Best 3 Knives You Need for the Kitchen - The Knife Buying Guide

Article by  Chef Austin 

 

Still trying to cut tomatoes with a steak knife? Is the tiny paring knife the only one you reach for? Knives can be intimidating and confusing when you don't know which ones you need for each cooking task. In our knife buying guide, we'll take a look at which knives are must-haves in the kitchen and which ones you may want to expand your collection with. 

 

These are the do-it-all knives. Having a set of these will allow you to cook a majority of foods and recipes because they are versatile and multi-functional earning them the title best knives in the kitchen.

1. Chef Knife - The most versatile knife in the kitchen. From breaking down large cuts of meat to dicing onions and slicing celery, the chef knife is the most essential kitchen knife

Look for: 8” size - longer than that gives you less control, shorter can’t give you as long of a slice which isn’t good when breaking down large food.

Chef's Recommended Chef Knife: 

Zwilling J.A. Henkles Pro 8" Chefs Knife - This is one of the most comfortable chef knives I've used in the kitchen. The bolster - the metal in front of the handle - tapers down into the blade making a very natural-feeling grip. Zwilling Pro knives are handcrafted in Germany - their German steel knives are easy to maintain and keep sharp.

 

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2. Serrated Knife - The essential kitchen knife for delicate foods like fresh bread or tomatoes. Serrated teeth will glide through delicate food instead of mushing and squishing as a straight-edge blade would.

Look for: 10” size - any shorter and you won’t be able to make full sweeps across large loaves of bread. Also look for deep, pointed serrations on the knife edge, they work better than the rounded scalloped-style serrated knives

Chef's Recommended Serrated Bread Knife: 

Mercer Millennia 10" Commercial Bread Knife w/ Wavy Edge - Mercer is a knife maker found in many commercial kitchens and now they offer you commercial quality at home. I really like their bread knife because it has pointed teeth and is long enough to make gentle sweeps across fresh French bread without squishing the soft interior. Mercer is a budget-friendly brand for home and commercial establishments making this serrated knife a low-cost investment. Wusthof (featured in the photo above) also makes a great choice for serrated knives. 

 

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3. Paring Knife - The best knife for smaller tasks that require precision. Used for slicing small fruits like strawberries, trimming fat from meat, slicing shallots or other small veggies, and deveining shrimp. Also good for making garnishes.

Look for: A straight-tip paring knife around 3"-4" in length. A straight-tip paring knife is versatile and will get small-food jobs done. There are specialty paring knives out there like the curved-tip parng knife that are designed for more specialty cutting techniques and would be a good addition to the straight-tip paring knife.   

Chef's Recommended Paring Knife: 

Wusthof Classic Paring Knife - 3.5" - Wusthof offers a classic paring knife with a comfortable handle. The German steel is strong, yet offers some flexibility, making this paring knife is perfect for any smaller jobs needing a steady hand and for trimming smaller fruits and veggies. 

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Kyocera Ceramic 3" Paring Knife - Ceramic is a great material for paring knives. Kyocera's knife stays incredibly sharp, is light-weight and is perfect for effortlessly slice small foods. Ceramic knives are not flexible and can break or chip, but the low-cost investment makes it easy to replace if that ever does happen.   

Chef Tip: Many people will peel with a paring knife. While you can do this, it takes much skill and time to do so. I recommend the Kuhn Rikon Swiss Peeler - much easier, faster, and safer to use than a paring knife to peel fruits and veggies.

 

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4. Honing Steel - Okay, so a honing steel isn't a knife, but it's essential for your kitchen knives. Honing your knife is like brushing your teeth - do it every time before or after you use your knife so your best knife doesn't become your worst knife. 10 swipes on each side should keep your knife’s edge sharp.

Look for: A standard steel material. Avoid diamond steels as they will eat away at the blade of the knife and ruin it in the long run. Avoid electric sharpeners as an everyday honing solution. Sharpeners are like the dentist - only use them once or twice a year. 

Chef's Recommended Honing Steel: 

The steel your knife set came with - the manufacturer usually knows what they're doing, and their steel honing tool included in the set will usually work just fine

Mercer Cutlery Sharpening Steel 10" German Steel - if you don't have a knife set that came with a steel, I recommend this affordable one from Mercer that will work for most knives

 

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Specialty Knives to Consider

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These might not be essential kitchen knives, but they are best for more specific applications, cooking techniques, and cooking styles. 

 

 

Santoku - The santoku is Japanese style knife that is good for general purpose tasks like slicing fruits and veggies and even cutting meat. Many like the santoku because it causes less fatigue - it can do this because the blade is sharpened to a thinner 15-degree angle. This sharper angle makes the santoku better for gently slicing into food versus your muscle having to push the knife into food like with a western style chef knife. Special divots called hallows are made into the knife to prevent food from sticking to the side of santoku knives. They also have a straight edge belly compared to the more rounded belly of a chef knife. The Santoku's straight belly works better for a slicing method compared to a rocking and chopping method. 

Chef's Recommended Santoku Knife: 

Shun Cutlery Premier Santoku Knife - the shorter length may feel more comfortable in your hand and gives you slightly more control than a large chef knife. The Shun is incredibly light compared to the traditional chef knife so you can use it for hours with minimal wrist strain. I like Shun's santoku because it has a small amount of curve on its belly giving you some room to use a rocking motion and taller height so your knuckles won't hit the cutting board. The hammered finish of this knife takes the place of the traditional hollow edge divots of the santoku.

 

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Utility Knife - this is a knife that doesn’t fall into other categories and can come in many different styles. This could be a longer 5” paring knife, a shorter 5” serrated slicer. These are good for smaller tasks like slicing sandwiches, cutting tomatoes, trimming skin from pineapple, or slicing limes & lemons.

Chef's Recommended Utility Knife: 

Wusthof Classic Ikon Utility Knife - 6" and Wusthof Classic Ikon Serrated Utility Knife - 5" - I would say having both a short serrated knife and a long paring knife both belong in the knife block. Sure you could accomplish tasks with a short paring knife or 10" serrated slicer, but a lot of times, a slightly shorter or slightly longer knife can give you more control in certain tasks. 

 

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Boning Knife - a slender and long knife specially designed to delicately cut meat away from bones, cut cartilage, and trim off silverskin. This is a knife you need if you want to break down chickens, filet salmon, and trim briskets.

Look for: 5.5”-7” in size. A flexible boning knife is going to perform most de-boning tasks such as breaking down whole chickens. You can also add a stiff boning knife to your collection which is better suited for breaking down large cuts of meat like whole lamb legs into primal cuts.

Chef's Recommended Boning Knife:

Zwilling JA Henckels 5.5" Pro Boning Knife - I use my boning knife all the time for trimming off excess fat from my tri-tip steak roast and for removing silverskin from pork tenderloin. The thinness of the boning knife makes it easy to get under tough silverskin of meats and then the flexibility lets you glide right under it following the curves of the meat. 

 

Chef note: an alternative style of boning knife, the Honesuki, is shorter and wider which gives you more control and precision. It's great for cutting through joints of chicken and is also a multi-use utility knife. The honesuki can remove silverskin, just not as well as the thinner, longer western style boning knife.

 

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Slicer - This is the essential kitchen knife you need for whole briskets, holiday hams & turkey, or prime rib - the slicer is for when the presentation and portion size matters. The long, narrow blade makes it easy to cut slices in a single pass so there’s no need for sawing back and forth making for perfect slices.

Look for: 10” or longer in length, straight-edge blade, and a rounded edge. Shorter slicers will not allow for single-sweep cuts and a pointed edge can get stuck inside of meat while slicing.

Chef's Recommended Slicer Knife:

Hammer Stahl German Steel 14" Slicer - This slicer from Hammer Stahl is long, has a rounded tip and takes some features from the santoku knife. There are many hollow points on the sides of the knife to prevent cuts of meat from sticking to the blade which helps you get perfect, even slices. Hammer Stahl cutlery is made from German steel and features beautiful pakkawood handles.

 

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Kitchen Shears - these heavy duty scissors are a great tool for quickly cutting some herbs or green onions, opening packages, and good shears will even break down a whole chicken

Look for: long length shears that are detachable for cleaning. A poly-material handle is also better for gripping compared to bare stainless steel.

Chef's Recommended Kitchen Shears:

Wusthof "Come Apart" Kitchen Shears - I used to open all my packages with a paring knife. Then, I got a pair of kitchen shears as a gift and then realized how much easier dedicated kitchen scissors make your life. I keep them with all my kitchen tools and are always grabbing for them to make a clean cut to open a package I need or when I need to chop one green onion for garnish without having to get the cutting board out at all. 

 

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Cleaver - The biggest and heaviest knife in the kitchen, cleavers have lots of heft to cut through chicken bones, large melons, and hard winter squash. A chef knife could do these tasks, but with the larger size and weight, it's easier to do with a cleaver.

Chef's Recommended Cleaver Knife:

Mercer 7" Cleaver Knife - You don't realize how much power a heavy cleaver can pack. Slide through butternut squash and sweet potatoes with ease. Mercer's rubberized handle gives you a secure grip even in large and messy butchering jobs. And remember, as a general rule, the bigger the knife, the bigger the fun. 

  

About the Author:  Chef Austin Merath is Everything Kitchen's Culinary Wizard, Kitchen-Gadget Reviewer, and New-Product Tester. He studied under chefs in College of the Ozarks' Culinary Program. It's his job to make sure you choose the kitchen tools that are right for you by testing the best we have to offer. When not cooking, Austin is tinkering with computers or exploring the Ozarks with his wife Amy. Click here for his full bio.