You took the time to sear a fine piece of meat, rest it and slice it against the grain. One tool remains, the one every guest holds: the steak knife. And the first question is the shape of its edge.
The serrated edge: it saws
The teeth catch the surface and tear it with a back-and-forth motion. It is the edge on most cutlery sets and restaurant knives.
- Its strengths: it "cuts" for a long time without care, even when dull, because the teeth keep catching. It copes well with ceramic plates and repeated machine washing in restaurants.
- Its limits: it tears the fibres instead of slicing them, which shows on tender meat. And it is very hard to resharpen at home.
The straight edge: it slices
A fine edge, sharpened like a kitchen knife. You draw the blade through, without sawing.
- Its strengths: a clean slice that doesn't tear the meat. It resharpens on a stone like any knife and gets its original edge back.
- Its limits: it needs a little attention. When the edge fades, it slides instead of biting, and it needs sharpening.
The real enemy: the plate
Ceramic and porcelain are harder than knife steel. Every time the blade hits the bottom of the plate, the edge dulls a little. A few habits keep steak knives sharp for years:
- Slice without pressing down to the plate. Let the blade do the work by drawing it, rather than pushing down.
- Serve the meat whole on a wooden board and slice it at the table before sharing it out. It looks better too.
- No dishwasher for a straight edge and a wooden handle.
So which one?
For everyday use and large tables, serrated table knives do the job very well: that is what you'll find in our 24-piece cutlery set, whose knives are serrated and dishwasher safe according to the maker.
For a fine piece of meat, rib-eye, rib of beef, duck breast, the straight edge makes the difference. It respects the work done in the kitchen, and it lasts: you resharpen it instead of replacing it.
A word on the table
In the French style, the knife goes to the right of the plate, edge facing the plate. A steak knife takes the place of the table knife when the meat course is served.
Our steak knives
Damascus steak knives, set of 4 — CHF 349. 12.7 cm straight blade in 67-layer Damascus steel, 10Cr15CoMoV core, sharpened at 15° per side, rosewood handle.
To slice at the table: the large oval end-grain board, with its groove that holds the juices. And to keep the edge: sharpening on a whetstone.
