Carving knife question?

al asks

Quoted message said:

For carving meat (roast beef, lamb or chicken generally), what type of knife should be used - a
normal blade or serrated?

Roast beef is usually sliced across the face of the grain, IME. Lamb [leg] can be cut either way.
Chicken is usually disjointed and the only slicing involved is the breast meat.

Two different cuts, three different meats.

For thin-slicing roasts I use a granton edge 10" slicer because I happen to have one - OTOH it sucks
for carving because the blade is a)not pointed and
b)too flexible. It takes more work and more skill to successfully carve/slice with my tranchelard,
but for separating joints and thick-slicing it's my blade of choice.

Neither blade is serrated - the granton has a straight edge but it has collops along the edge of the
blade to release the pressure/adhesion of the meat to the blade.

Quoted message said:

I have a knife set and the long carving knife is good when razor sharp for chicken. However, on
"tougher" meats, the serrated one seems to cut better. I think the serrated one is meant to be a
bread knife though!

Holy magoly - a bread knife?!?!?! How serated is it? And how thick are the cuts you're making?

Quoted message said:

What's the general wisdom on such things?

I'm not a general so I can only speak from experience. According to my wife though I'm a
major - PITA.

Best,

Marc

"al" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

For carving meat (roast beef, lamb or chicken generally), what type of

knife

Quoted message said:

should be used - a normal blade or serrated? I have a knife set and the long carving knife is good
when razor sharp for chicken. However, on "tougher" meats, the serrated one seems to cut better. I
think the

serrated

Quoted message said:

one is meant to be a bread knife though!

What's the general wisdom on such things?

If your long carving knife won't cut any meat easily then it is not sharp even if you may think it
is. I don't like using a serrated knife on meat because it tends to give ragged slices. A sharp
knife will go through cooked meat like butter, so get that knife sharpened!!

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the [censored] from my email address before using.

As you say, I never use anything serrated except for bread and sometimes tomatoes. I do have a set
that's all serrated, but It sits in my drawer useless.

--
Helen

Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object
of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him

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"al" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:Y2UQb.14$eO1.3@news-
binary.blueyonder.co.uk...

Quoted message said:

For carving meat (roast beef, lamb or chicken generally), what type of

knife

Quoted message said:

should be used - a normal blade or serrated? I have a knife set and the long carving knife is good
when razor sharp for chicken. However, on "tougher" meats, the serrated one seems to cut better. I
think the

serrated

Quoted message said:

one is meant to be a bread knife though!

What's the general wisdom on such things?

a

"MrAoD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:20040125142345.22792.00000753@mb-

Quoted message said:

Holy magoly - a bread knife?!?!?! How serated is it? And how thick are

the

Quoted message said:

cuts you're making?

Well, not as thin as with a straight knife, but not bread-thick 😉 It's as serrated as a ... well ..
bread knife! It's damn sharp though. Think I just need to get myself a sharpener for the other one!
Stuck between being lazy and paying about £40 for an auto-sharpener or using a sharpening steel -
they vary in cost and "fineness" of the rough surface though. Not sure if it's worth paying about
£30 for the Sabatier type ones or about £15 for the cheap ones.

a

al said:

For carving meat (roast beef, lamb or chicken generally), what type of knife should be used - a
normal blade or serrated? I have a knife set and the long carving knife is good when razor sharp
for chicken. However, on "tougher" meats, the serrated one seems to cut better. I think the
serrated one is meant to be a bread knife though!

What's the general wisdom on such things?

Normal. Very sharp.

For years I have been using a big stainless steel cleaver because it takes a nice edge and feels
good in my hand.

Dennis

On Sun, 25 Jan 2004 18:38:47 -0000, "al" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

For carving meat (roast beef, lamb or chicken generally), what type of knife should be used - a
normal blade or serrated? I have a knife set and the long carving knife is good when razor sharp
for chicken. However, on "tougher" meats, the serrated one seems to cut better. I think the
serrated one is meant to be a bread knife though!

What's the general wisdom on such things?

What do you care? The cutlery police aren't going to arrest you if you use the 'wrong' knife to
achieve the results you desire. A friend gave me a wonderful serrated tomato/sausage (that's what
the box said) knife that's *perfect* (for me) for bread, tomatoes, and many meat-cutting uses.

Peter Aitken said:

"al" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:Y2UQb.14$eO1.3@news-
binary.blueyonder.co.uk...

Quoted message said:

For carving meat (roast beef, lamb or chicken generally), what type of

knife

If your long carving knife won't cut any meat easily then it is not sharp even if you may think it
is. I don't like using a serrated knife on meat because it tends to give ragged slices. A sharp
knife will go through cooked meat like butter, so get that knife sharpened!!

Disagree. Have seen plenty of restaurants carving roast beef with (larger than I need) serrated
blades. Have not measured "raggedness," but the tool seem well-suited to the task. The problem with
serrarated knives is keeping them sharp. I use mine *very* carefully.

Frogleg said:

Peter Aitken said:

"al" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:Y2UQb.14$eO1.3@news-
binary.blueyonder.co.uk...

Quoted message said:

For carving meat (roast beef, lamb or chicken generally), what type of

knife

If your long carving knife won't cut any meat easily then it is not sharp even if you may think it
is. I don't like using a serrated knife on meat because it tends to give ragged slices. A sharp
knife will go through cooked meat like butter, so get that knife sharpened!!

Disagree. Have seen plenty of restaurants carving roast beef with (larger than I need) serrated
blades. Have not measured "raggedness," but the tool seem well-suited to the task. The problem
with serrarated knives is keeping them sharp. I use mine *very* carefully.

Are you sure it was serrated? I have a slicing knife with scallops on the *sides* of the blades --
they do not extend to the edge. They are supposed to reduce the drag when cutting very thin slices.
The knife is wickedly sharp.

But when I'm carving a roast, I usually use my large (10"😉 chef's knife. The knife is big enough
that my wife doesn't like to use it, so it stays sharp. It's almost as sharp as the slicing knife,
but it's sturdier and it has a pointed tip. The rosewood handle looks nicer when I'm carving at the
table (all my other knives except the big cleaver have plastic handles)

Best regards, Bob

"Frogleg" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter Aitken said:

"al" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:Y2UQb.14$eO1.3@news-
binary.blueyonder.co.uk...

Quoted message said:

For carving meat (roast beef, lamb or chicken generally), what type of

knife

If your long carving knife won't cut any meat easily then it is not sharp even if you may think
it is. I don't like using a serrated knife on meat because it tends to give ragged slices. A
sharp knife will go through

cooked

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

meat like butter, so get that knife sharpened!!

Disagree. Have seen plenty of restaurants carving roast beef with (larger than I need) serrated
blades. Have not measured "raggedness," but the tool seem well-suited to the task. The problem
with serrarated knives is keeping them sharp. I use mine *very* carefully.

And I have seen many restaurants serving unpleasant, poorly prepared food. I would hardly take that
as a guide. My point is that many people use a serrated knife because their straight-edge knives
are not sharp. There are indeed a few places where a serrated knife is preferred - actually only
one that I know of and that's bread. Keep your knives sharp and you will not need to turn to a
serrated knife.

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the [censored] from my email address before using.

"MrAoD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:20040126065229.11625.00000755@mb-

Quoted message said:

Get a used steel from a second-hand shop. Be advised they're only for

honing -

Quoted message said:

if the bevel is destroyed or there are nicks/dings in the blade you'll

need to

Quoted message said:

use a stone to grind. Here's an idea - if you know a restauranteur or use

a

Quoted message said:

particular butcher as if you can include your knife in the next batch they

give

Quoted message said:

to their sharpening service.

It's generally recommended to give the knife a quick going over each time you use it though isn't
it? Is there much difference in quality/ease of sharpening with one for £12.50 vs. one for £35?

a

il Mon, 26 Jan 2004 18:46:14 -0000, "al" ha scritto:

Quoted message said:

It's generally recommended to give the knife a quick going over each time you use it though isn't
it? Is there much difference in quality/ease of sharpening with one for £12.50 vs. one for £35?

It all comes down to the type of steel used in the knife's manufacture. The harder the steel, the
harder to sharpen. Which is why some people still have those carbon steel knives that go rusty
easily, they get razor sharp.

As for scalloped, serrated etc, Probably best to see some pictures to see which term means what.. my
kitchen handbook talks of various machining methods. For a meat carver it talks about a thin blade,
slightly flexible will alow cutting thin slices. But hey, who wants thin unless it's prociutto? -And
then a laser would be useful :-)

--
Cheers, Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

On 01/27/2004 2:19 AM, in article
[email hidden], "MrAoD" <[email hidden]> opined:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Is there much difference in quality/ease of sharpening with one for £12.50 vs. one for £35?

Not in my eyes. I've used smooth metal rod when no steel is available.

Anything that's harder than the knife will work. All it does is realign the edge.

Quoted message said:

Best,

Marc

--
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On 01/27/2004 9:47 AM, in article
[email hidden], "PENMART01" <[email hidden]> opined:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"elvispimps" know-nothing pompous putz prattles:

Anything that's harder than the knife will work. All it does is realign the edge.

Anything? A rat tail file is harder than a knife, but will ruin an edge in one stroke.

And a knife steel does much more than realign, it also burnishes and swages, which compacts and
smoothes the metal, making the edge harder, tougher and more able to withstand abrasion.

---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =--- ---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =--- Sheldon
```````````` "Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

I *meant* anything smooth and you know it.
--
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"MrAoD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:20040127051956.04554.00000842@mb-

Quoted message said:

You can actually dull a blade by overuse of a steel by gradually

destroying the

Quoted message said:

bevel.

Typically I steel my knives about once a week or so and manually sharpen

once

Quoted message said:

every month to six weeks.

I carve once a week but in the 2 months I've had this knife it's got a lot less sharp along the
length of the blade. Admintedly, it has sliced up against the fork once or twice and I'm slicing
down onto a large plate (though I try to be careful at the bottom of cuts not to run the blade
across the plate surface). The blade isn't damaged/nicked, nor is it old enough to be worn down -
it's just blunt along most of its length relative to what it was originally.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Is there much difference in quality/ease of sharpening with one for £12.50 vs. one for £35?

Not in my eyes. I've used smooth metal rod when no steel is available.

So a cheap one in a department store will do fine then rather than a Sabatier one? When using,
should you draw it down away from the blade on each side for a few minutes? Or just give it a quick
swish swish swish on each side?

a

al said:

For carving meat (roast beef, lamb or chicken generally), what type of knife should be used - a
normal blade or serrated? I have a knife set and the long carving knife is good when razor sharp
for chicken. However, on "tougher" meats, the serrated one seems to cut better. I think the
serrated one is meant to be a bread knife though!

To me, the details of the edge are less important. As long as it is sharp enough to cut easily it
will be fine. To me, the issue is the flat surface area of the blade. Large cuts of meat are moist
and they will vacuum stick to a large surfade.

So I've used long thin blades like a bread knife, or cheese knives that have cutouts to reduce, or
specifically designed carving knives that have a scalloped pattern cut into the surface to keep it
from being flat.

Or I've used a spearate trick. Start the cut. Grab the slice with tongs. Gently tug the slice away
from the roast as you slice so it does not have a chance to stick to the surface of the blade. Then
say goodbye to using fancy custom tools.

Quoted message said:

What's the general wisdom on such things?

More expensive is better. Custom designed tools work better. There are expensive custom designed
bladed specifically for slicing roasts and sure enough they work great. When in doubt, enough gold
solves the problem.

Quoted message said:

(Doug Achtung Freyburger) spouted:

al said:

For carving meat (roast beef, lamb or chicken generally), what type of

knife

Quoted message said:

should be used - a normal blade or serrated? I have a knife set and the long carving knife is
good when razor sharp for chicken. However, on "tougher" meats, the serrated one seems to cut
better. I think the

serrated

Quoted message said:

one is meant to be a bread knife though!

To me, the details of the edge are less important. As long as it is sharp enough to cut easily it
will be fine. To me, the issue is the flat surface area of the blade. Large cuts of meat are moist
and they will vacuum stick to a large surfade.

So I've used long thin blades like a bread knife, or cheese knives that have cutouts to reduce, or
specifically designed carving knives that have a scalloped pattern cut into the surface to keep it
from being flat.

Or I've used a spearate trick. Start the cut. Grab the slice with tongs. Gently tug the slice away
from the roast as you slice so it does not have a chance to stick to the surface of the blade. Then
say goodbye to using fancy custom tools.

Quoted message said:

What's the general wisdom on such things?

More expensive is better. Custom designed tools work better. There are expensive custom designed
bladed specifically for slicing roasts and sure enough they work great. When in doubt, enough gold
solves the problem.

You are truly an idiot, dumber than a black forest cuckoo clock... typical know-nothing kraut.

---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =--- ---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =--- Sheldon
```````````` "Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

"MrAoD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:20040128033350.04554.00000899@mb-

Quoted message said:

knifecenter.cominstruct.htmlOpen ↗

Pretty much covers the waterfront.

Thanks for the link, will have a good read 🙂

a