Choose the Perfect Knife for Your Wooden Chopping Board

A good knife makes cutting and chopping a breeze. Choosing a knife is not a matter of getting the job done but a lot about convenience too. Most of us, Indian home chefs, are used to a regular knife which we get in a store. Most of our knives don’t cost more than a few 100 rs. But there are some of us who love knives and collect them. Knives range from a few 100 rs to a few hundred thousand depending on your preference and quality.

When choosing a knife, think more than convenience. Think about what you are going to cut. Most vegetarian and vegan cooks may require just a small knife to get the job done. A chef’s knife is an all-rounder, great for chopping vegetables. People who cook meat will find a chef’s knife sufficient but occasionally may require a heavy-duty blade or a sharper knife to slice meat neatly or chop heavy, dense meat. Knives also come in various materials and each material has its own pros and cons. When using a wooden chopping board, some knives are more preferred and others are relatively less used and often avoided.

Best knife types to use on a wooden chopping board

When it comes to wooden chopping boards, some of the best knives include the below:

Chef’s knife: This is the most common, go-to knife for all home chefs. It’s great for chopping vegetables, meat and anything.

Santoku knife: The Japanese style knife is a general-purpose knife. With the edges flatter than the chef’s knife, the Santoku knife is usually a great knife for wooden chopping boards.

Usuba knife or the Nakiri: The Japanese version of a flat knife, which you will find in almost all shops in India. The Usuba replica is a common knife used in India. Though we don’t call it an Usuba knife but simply a knife. These are best for cutting vegetables and a decent portion of meat.

Paring knife: I have seen many home chefs use a paring knife for their entire cooking. It’s the only knife some home chefs usually need. But the fact is that paring knives are best used for peeling and smaller tasks. On a wooden board, these blades are perfect and easy on the board and the knife’s edges.

Bread knife: Not so common among most Indian chefs, the bread knife is a versatile tool for cutting everything including bread. A sharp serrated knife is perfect for cutting vegetables that are often slimy or even meat. With serrated edges, the food is gripped firmly by the blade edges and provides perfect cut. For bread and other soft foods, the bread knife is naturally the best choice.

Utility knife: Good for general tasks and falls between a chef’s knife and a paring knife. This is also one of the most common knives in a kitchen in India.

Knives, blades and materials that are great for wooden boards

The most common knife blades are iron or carbon steel, mostly in rural kitchens; stainless steel, the preferred choice in urban home kitchens. Other materials that are commonly used are carbon steel and ceramic. Some kitchen users use plastic knives and they are considered safe. While iron kitchen knives are very common, they are prone to multiple problems including rust, stains and faster corrosion from acidic food. They are affordable, easy to sharpen and easily available, making it the first choice among home chefs. Iron knives come in various shapes and sizes and are a perfect kitchen tool, compatible with wooden chopping boards. For plastic boards, they could easily stain the boards. Rust particles are often lodged in the board creating cleaning harder.

Stainless steel knives are a step ahead of iron kitchen knives. They retain knife sharpness longer and make it a great tool for home users who do not want to be in a hassle of sharpening their knives faster. They are rust-resistant, durable and a popular choice. Always be careful of the quality of the stainless steel when purchasing a stainless steel knife.

Ceramic knives are rare and are rarely preferred. They are rust-resistant and usually don’t dull easily. Unfortunately, ceramic blades are brittle and can chip on harder surfaces. If you own a ceramic knife, a wooden chopping board is one of your only few options. Steel and glass boards are strictly prohibited while plastic is a bit forgiving.

Choosing the right knife size for your board

Having a huge blade and a small cutting board is a waste of cutting space and a small knife on a big board will often result in unused space. So what is the right proportion or size of the board? Place the knife on the board from corner to corner and ensure that the blade is not outside the board. The blade should cover not more than 3/4th of the board for a perfect size and should not be lesser than half of the board size.

Blade maintenance and more

Blades require constant maintenance. Most home users avoid honing their knives and sharpen them once in a few weeks or even months, when the blade is dull. Honing a knife will increase the sharpness of the blade regularly and ensure that the blade edges are in good condition. Sharpening is required only once a month or sometimes once in 2–3 months depending on your usage. Honing on the contrary is done once a day or at least once in 3 days. Use a ceramic or good quality honing tool for the best results.