When it comes to cooking, you won’t get very far without a good culinary arsenal. Imagine baking your favourite cookies without mixing bowls or chopping vegetable for stir-frying without a knife. Whether you are a beginner or a more seasoned chef, any cook needs a well-equipped cooking space. While there are many cooking tools and equipment, you need only the most essential kitchen utensils to prepare some delicious masterpieces.
Kitting out your kitchen with the best cutlery is one of the most important things for making your cooking easier and more pleasurable. A set of knives particularly should be an investment in your food and cooking. A good quality, sharp knife is the only tool that can do everything from cutting up a whole turkey to finely dicing onions or mincing parsley. However, buying a great knife can be tough, given the vast majority of options. It can be a considerable purchase, so make sure you choose the right model for you.
What to Look For In a Quality Knife
Knives are the backbone of any chief’s arsenal. Whether it’s your first time in the kitchen, or you are an experienced life-long cook, having the right cooking knives set can make a big difference in your cooking. You will want a good quality, sharp knife that can make your cooking a whole lot easier.
But don’t get hung up on a knife that is simply sharp since almost every knife is sharp when it’s new. Hone in construction, ergonomics, and feel along with how to use and care about the knife of choice. All these factors determine how a knife will hold up over time, and how easy it will be for repetitious everyday use.
Size
As the workhorse of the kitchen, the size of your knife is due for consideration. It’s important to choose one with the appropriate length for a safe and enjoyable performance every day. Knives are typically measured according to the blade’s length, from the tip to the heel, not including the handle’s length.
A handy knives set for kitchen consists of several pieces available in different sizes with most of them being between six and ten inches. Shorter knives are easier to handle and control, but with a larger knife you will be able to slice through larger food items such as a watermelon or a roast. An eight-inch knife is the most popular among many cooks because of its versatility.
Composition
When choosing a great knife or knife set, consider the composition or which metal is used to form knife blades. Steel is usually the most used metal, however, not all steel is the same. Most knives use a combination of stainless steel and carbon steel, but their quantities vary. Stainless steel is known for being resistant to rust and corrosion, while carbon steel can take a better edge. To make the most of both metals, look for a high-carbon stainless steel knife.
Feel
When you start shopping for the best knife for you, be sure to test-drive before buying. Since one size doesn’t fit all, it’s best to hold the handle in order get a feel for the knife. If it feels uncomfortably weighted toward one side, either to the back of the handle or toward the blade, chances are that this knife isn’t for you. It shouldn’t feel unstable as it will make you work harder.
Types of Kitchen Knives
Kitchen knives, chef’s knives, pocket knives, there are so many different types to choose from. Certain knives are suited for completing certain kitchen tasks better than others. Truth is, you only need a few different knives to accomplish most cutting tasks. For example, a chief’s knife and a serrated bread knife are the most essential types in your kitchen.
A small utility paring knife, as well as kitchen shears, are nice-to-haves too. Instead of building your knife collection one by one, you may opt for everyday eco-friendly cooking knives set with an effortless and precise feel that cover most food prep tasks. A set usually consists of three, five, six, ten, or more pieces that cut well, seem to hold comfortably, and all in all, will do the trick for you. The main difference between the pieces is their size, and how easy or comfortable they are to use.
Here are the most essential and frequently used types of knives, the ones that should be in every set: a chief’s knife, a paring knife, and a serrated knife. Each of these is useful and serves a purpose – at least one specific function in your kitchen.
Chef Knife
A chef knife is one that any cook, be it amateur or professional, should never be without. A great all-rounder, this knife is one of the most versatile designs, perfect for everyday dicing and mincing vegetables, fruits, and herbs as well as cutting a variety of other ingredients. It features a long, broad blade with a straight edge that rounds at the tip. Such a curved blade allows it to rock bask and towards on a cutting board, making it perfect for chopping lots of tasks at once. With its convenient size of an eight-inch (most commonly used), it truly is a multipurpose piece.
Paring Knife
A paring knife is a perfect sidekick to a chef’s knife. This knife is used for tasks that are too small or detailed for the counterpart. It has a short, slim, evenly sized blade with a pointed tip. It’s smaller (usually two to four inches) and lighter than the chief knife and most of the other knives. In fact, the paring knife is the smallest piece in almost every cooking knives set. Its curved, sharp, and precise blade makes this knife excellent for small tasks like peeling garlic, paring apples, or slicing boxes of cheese.
Serrated Knife
A serrated knife is also known as a bread knife, so, well, you guess its purpose. This type of knife has a long blade and serrated edge that make it perfect for cutting through softer textures like crusty bread, baguettes, bagels, and bread rolls, without crushing them out of shape. A bread knife also covers a particular set of tasks that a chef knife can’t cut, like slicing cakes with soft, fluffy textures or any food with various textures, including pineapples, tomatoes, and large sandwiches.