The knives’ quality, reliability, traits, and operational effectiveness play a significant role in selecting these items.
If you watch cooking shows, you may notice the chefs using knives with holes in the blade. What are the purposes of this design? It’s time to refer to this post to get the reasons. Let’s get started!
Why Do Knives Have Holes In The Blade?
As you know, not all types of knives have the holes-in-the-blade design.
Knives with holes, whether utility knives, pocket knives, or kitchen knives, are crucial because they are advantageous to the users.
Some knives may come with holes in their blade for the following reasons:
- Reduce weight
- Feature anti-stick effects
- Reduce cutting friction
- Hanging conveniently
- Opening more easily
- Improve balance
- Brand recognition
- Add aesthetics
- Cost saving
What Is A Knife With Holes Used For?
Various knives with holes are available for different purposes. The common types you may come across include:
- Chef’s knife: used for all culinary tasks, including slicing roasts and cutting herbs.
- Santoku knife: used for mincing, chopping, and slicing.
- Boning knife: separate large meat chunks from the bone.
- Cheese knife: reduce surface contact between the blade and the cheese.
What Are The Holes In A Knife Blade Called?
The term “aerated” is frequently used to describe the varying widths of holes drilled into knives’ blades.
Generally, holes are designed from the knife’s base to its tip, running parallel to and in a straight line with its blade.
These holes have various benefits instead of bringing aesthetics to a knife. Let’s scroll down to know the reasons!
Reasons that Knives Have Holes in Their Blade
Here are the explanations for why some kitchen knives have holes in their blades. Let’s take a closer look!
#1. Reduce Weight
All knives, whether it’s a paring, meat, or cheese knife, should have a robust and solid blade.
Otherwise, a thin blade of low quality may split in half when slicing, cutting, or chopping hard materials like bone.
Yet, the problem is that the extra heaviness will come with increased strength. So, using a hefty tool can make you feel heavy, especially over extended periods.
Making holes in the blade may take part of the material out while maintaining durability and strength.
You can bring lightweight knives for your outdoor excursions, such as hunting, camping, or fishing.
#2. Feature Anti-Stick Effects
The food or objects cling to both sides of a slick knife with flat blades. It is worse when chopping small, slippery, slimy food.
Nevertheless, kitchen knives with holes in the blade offer anti-stick effects, preventing food from clinging to the sides.
#3. Reduce Cutting Friction
When you use a knife to cut something, friction will arise between the blade and the food.
It is more difficult to slice through with increased friction. If that’s the case, you will need more energy to get the desired cut.
Additionally, the friction could make it difficult for you to make a good slice.
For example, friction will happen if you use a meat cleaver to chop large meat into smaller chunks, slowing down your cut.
The blade won’t cause much friction between food and the edge if it’s a knife with holes.
Creating holes in the knife’s blade makes removing part of the materials possible, reducing friction.
Cutting requires minimal energy when there is little friction, resulting in a quick, smooth cut.
#4. Hanging Conveniently
It is crucial to store knives properly in your kitchen to prevent accidents or lost blades.
Most people use magnetic strips mounted on kitchen walls, cooking drawers, or other tools.
Nevertheless, several kitchen knives may be too large and heavy to accommodate in the storage spaces.
Meat cleavers and machetes are examples of these knives. The more advisable method of storage is hanging.
This purpose explains the significance of the holes in the tip part of some knives, such as meat cleavers.
Moreover, hanging makes it highly handy and noticeable if you need to use this kitchen utensil regularly.
Therefore, it is helpful to choose machetes with holes for more convenience and appropriate storage if you plan to buy one.
#5. Opening More Easily
Some people prefer pocket knives to traditional kitchen knives while preparing meals due to their small size, lightweight, versatility, and portability.
If you have seen or used pocket knives, you may notice a hole in the blade near the handle.
This hole is still outside when you fold the tool. This way, you can open it with your thumb if your other hand is holding something.
Simply slipping your thumb through the opening will cause the pocket knife to emerge quickly.
The hole lies at the end of the blade to prevent the utensil from losing its stability and durability.
If this hole is in the middle of the blade, it will be weak and break with heavy pressure and friction.
#6. Improve Balance
Holes near the blade ricasso area can help the tool improve its balance because of the even weight dispersion.
Lighter-bladed knives may do more dexterous, agile tasks with their blade. You can see these holes on outdoor knives, whether larger or heavier.
The manufacturers will create the balance of knives, depending on intended usage.
#7. Brand Recognition
Several kitchen knife makers drill a hole into the blade to promote brand recognition at critical spots.
The products of this brand will be more outstanding than other types on the market thanks to the hole.
Moreover, this kitchen utensil stands out because of the distinctive hole on its blade, which helps the company attract more customers. If a brand can gain more recognition, it can attract more customers.
#8. Add Aesthetics
Knife blades can benefit from having holes to improve their aesthetics. The majority of customers make decisions based on what they observe.
Even if a tool is well-made and long-lasting, it won’t likely sell if it doesn’t look great. Instead, customers will pick the option that appeals to them the most.
The chef always wants their cooking area to look lovely and appealing to guests. Having kitchen knives with holes makes your kitchen look classy.
As a result, some people choose kitchen utensils mainly due to their hole-in-the-blade design rather than their functionality.
#9. Cost Saving
The manufacturer can save money by drilling holes in the knife’s blade. Since knives with holes utilize less material, they are less expensive.
Although a small hole may not save many materials, the amount is considerable, primarily when knives are produced in large quantities.
The company that makes these tools may collect the scrap from leftover cuts and reuse it to make additional blades.
As a result, they can reduce the price of their products, providing customers with lower costs.
These kitchen utensils are unquestionably more affordable than those without holes in the blades.
What Kind Of Knife Has Holes In It?
As shared earlier, not all knives have holes in their blades. So, what are the types featuring this design? Let’s check the following list!
#1. Meat Cleaver
A meat cleaver is large with a rectangular or square blade to obliterate bone and meat.
The largest, heaviest, and scariest thing about meat cleavers is that they are in no way subtle.
A meat cleaver’s advantage is that it doesn’t need a lot of strength to utilize. Therefore, it will be a helpful tool for butchers.
Why do meat cleavers have a hole? The butchers utilize it as a hook for the blade when not in use.
These cleavers are too large, so they can’t accommodate kitchen draws. Because of their heavy weight, you can’t put them in a storage block. They may fall on the flooring and break the tiles.
For these reasons, the makers design a hole so that consumers can hang the cleaver on the kitchen wall.
#2. Cheese Knife
You might wonder whether getting specialized cutters only for cheese is worthwhile when you hear about them.
The answer depends on the frequency you use cheese and your eating preferences.
Although purchasing one might be advantageous, using these kitchen utensils is not essential.
While regular cutters will work, cheese knives best preserve each cheese’s consistency and structural integrity.
What is the purpose of the hole in this utensil? It can lessen friction and aid in cutting through, especially gooey soft cheeses.
Moreover, you may utilize this hole to force an extremely stubborn piece of sticky soft cheese on a plate.
#3. Butter Knife
A butter knife is a small, blunt knife featuring a round or pointy tip. As its name suggests, the only use of this tool is to slice butter and spread it over toast.
Some of these utensils come with tiny holes around the blade to facilitate spreading butter easier.
You may scoop larger strands of butter using the larger holes at the end and curling smaller ones to curl smaller strands.
#4. Santoku Knife
It is a well-known Japanese knife with excellent functionality, versatility, and maneuverability.
The term “Santoku” in Japanese means three characteristics of this kitchen utensil. You can use it to cut, chop, and slice.
Although it resembles a chef’s knife made in the West in appearance, it has several significant and distinctive design differences.
Some Santoku knife varieties may have holes in the blade. What is the purpose?
These holes prevent things from adhering to the sides by allowing more air to move between the food and the blade.
#5. Pizza Rocker Knife
The pizza rocker knife’s broad, curved blade quickly and easily cuts through thick bread dough.
The large, rounded handle makes for an easy two-handed rolling action that quickly slices across a pizza’s width.
These utensils are also available with holes in the blade. The goal is to help you quickly cut the pizza without the cheese and crust sticking to the knife.
#6. Tomato Knife
As its name suggests, these tools are small knives explicitly designed for slicing or cutting tomatoes.
You may confuse them with bagel knives, but they feature serrated edges with molded handles.
The stainless steel blade may have holes to lessen the friction when the knife cuts through the tomatoes.
This knife is already relatively lightweight, but adding a few holes will make it considerably lighter. With its lighter weight, it is easy to utilize precisely.
Besides, some makers incorporate storage holes into the shape of the blades. You may hang the knife on the kitchen wall using the holes for convenient access.
#8. Paring Knife
It is a small knife, but it is one of the most helpful tools for home cooking.
You can use this specialty utensil for specific tasks like cutting the outer surfaces or removing fruit ends,
According to some chefs, it is among the essential kitchen utensils apart from the chef’s knife.
These tools also have categories with holes in the blade. These holes make it simple to cut food into thin, even slices by preventing things from adhering to the sides.
If you have never heard about this kitchen utensil, you may want to learn more about it. Let’s click on this video to get some guides:
In A Nutshell
Kitchen knives typically feature holes in the blade for several different reasons.
This design can help these utensils reduce weight, lessen friction, open more quickly, add aesthetics, improve balance, and other benefits mentioned above.
Before you select one, it’s best to learn more about the design, purpose, and characteristics to get a more efficient operating and durable tool.
Do you know other knives with holes and their purposes? Please comment below to share with us. Thanks for taking the time to read this post!