The pumpkin lights are hung, the candy bowl is full to overflowing, and the spooky sounds of the season are streaming from the speaker in your kitchen. Bread cools on a rack, a shapely loaf that calls on every drop of your patience and persistence to produce a tender, crusty loaf with a gorgeous mouthfeel and swoon-worthy flavor. It’s a beautiful thing.
You leave the room to sneak a mouthful of candy corn in private, where you won’t be scorned by the fam. When you return, there it is. Your mouth dries. Your heart dances the desperation tango against your ribs. Horror roots you to the spot. You want to scream but you can only stare at the mangled, lumpen thing that just moments ago was your pride and joy. Then you see it amidst a mound of crumbs.
A chef’s knife. (Granted, it’s a sleek, perfectly balanced tool with a blade made of the finest German steel from Lamson, but still.)
Chef’s knives are great for many things, but slicing bread isn’t one of them. Bread knives are made specifically for that task. Their long, serrated blades are designed to make clean cuts, gently gliding through the crisp crust and soft interior without tearing or crushing. When slicing bread we use a back and forth sawing motion, which preserves the shape and texture of the loaf.
Typically, bread knives have long blades with serrations ranging from pointed and sharp to scallop. Scalloped or curved serrations work best on soft textures, while sharp can take on more robust combinations of crust and body. Their flat blades are beveled on one side to make those serrations more effective for the job they’re doing. Chef’s knives commonly have bevels on both sides to for executing a wide variety of textures and techniques, but lack the serration needed to work well on bread.
While their primary purpose is to cut bread into even slices without mangling it, they are also very handy for slicing cakes, pastry and certain kinds of produce. Making a jack o’ lantern? A bread knife is great for shearing off the top of a pumpkin, but smaller paring knives are best for carving designs.
Sharpening a serrated knife takes time and skill, given the shape and depth of each serration. It’s a challenge even for the best home culinary artists, and it’s not uncommon to toss a dull bread knife because you have no way to revive it. Take heart – your well-used bread knife isn’t doomed for the dumpster. Our Sharp for Life program gives you complimentary professional sharpening for your bread knives – and every knife we make.
Slicing bread shouldn’t be a horror show. Crafted with a serrated edge and ergonomic handle, our bread knives deliver flawless cuts for the perfect slice every time. Take a look at our line of bread knives.
