A Butter knife is also known as table butter knives or simply called Butter knives. These are different types of Butter knives, there are sharp -pointed butter knives. There is also that dull-edged butter knives and there are butter knives with sabre shape. In today’s post, we will talk about the different Types Of Butter Knives.
Different Types Of Knives
When setting up a table, a butter knife to be set up usually consists of a dinner fork, a salad fork, a teaspoon, a master butter knives and those that are termed butter spreaders.
The main purpose why a butter knife is being used for butter and not other knife, this is to prevent using another knife that was used to cut meat and foods.
Different varieties of butter knives exists because each variety differs from one another according to its function, design and the material used.
Types of butter knives according to its Function
Each type of butter knives have different functions and some of these knives are specific to how they are used.
Master Butter Knives
It is also known as table butter knives. It is usually set on a table together with the butter to be shared by everyone on the table. These type of knife have sharp and pointed and dull edge knife used for the sole purpose of serving the butter.
These type of knives are not used to spread the butter on the bread, but instead it is used to sever the butter from the butter dish to each of the plates of the guests in the table this is to prevent contaminating remaining butter in the butter dish if you will be using this knife to spread on the bread.
Butter Spreaders
As the name implies, butter spreaders are used to spread the butter on the bread. These knives are not used to tear the bread since it has a round point.
On the dining table, butter spreaders are usually positioned and placed on the bread plate, it should always be there. However, if at some point butter spreaders is not available on the bread plate, you can use the dinner knife instead to spread the butter on the bread.
Corn Butter Knife
It is used to, of course, butter the corn. It is designed to shape that of a cob to make it easier to butter the corn, that way butter will be distributed evenly.
The knife has a beveled edge that can easily slice through the butter. It is made with stainless steel blade. The curved edge allows users to scoop butter directly from the butter to spread it to the corn evenly.
Types of butter knives according to its design
Butter knives have different designs to choose from, although the design cannot in any way have an impact or affect how the knives function.
Based on its design, one can determine the difference between a hollow handle butter spreader from a flat handle butter spreader, or difference between a butter knife with a hollow handle and a flat butter knife.
Flat Handle Master Butter Knife
The handle of these type of knife is designed with a central ridge . This is to easily pick up the butter from the butter disk. Also the flat handle is designed for easy gripping of the knife.
Hollow Handle Master Butter Knife
Hollow handle is commonly known for its abbreviation which is HH. These type of butter knives specifically made for the handle to be hollow while the stainless steel blade is partially secured unto the hollow handle of the butter knife.
Flat/Solid Handle Individual Butter Spreader
The handle on this type of butter knife is designed as a teardrop handle. A central ridge is also made. These butter knife ensures users a firm grip of the knife and also helps to evenly spread the butter on the bread.
Hollow Handle Individual Butter Spreader
A hollow handle butter spreader is mostly made with sterling silver patterns. The handle of this knife is designed with a hollow center, to hold it in place a strong epoxy is used to attached.
Types of butter knives according to the materials used
The type of material used to make the butter knives can affect the knife’s durability, sharpness as well as how strong the butter knife is. Make sure you have an idea on what the material is being used to make the knife: Plastic, wooden, stainless steel, Carbon steel, Damascus Steel, Ceramic and Titanium.
Plastic Butter Knife
A butter knife that is made of plastic. A plastic butter knife is preferably used because of the handle and its blade. Although the blade is not sharp enough, perhaps the same sharpness as that of a butter knife, however since it is thin it can slice through the dough to separate it.
Wooden Butter Knife
A wooden butter knife is made up of wood. An advantage of using a wooden butter knife is that it is smooth, does not break and the weight is much lesser. Although it is not sharp enough as compared to other knives such a kitchen knife, it is a perfect butter knife that is still capable of cutting through a butter.
Stainless Steel Butter Knife
Although there are other butter knives available out there, the most preferred type of butter knives are made out of stainless steel material. Stainless steel is proven to be durable, can lasts for a longer period of time even with continuous use, resistant to rust and easy to clean too.
Although there are quite a number of stainless steel butter knives available, you have to make sure of the type of alloys being used too. Making sure that the stainless steel being used is high quality.
Damascus Steel Butter Knives
Damascus steel is a type of steel that has a distinction of a patterned design. It is considered to be a strong type of steel since two or more alloys are combined together to make a strong Damascus steel.
Although Damascus steel is not considered to be the strongest metal, however, once it is hardened it can be harder than that of stainless steel blade material.
Carbon Steel Butter Knives
Carbon steel is more durable and more stronger than stainless steel. A perfect knife used for peeling knives. Chromium is not added to this type of steel, therefore this one right here is more susceptible to discolorations, staining most especially when the knife comes in direct contact with acidity.
Ceramic Butter Knives
A butter knife with a ceramic blade are not metallic nor magnetic. Most individuals prefer to use ceramic butter knives because is it not heavy and easy to clean too.
To make it more appealing on the table, most of ceramic butter knives are designed with patterns, sometimes on different colors.
However, take extra caution when handling ceramic butter knives as they are more vulnerable to breaking especially when accidentally dropped.
Titanium Butter Knives
A knife of choice used for diving and on your pocket but most of titanium knives are not sharp enough therefore it can be used effectively to be a butter knife than other purposes that may actually need a sharper knife. But not this one though. Butter knives made from Titanium are also resistant to rust and can lasts for a longer period of time.
What is the difference between a butter knife and a Butter spreader?
The only distinction that butter knife and a butter spreader has are the tips at the end of the knife. Butter knives have pointed tips while rounded tips are for butter spreader.
What is the difference between a butter knife and a dinner knife?
Butter knives are used for buttering a bread using the butter on the butter dish, whereas a dinner knife is a sharp knife used to slice through and cut meats and vegetables on the dining table.
Conclusion
Having a set of butter knives on the dining table will improve how we consume the butter in the dish and on the bread. We hope that this guide has helped you decide which type of butter knives to use for according to different categories that suites you best: according to purpose, function and made.