The 5 Knives Every Home Cook Needs

A Solid Chef’s Knife

I think you need to have a chef’s knife. The standard image of that is a European pointed knife that has a handle with a high enough rise so that your knuckles don’t come into contact with the board. There are a lot of Asian knives that fit that criteria, too. It’s really more of a personal preference, stylistic issue.

When picking out a chef’s knife, you’re going to want something that’s big enough to cut through things that are large. I can slice flank steak against the grain with an eight-inch chef’s knife for sure. A six-incher? Not always. An ideal chef’s knife is big enough to allow dicing, chopping, slicing and some butchering.

Some people like a smaller knife—maybe a six-inch knife as opposed to a 10-inch—which makes perfect sense. Remember back in grade school when we all had to play baseball in gym class? They always said, “If you want more control of the bat, you should choke up.” Essentially, this just makes the bat shorter. It’s the same with knives. Limiting the length gives you more control.

For a lot of home cooks whose knife work is not a big part of their every day experience, a smaller knife allows you to work safer and faster with more precision. Though it’s not my personal preference, I’m all for it!

A Good Paring Knife

People joke that one good chef’s knife is all you need. For the most part, that’s true.  However, some paring work is tricky with a knife that big. I actually don’t use a traditional paring knife. Instead, I go for one that’s four or five-inches long. It’s Japanese and it’s a small knife with a very paper-thin blade so I can cut small things very thin, like a shallot or shaving garlic. This knife is my go-to for cleaning up vegetables and peeling. And by going just a little bigger than the traditional paring knife size, I can also do some light filet work.

A Serrated Knife

A serrated knife is a must. Serrated knives are really important for cutting fibrous surfaces. A pineapple is a great example. If you use a thin, whippy blade of a slicer on a pineapple, you’ve got a much higher chance of cutting yourself because the blade can easily come off that fibrous surface. Not so with a serrated knife. It’s also the perfect option for a crusty baguette or a watermelon. And I happen to think a big, sturdy serrated knife is a better option than a wimpier bread knife.

Some people don’t like serrated knives because there is this mythology that you can’t get them sharpened. That’s not true. You can. And you need to sharpen them less because you don’t use them as often. There’s just less wear and tear.

A Slicer Knife

While you can slice with a paring knife and carve with a chef’s knife, if you are cooking for more than two people at any given point, you are going to want a slicer. I have a lot at home… even one that is only used for smoked salmon. I know, I am a nerd like that! But I have an English slicer that’s probably 14-inches long, round tipped with a very thin blade and low rise. It’s pretty stiff. I just used it to cut and serve London broil. I use it all the time, for everything—watermelons, even chicken breasts hot off the grill.

A Pair of Kitchen Shears

I know this sounds nuts, but I gotta throw a good pair of kitchen shears in there, too. I use kitchen shears every day on foods. I can break down a whole turkey with a good pair.