Victorinox bakers knife

[Sosa]

Any thoughts or experience with this folder. Thinking of buying one for the kitchen and garden.

 

[Raymond1000]

Just a guess, but…

Make some French bread. Mix, kneed, multiple rises to develop flavor.

Before baking, shape dough into a baguette. This requires stretching the loaf’s skin to work the gluten. Stretching is what gives French bread its great crust.

Before sliding the loaves into a steamy oven, make several shallow cuts through the stretched skin. That allows the loaf to expand in the oven.

For that cut you need a very thin, very sharp knife. I use a Gerber paring knife, bought before the tragic Fiskars buy out.

Victorinox may intend this Bakers Knife for exactly that purpose. It’s not what I would use, but it might work.

 

[Sosa]

"I brew my beer, I bake my loaves.."lol. I'm planning on using it on fibrous vegetable stalks and tough packaging.

 

[brownshoe]

I bought one used at a gun show for my boy's crazy (literally) ex girl friend. She was not a knife person, but she loved it and dropped it immediately into her purse. I found it sweet and unique knife, i bake bread and use a serrated spydeco. I think it woukd be great in the kitchen or pocket

 

[GaryC]

Bought one years ago, never used it, been sitting in the drawer. Gary

 

[shecky]

It's extremely thin at the handle. The alox handle is also a bit slippery, being non textured. The knife is a slasher, though. Extremely easy to carry. I was thinking about putting a strip of skateboard tape on the handle. Mine is a promotional model with the name and phone number of a commercial bakery, but otherwise the same.

 

[Raymond1000]

I’ve never before discussed making bread, and had all the attention only on the knife.

 

[Sosa]

I'm thinking a little grip tape as suggested and a thumb stud. The baguettes wont stand a chance. A steamy oven is the least of their worries haha.

 

[Chris Larrikin]

I believe you're all wrong. What's more, this thread should be in prac tac. That's right; this knife is almost certainly a predecessor to the Spyderco Civilian and must be a necessity for those bakers and patissieres throughout France who know the desperate measures to which people will go to steal a fresh baguette or butter croissant

What an interesting knife though. If it is indeed for scoring bread it is (more) evidence of Victorinox's clear consideration for the end user in their designs.

 

[mete]

"stretching dough gives crust " ??? NO ! ovens are steam injected and it's the steam that forms the crust !! Yes , and I've baked bread for many , many years. The special knife ? some are just in effect razor blades .They are used to score the dough just before baking for predictable shapes and designs.
Lot's of myths there such as 'you have to add sugar to the yeast' NO Get out and make real bread , no machines .Us whole grain flour etc.

 

[Hateman]

For cutting bread, it's good. I used mine in the kitchen but mostly for cutting breads and that's about it.

Using it for stalks of vegetables or peeling fruits should be no problem as the serrations lend the knife to such.

It will cut through some packages; such as plastics for foods. Blister packs can be cut with it, but a blade with a point would be better.

I'd suggest a pointed blade for all the tasks above. A soldier, pioneer, paring knife or some small single blade Vic such as the Pruner, or Gardener may be better for your tasks, IMHO. Hop this helps.

 

[omaha-beenglockin]

Giving a knife to a crazy person-----hhhhhhhmmmm I'll have to ponder that some.

 

[Raymond1000]

double post

 

[Raymond1000]

"stretching dough gives crust " ??? NO ! ovens are steam injected and it's the steam that forms the crust !! Yes , and I've baked bread for many , many years. The special knife ? some are just in effect razor blades .They are used to score the dough just before baking for predictable shapes and designs.
Lot's of myths there such as 'you have to add sugar to the yeast' NO Get out and make real bread , no machines .Us whole grain flour etc.

Water, flour, salt, yeast. That’s all.

When I first made French bread I followed Julia Child’s trick for adding steam to the oven. Heat a firebrick on the range. Slide the loaves or rolls onto a baking stone. Drop the brick into a pan of water. The combination of high heat and steam powers the rapid expansion of the loaves. Which is why simple slashes in dough look all bulged out in the bread.

But without stretching the loaf’s skin as you form a baguette or batard, you don’t get that French bread crunchy crust. I’ve tried making French bread—exact same recipe including steam—without the pull and stretch. It makes a nice enough loaf. But it’s not French bread.

In Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia says, “Use an ordinary razor blade and slide on side into a cork for safety; or buy a barber’s straight razor at a cutlery store.” In her illustration, la coupe is made with a cutthroat razor.

 

[brownshoe]

Did not know she was crazy until later and she was not violent, just twisted. However, statstically, despite what you see on criminal minds, mentally ill people are about 20% less violent than "normals".

 

[22-rimfire]

It's a Vic and a no brainer. Get it. I think I'll get one next time I visit a certain knife store. I'm just about to plunge into the world of making/baking bread.