Steak is one of America’s signature meals. A thick slice of premium quality beef, grilled or fried, and seasoned. Steak lovers do not go for it in search of a healthy snack. It is the absolute delight of having that beautiful slice on your plate, and you know it’s yours alone. It is about the explosion of pleasure in your mouth when you take a bite of your perfectly cooked steak.
As a steak lover, like us, you cannot talk about cooking or eating steak without mentioning your knives. You eat your steak using knives because, well, the meat is not small and cannot fit at once into your mouth. Also, you may easily make a mess trying to tear it with your teeth. For this reason, one of the things that you can be sure to find in any real American home is a set of steak knives.
There are a good number of knife manufacturers and brands to choose from, designs of handles and other fine details of class and style. But the most important feature is the knife blade. Among the best steak knives, there are two blade types; the serrated blade steak knives and the non serrated blade steak knives. The non serrated are those that have a smooth, straight blade while the serrated knives are those that have ridged blades.
You must know the differences between these different steak knife blades to make a choice that suits you best. There is no perfect choice here. Each has its advantages and drawbacks.
Pros and cons of the Non Serrated knives
Advantages:
One of the advantages of the non serrated knives is its delivery of a very clean-cut piece of meat, leaving you with a beautiful looking piece of steak that preserves the juices in the flesh. It can do this because of the sharp and smooth edge which slices straight through the meat fibre.
Another advantage of the non serrated knives is that they do not require a lot of movement when cutting meat. Because of the smooth edge, it is easy to cut meat in one sweeping down motion, and saving you time.
Your presentation as well on the dining table looks more impressive when you use a straight edge knife. Most of the pictures you find of steak online are usually done with straight-edge knives to present a clean side of the cut steak.
Disadvantages:
One of the cons of the non-serrated knives is the need for a lot of physical effort when cutting, especially if the steak is a little hard. The blade has to slice through the meat and depends on its sharpness and your strength to do so.
Another disadvantage is the fact that the non serrated steak knives are only practical when very sharp. This need for a sharp blade would not be an issue, but for that, they quickly become dull after every use. You will, therefore, need to sharpen the knives after every use. This constant process can be time-consuming and become boring after a while.
The pros and cons of the Serrated knives
Advantages:
The most significant advantage of the serrated knives is the fact that they do not require as much effort to cut the steak. Serrated blades have ridged edges. This property of these knives enables them to cut through steak and other meats easily. The teeth-like look of the serrated blade catches and rip the flesh as the edge passes through the steak.
Another advantage of the serrated knives is that they do not quickly get blunt, so can be used severally without the need for sharpening; this is because the entire blade does not come in contact with the plate.
Disadvantages:
A disadvantage even of the best serrated steak knives is that the saw-like blades rip and tear the steak, making the juices to spill and hinders your full enjoyment.
Another disadvantage is that you need to move your hand in a sawing motion to use the serrated steak knives. After all, with teeth like a saw, you can expect to cut like a saw.
Summary:
If you choose to go along with the serrated blades, the best serrated steak knives are those who’s manufacturers have put careful consideration not only in the sharpness of the blade but on the quality of the material used for the handle, which as well determines the overall balance of the knives. There is also the dishwasher safe steak knife options to look into and to make sure it’s made of top quality.
In all, each type of steak knife has its pros and cons, so choose to your liking and for your enjoyment.