We all have at least one of these long, wicked-looking, and many-toothed knives laying around in a drawer. Unless you make or buy whole loaves of bread, chances are that knife isn't seeing too much action in your kitchen. Here are a few more ways you can put that knife to work!

1. Tomatoes - Our favorite alternative use for a serrated knife! Serrated knives work just as well as so-called tomato knives to cut tender tomatoes into thin pieces. This also works well on other thick-skinned/tender-flesh fruits like peaches and nectarines.

2. Chocolate - The sharp little teeth on serrated knives make quick work of a block of chocolate that we need broken into smaller pieces.

3. Melon - Whenever we want to take the rind off a melon, we slice off the top and bottom, and then use a serrated knife to shave away the outer rind before cutting it into pieces. We picked up this trick up from an episode of Iron Chef and have used it ever since!

4. Cake - Any other knife rips tender cake to shreds and showers us with crumbs.

5. Slashing the Tops of Loaves - In bread baking, you need to make a shallow cut in the top to allow it expand evenly in the oven. We've tried paring knives, x-acto knives, chef's knives, and we've finally landed on serrated knives as making the best and cleanest cut. (FYI, professional bakers use little razors called "lames"!)

What other ways do you use your serrated knife?

Related: Get Your Knives Sharpened By Mail

(Image: Flickr member Startcooking Kathy & Amandine licensed under Creative Commons)