Why Do Some Knives Have Dimples?
There are many factors to consider when buying a knife: blade length, blade material, handle material, blade shape – a lot happens, but most of us understand their purpose. But there are blades with dimples, pits and depressions. Why are they there? Do you need a dimpled blade?
Like all dimples, these grooves are cute, but they are also functional. Sometimes referred to as “granton”, they are most commonly found on santoku knives – knives with a blunt nose and a flat cutting edge – but you can find them on other blade shapes (mainly due to the popularity of the santoku knife.). Simply put, they serve to prevent food from sticking to the knife. By creating small air pockets between the blade and food, the dimples reduce the suction created, which helps vegetables and the like to fall off the blade more easily.
I say “a little easier” because I haven’t found the dimples to be of great importance. Potatoes – the vegetable most prone to getting stuck – still occasionally cling to the blade, even with cute dimples on their cheeks. Of course, they cling less, but not enough to make me throw away the chef’s knife or kiwi cleaver and buy all the new knives. So if you feel that your favorite knives are doing their job, you don’t need to scare away the dimples.
What is the best way to prevent food from sticking to the knife? Pull, but do not push the blade through the food. By planting the tip of the blade and dragging it from the front of the food to your body, potatoes (and any other sticky food) will not stick to the blade, whether dimpled or not. (This is great news to me as I love my dimpleless chef’s knife and kiwi cleaver.)