Victorinox Kitchen Knives

Master chefs and butchers, as well as good housekeepers, know that they can’t do without a quality kitchen knife. Even today, an indispensable tool that is not missing even in the most mechanized kitchen and butchery production. With a quality knife, cutting is easier, faster and more precise, the work is more efficient and safer. In a good home kitchen, it also pays to have quality knives. How to choose and care for them properly?

Depending on the use, the cutting edge of the knife can be:

– straight
– arched
– smooth
– wavy
– serrated (with sparse or dense serrations) or combined (“laser blade”).

In the text we give a brief description of the most common types of knives, but in addition to these, Victorinox also offers a wide range of other types not published here. The blade dimensions given below and other data are only indicative and therefore only help in the selection of a knife, but are by no means completely accurate. The choice of knife reflects the culture in which the utensil will be used, traditions and customs. When choosing a knife, the decisive factor is the need to obtain the most appropriate tool for a particular activity. In this chapter we will try to offer advice on choosing a knife that we hope you will appreciate.

In professional kitchens, a range of larger knives with blade lengths of 25 and 28 cm are used. Knives used in the home rarely exceed 22 cm in length. The tip of the knife may have a variety of sharp or rounded shapes.
The last digits within the Victorinox code following the dot indicate the length of the blade in cm.

When it comes to the use of knives, you need to be very familiar with their characteristics. It is not recommended that the knife be used for any purpose other than that specified. With chef’s knives, bear in mind that the tool must not break or bend. For cutting bone, cartilage, tendons and other materials that require a certain amount of force, Victorinox offers, for example, ham carving knives, heavier butcher knives and kitchen meat cleavers in various weight categories.

Most commonly, the cutting blade has a smooth shape. This is because it is suitable for a variety of purposes. If you want the cutting surface to be as clean and even as possible, so that the texture of the meat, fruit or vegetables is damaged as little as possible during slicing, a sharp, smooth cutting blade is the way to go. In addition, the smooth blade can be easily sharpened with a sharpener.

Craftsmanship for Your Kitchen

Knives with wavy and serrated blades are excellent for cutting bread, bakery products and other dry foods (bread knives and pastry knives). The teeth can also be used to cut through tough skin, membranes and sinews. In addition, knives with serrated blades can be used for carving roasts. In this case, the cutting surface acquires a porous appearance, which may be desirable in certain situations. A knife with a hard serrated blade is suitable for cutting frozen foods. If you use a knife with a smooth blade for this task, the blade can easily get stuck in the food when slicing. To remove the knife, move the blade up and down the length of the knife. Do not bend the blade under any circumstances; it can be easily damaged. Also use caution if you want to remove a knife that is stuck in bone, cartilage, tendons or similar material.

Victorinox models

Kitchen knives with shorter blades, with a blade length of 6-12 cm (e.g. models 5.0300 – 5.0933) are excellent for activities requiring precision, e.g. processing fruit, vegetables, etc.

Knife for cutting meat – medium-long knife (15 – 20 cm), with smooth or serrated cutting blade. The cutting blade curves slightly from the heel at first and then rises sharply towards the tip of the knife. This type of knife is particularly suitable for cutting roasts with bone, but can also be used as a utility knife, e.g. for cutting raw meat, vegetables, bread or other foods (e.g. models 5.2803.18 and 5.1833.20).

The knife for filleting meat has a smooth edge and a narrow, flexible blade (16-20 cm long). The meat filleting knife is often used for slicing in the direction of the cutting board. A common type of filleting knife is, for example, model 5.3703.18. It needs to be as whole as possible in order to be able to remove bladders, for example.

Fish filleting knife – A conventional filleting knife, such as model 5.3073.18, is also well suited for slicing fish. However, filleting knives with a reasonably flexible blade are most suitable (models 5.3763.20, 5.6413.12, 5.6413.15). A very flexible filleting knife (model 5.3813.18), which can also be used as a special knife for removing fish skin, is suitable for cutting various types of fish. The narrow knife follows the fish spine exactly. However, we would like to remind impatient cooks that cutting the backbone and, in the case of some types of fish skin, all knives become dull quickly. The filleting knife needs to be as sharp as possible so that it is a pleasure to use and so that the fish slices do not resemble a shingle roof. It is also very well suited for filleting medium-sized fish.

Cutting knives are narrow and have a long blade (20-36 cm). The tip of the knife can be rounded, sharp, straight or combined, the blade smooth, serrated or combined (e.g. models 5.4203.25, 5.4233.30 and 5.4403.25).

The salmon carving knife is also well suited for filleting fish (e.g. model 5.4623.30) – if you want the slices to be thin and even. Most Victorinox salmon carving knives have oval-shaped notches on the sides. Because of the air held in these notches, the pieces of meat do not stick to the knife. This principle is also used in the manufacture of knives for cutting some softer cheeses.

The bread slicing knife (52533.21) and the pastry knife (5.2933.26) are long (18-35 cm) and relatively narrow knives with a wavy cutting blade, which can be used to slice dough, separate cakes from the tin and slice bread. It must be taken into account that even the wavy and serrated blades will dull over time with intensive use. In addition to the grain, soil particles also get into the flour. The blades wear out very quickly, especially when they come into contact with fragments of quartz.

A chef’s knife is an all-purpose knife, often with a blade length of 18-28 cm. These are wider and relatively hard knives (e.g. models 5.2000.19, 5.2000.22, 5.2000.25 and 5.2063.20). Due to the wide blade, sufficient distance is maintained between the fingers gripping the knife handle and the cutting board. In slicing and cutting operations where the blade moves towards the cutting board, the wide and curved blade can be easily manipulated by the hand holding the handle, with the knife moving sideways along the cutting board and the tip resting on the cutting board. If you use a knife with a wide blade, the cutting surface will be smooth and neat. The purpose of a smooth, sharp edge is to ensure that as little juice as possible escapes from the raw fruit or meat onto the slicing window. On a hot pan, the smooth surface of the meat piece will close quickly. The juices that give the meat its flavour therefore remain inside and the meat does not dry out. A sharp chef’s knife can also be used to thinly slice a tomato, crisp bread, chop leeks, cucumbers, cut and slice tougher vegetables, slice meat or fish, clean and chop onions, use the side of the knife to grate garlic, crush pepper, etc. The larger chef’s knives are the most common ones in the hands of professional chefs.

The size and model of a knife for cutting meat naturally depends on the purpose of use and workflow. Culinary professionals also use knives for skewering, cleaning, carving, and other types of utensils. The meat can be separated from the bone with a hard butcher knife (e.g. model 5.6003.15) or a curved butcher knife (e.g. model 5.6503.15). It curves upwards and tapers in profile. Much smaller knives are also suitable for cutting poultry and small game. Special knives are used for pre-processing meat in slaughterhouses. When cutting meat, the blade of the knife is at a slightly higher angle than, for example, when filleting or with chef’s knives. Because of this, these knives have a stronger blade and are easier to handle. The butcher’s knife in particular comes into contact with bones, tendons, cartilage and generally hard and tough materials. Their blades can be subjected to high deforming loads, which, for example in the case of a filleting knife, can lead to damage.

As a chopping board, it is preferable to use a specially made heavy wooden board which does not slip or bend. If the wooden cutting board is clean and free of damage, the incidence of common bacteria will be minimal and the wooden surface can be sanded if necessary. In contrast, plastic cutting boards are generally small and lightweight, and many types of plastic will dull the knife several times faster than wood. In addition, plastic cutting boards need to be cleaned more carefully, as the surface with its high number of grooves is an ideal environment for bacteria to breed. We do not recommend using a plastic chopping board with a rough surface. Pieces of plastic are easily loosened when cutting and then get into the food.

Handle

The handles of Victorinox Cuisine knives are usually made of a material called Fibrox – a fibre-reinforced polyamide (PA 6, belonging to the group of nylons intended for special use), polypropylene (PP), nylon or rosewood. For technical reasons, the plastic used for knife handles is less expensive and, if chosen correctly, very durable. Polyamide, polypropylene and nylon can also be easily kept in the dishwasher. Compared to plastic handles, wooden handles are somewhat more complicated and costly to manufacture and fix. The wooden handle is attached to the steel end of the blade with rivets, while the molten plastic is shaped directly on the steel end. The blade end must, of course, be large enough to make the joint strong and leak-proof. This stage of production is also critical for other reasons: if the temperature is not sufficiently controlled, the hot plastic can affect the degree of hardening of the steel.

The material, shape, and color of the handle depend on the purpose of the knife, custom, and taste. For smaller knives, the handles are generally also smaller to allow the knife to be easily used for activities requiring precision. Some people prefer a wooden handle because it is easy to handle, pleasant to the touch and neat. The dark brown polished rosewood handles riveted to the blade are highly durable even against very rough handling.

The Chef’s knives feature a solid blade end, which ensures that the heavier blades are properly balanced. The black rubber handle halves are attached to the solid end of the blade with rivets so that the handle is not too large. The Chef’s knives are made according to French traditions and differ somewhat from those made according to German customs: the French knives are slightly heavier than the German knives and also have more rounded handles. The French chefs are used to holding the knife loosely in their hand, with the movement of the knife controlled by the thumb and forefinger coming from the base of the blade: they therefore carry out much of the work involved using the weight of the knife. The neck of the forged knife firmly supports the fingers controlling the movement of the knife. The black nylon handle of the forged knives in the Chef’s range withstands dishwasher cleaning very well.

In the meat and fish industry, for hygiene reasons (according to EU directives), the knives must use cast handles, without rivets, which can withstand daily careful cleaning or sterilization. The shape and surface treatment of the handle must be suitable for continuous, long-term use, so that the knife can be held firmly in the hand even with protective gloves without fatigue. Fibrox plastic is a very strong material (maximum temperature in use 150°C). Its surface is correspondingly roughened and therefore the knife can be held very well even in wet and oily hands. Of course, the blades and plastic handles of all knives manufactured by Victorinox comply with the strict requirements set by the food industry. That is why the ergonomic Fibrox handles are also widely used in the industrial sector. The hygiene requirements set out in the relevant directives are naturally understandable, given the extreme demands of this activity and the need for daily cleaning of knives, for example in a meat processing plant environment.

Knives with wooden handles can still be used in professional kitchens. Victorinox knives with rosewood handles are well known to many kitchen professionals. For home use, knives can be chosen according to their appearance but also the purpose for which they will be used. Plastic is of course easier to clean than wood. However, there is no doubt that, especially at the festive table, nice forged utensils add a special touch. Knives with slender rosewood handles can also be the final touch that sets a festive event apart from the everyday dinner. In the Victorinox collection you can find ten different basic handle models, the size of which is determined by the dimensions of the knives.

MICROBAN antibacterial finish

When the built-in Microban® anti-microbial protection of Victorinox knives is used in accordance with the applicable hygiene rules, it becomes an additional accessory contributing to increased product hygiene. Microban® antibacterial technology provides effective protection against a variety of pathogenic microbes, including Escherichia Coli, which causes kidney failure, Salmonella typhimurium, which causes salmonellosis, among others, Listeria monocytogenes, which causes listeriosis, and Staphylococcus aureus (‘golden staph’), which causes dangerous purulent wound and skin diseases, urinary and respiratory tract infections, etc. The Microban® antibacterial technology incorporated into the knife handles as part of the manufacturing process ensures permanent protection, effective for the lifetime of the knife. MICROBAN is a completely harmless and effective antibacterial protection that can be used on industrial and consumer goods to inhibit the growth of harmful microbes that can cause cross-contamination of food and unpleasant odours. Triclosan, the active ingredient in Microban, has been used for many years by medical personnel or in healthcare facilities. Victorinox knives equipped with Microban antibacterial protection are part of a comprehensive hygiene system, but in no way a substitute for it. Knives with Microban handles include knives used for final food preparation (decorating knives), chef’s knives (Cooks/chefs, Chef) (with wide blades), forks used for cutting meat, knives for slicing bread, pastry knives, carving (filleting) knives, knives used to prepare small game or vegetables, knives used for boning and skewering (with slender and curved blades), butcher’s knives, steak knives, skinning knives.