If you love cooking, a good knife is your best friend in the kitchen. As a mom and chef, I do a LOT of slicing and dicing. Choosing the right knife helps me to work faster and more efficiently when I’m preparing a meal. Today I’m going to share with you my favorite knives to work with and what I use them for.
The three types of knives that most home cooks find useful are:
- a chef knife
- a serrated knife
- a paring knife
This is what’s known as the “The Big Three.”
THE THREE MUST-HAVE KNIVES YOU NEED IN YOUR KITCHEN
You may have a large knife block with different kinds of knives but you probably don’t know how to use half of them. However, you may be surprised to learn that you really only need three knives. Any other knife makes cooking easier and more enjoyable, but with a chef knife, serrated knife and a paring knife, you can perform virtually any task in the kitchen.
The chef knife: This is the workhorse of the kitchen and your go-to knife for most prep work. It has a broad tapering blade, a sharp tip, and a chunky handle. A chef knife can handle small jobs like mincing garlic or big ones like breaking down squash. An 8-inch blade is perfect for most home cooks.
The paring knife: This looks like a miniature chef’s knife and has a blade ranging from two to four inches long. Also called a utility knife, this small knife is perfect for tasks that require precision like slicing a plum, peeling an apple, or cutting up bite-sized chunks of chicken for little ones. In addition, it is perfect for teaching children basic knife skills as they allow little hands to have more control.
The serrated knife: This knife is most useful for foods that have a hard texture on the outside but are soft on the inside, like hard-crusted bread. A 10-inch blade is standard and is useful for sawing through ingredients with firm rinds like lemons, watermelon, or pineapples. The saw-toothed edge makes neat slices of soft-skinned ingredients like tomatoes.
MY FAVORITE KNIVES
I find that a chef knife works well for the majority of my cutting tasks. I really enjoy working with my Japanese knives. They’re lightweight so they don’t tire my wrist and hand as easily. And I also own a German-made Messermeister knife which has an 8-inch blade and a super comfortable olive wood handle. This is good for cutting through a hard winter squash or other tough jobs where I might be afraid to chip my Japanese knives.
If you’re trying to choose between either a western knife or Japanese knife it comes down to personal preference. You’ll want to select a knife that’s comfortable to hold, feels like the right weight for you, and has a good, sharp blade.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I choose a good knife set?
The handles are easy to hold, and the blades are powerful and sharp.
What knife material is best?
High-carbon stainless steel is used by the majority of high-quality producers due to its excellent edge retention, hardness, and simplicity of maintenance.
Does knife shape matter?
The design of a blade can affect its strength when performing heavy lifting, its agility, and even its capacity to keep an edge.
Recommended Kitchen Knives
Kitchen Knives:
- Messermeister 8" Chef Knife: https://amzn.to/3c2Y1u5
- Japanese Santoku Knife: https://amzn.to/4ciKRmQ
- Japanese Nigiri Knife: https://amzn.to/3Tn4Qbj
- Serrated Knife: https://amzn.to/3IIo9ai
- Paring Knife: https://amzn.to/3TklkkC
- Cleaver: https://amzn.to/4aiDMke
- Boning Knife: https://amzn.to/3vh6Iue
- Kids Knife Set: https://amzn.to/49WZw5F
Knife Guards
- 8" Knife Guard: https://amzn.to/4ch66W5
- 10" Knife Guard: https://amzn.to/3TCD3VK
- 6 to 8" White/clear Bladesafe Knife Blade Guard: https://amzn.to/43psj0i Whetstone
Knife Sharpening
Now that you know more about kitchen knives, you'll also want to keep your knife sharp. You can have this done professionally or do it yourself at home with a whetstone. To learn how to do that, here's a video where I explain the process:
Sharpening | Beginner's Guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcMxioudZFM&feature=youtu.be My Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/christinesnaturalkitchen
I hope you found this article helpful, and if you did, leave a comment!
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