Knife blocks seem like a great idea at first.
You, thats who.
That mass-produced knife set is unlikely to work with your unique food personality.
Skip the block of cheap knives (many of which you wont touch anyway).
Instead, focus on fewer, better, personalized knives.
(Like thesix basic knife cutseveryone should know.)
This knife has a wide blade with a less dramatically curved edge.
The tip is noticeably different from the chefs knife, with a more blunt, downward design.
The chef’s knife or santoku will be your go-to food prep, slicing, and carving knife.
Whichever you choose, you want it to be capable of powerful cuts.
Look for a knife with afull tangwhich will lead to a weightier handle.
ensure the handle and bolster are comfortable in your grip.
Both of these features will allow you to control the blade better, and put someoomphbehind your cuts.
Stick with a six- to eight-inch blade.
One of the knives should be a workhorsethe chefs knife or santoku.
The other two should be versatile, but hone in on more specialized functions.
The following two blades cover a wide variety of foods with more precise handling.
Its this feature that makes the bread knife special.
Bread knives come in sizes ranging from six to twelve inches.
I suggest an eight-inch bread knife to comfortably cut a broad range of ingredients.
The blade has the same taper as a chefs knife, but is more narrow.
If you’re able to buy five kitchen knives… You already have your chefs knife or santoku, a utility knife, and a bread knife.
Maybe the utility knife is a bit too big for cutting fruit.
Is breaking down a chicken clunky?
You might need a more flexible blade.
Fileting a lot of fish?
That calls for a thin, long blade.
Take a look at the following knives and pick two that will best serve your needs.
Its what you want for fine, precision work.
A paring knife has a short, thin, tapered blade that may or may not be angled.
You cant put a lot of chopping power behind a paring knife, it’s better with small cuts.
Most of its value lies in maneuverability.
TheOpinel paring knifeis also a popular choice.
While it is good at those things, the cleaver is a veritable multitool in the kitchen.
The point of a knife is to make cooking easier, faster, and less work.
These knives will take care of most of your needs, but its just a starter list.
If you need two santoku knives of different sizes, go ahead and get them.
Just dont get a knife block.
