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What is a Lettuce Knife?
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
A lettuce knife is a knife which is designed to cut lettuce without causing the lettuce to brown, yellow, or wilt. These special knives have serrated blades and they are typically made from plastic, which will not react with the lettuce to stimulate browning. Since browned lettuce is deemed aesthetically unpleasing, a lettuce knife can help keep a salad looking crisp and fresh without forcing cooks to tear lettuce by hand. The use of a knife also reduces the need to handle lettuce directly, reducing the risk of food borne illness.
Two things distinguish a lettuce knife from other knives. The first is the plastic blade. As you may have noticed when you cut lettuce with a metal knife, the metal reacts with the lettuce, creating unsightly brown, slightly wilted edges. Plastic does not stimulate a reaction, and the serrated edge of the knife cuts crisply through lettuce without tearing it. By using a lettuce knife, you can break lettuce up into manageable chunks without having to handle it; in addition to being a boon for food safety, this is also helpful when you are cooking for a crowd..
Lettuce knives are not one trick ponies. They can also be used on tomatoes and other soft vegetables, along with cakes and soft breads. Many people like using serrated blades on cakes in particular because they reduce torn, ragged edges, and a lettuce knife is ideal for this purpose. The blade of the knife is also strong enough to use as a cake server, for people who like to minimize dishes.
Many kitchen supply stores sell lettuce knives. These kitchen utensils are fairly basic, and your options are generally limited to different color choices and types of handles. The plastic material makes most lettuce knives dishwasher safe, although you may want to double-check on this when you buy a lettuce knife. In addition, you may want to consider getting a sheath, since the edge can deliver a nasty nick, although it certainly can't cause mortal damage.
While a lettuce knife will certainly reduce the risk of passing food borne illness to food consumers, it doesn't eliminate it. You should always wash your hands before handling food, and lettuce should be washed before use, along with other greens. You can either run lettuce under cool running water and shake it out, or you can wash lettuce in a salad spinner. Make sure to keep people with colds and coughs out of the kitchen as well.
Mary McMahon
Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a DelightedCooking researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.
Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a DelightedCooking researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.
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![A Caesar salad. Cutting the lettuce with a lettuce knife helps to stop it from browning.]()
By: elnarizA Caesar salad. Cutting the lettuce with a lettuce knife helps to stop it from browning. -
![Lettuce knives allow cooks to keep salad green without tearing the lettuce by hand.]()
By: Photographee.euLettuce knives allow cooks to keep salad green without tearing the lettuce by hand. -
![Always wash hands before handling food.]()
By: wollertzAlways wash hands before handling food.
Discussion Comments
My lettuce knife is in the giftwrap underbed box. It slices through all my papers as easily as any metal razor knife, but I don't get cut if I slip.
@robbie21 - A plastic lettuce knife can be a handy tool, but you don't necessarily need one unless you cut up lettuce and then keep it in your fridge. When I make salad, I eat it all the same day, before the leaves have time to wilt or turn brown.
What I usually do is just get a head of romaine (or just a heart--yum!) and rinse the whole thing under running water. Then I plop it down on a cutting board and just slice it with a regular chef's knife.
Now, my mom likes to make a salad on Sunday and eat it half the week. She would benefit from a lettuce knife (ah, present idea).
Apparently, I used to own a plastic lettuce knife and had no idea! I got it as a gift and I thought it was only a cake and pie cutter and server. It finally met its match with a particularly tough crust and snapped. I didn't bother replacing it, but maybe I will now that I know it has hitherto unsuspected capabilities. I do get tired of ripping up lettuce by hand.
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