5 Useful Knives that Everyone Must Have in the Kitchen

Useful Knives that Everyone Must Have

Having a specialized kitchen knife for various kitchen activities is crucial if you want to succeed in cooking. Whether you want to slice a pork loin or interested in dicing a watermelon, a proper kitchen knife is a must-have for each task. In this article, you’ll learn about the five kitchen knives you should have in your home to ace any cooking activity you desire as well as the proper ways of using these blades.

1. Chef Knife

Chef-KnifeYour kitchen won’t be complete without a chef’s knife. It is no wonder why most kitchen experts believe that a chef knife is the most important knife in a kitchen. You may think that your kitchen is doing well if you have never used one, but you will realize that you will always need one, especially the high-quality brand after trying it.

Any item that needs rocking back and forth during cutting will need this knife. A chef knife serves a number of purposes since it has a curved edge, facilitating easy rocking back and forth. One of the advantages of this knife is its heavy blade that will do the tough work for you.

In most cases, a chef knife’s length ranges from 6 to 12 inches. Most home cooks prefer an 8-inch chef knife but you can always choose the blade length you feel most comfortable to work with. Remember, a good knife should make you feel like it is an extension of your hand so it is vital to look around until you find one that is perfect for you.

2. Paring Knife

While the chef knife is good, there are other kitchen tasks that it can’t perform. If you are preparing any food that requires a small blade and attention to details, you will most probably need a paring knife as its blade is only 3 inches long, making it suitable for these tasks.

In the kitchen, the paring knife is used to perform small tasks such as hulling strawberries, mincing garlic, and peeling vegetables or fruits. In fact, it can perform any task that involves mincing and slicing items that are too small for a chef knife.

Some people find it enjoyable to work with the paring knife that they often make the mistake of using it to cut hard vegetables. However, you should know that this is beyond the paring knife’s capability. Paring knives’ blades are small, and they don’t carry much weight to perform hard tasks. You should not use them in items such as cutting carrots, parsnips, or celery root as you will need to tighten the grip and increase pressure, causing the knife to break or worse, injure your hands.

While using a paring knife, you should never force the cut as it is a sign that you are using the wrong kitchen knives for that task. You may need bigger blades as the need arises.

3. Bread Knife

Bread KnifeIf you like a rustic boule or a crusty loaf of bread as much as I do, a serrated bread knife is a must for your kitchen. No shortcut, you may try several knives, but you will realize that no knife can match the serrated bread knife as far as the safe and quick breaking of your bread into the crust is concerned.

The bread knife can also perform several other tasks in your kitchen other than slicing your loaf in two. Most bread knives have blade lengths of about 6 inches with serrated edges, making them ideal for foods with waxy services. It is no wonder that most people also use it to cut pineapples, tomatoes, peppers, citrus fruit, and watermelons. However, make sure to wash the blade properly after cutting sticky items such as tomatoes to prevent moisture from turning knife blades to rust.

4. Steak Knife

As its name suggests, a steak knife is used in the kitchen to cut meat steaks. In most cases, these blades are 5 to 6 inches long and usually have tapered blades that are ultra-flexible. This facilitates easy cutting of meat, making them the perfect kitchen knives for this specific task.

If you’re not a fan of steaks, why keep it in your kitchen? Some people think that this knife is not a must to have in the kitchen but dinner dates and family gatherings won’t be complete without a steak. Definitely, you will need a steak kitchen knife to slice it perfectly.

Still, I don’t totally disagree that it might not be essential in your kitchen. Who knows, perhaps you are a vegetarian, and you never dream of taking meat. But it does no harm putting it in the kitchen; perhaps other family members will need it.

5. Carving Knife

Carving KnifeA carving knife is one of the largest and heaviest knives you can find in a home cook’s kitchen. A standard carving knife length is between 8 to 15 inches. If you need very thin pieces in the kitchen, these are the knives that you should turn to. They can cut thin pieces of roast, hams, and poultry. Special occasions won’t be complete without pulling out a carving knife. A carving knife is a seasonal blade you will need the most during occasions.

While the blade looks like a chef’s knife, it is much thinner and looks finely honed that results in curved meat shapes. This does not only allow it to curve more precise and thinner slices but also helps in reducing the resistance.

Carefully Choose the Right Kitchen Knives for Your Kitchen Tasks

You are sure that you can’t struggle with kitchen tasks having these basic knives for your kitchen. Now than before, you will be able to perform any culinary technique that you always thought was not easy. While the above is not all the knife set you need in your kitchen, it is a standardized knife set that can perform almost all the kitchen tasks.

Make sure, however, to keep the blades razor-sharp to serve you perfectly. Also, their storage is important to ensure that they don’t get damaged easily. You are now confident of preparing any delicious meal since you have the right tools at your disposal.

Article Submitted By Community Writer

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