Curved Boning Knife
Boning a carcass and skinning one are similar operations; once that first cut is made, one hand pulls and liberates the meat or skin while the other uses the knife to separate further flesh. This calls for a blade with a high tip because the nearer it lies to its spine, the more it causes the front part of the blade to rock up- ward and slice as well as pierce the meat. This design rationale for the regular boning blade is also the rea-son why other boners offer still higher tips on upwardly canted spines, like those usually seen on skinning blades. These higher-tipped blades are unparalleled when separating flesh from wide, flat flanks and shoulder blades, but they are unwieldly when maneuvering around the more con- toured leg and shank bones. Curved boning blades measure from 5 to 6 inches long and can be narrow or wide with varying degrees of flexibility. Most are avail- able in high-carbon stainless steel or in stainless steel.
Boning Knife
The tip of this blade looks like a delicately bowed half spear;, its point lies on the end of a straight spine where it's met by a cutting edge that rocks up at a 40-degree angle to the tip, creating a narrow, sturdy blade front whose point can initiate deep and accurate cuts and whose curved cutting edge can conclude with true slices, Boning blades are either 5/8 or I inch wide and can be flexible or rigid The wider blades, which are usally less pliant, and are superb for boning large, simple cuts of meat The narrow blades, limber enough to negotiate around intricate bone contours, are unsurpassed for boning poultry The handle of this knife ranges in length om 4 to 6 inches, and for most household boning chores the md sled, 6inc flexible blade is recommended available in ay of the three major knife steels an can be forged or stamped.
Fish Fillet Knife
Filleting sole and carving duck are comparable procedures: Tender flesh is pierced, then complex bone structures are followed with the point and edge of a blade, so the classic fillet and long slicing blades are similarly shaped. Both have dropped tips to pierce accurately into crev ices and hollows, a lightly arced cut ting edge to facilitate penetration or slicing, and limberness to follow carcass configurations. The only visible difference between the two is length: The standard fillet blade. generally used on smaller fish, is 1 to 3 inches shorter than that of the slicing knife Fish 6Ulet blades, also styled with a high tip, most often measure 6 or 7 inches long They are available either stamped or, better, forged, in any of the three major knife steels high-carbon stainless steel is favored
Cleaver
The blade of this knife is a thick, inflexible steel trapezium with a relatively flat cutting edge that splits cartilage and bone. A fine cleaver is also heavy and forwardly weighted to facilitate the drop chop, downward swing motion and armed with a powerful, ax like channel edge to protect the tool from heavy impacts Cleaver blades range in length from 6 to 9 inches and are usually available in three weights. The light chicken cleaver weighs under 1 pound, the medium kitchen cleaver weighs between 1 and 2 pounds, and the heavy market cleaver weighs over 2 pounds. Some have a noticeable saddle spine to push the blade's weight farther forward and others sport a curved edge that accomplishes some light cutting, but for general home purposes, a regular 6-inch medium-weight cleaver is sufficient.
Butcher's Cleaver
With its axe like cutting edge, backward-bowed blade front, and clipped spine beak, this large cleaver looks more weapon of war than a fine carcass separator. Its unique blade configuration like the fifteenth-century throws most of the impressive 3 pound weight forward for an easier drop-chop motion, and a sturdy, 7.5 inch channel edge withstands the constant heavy blows. Butcher's cleavers are available in either carbon or stainless steels, usually with an uncovered handle.
