One Knife to Live
Have you ever watched that knife show on the shopping channel? You know, the one...there's a guy who is surrounded by knives and excitedly shows off each one starting with the classic pocket knife and working his way up to a samurai sword! My husband and I have an ongoing joke that one of these days he'll say "And available ONLY here: the LIGHT SABER!" (Queue Star Wars soundtrack.)
By the time you've watched 20 5 minutes of this you are convinced it's a great idea to buy a set of 15 mini-knives. Each with a different colored handle, handy for camping, climbing or if you get lost and need to start severing body parts to survive....whatever.
I'm here to tell you that kitchen knives can be addictive as well. And there are so many block sets that get you convinced that you need those knives as well as a santoku and a utility etc....
So you get it. There are lots of knives out there. But what do you really need? What should every kitchen have and why?
Paring knife - For cutting small items or garnishing. For cutting smaller items like garlic and strawberries. It comes in handy more often than you'd think. It's the kind of knife that sits for a bit but you're glad you have it when you need it.
Chef's Knife - The classic chef's knife is the workhorse in any kitchen. Shaped for a wide variety of tasks it is versatile and typically the first knife for which to reach. It comes in different lengths but I recommend an 8-inch. It's big enough to handle heavy jobs but small enough that it's nimble. It really will serve you well in most circumstances. Cutting meat, cutting cheese, cutting vegetables and the like.
Bread Knife - "But I buy my bread pre-sliced." Yes that may be but you need a serrated knife of some kind in the kitchen. The bread knife not only easily slices bread and bakery products but should always be the knife you use to cut tomatoes (and any fruit or veggie that is somewhat soft with a thick skin).
If you have these three knives you should be good to go. But there are a few "accessories" and other knives you might want to consider.
1. A knife holder. It could be a knife block or a safe drawer or a magnetic strip up on the wall. I had never had a magnetic strip until my current home and I absolutely love it. Of course, I have knives in two drawers in addition to that strip but that's beside the point! The point is, take care of your knives. Be sure the blades don't get dinged or hit against each other. Don't just toss them into a drawer, unless you have protective sleeves for your knives.
2. A good cutting board. Wood is best for the knives. If you do prefer to use a plastic cutting board so that you can wash it in the dishwasher go ahead but reserve its use for meat and fish and use the wood as much as you can.
3. A honing rod and some way to sharpen your knives. Take care of your knives. Sharpen them regularly (if you don't want to do it yourself most high-end kitchen stores will sharpen them for you for a reasonable fee.)
Now that we have the basics discussed. If you like to have a little variety in your knife selections, here are my comments:
Santoku - the blade shape is slightly different than the chef's knife but can easily be used in place of it. The dimples are pretty cool and were designed to help release food as you chop. They do work but you certainly do get a stray slab o' food hanging on from time to time. Lately, my go-to knife is a 6" Santoku.
Boning Knife - a super slim and nimble knife is essential for removing fat from meat. I use mine a bunch - in the aforementioned tough to reach places.
Utility - This is an ok "generalist" and I really rarely reach for it. Sometimes the thinner blade is easier to get into small spaces (when you're cutting meat with bones, for example) but overall - can do without this. I have one (with a protective sleeve) in my camping gear.
Confession time. I have way more knives than a girl should. So what else do I have?
Final note: take care of your knives. To keep your knives in top shape always hand wash and dry, put away immediately after use. Not only does this prevent you from the horror of reaching into a sink with a sharp blade in it - it keeps your blades from getting dull (no dishwasher!) and from rusting (that's right - stainless steel can rust).
I'm here to tell you that kitchen knives can be addictive as well. And there are so many block sets that get you convinced that you need those knives as well as a santoku and a utility etc....
So you get it. There are lots of knives out there. But what do you really need? What should every kitchen have and why?
Essentially - you really only need three knives. But it helps to have a few more.
What you Need:Paring knife - For cutting small items or garnishing. For cutting smaller items like garlic and strawberries. It comes in handy more often than you'd think. It's the kind of knife that sits for a bit but you're glad you have it when you need it.
Chef's Knife - The classic chef's knife is the workhorse in any kitchen. Shaped for a wide variety of tasks it is versatile and typically the first knife for which to reach. It comes in different lengths but I recommend an 8-inch. It's big enough to handle heavy jobs but small enough that it's nimble. It really will serve you well in most circumstances. Cutting meat, cutting cheese, cutting vegetables and the like.
Bread Knife - "But I buy my bread pre-sliced." Yes that may be but you need a serrated knife of some kind in the kitchen. The bread knife not only easily slices bread and bakery products but should always be the knife you use to cut tomatoes (and any fruit or veggie that is somewhat soft with a thick skin).
If you have these three knives you should be good to go. But there are a few "accessories" and other knives you might want to consider.
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| Mmmmm....knives. |
1. A knife holder. It could be a knife block or a safe drawer or a magnetic strip up on the wall. I had never had a magnetic strip until my current home and I absolutely love it. Of course, I have knives in two drawers in addition to that strip but that's beside the point! The point is, take care of your knives. Be sure the blades don't get dinged or hit against each other. Don't just toss them into a drawer, unless you have protective sleeves for your knives.
2. A good cutting board. Wood is best for the knives. If you do prefer to use a plastic cutting board so that you can wash it in the dishwasher go ahead but reserve its use for meat and fish and use the wood as much as you can.
3. A honing rod and some way to sharpen your knives. Take care of your knives. Sharpen them regularly (if you don't want to do it yourself most high-end kitchen stores will sharpen them for you for a reasonable fee.)
Now that we have the basics discussed. If you like to have a little variety in your knife selections, here are my comments:
Santoku - the blade shape is slightly different than the chef's knife but can easily be used in place of it. The dimples are pretty cool and were designed to help release food as you chop. They do work but you certainly do get a stray slab o' food hanging on from time to time. Lately, my go-to knife is a 6" Santoku.
Boning Knife - a super slim and nimble knife is essential for removing fat from meat. I use mine a bunch - in the aforementioned tough to reach places.
Utility - This is an ok "generalist" and I really rarely reach for it. Sometimes the thinner blade is easier to get into small spaces (when you're cutting meat with bones, for example) but overall - can do without this. I have one (with a protective sleeve) in my camping gear.
Confession time. I have way more knives than a girl should. So what else do I have?
- Two Santokus
- One small Shun Ken Onion (this is my pride and joy. Holy schmoly the thing is sharp!)
- A 3" paring knife (in addition to the 3 1/2 incher)
- 2 utility knives (one in camping gear and one regular)
- 1 coated 5" serrated (it's a fun green!)
- 1 coated 5" Santoku (green!)
- 1 cleaver
- 1 ginormous 10-inch "wide" chef's knife (disclaimer - this was from culinary school. The knife is huge. These days I break it out to slice a melon or have at a roast chicken. I do use it so I'm glad I own it but it's kind of big for 'every day')
- And a few serrated knives of varying sizes and styles.
Final note: take care of your knives. To keep your knives in top shape always hand wash and dry, put away immediately after use. Not only does this prevent you from the horror of reaching into a sink with a sharp blade in it - it keeps your blades from getting dull (no dishwasher!) and from rusting (that's right - stainless steel can rust).
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