I noticed in a breakdown video while butchering a cow. Is it due to fibers being more stringy after being cooked? My other thought is the temperature of the meat.
In: Other
You can use a serated knife as a butcher its just going to be wasteful and you will have ugly cuts.
Serrated knives have teeth specifically to grab things with loose structure and fibers. In Culinary school we call it a bread knife because thats about the only thing to use it on. These blades are also incredibly annoying to sharpen, as you mist properly negotiate around the teeth
A chef knife/butcher knife is a straight edge knife designed to be kept sharp, daily. Animal meat has a grain much like wood, if you are trained well you could cut down the entire cow with a sharp pocket knife since the muscle fiber will help you, if you know what you are doing.
Professional butchers certainly do use bandsaws and other serrated edges to cut through bone and parts that are not meat. When breaking down primal cuts into the cuts sold in a market, you want to have a sharp knife so the cuts dont look shredded and are more presentable. The serrated edge may also snag on tendons depending on the cut of meat, and rip the grain of the muscle tissue.
Dont use a serrated knife for anything other than bread. Food is made of cells and you dont want to rip any more than you need to, or you will lose product and quality.
Serrated knives don’t need to be sharpened, so they are easier for most people. A professionally sharpened knife is almost always better. There are some circumstances that I prefer a serrated knive, but very few.
Safety. A serrated knife need not be so “sharp” because the multiple “points” of the serration allow it to “rip” through the steak, with application of moderate force. But you aren’t going to accidentally cut yourself with this knife, at least not very badly.
But for a straight edge knife to cut as well, it would have to be sharp enough that a slip-up could do serious damage.
Cooked meat vs raw meat?
Good knife slices but needs maintained. Steak house needs low maintenance. So you get a knife that you have to saw the meat with. But they can just throw it in the dishwasher and replace after a few years use.
From my understanding Butchers cut with the grain of the meat. You are suppose to eat steak perpendicular to the grain. Try it yourself on a cheap piece of steak.
[removed]
Because butcher knives are *extremely* sharp, they’ll slice through bodily tissue with little effort. Serrated steak knives are assumed to be used for long periods without sharpening, so the serrations extend the edge life.
People have serrated knives because a fifty cent one will “cut” forever. But a butcher can’t use them because packaged meats will look like they were cut off with a chainsaw. In my home, serrated knives get most use on bread.
[removed]
Latest Answers