Bread Knives

Longer than the widest loaf you cut, so the whole slice happens in one stroke. A blade that has to be worked back and forth across a wide loaf tears the crumb at the end of each pass.

For a standard tin loaf a mid-length blade is plenty; for artisan rounds and long sourdough you want the longest practical. Blade lengths are listed per product and on specifications.

Scalloped teeth have rounded arcs and cut soft bread, cake and brioche without shredding. Pointed teeth bite into hard crusts and crusty rolls more aggressively but are rougher on anything delicate.

A bakery slicing both wants one of each. A cafe cutting sandwich loaves is well served by scalloped alone.

Yes, but not on a steel or a pull-through sharpener, which only touch the tips of the teeth. Serrations need a tapered rod worked in each gullet, or a service that does it properly.

Because of that, serrated blades are often run until they stop cutting and then replaced. Hold a spare rather than persevering — see the sharpeners range for the rod type that fits.

An offset handle raises the knuckles above the blade, so you can cut all the way through a loaf on a board without your hand hitting the bench. It suits sandwich production and slicing to order.

A straight handle gives better control for cake and fine work. Production benches tend to prefer offset, pastry sections straight.

For a layered or iced cake, yes — a long serrated blade cuts cleanly where a chef's knife drags icing through the sponge. Warm the blade and wipe it between cuts.

For precise pastry work and torting, a pastry knife is the better tool. The bakery equipment range covers the rest.

By hand and dried immediately. Serrated edges trap crumb and fat, so they want a brush rather than a wipe, and a commercial dishwasher knocks the teeth against racks.

Store it with the edge protected — a wall rack or a guard — because the teeth will mark anything they are stacked against.

It needs less force, which helps, and the real safety gain is that the loaf stops rolling under the blade.

Cut on a board with some grip, never towards yourself, and keep it out of a drawer. The rest of the commercial knives range follows the same rules.