BLADE Magazine

Consider four large kitchen knives, all under $80 each.

As you get older and entertain bigger gatherings, do you find yourself wanting to improve your culinary chops?

A little more blade may be just what you need to sharpen your prep time so you can spend more time enjoying your food than getting it to the table. Larger and more focused kitchen tools can indeed improve your efficiency and your proficiency as a gourmet chef as well.

The focus here is on large and/or specialized kitchen knives, specifically the different types and what they can do to make your job easier and your cooking better, each for under $80. Large cooking knives vary widely and we’re going to show you four variations. Keep in mind, most kitchen knives aren’t just for cutting meat but are for preparing fruit, vegetables and other items such as breading or crusts, too.

Utica Meat Dad Chef’s Knife

Meat Dad Chef’s Knife Specs
Blade length: 7.54”
Blade steel: 440C stainless
Blade finish: Food Safe Black PVD
Handle material: Orange G-10
Weight: 17”
Overall length: 12.5”
Country of origin: USA
MSRP: $74.99

The Utica Meat Dad Chef’s Knife is a whopper with a blade belly 2.25 inches deep for carving the big stuff when needed and everyday slicing and dicing as well. The beefy orange G-10 handle helps maintain control on the wieldy blade for it all.

Though the test’s two chef’s knives—the Fox Knives Meat Slicer being the other—have meat in their names, they facilitate a much wider variety of meal prep tasks, including the slicing, dicing and mincing of a wide range of vegetables and other fare.

The Utica is large for a chef’s knife so we tested it on some heathy chores, such as cutting a nice, plump pork tenderloin into fat medallions for a tasty sauté. We also tried the Meat Dad out on a watermelon and, thanks to the stout blade, sliced it straight as an arrow from top to bottom. Sometimes you just need a large knife and the Utica tackles those requirements quite well.

Fox Meat Slicer Knife

Meat Slicer Specs
Blade length: 7.8”
Blade steel: UNI X59CrMoV15 stainless
Blade finish: Fine satin
Handle material: Black PP synthetic
Weight: 3.75 ozs.
Overall length: 12.4”
Country of origin: Italy
MSRP: $36.94

All chef’s knives are relatively long but not all have blades that can be tiring to use. The Fox Meat Slicer Knife is a much trimmer, more svelte example. A large Italian cutlery company with an impressive presence in the USA, Fox offers a strong group of knives in its Due Cigni Coltellerie line.

One of the group is the Meat Slicer, a long chef’s knife with a slim profile sporting an extended, slender drop-point blade only .12-inch thick. It comes with a gently curved handle that has just enough drop at the base to protect your fingers during use.

The Meat Slicer is more adept at less cumbersome tasks of both the meat and vegetable variety. We first used it on a couple of smoked sausage links, cutting roughly 3/16-inch slices down the length of each for an omelet. The knife performed quickly and with ease.

To add a little flavor, we turned to some portobello mushrooms. Taking a handful, I trimmed the stems off and sliced them up one by one in a jiffy. The German steel performed very well and the handle was the most comfortable of the test lot.

A.G. Russell 6-inch Boning Knife

Boning Knife Specs
Blade length: 6”
Blade steel: Molybdenum-vanadium stainless
Handle material: Fiberglass-reinforced polypropylene
Bolsters: Stainless steel
Weight: 3.8 ozs.
Overall length: 10.6”
Country of origin: Italy
MSRP: $42.95

The A.G. Russell 6-inch Boning Knife just might be your go-to counter slicer for a myriad of kitchen duties. While its name is designated for separating meat from bones, the A.G. Russell can perform a myriad of duties such as trimming, slicing and dicing both meat and veggies. Some even clean their afternoon catch with it as it is closely related to a fish knife. The blade is super thin and the piece is very lightweight.

The A.G. Russell got the most tedious work out of the foursome due to the nature of the beast. Fortunately, chickens go through extensive steps of processing before average folk ever set eyes on them. Whether fried, barbecued or roasted, the best way to keep a chicken breast moist is with the skin, breast meat and bone structure cooked together.

After cooking the bird, use the sharp cutting tip to cut the area around the breast skin so it can be removed with the meat. Next, peel the skin back and slowly work the blade between meat and bone structure and slowly use the fingers of your other hand to peel the entire breast off with the skin on. Slice and eat!

The Boning Knife, like the others, is handy in other ways as well. You can slice small veggies and fruits, trim fat and do all sorts of clean-up chores to make food more presentable.

Ontario Old Hickory 76 7-inch Cleaver

Old Hickory 76 Cleaver Specs
Blade length: 7.5”
Blade material: 1075 carbon steel
Blade grind: Flat bevel
Blade finish: Brushed
Handle material: Wood
Weight: 10 ozs.
Overall length: 12”
Country of origin: USA
MSRP: $30.50

We’ve saved the big gun for last: the Ontario Old Hickory 76 7-inch Cleaver. There’s something to be said for the simple, matter-of-fact Old Hickory edged tools. Maybe it’s the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude—and I like it! The blade has a horizontal pattern pressed into it, a hole for hanging in the upper lead edge, and an Ontario Knife Co., Tru Edge, Made In U.S.A., sword logo stamp in the top center. The blade climbs upward toward the tip at its spine and the cutting edge has a gentle curve to it.

When you need a heavy hand and finesse is no object, the cleaver will get the job done. We used it for cutting some tough-as-nails carrots with no problem. The same went for hard sausage. There’s no sense in dulling a sharp knife blade on hard, tough foods when a cleaver can cut them with haste and look for its next challenge.

Old Hickory blades are the kind of “git ’er done” kitchen knives and tools that take your tough challenges on their back and never cry uncle. My family grew up with Old Hickory blades and I recommend keeping them around the kitchen when tough times call for tough tools.

Final Cut

There you have it—four different ways to make your kitchen more useful without breaking the bank. If you’re ready to expand your culinary universe, look no further than these useful, able kitchen helpers.

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