Essential Knives
8/13/20252 min read
When choosing knives, it’s a simple matter; it depends on your personal needs and budget. An 8 to 10-inch Stainless Steel Chef’s Knife will satisfy most cooking tasks; however, different knives have different purposes. Below will break them down further.
There are three primary materials for knives: Stainless Steel, Carbon Steel, or ceramic. Most cooks prefer stainless steel due to its sharpness and ease of maintenance. Carbon steel, on the other hand, is for those looking for a step up: cutting-edge sharpness and cool appearance; however, it comes with both heavy maintenance and price. Lastly, ceramic, while it is sharper than stainless steel, it easily breaks and is less versatile in terms of the type of food you can cut—I recommend avoiding them. With that said, below are recommendations of knives, with number 1 and 2 being the most important to get.
An 8- or 10-Inch Chef’s Knife or a 6- to 8-Inch Santoku Knife
Chef’s Knife offers more versatility in the range of tasks it can perform, like mincing garlic with a rocking motion. The Santoku knife, on the other hand, offers more precision in chopping and slicing due to its sharper edge. While both are great, pick the one you like better and/or suit your needs, and if possible, take a step further by going to a knife store to feel the knife in your hand. It should feel natural, an extension of your body. Try out different handles and lengths until it feels natural to you.
Some recommendations:
Western-Style: 8- or 10-inch Wusthof Classic Cook’s Knife
Japanese-Style: 7-inch Misono UX10 Santoku
3- to 4-Inch Sheep’s Foot Paring Knife
A paring knife helps get a precise and quicker cut, with less of a chance for user error because of its smaller size. For example, it will help peel or trim fruits, segment perfectly cut citrus peel, or do small tasks when you don’t want to get out a bigger knife, like cutting butter.
3-inch Kudamono Hollow-Edge Paring Knife from Henckels
3-inch Sheep’s Foot Paring Knife from Wusthof
10- to 12-Inch Serrated Bread Knife
A serrated knife offers what a chef’s knife or santoku knife can’t do with ease, such as very tough or delicate foods. Because of the sharp edges, it helps cut through food with a tough exterior, such as sourdough, or a soft, delicate exterior like tomato, cakes, or pastries without damaging the structure.
F. Dick Forged 8-Inch Bread Knife
Victorinox Fibrox Bread Knife (Cheaper)
6-Inch Boning Knife
If you plan to buy a lot of large meat with bones and/or fat still attached or whole fish, a boning knife will help with the trimming and removal of fat/bone with ease. While probably not needed for most home cooks, if you fit the profile of cutting a lot of meat or fish, it’s probably good to have.
Wusthof Classic 6-inch Flexible Boning Knife
A Bonus Knife: Heavy Cleaver
A cleaver is very versatile. It can do most of what a chef’s knife or santoku knife can do, while doing things they cannot do, such as hacking animal bones, mincing meat, cleaving hearty vegetables, and lastly, transporting large quantities of food without a bench scraper. While it has many benefits, it has a learning curve with its heavy weight; it can be hard to maneuver and get used to. But overall, a great addition to a kitchen.
Look for a cleaver with a solid construction and a full tang from a restaurant supply store (it’s cheaper and better)
If you can’t find one, a 7-inch wood-handled cleaver from Dexter-Russell (a tad more expensive since you're paying for the label)