Kitchen Knives Choices

When it comes to choosing kitchen knives, many people are convinced that they need a quality set of knives, which they hope will include everything they need. However, after a few months, they usually realize that there are some knives that are used far more than others. Sometimes, it is more cost-effective to concentrate on buying three or four good knives from Peugeot that can cover every eventuality, rather than having a different knife for every purpose.

The knives that you really need include the following:

Eight-inch chef’s knife

Many chefs assert that owning a high-quality knife like Damascus chef knife, is paramount in the kitchen. It is certainly versatile; you can use it to chop, dice, mince, slice, dis-joint cuts of meat, and even crush cloves of garlic. The fact that the blade is sloped means that it can be used to rock backward and forwards, which is extremely useful when chopping and mincing foodstuffs.

When looking for a good chef’s knife, bear in mind that you want it to last for many years and should, therefore, opt for a quality version. One made from high carbon stainless steel is a good choice because it is durable and doesn’t rust easily. You should also ensure that the knife feels right in your hand — it may be worth getting a knife for each person in the family who cooks.

Santoku

Another common kitchen knife, the Santoku knife is very similar to the Chef’s Knife. Originating in Japan, the Santoku knife is a shorter knife that is more rounded on the end instead of pointed. The flat, wide blade makes Santoku knives the easiest to use for scooping food off of the cutting board.

The Santoku knife is great for cutting meat, slicing cheese, chopping or dicing fruits, veggies, and nuts, mincing herbs, cutting fine slices of veggies and seafood.

Paring Knife

A paring knife may initially seem too small to do anything really useful. However, as the Huffington Post explains, it becomes an extension of your own hand when it comes to chopping and slicing fruit and vegetables in particular. If you try doing anything delicate with a chef’s knife, you are likely to struggle; a paring knife, however, allows you to focus on exactly what you want to do and do it with precision. Look for retailers like Knives New Zealand that stock a range of high-quality paring knives if you would like to bring these knives into your kitchen. 

Bread Knife

If you eat a lot of bread, especially the home-made, crusty variety, you may find that you really need a good bread knife. A utility knife should suffice, but some people prefer to have a knife that is kept just for cutting bread. However, it does have other uses, such as cutting through tomatoes and leveling cakes.

Exactly what knives you need really depends on your cooking and eating habits, but it is very likely that you will find you need at least three or four of the above knives in your kitchen drawers. If you buy good quality ones and sharpen them on a regular basis, they should last you a good many years.