Serrations on kitchen knives

[Fancier]

This might not matter for some applications, but I recently purchased the serrated six inch kitchen utility and I've found that the serrations are cut in the opposite direction compared to my other serrated kitchen knives. I guess I'll have to learn to slice cheese left handed now because when I use my normal technique the Spyderco kitchen knife just knocks the corner off the block of cheese instead of providing an even slice across the face of the block. If the handedness of the serrations matters (and it seems to matter to me) then is there a reason why they all come ground left handed?

[The Deacon]

They're ground for show, not for go. The serrations are on the side where they look best to right handed users. FWIW, the older serrated Spyderco Kitchen Sharps, Spyderco's serrated fixed blade knives, and almost all Spyderco's serrated folders are ground the same way. The only exception, ironically, are the serrations on knives Spyderco marketed as "left handed".

Early, right hand serrated Mariner...

Early, left hand serrated Mariner...

In fairness to Spyderco, it makes no practical difference for most things that folks cut with their serrated Spydercos. Certain cheeses would be an obvious exception.

[sal]

They are serrated to cut away from the hand holding the item being cut. The earliest serrated kitchen knives were serrated on the right side and the knife would veer to the left (towards the hand) which intimidated some people. To cut straight, tilt the blade spine to the right.

sal

[RadioactiveSpyder]

Couldn't the OP's issue with cutting the cheese (no pun intended! ) be solved by just cutting slices off the other side of the block, using the same hand as always? Maybe I'm just missing something here...

[Fancier]

Radioactive, that is what I meant by cutting slices left handed, off the other (wrong!) end of the block instead of the correct (right) end. It ain't natural but I'll try it over the weekend. I did try varying the angle of attack and it took larger chips off the shoulder of the cheddar, so the process could be taken further and I'd eventually have full slices with some practice. Some habits are harder than others to break...
This seems to be one of the very few instances where being left handed would be an advantage. I thought perhaps we'd hear that Sal is left handed and he likes them that way.

[Fancier]

Okay, yes, cutting on the left hand side of the cheese block works better for me. :)

[tvenuto]

I don't eat cheese personally, but I wouldn't have though a serrated edge would be the best choice for the task either way. Wouldn't serrations increase the drag on this sticky medium? I'm genuinely asking here, not calling anyone out. What are the advantages to SE when cutting cheese, and are there any disadvantages?

[JD Spydo]

I personally only use plain edged blades to cut cheese with. I mainly use serrated kitchen blades to cut meat, vegetables and poultry>> and to some extent I used the to cut up certain fruits as well.

I've found the serrations on Spyderco's kitchen knives to be great for many cutting chores. Again I'm referring to Spyderco's different serration patterns. The serration pattern on my Spyderco K-04 and K-05 models is a type of rounded/wavy serrations which tend to be great for veggies and fruit. Now the spikey serrations like on my Temperance 1 SE model are your typical spikey Japan made models>> however I find them to be quite effective on meat and carving a turkey already cooked.

I truly wish they would focus more on the different serration patterns because they all have their better points and some are better than others for certain cutting jobs. I've yet to find a pattern that I like better than the serration pattern on my older C-17 Catcherman which has a low profile/wavy type of pattern that I find to be good for almost any cutting jobs you need serrations for.

[Fancier]

Tvenuto, I find that a serrated knife works well on cheddar because the chisel edge kicks the slice away from the blade and allows a non-binding push cut. A chisel ground plain edge might do the same thing but I do not own one to experiment with. For a soft cheese there are specialized tools but for a hard cheese I prefer something that I can lean on a bit.
For actual slicing I prefer a long plain edge with a coarse edge, mostly because it is easier to slice straight with a symmetrical blade.

[awa54]

I don't eat cheese personally, but I wouldn't have though a serrated edge would be the best choice for the task either way. Wouldn't serrations increase the drag on this sticky medium? I'm genuinely asking here, not calling anyone out. What are the advantages to SE when cutting cheese, and are there any disadvantages?

Don't eat cheese!?! Here in Vermont that's considered suspicious behavior

In my kitchen the only serrated blade is for bread, however for those who don't enjoy (or aren't well versed in) sharpening on a regular basis, serrated blades can be pretty useful (try cutting cheddar with a *dull* plain edge...). And of course everyone has their own preferences for the right tools in the kitchen!

[tvenuto]

Don't eat cheese!?! Here in Vermont that's considered suspicious behavior

Ha indeed, and it's not for lack of desire, believe me. I have a casein allergy (the protein in cheese), and while indulging won't kill me, it gives me seasonal-allergy-like symptoms, acne, etc, and it's not worth it in general.

[Fancier]

Tvenuto, I don't live with cats for a similar reason. Another edge profile that works well for me on cheddar is a saber grind, it splits the slice from the block and the flats don't contact either surface, and it cuts nice and straight. I suppose a sufficiently thin scandi would do the same.