a few pitfalls to be avoided in practice.
2,0195 June 18^th 2024

Preservative oil, an asset for taste

When you prepare a dish using an ingredient that has been preserved in fat, for example a springtime mixed salad with tuna in oil or sun-dried tomatoes, you're probably going to make a french dressing (vinaigrette) next. In that case, why not use the preserved oil from the tuna or tomatoes?
2,1825 June 5^th 2024

Don't throw away disposable piping bags

Nowadays, it's fairly easy to find what professionals use as piping bags, i.e. disposable or "single-use" plastic ones. They're practical, functional and inexpensive, but disposable? That's debatable...
3,5695 May 28^th 2024

Should asparagus really be cooked in bunches?

You'll probably read recipes here and there explaining how to cook asparagus "en botte", i.e. in a small package (the famous "botte"). Is this really the right way to cook asparagus?
2,7245 May 22^th 2024

See all posts Random post RSS feeds

Other pages you may also like

Cutting soft cheeses

As you may have already noticed, when you have to use a "soft" cheese in a recipe - their exact name is "soft cheese" - such as Camembert, Munster or Mont d'or, it's not easy to make anything other than thick slices.
4,5745 February 20^th 2024

When I was a kid, I didn't like...

Maybe you've already made this strange observation: when you were a kid, there were things you hated, but as an adult it's almost the opposite? For example, you used to hate spinach or chicory, but now you love it?
6,2925 November 5^th 2023

Cream and sauces

Have you ever wondered why making beautiful tasty sauces is so easy when you use cream? .
17K4.4 October 15^th 2012

Fruits which can ruin your jelly

There are many ways of making a fruit mousse, but one of the simplest is to prepare a fruit jelly (basically a fresh fruit coulis with gelatine) and then mix this jelly before it sets completely with whipped cream. The result is perfect for filling a charlotte, for example. But do beware;...
68K4.0 March 6^th 2013

Candied fruits: don't get ripped off

Do you like candied fruit? You might like to nibble a handful or add it to a recipe, like a classic fruit cake or delicious Italian specialities like panettone or sicilian epiphany pie.
54K 24.2 June 21^th 2017