Colour-coded knives may seem unnecessary, but having a clear and concise system in your kitchen ensures hygiene and organisation remain your top priorities. It's a powerful tool to prevent cross-contamination, spreading harmful bacteria from one food to another. Different colours are assigned to different food groups, like red for raw meat, blue for raw fish, green for vegetables, and yellow for cooked food. This visual cue helps you avoid using the same knife for different food types, especially raw and cooked items, potentially preventing foodborne illnesses.

Colour coding can make your kitchen work more streamlined and organised. Identifying the right knife for the job becomes easier, eliminating the need to search through various blades. This can be especially helpful in professional kitchens with high volume or busy home cooks. To put it simply, using colour-coded knives is a sharp idea!

Colour-Coded Knives, A Cutting Edge Idea

Cooksmill’s range of colour-coded chef knives is essential in any commercial kitchen. Commercial chefs’ knives have coloured handles to indicate which knife should be used for which type of food. Following the coloured handle system prevents cross-contamination and food poisoning, therefore keeping your kitchen and guests safe.

To break it down simply, the colour coded knife system aligns a specific colour to a food group. 

• Blue is used for raw fish
• Brown for root vegetables
• Green for fruit and salads
• Red for raw meat
• White for bakery and dairy 
• Yellow for cooked meat. 

More recently, purple has been used to identify potential allergens. By following this system, you ensure that your kitchen and food prep area is hygienic and organised. We have a sign available to make it easy for your staff to identify and learn the different colours and their food groups. Or download our info graphic to print yourself.

Different Types Of Knives

Now that we’ve covered what exactly encompasses the colour-coded system, let’s look more closely at the different styles of knives. While there are many more types of knives available, the following types of knives are the most commonly used in the colour-coded system.

The chef’s/cook’s knife is a must-have go-to knife for any kitchen. It can be used to chop, slice, crush and carve. These knives have been designed to perform well with a different range of tasks, so whether you’re a professional or cooking as a hobby, your chef’s knife will most likely be the most-used piece of cutlery in your kitchen.

Similar to chef knives, a utility knife is another all-rounder in the kitchen. It can be used for chopping and slicing smaller items, including cuts of meat and vegetables. The narrow blade allows it to carve meat as well as other items, like soft cheese without sticking. Utility knives are smaller than chef’s knives and larger than pairing knives, so the perfect in between.

Pairing knives are usually between 6-12cm. They may be small, but they are mighty. They allow you to perform intricate cutting tasks like peeling, coring, dicing and slicing small fruits and vegetables, removing seeds, pips and eyes, or cutting smaller ingredients like nuts.

A bread knife is a life saver for bread lovers. The deep serrated edge and long blade make it easy to cut through the hard crust and soft bread without tearing the slice or flattening the loaf. This results in a perfectly even slice of bread. These knives can also be used for slicing meat, veg and tomatoes, so it's a fantastic purchase for those looking for versatile tools in their busy kitchens.

The boning knife is used to remove bones and skins from meat and fish. Featuring a thin, narrow blade that curves upwards, this knife allows the user maximum access and precision cutting. This ensures the cleanest of cuts around bones and skin, without butchering the useable meat and ruining the cut.

Vegetable knives allow you to cut, shred and dice vegetables with precision and ease. These knives are easy to hold and ensure the finest of cuts when it comes to vegetable prep, which is key for busy kitchens that are often preparing fresh veggies.

Knife Accessories

Stay a cut above your competitors with our knife accessories to keep them sharp. Cooksmill’s own colour coded chopping board set is currently on a massive 20% sale! This pack comes with 6 chopping boards in brown, green, blue, red, yellow and white to cover all your bases. This ensures you have a board for every food group and keeps your food safety up to standards.

We also have colour-coded chopping boards to purchase individually. Low density chopping boards are an integral part of any kitchen and food prep set-up. Low density chopping boards are lighter and easier to carry than high density boards. High density chopping boards are found in commercial kitchens and provide durable and resilient cutting surfaces for professional kitchen staff. We also have chopping board racks to store your boards effectively.

Knife sharpeners are another accessory that makes a world of difference to your knives. Our sharpeners are crafted from high-quality materials and improve the sharpness and longevity of your knives. Sharpening steels are suitable for a wide range of knife types and sizes. Basic steels are engineered to realign and restore the blade’s edge, enhancing its sharpness and ensuring precise cutting capabilities. Pull-through knife sharpeners are quicker, allowing you to have precision and ease when it comes to knife maintenance. Available in different sizes and designs, a pull through sharpener is great for quickly sharpening multiple knives.

Magnetic Knife Racks are perfect for almost any kitchen, from at home domestic settings to busy hospitality kitchens. They allow chefs to hang their knives and other sharp utensils up and keep the workspace clean. Knife racks also keep sharp objects out of reach, which reduces the risk of injury. With a knife rack, you can keep your colour coded knives on display, to ensure chefs use the right ones for the right tasks. Similarly, knife racks allow you to store your knives but keep the handles visible for chefs for easy access and identification.

Cut Through The Competition With Cooksmill

With everything you could possibly need to stay sharp, Cooksmill is your one stop shop for kitchen knives. We offer professional knives that have been designed for the busy hospitality industry, so you know you can trust these products to get you through the busiest of days. Shop now and enjoy free delivery on orders over £60 (excluding VAT).