Damascus Steel Cheese Knife – Tips, Features & Recommendations
When it comes to choosing the right type of cheese knife, there are many things to keep in mind.
Choosing the right type of cheese knife is imperative for many reasons, with the main one, of course, being the proper cutting of cheese! One of the most common options available is the Damascus steel cheese knife.
In this article, we'll be taking a look at why chefs may want a Damascus steel cheese knife, and we'll also go over some of the best options currently available to chefs from all walks of life!
Why Is a Cheese Knife Important?
Anyone who has ever tried to cut a hard-shelled yet soft piece of cheese with the wrong kind of knife can attest to the importance of having a proper cheese knife around the house.
The unique textures you'll find in soft cheeses, as well as many hard cheeses, make having the right tool for the job a necessity. If you try and use the wrong type of knife, you are liable to simply make a mess! As well, you'll likely end up wasting a good deal of that expensive gourmet cheese you sprung for at the store.
The Right Type of Tool for the Job
The reason that most knives don't make good cheese knives it because they don't feature the right type of edge.
A cheese knife needs to be incredibly sharp so that it doesn't just mush the cheese down when you try to cut it. As well, cheese knives need to be incredibly sturdy and lightweight, allowing for the precision necessary to make small cuts without making a mess.
Why Is Damascus Steel the Best for Cheese?
The reason that Damascus steel is such a popular option amongst cheese connoisseurs is that it is incredibly lightweight and incredibly strong.
Blades made from Damascus steel can be thin and strong enough to make fine cuts on even the softest cheeses without making a mess. As well, they're lightweight enough to allow for the utmost precision.
Should a Cheese Knife Be Serrated?
Many cheese knives you'll find on the market are serrated, while many aren't. Serrated cheese knives are better for softer cheeses, as the serrations allow for finer cuts without mushing down the softer insides of the cheese.
Non-serrated knives are more ideal for harder cheeses, then, where more cutting power may be needed, and serrations may simply crumble the harder cheese matter into dust.
Picking Out the Best Cheese Knife
For all of these reasons, knowing what type of cheeses you are going to generally be consuming is important before choosing the right cheese knife.
If you think you will be eating both harder and softer cheeses yet will only be able to afford one knife, going for a non-serrated utility knife may be the way to go. While these lack the serrations that allow for smoother cutting of softer cheeses, they will generally be good for most jobs.
Shun Kai Classic White Utility Knife 15.2cm
Three Great Damascus Steel Cheese Knives!
Now that we know a little bit more about cheese knives and why Damascus steel cheese knives are generally considered the way to go, let's take a look at some great examples! These knives, whether serrated or not, all feature Damascus steel builds, which make them great cheese knives!
Shun Kai Classic Utility Knife 15.2cm
From prestigious Japanese kitchen knife manufacturer Shun, the Shun Kai Classic Utility Knife is an excellent option for those chefs looking for a single all-purpose cheese knife.
This knife is made using 324 layers of Damascus stainless steel, so you know it has all the strength and durability needed for the job. As well, its hand-sharpened 16 degree double-bevel gives it the perfect functionality for precise cuts.
This knife features 324 layers of Damascus steel in addition to i's proprietary VG-MAX cutting core, which gives it the best of both worlds in terms of strength and durability. The blade is grafted onto an ebony PakkaWood handle, which provides charm, sturdiness, and comfort for careful control.
Wherever precise cuts are needed, this all-purpose utility blade is perfect, and that includes most cheese-cutting incidents a chef is likely to face. It's nimble, sharp, and strong, allowing you to make small cuts and big cuts with both hard and soft materials.
Shun Kai Classic Tomato Serrated Knife 15.2cm
Here's another knife from Shun, this time with serrations for cutting softer cheeses. It features all the same benefits of the other Shun knives, but its serrations make it ideal for some unique situations.
As the name implies, this serrated knife from Shun is optimized for cutting into tomatoes. As one can imagine, this means that the knife is also perfect for cutting into some incredibly soft cheeses!
The many sharp serrations along the blade allow chefs to make easy and smooth cuts into even the softest cheeses without any mushing. It's also sharp enough to get through tough skins, meaning that brittle cheese rinds won't be crumbled up with the soft cheese.
This is certainly an excellent kitchen knife for those who are going to be eating a lot of soft cheeses, and it's versatile enough to be used in plenty of other situations, as well!
Tojiro Pro Flash 63 Layer Damascus Steel Utility Knife 15cm
Here's another all-purpose utility kitchen knife, this time from Tojiro. Tojiro is another excellent and prestigious knife manufacturer based out of Japan, finding its home base in Niigata. As with Shun, they offer incredibly high-quality steel blades that utilize Damascus stainless steel.
The Right Damascus Steel Cheese Knife for the Right Situation
There's certainly a lot of information to take in when it comes to choosing the right cheese knife, and hopefully this article made it a little easier for you!
While there's no one perfect knife for all situations, even regarding cheese, any of these knives would certainly find plenty of use in the cheese-lovers kitchen.
A serrated Damascus steel cheese knife would be ideal for softer cheeses, while a non-serrated all-purpose Damascus steel knife would likely find more versatile use with milder and harder cheeses.
Either way, you can rarely go wrong with a Damascus steel cheese knife!
Also Check Out: What You Should Know About the Shun Knives Brand
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