Knives

If you want to be a good cook, you need a good set of knives. And you need to take care of them, sharpen and hone them, clean them and store them safely.

Purchasing a whole set of knives in one of those blocks is not your best option. Just like with sets of pots and pans, you often only use a few of the items regularly, making the set a waste of money. You’re really better off buying individually what you need or want most.

You can turn out great meals with just a simple 6” Chef’s knife. But if you spend a lot of time in the kitchen and you enjoy preparing meals, investing in a variety of knives that serve different purposes will make your job that much easier and more enjoyable.

What’s more important really, is not the quantity of knives you own, but the quality. Buy the very best knives that you can afford. They will last you for years and perform day after day.

So, which types of knives do you need? I already mentioned the Chef’s Knife. This is the all-around knife that you shouldn’t live without. They usually come in 6” or 8” varieties. I have both. I think this is a matter of personal preference. I find the 6” ideal for most jobs, but the 8” comes in handy when I have something larger to cut that requires a little more muscle or to get through whatever it is; say, a large watermelon.

I like having a tomato knife. These delicate fruits can be smashed if using even a slightly dull regular knife. The tomato knife is serrated and those ridges really help cut into the fruit without tearing it to shreds.

A bread knife is super useful. It too, is serrated, and slices through a loaf without ripping it on the way down.

A carving knife is helpful if you like to roast your own meats, where carving them is a requirement.

A boning knife is useful if you cut into carcasses and spatchcock (butterfly) them or need to disjoint them.

A paring knife is a small thing, useful for peeling potatoes or beets, or chopping fine herbs or smaller, softer food items. That’s almost something you can’t live without.

A Santoku knife is a Japanese workhorse. Similar to a chef’s knife, these have shorter more compact blades that are flatter. Ideal for shorter, downward strokes as opposed to the rocking-chopping and slicing you’d do with a longer blade. Nice to have, and a matter of personal preference, but not necessary.

Steak knives are nice if you enjoy a steak now and then. Also serrated, they glide through meat like a regular knife can only hope for.

What ALL knives will require is a little TLC from you on a regular basis. Maintaining their edge is of the highest importance. There are sharpening steels, honing steels and whetstones that can help you do that. How and when to sharpen and hone your knives is explained perfectly here.

Cleaning a knife means washing by hand and NEVER placing it in the dishwasher! The high temperatures while drying are no good for your plastic/wood handles and you want to dry them by hand and put them back in their place right away for safety reasons anyway. It’s too easy to get poked when reaching into a clean dishwasher.

You can store your knives along a magnetic knife rack like the one pictured above. It’s cool if you have the wall space for it and like to keep them handy or suffer from a drawer shortage. Otherwise, you can convert a drawer and use a box that fits into one, like this organizer I bought for my knife collection.

Do invest in a few quality knives. It will make food prep easier and more fun.

#typesofknives #kitchentools #chefsknife