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Things You Need to Know About the Serrated Knife

Raksha Kulkarni
A serrated knife is a knife that has a serrated edged blade. It has been used for different purposes. Enlisted here is everything about this particular knife, basically the types and uses of the same.

Spare the teeth

Do not put your knife in a dishwasher, even though the manufacturer may claim. This makes the sharp edge dull and you don't want the specialty of your knife to just fade away!
A serrated knife is the one which has a blade that has "teeth". This means that while cutting, there are many small intersections which come in contact with the object being cut. Because of many teeth, less force is enough to cut strong objects.
The serrated knife works on the principle, same as that of a saw. The many slits on the blade cut the object very smoothly, since the knife slides down easily. The serrated knife can rightly be called the "food saw." It's employed for a variety of purposes, right from slicing food that have a harder exterior to cutting sausages.
A serrated blade is coupled as an adjunct with different types of knives to make work simpler, mainly for slicing than mincing. These knives are mostly long and big. Another important advantage of this knife is that its sharpness stays for a longer time than a knife with a straight edge.

Types and Functions of a Serrated Knife
A serrated blade pattern can be applied to any normal knife. However, the function of the knife depends on its specific type. Let's take a look at a few of them.
➤ A bread knife has a serrated and thick blade, measuring up to 8-9 inches. The teeth of this knife are quite deep and can also be used for effective cutting of different food items.
➤ A tomato knife is like the bread knife but the difference is that it has smaller teeth. Also, it may have a forked tip which is used to pick up the slices of tomatoes.
➤ A grapefruit knife has double serrated and curved blade that makes it easy to get the edible part out of the rind.
➤ A utility knife can also have a serrated edge. It is mainly used for cutting and is only 4-7 inches in size. A utility knife can have serrated or a plain edge. Any other kitchen knife may also have a serrated blade.

Uses of a Serrated Knife
➔ Bread tops the list. Bread has a harder crust but is soft inside. A normal knife will crush the crust while cutting a slice. A serrated knife needs less amount of pressure hence will not crush and because of many teeth, the bread will be cut easily.
➔ Tomatoes give us all a hard time while cutting. Though the inside is squishy, the outer part takes time and may God save you if your knife is blunt! This knife will help you to cut tender and thin pieces of a tomato.
➔ Cakes and Pastries that have a lot of crust or many layers can be tricky to cut. A serrated knife can be 'the tool' to cut that perfect slice of the cake with less crumbling and with all the layers proportionately divided.
➔ Use it for cutting fruits. All citrus fruits can be cut with this knife. You can use it for scraping melons too.
Tip: While using it for melons, cut the top and the bottom and then scrape the rind with a serrated knife. Then, cut it in pieces. It will save some time and will be a lot easier.
➔ Use it for cutting a chocolate slab when it has to be cut in many small pieces.
➔ Use it to cut sausages.

Maintaining the Knife
✘ Do not put the knives in the dishwasher.
✘ Do not keep it soaked in water for a long time. This will make the handles loose.
✓ You can just wash it with your hands. Cleaning it with a sponge or just soapy water will maintain your knife's sharpness.
✘ Do not keep them loose in a drawer. It can hurt someone and also dull the sharpness.
✓ Keep the knife on the magnetic strip (knife block) at a safe place or in a drawer that has slots for keeping the blades.

Sharpening the Serrated Knife
Sharpening of a serrated knife will be difficult if you do it with a whetstone or a rotary sharpener. It can be easily sharpened with a diamond and for that, you'll have to give it in the company or the shop. We tell you how to sharpen it at home, which is a simpler way.
  • You have to buy the specific sharpening tool for a serrated knife, which is a rod-shaped tool. Select the one which is made of ceramic.
  • The rod has to be kept in one of the slits and then just rotate it at an angle.
  • Do the same thing with all the other slits and check for any left shavings.
  • It is always better to rub the knife on a sandpaper to remove any minute shavings left on the knife.
  • Wash the knife properly before using it.
It's all about your personal preferences. Some people favor this knife over other knives and vice versa. So, choose what you prefer and, always take safety precautions while handling sharp objects.