Our Ultimate Guide To Using A Bread Knife

Having a bread knife is essential in anyone’s kitchen utensils, but what are bread knives used for? Are they only used for cutting bread?

A bread knife is used mainly for cutting bread thanks to the serrated blade which stops it from squishing the bread, however, it can be used for cutting plenty of other foods too.

We’ve discussed in our guide below why you should use a bread knife, how to cut with a bread knife, what you can use a bread knife for and some other uses of kitchen knives.

Why Use A Bread Knife?

Since a normal kitchen knife cuts most ingredients and foods well, you might be curious as to why you should use a bread knife?

The serrated blade allows you to avoid squishing the bread and simply saw the food instead of cutting quickly. Serrated knives are also great for cutting other kinds of food quickly and tend to remain sharp for longer.

How To Cut With A Bread Knife

Cutting with serrated knives like a bread knife is easier than you think, just make sure you have a sharp bread knife since blunt edges and squish delicate foods like a standard knife.

We’ve listed some simple steps for cutting with a bread knife down below.

• Step one – With the tip of the serrated edge pointing down hold the sharp edge of the blade against the bread for easier cutting.
• Step two – Press on the bread and use the serrated edge to saw the bread lightly moving the knife back and forth.
• Step three – When reaching the bottom of your bread put the tip of the blade pressing down on the board and move the slice slightly away from the rest of the bread to separate.

What Should I Use A Bread Knife For?

Apart from cutting bread, you can use an expensive bread knife for multiple uses in the kitchen, we’ve listed a few other ways you can utilise your favorite bread knife down below.

Cutting Cakes & Sweets

If you have a sharp, high-quality bread knife, you can also use this knife for cutting cakes, pastries or sweets.

Bread knives are excellent for cutting cakes into perfect slices since they don’t squish the delicate sponge, the cutting edge is also useful for levelling cakes.

The saw-like edge can also be used for cutting up harder baked goods like chocolate or brittle.

Cutting Fruits & Veggies

The soft-toothed/saw-like edge of a bread knife is perfect for slicing softer fruits and vegs like oranges and tomatoes since it does not squish them and avoids getting the juice everywhere.

It is also safer to use this speciality knife over a standard plain edge knife when cutting tough skin fruits like melons since the knife does not bounce back thanks to the teeth.

Other Types Of Kitchen Knives & Uses

Now we know serrated bread knives are a very important utensil to have in our kitchen, let’s move on to the other types of knives you should have and what they are used for.

Chefs Knife

Typically 8-10 inches long, Chef’s knives are a staple in everyone’s kitchen used for chopping and dicing ingredients but they can also be used for cutting meat.

Santoku Knife

The Santoku knife has indents in its straight blade, it’s a great all-purpose blade used for slicing and dicing, food slides easily off this knife.

Meat Cleaver

This kind of knife has a large rectangular blade, they come in different sizes and weights and are mostly used for cutting through meat bone. They can also be used for cutting through veg and other foods.

Carving Knife

Carving knives are narrow and excellent for cutting with precision, they are also longer in size for cutting through wider pieces of meat.

Utility Knife

These are smaller than usual chef knives and are used for all-purpose cutting and dicing. Since they are smaller they can also be used for peeling veg and are sold in serrated types for cutting bread.

Pairing Knife

This knife is very small but also super sharp with a straight edge, they are perfect for peeling or mincing but won’t cut large pieces of meat very well due to their smaller size.

Boning Knife

This is a high-quality knife which is flexible and tapers to a point, this makes it the perfect tool for deboning meat and the type of blade edge can cut through tissue easily.

Steak Knife

Steak knives can be found with a serrated edge and a straight edge and are essential to have when eating steak at dinner, sliding through tough meat with ease as well as other tough foods.

How Do I Sharpen A Bread Knife?

Since bread knives have a serrated edge you might wonder how to sharpen these kinds of knives rather than your typical straight-edged knives.

Bread knives get dull over time like a regular knife every time they hit the chopping board therefore need to be sharpened in order to keep them in the best shape possible.

• Step one – To sharpen a bread knife you will need to use a sharpening rod, to sharpen the knife simply drag this rod against the serrations in the knife
• Step two – For kitchen knife safety make sure to drag the rod away from your body and do around four or five strokes on each indent.
• Step three – After you’re done now take a sharpening stone and sharpen the straight side of your blade, this will help to smooth out the burr you have created on the other side. Give the knife a wash and dry.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bread Knives & Usage

What should I not use a bread knife for?

Although bread knives can be used for cutting a variety of foods, we would not suggest using them to cut meat, this is because the serrated edges will start to dull very quickly.

Which are the best bread knife brands?

Some of the best knife brands for bread knives are; Victorinox, Mercer, Miyabi and Dexter.

How do I know if I have a dull bread knife?

A dull bread knife will be visible when you inspect the serrated edges, they will also start to squish bread rather than cut smoothly.

Can I use a bread knife for cutting soft cakes?

Yes, a bread knife can be used for cutting soft cakes thanks to the serrated edges meaning it doesn’t squash the cake. It can also cut through a whole layer of cake.

How much does the perfect bread knife cost?

A high-quality bread knife can cost anything between £30-£90 depending on the size of the knife.

Final Words

Overall, a bread knife is mostly used for cutting bread due to the serrated edge which prevents the knife from squishing bread as a straight-edge knife does.

You can also use a bread knife for cutting veg and soft fruits but we would avoid using the knife to cut tough meat since it will start to dull quickly.