Basically the fillet knife is used for cutting a piece of poultry into slices. The main use is removing the skin from the meat and it is also used for slicing fish and chicken as both of the fleshes are quite delicate types of meat. The design of the filleting knife is explicative to achieving a clean cut.
Design
The fillet knives have a clear-cut appearance as these knives are slim and graceful as compared to other knives that are used for cutting and chopping. Its blade is narrow and dwindles which allow users to cut very thin slices if necessary. Comprehensively, the fillet knife’s blade is ⅔ of the length of complete handle that enables the user to easily hold and precise cutting.
Features
One of the most attractive features of any fillet knife is their slimness and razor-sharp edges. The pointed tip has the capability of penetrating the flesh. The actual purpose of designing a fillet knife is accurate cutting and making the cuts delicate without wasting the solidarity of the meat itself. Furthermore, fillet knives are also famous because of their flexible blade which is used for working with meat instead of bone, its flexibility makes it easy to attach to skin, flesh, or cartridges.
Length of Blade
The classic length of fillet knife is 6 to 11 inches or 15 to 28cm. Ordinary alterations in blade length for fillet knives are 4 to 6 inches, 7 to 8 inches, and 9 to 11 inches, and each type is suitable for various types of fish.
What Makes a Good Fish Fillet Knife?
There are some attributes that we should consider when we are deciding what makes a good fish fillet knife. Executive knives can be quite expensive, but their service and durability make them a useful investment. The performance and endurance of a good knife depends on the following factors.
Material
The thing which can easily tell you about the longevity of fillet knives is their blade’s material. The blade of a fillet knife is made up of stainless steel with high quality carbon material. To make sure that the blade is corrosion resistant, a high carbon content is necessary as filleting knives are majorly used for fish and are in constant contact with seawater. If the high carbon stainless steel will not be used in filleting knives then these will be damaged soon.
Thin and Flexible Blade Sharp-Edged Blades
The fillet knife’s blade is considered unique due to their sharpness and width as the blade is highly thin structure. Because it is important to cut through the meat while keeping the bone unbroken, the thinner blade gives more control and the malleability means that any bone present during the cut can be avoided. Fragmenting of bone without will just like a break the bones that are harder to extract. Another feature of the blade is its intensity. Filleting knives are exceptionally sharp and need to be handled with very care. The edges of a knife usually only have an angle of 12-17 degrees which shows how sharp the edge of the razor is.
Blade Length
The blade length of filleting knives is from 6 to 11 inches as we already discussed that filleting knives come in various blade length sizes. The smaller blades are great for smaller fishes while the larger blades are good for cutting and skinning of larger fishes.
Handle Type
In accent time, the handle is made up of wood but nowadays fillet knives handles are made up of high quality plastic and rubber. Moreover, The shape and material of the handle are a matter of personal preference rather than affecting the performance of the knife. The wood handles are very hard and increase the weight of the knife which enable the user to control the knife easier. But the drawback is the wood handle gets slippery and difficult to hold when it is wet and easy to clean it. Plastic and rubber handles provide a solid grip and are easy to clean, but are not as strong as wooden handles. Ergonomically shaped handles improve the grip of the actual knife and reduce stress on the user.
Read More >> https://knifeplatoon.com/what-makes-a-good-fish-fillet-knife/
What is the Best Knife for Filleting Fish?
In our opinion, FILLET KNIFE is the perfect knife for filleting the fish and cutting off all kinds of hefty meat which require accuracy. Its thinness and sharpened blade enable the user to slice the soft and fragile meat and remove the skin from the meat in no time. The moldability of the blade makes it easy to control the knife and able you to protect yourself from any bone that may be missed during the deboning process. The upper bend of blade and pointed tip is great for getting rid of scales and making punctures or obtaining thin slices.
What is the Difference Between a Fillet Knife and a Boning Knife?
A lot of people do not assume the various types of knives as how different they are in their appearance and use. Professional people trust their tools and know how important it is to use the right type of knife for the right purpose. The boning knife is very similar to the fillet knife that confuses people while buying it. Let me clear both knives in the following section.
Learn more >> https://knifeplatoon.com/boning-knife-vs-fillet-knife/
What is a Boning Knife Used For?
The boning knife is mainly used for separating the bone and meat. It’s a flat knife with a straight blade with a little bit of curve and sharp tip. The length of the boning knife’s blade is between 5 to 7 inches that is sharp enough for cleaning the cut along the connective tissues and screws so you can easily use it for removing the meat and without damaging it. A boning knife has a thicker blade so it can withstand force when cutting close to the bone, but is also flexible enough to provide more control.
What is a Fillet Knife Used For?
The basic purpose of a fillet knife is cutting through the flesh and using it when meat has separated from the bones. It produces the precise fillet of fish and meat. The rest of the bones are left in the meat, so they don’t break and can be removed later with a knife if needed. Both knives have different purposes, due to that reason boning and filleting knives are exceptionally different in appearance and performance. The fillet knife has a larger blade which is more flexible and thinner. Perhaps, both boning and filleting knives are extremely sharpened, one knife is used for removing the bones and another knife is used for slicing and cutting the meat and removing the skin. Both knives are used to prepare fish for further cooking, but the boning knife is used first to get rid of the bones, and then the filleting knife is used to cut the flesh.
Fillet Vs. Carving Knife
Carving knives are also commonly used and may be mislabeled as filleting knives. Here we are writing some differences on fillet vs carving knife.
What are the Differences?
One of most noticeable differences between carving knife and filleting knife is theri blade. The carving knife has a thin blade that is much wider than a filleting knife.
Examples of Fillet Knife
Fillet knives come in different sizes, types, materials and designs and it does not matter whether it is an electric or a manual knife. Some of the best include the Shun Classic Flexible Flattening Knife, a high-end Japanese knife. The Wusthof Classic filleting knife is in the middle range when it comes to price. A more affordable option includes the Victorinox Fibrox filleting knife.
What is a Carving Knife?
Carving knife is made for cutting through the meat. It comes with a long thin blade that is broader than the blade of a filleting knife since it is used for meat which is less elegant than a filleting knife. Furthermore, the carving knife’s blade enables the user to have good control over the knife.
Example of Carving Knife
A lot of various types of carving knives are available in the market, all of them have specific purposes. It has round-tip slicers that have no sharp point. As the tip is round, that’s why the knife is mainly used for slicing fine cuts of meat such as salmon and ham. Making a thin cut of slices is a very difficult task as the tip is not sharped. Serrated edge carving knife is another type of carving knife, this type of carving has tiny teeth and is not straight. But the serrated knife is good for cutting through the meat or fish, it is a perfect knife for cutting bread and bakery products.
What Kind of Knife Do You Use to Cut Fish?
From the last few years we have completely examined the different types of knife and their characteristics and it is our conclusion that a fillet knife is the best knife for cutting a fish. It is designed mainly for slicing the soft flesh and getting clean cuts. However, cooking or preparing fish for further processing also requires the help of other types of knives. Before the fish can be cut, it needs to be deboned, and a boning knife is used to accomplish this task. Still it has been noticed that many home chefs and cooks do not use the specialised knife, in a professional environment where the chef needs to ready a huge amount of high quality cuts of meat and fish, the all-rounder knife plays a fundamental role there.
Uses of Filleting Knife You Never Knew
Since the best fillet knives require a good budget, many people may hesitate while purchasing them. The amount of fish necessary to prepare for your own consumption may not justify the high cost of the knife. Although, it’s a specialised knife which has multiple uses. Its unique and high quality design make is perfect for:
Filleting a Meat with More Accuracy: Large size filleting knife is good for attaining thin slices of meat, especially more delicate cuts such as tenderloin. The knife gives a precise and even cut if you don’t have a carving knife to do so.
Slicing Fruits and Vegetables: As we know that meat, vegetables and fruits do not have bones and can be easily cut with a fillet knife. Actually, unlike fish which needs to be held because of its soft texture, many fruits and vegetables are so firm that they require very little pressure to hold them in place.
Decorate your Salads and Vegetable: Filleting knives are also used for cutting, slicing and dicing of fruits and vegetables. Beside this you can also use this knife for convoluted style cutting of fruits and vegetables for decoration. Making different and beautiful designs of fruit and vegetables is such a difficult task and requires a sharp and accurate blade, these types of features are only available in fillet knives.
Cleaning of Fish: The fillet knife has a sharp razor edge and pointed tip which is nice for cleaning out fish. Removing fish guts, eyes and gills without damaging fish meat is such a tough and demanding job which requires proper skill and the right knife for it. The filleting knife is one the good fillet knives for doing this job perfectly.
Where Should You Get Your Fillet Knife?
There are many places you can buy knives but getting a knife for professional use is a little different. Expert chefs always buy knives from reputable artisans who are only selling premium knives at high prices with a guarantee. The good thing about getting high prices is that they are a long-term investment and can perform well for years to come. Chefs rely heavily on their knives and getting the perfect fillet knife regardless of price is important. Still, there are many options available in the market to buy knives for home and casual use, you can also get these knives online. Another thing to consider is how you buy the knife you’re looking for, which means checking the knife for the features you need and what you need in a good filleting knife.
What Do You Need to Check When Getting a Fish Fillet Knife
Here we are providing some important features that you should examine very carefully before buying a fillet knife.
Material of Handle and Blade: The blade should be made with high carbon stainless steel especially if you need a knife for working with sea fishes. Be sure to ask the right questions; Otherwise, you will be left with a knife that will break very quickly. Furthermore, the material of the handle depends upon your personal preferences such as some people like hard and weighty wood handles but these types of handles are difficult to clean. They also slip easily when they are wet. Due to that reason, we recommend a rubber, plastic or some texture steel handle.
Sheath: Sheath is such a great blessing that protects your blade from any damage. When knives are stored with other tools, the blades can become brittle due to cross touching. But knives having a cover on the blade avoided these things and maintained their integrity for a long time.
Electric Fillet Knife: Electric fillet knives are also available but these knives are difficult to use. While they speed up the work, it comes at the cost of control. An electric knife is able to cut meat more fastly, but it’s easy to make mistakes with such a tool without proper training.
Length of Blade: The length of blade depends upon your preferences, some people use smaller knives for work with medium sized or regular fishes. On the other hand, if you want to cut and clean big fishes then you should use a knife with a longer blade.
Flexibility: Blade flexibility is another necessary feature that allows the user to avoid burrs and make more precise cuts.
Types of Fillet Knife
Depending on the set-up, home, or professional kitchen, and regularity of use, you may choose to get a fillet knife that is higher-end or more affordable. Again, we will say that it depends on your taste.
Knife Origin
Every knife specialist knows how important the origin of the knife is. Majority of the best knives come from Japan and germany. There is no surprise in Japan as the nation relies heavily on its seafood and dishes such as Kobe beef, Kobe Beef Yakiniku, Kobe Beef Sashimi etc. While Germany, specially Solingen, also known as the ‘City of Blades’, is another well-known manufacturer of high-quality kitchen knives.
Ergonomics and Safety Features
Gripping is very important to determining how well a knife will perform and how easy it is to operate while keeping you safe from cuts. The best way to test the knife is by actually holding the knife and checking its design whether it is ergonomically optimal for your hand or not. How well does your hand handle the knife, and is it comfortable to work with after hours of cutting, especially when some pressure is intricate? These questions can be answered by taking the knife for a “test drive”.
Price
Filleting knives are available in various price ranges. The cheaper one starts from 20 dollars to 30 dollars while the expensive one initiative price is 100 to 200 dollars. Now how much money you want to spend on it is up to you.
Tips About Sharpening Your Fillet Knife
It is important to keep your knife sharp so that you can get the most out of your fillet knife. There is a nice method to sharpen your knife so that the blade is sharp and not damaged.
If you are less experienced, then take an electric knife sharpener to make sure you don’t get hurt. There are two various types of electric sharpeners, one used to thin the blade by removing the steel and the other that sharpens the blade.
More skilled require for using a stone to sharpen a knife and you can follow some simple tips to get the best results.
You will need a 12 to 15 degree bevel edge. A classic bevel edge for a kitchen knife is 20 degrees, but it requires to be sharper for a filleting knife.
Set the slope at an angle; For 12 degrees, this usually means the height of two quarters placed together. Once the perfect alignment is attained, start moving the edge of the knife away from you and then back towards you. Continue this motion until you feel the blade is sharp.
Check the blade to see if it is sharpened. Also, note that there is a burr visible, forming on the opposite side of the blade which is the top edge.
Once the molasses is visible, you’ll know you’ve sharpened the fillet knife enough.