Whether you are a professional chef or a home cook the knives you use matter. In this post we are going over which knives are going to be essential in all your cooking endeavors.
Chef’s Knife
This is your do it all knife. If you can only have one quality knife in your kitchen you want a chef’s knife. I prefer an eight or ten inch because anything longer is going to add extra weight that you do not want to be carrying while you are prepping ingredients. In most cases you are only using the middle three inches of your chef’s knife anyways.
Uses: chopping, dicing, mincing, fabrication of fish or poultry
There are countless options to choose from when it comes to buying any knife. I have linked three different chef’s knives below. I feel confident using any of these knives in my kitchen at home and any professional kitchen.
Mercer Culinary Renaissance 10 inch Chef’s Knife
Paring knife
While you can still make beautiful meals without a paring knife, having one will make your life so much easier. You will reach for a paring knife when you are looking to perfect even the smallest details of your dish.
Uses: carving small vegetables, mincing, peeling, making small scores of incision
Just like a chef’s knife you want a knife you can trust and that will last a long time. The pairing knives I have linked below are quality knives and are well worth the investment.
Mercer Culinary Renaissance Paring Knife
Wusthof Gourmet 3 Inch Paring Knife
Utility knife
A utility knife will be your friend when you are tackling projects that require speed and precision. You might reach for a utility knife instead of a chef knife when you want something light and compact that can still take on the same tasks.
If you feel confident in your ability to do any task with a chef’s knife you could skip buying this for now and invest in another quality chef’s knife. I recommend adding a utility knife to your kitchen essentials if you are taking on new and challenging recipes that a more compact knife will help with.
I have linked three utility knives I would buy if I needed a quality knife that I can use in any setting.
Uses: slicing fruit, cutting tender pieces of meat, slicing cheese, precision cuts
Gunter Wilhelm 5 Inch Utility Knife
Lamson 6 Inch Premier Forged Utility Knife
Peeler
Although this is technically not a knife, you need a peeler if you want to execute recipes efficiently and deliciously.
Most recipes are going to require some kind of peeling. There are two basic types of peelers you can buy. Both types are effective peelers. It comes down to the preference of the cook.
Uses: peeling most vegetables, making ribbon like garnishes.
I have linked one of each type of peeler below. I would recommend either type or even trying both for yourself. Whichever you prefer will become apparent after one use most likely.
Investing in a good knife is the first step but taking care of the knife is most important. To learn about how to clean, sharpen, and store your new knives I recommend reading this post on knife care.
