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What are the three most important knives in a kitchen?
What are the three most important knives in a kitchen?
Knives are the most vital kitchen tool you may have, as they are required to work the ingredients of your recipes to their most potential, regardless of what you are making.
When it comes to these indispensable equipment, you should consider getting the basic knives, which are excellent for several cuts and can be used repeatedly.
In a kitchen, there are three fundamental shapes:
- chef's knife,
- paring knife
- serrated knife
These are the three kitchen knives you absolutely must have, whether you're a beginner cook searching for your first knife, a professional trying to enhance your cutting equipment, or a home cook.
Chef's knife
Because the chef's knife is the most frequently used of the three, it is worthwhile to invest in a high-quality knife and treat it well.
You can chop, slice, and julienne anything with this knife, as well as carve a roast and slice fruit and vegetables as large as a pumpkin or watermelon.
It should be a robust but lightweight knife with a long blade and a comfortable handle.
Choose a knife that suits you and that you feel confident using in the kitchen, even for the most difficult cuts.
The blade of a chef's knife is normally 20 to 25 cm long.
Chef knives come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
There is no such thing as the perfect length: it's all about figuring out what allows you to operate comfortably while utilizing it on the cutting board.
Take a look at this in-depth examination of chef's knives for more information: https://www.afcoltellerie.com/en/blog/chef-s-knife/
In the kitchen, the chef's knife is your true workhorse. Don't skimp on the quality; always go for a high-priced item with a good cut.
The Santoku knife, often known as the Asian chef's knife, is a good alternative to the chef's knife.
Santoku serves the same purpose as a chef's knife, but is made for those who prefer an up and down cutting motion, rather than the rocking motion traditionally used by Western chefs.
They have a straight blade edge that allows you to cut all the way down to your cutting board's flat surface.
On our blog, you can learn about the differences between chef knives and santoku knives....
Serrated knife
Serrated knives, often known as bread knives, can be used to cut both hard and soft meals.
Serrated knife blades have jagged, saw-like edges called serrations.
These indentations allow the knife to slice through bread with ease, but they're also useful for slicing fruit and vegetables, especially those with thin skins like tomatoes.
Serrated blades are also found on some cheese knives.
When slicing croutons or tomatoes, you can use this knife to gently "saw" something without crushing the inside.
Even little serrated knives can be handy in the kitchen for a variety of cuts, as well as fibrous or hard-surface foods, and they hold their sharpness for a long time.
Don't mistake a serrated knife for the standard bread knife used by most chefs in professional kitchens.
In fact, numerous distinct serrated blade forms have been created by various production houses.
Choose a grip that is light in the hand and comfortable on the wrist.
Also, choose a blade length that allows you to slice swiftly and effectively.
If you want to understand more about serrated knife selection, check out our blog post: https://www.afcoltellerie.com/en/blog/serrated-bread-knife/
Paring knife
A paring knife is the tool of choice for small-scale activities that demand precision.
Look for knives with a light handle and a blade length of 5 to 12-14 cm.
This is the ideal length for segmenting citrus fruits, peeling potatoes, peeling shrimp, cutting artichokes, and slicing all small vegetables and fruit, according to our expertise.
Almost all of the companies we chose make paring knives with smooth and serrated blades that are sharp and durable.
The paring knife is ideal for little things like herbs and other small items.
If you don't have a potato peeler, this type of kitchen knife comes in handy for peeling fruit and vegetables.
We have paring knives with a fairly large handle that are great for cutting but not so much for peeling.
The paring knife has a curved blade as well, which is great for peeling but also allows you to make less cuts in the kitchen.
Choose straight blades with a length of no less than 8 cm if you want to include a tiny knife in your kitchen essentials.
