Cooking Knife Basics for Your Kitchen

A well stocked kitchen is important for those who enjoy cooking, although a very basic kitchen can be very workable as well. There are some essentials in any kitchen, such as pots and pans, one or more baking pans, and certainly knives. Many kitchens lack knives that are any good. In fact the knives that many kitchens have are barely functional. I am currently visiting my parents, and their knives are at least 30 years old and very much discount knives. Now knives can last a long time, and there are discount knives available that are decent, but theirs have probably not been sharpened in a decade if forever, some of them are chipped or warped, and cooking in their kitchen is a real chore because of the knives and many other reasons. For example, there are not even any measuring spoons!

I’ll be stocking a new kitchen soon for myself, and although my budget will be limited, knives will be near the top of the list as they are an investment and will give years of cooking pleasure. There are two basic approaches to buying knives. One is buying exactly the knives you need, one at a time. We will review the most useful and basic types of knives below. The other is to buy a knife set which includes a variety of knives and very often a knife storage block, often made of wood or bamboo, to conveniently and attractively store and protect the knives.
The two basic styles of knives are German style knives and Japanese style knives, and although I love using both, I recommend German style knives for most people as they are more robust and stronger. Most knives are German style and examples include Wusthof, Henckels and Victorinox. They are heavier knives, built like German tanks, and can withhold heavy use and some abuse. The other type are Japanese style like Shuns and Global, and these are much lighter, razor sharp, yet somewhat brittle and delicate. They are often compared to Japanese Samurai swords. They are similarly made of multiple layer (33 in the case of Shuns), razor sharp, and somewhat brittle. Although they certainly do not need to be babied, they cannot be abused at all.

Regardless of the style of knife or whether you are looking at a knife set or individual knives, it’s important to understand the most common types of knives. The chefs knife is an all purpose knife and perhaps the most commonly used. It has a broad blade and is relatively heavy. Blades range from around 6 to 12 inches long but around 8 to 10 inches seems most common. A Santoku is similar yet lighter and more delicate. Some knife sets may contain both. I prefer a Santoku for delicate work, fish, poultry, and boneless meats. A paring knife is also very common and I consider it to be a small chefs knife which is ideal for peeling and delicate work. Also very useful are pair of kitchen knives, sometimes called shears, which are included in many knife sets.