Knives are an important part of a Cook’s equipment. A good knife makes the preperation of food enjoyable. A bad knife makes the preparation of food frustrating. There are three main Knives in the cooks arsenal and at least 2 others that are helpful to have. The three must haves are:

  • The Chef Knife
  • The Utility Knife
  • The Paring Knife

The other two are the filleting knife and the slicer. Most of you’re knife sets at the store will have all five of these. There are several things to keep in mind when selecting your knives.

The Chef knife is the largest of the knives in this list. It has a wide blade that is curved near the tip. It is used for most all chopping jobs and is even useful for slicing in a pinch. The Utility knife is a general purpose knife. It is smaller and has a pretty straight edge with a slight amount of curvature near the tip. It is used for small slicing jobs and prepping vegetables. The Paring Knife is a short bladed knife with a straight edge and a sharp tip. It is used for peeling and prepping vegetables. With these three knives you can do most every job the kitchen might demand of you.

While selecting your knives there are several things to keep in mind. Steel type, Edge, and Handle. Of these the edge is probably the most neglected and overlooked. Never get hooked into buying one of those Ginsu Knives or any serrated knife. You won’t see those in any restaurants and for good reason. Serrated edges are good for only one thing: Sawing. Kitchen Knives shouldn’t require you to saw your food. The food looks bad afterwords and it’s a lot more work. Instead get a knife with a straight smooth edge. You’ll thank me later.

The steel quality is also an important aspect of knife selection. Iron Knives tend to loose their edge quickly and are generally not as useful because of this. Surgical or hardened steel works best for kitchen knives.

The Handle is also often ignored in Knife selection. The handle is where the rubber hits to road so to speak. An uncomfortable handle or an unbalanced handle on your knife will wear out your wrist and hand muscles. Plastic handles will often be too light and make the knife feel ungainly. Metal or Wood handles work best.

Once you have purchased your knives you should take care of them. I recommed getting a good quality knife steel to go with your set. It will help you to maintain the edge on your knife. Ceramic steels are wonderful but expensive. Each time you use the knife, use the steel to put an edge on the blade and you will never have a problem with a dull blade. If you maintain this practice you should never have to reset an edge on one of your knives. Setting the edge on a knife has to occur when the blade has become so dull that it is no longer useable. It requires grinding the edge with a heavy grit stone and then successively polishing that to a final sharp edge. It’s not good for the knife and reduces it’s useable life if you have to do it to often. By using the steel you will help to preserve your knives for a long time to come.