The type of knife you use in the kitchen is directly tied to the ease of chopping up your ingredients, as well as your safety. And if you’re an aspiring home chef, you’ll want to ensure you’re working with the correct knives for each task.
We’ve provided this guide to help you choose the correct type of kitchen knife, so you can be sure you’ll be as efficient and safe as possible!
Choosing a Knife
Before you set out to purchase your next knife, it’s important to think about:
- What type of knife you’ll need (what type of dishes do you prepare most?)
- What size knife you’ll need
Types of Knives
There are a few main types of knives you’ll find in the kitchen. While all of them serve important purposes, if you’re looking to purchase just one knife, you’ll want to decide which one to get. Learn about the main types of knives and their purposes below!
Chef’s Knife
As the name suggests, the chef’s knife is to be the primary. It’s the one you’ll use the most and that offers the most versatility. With a chef’s knife, you can chop, slice, dice, and mince all kinds of meats, fish, fruits, and vegetables.
Paring Knife
A paring knife is typically used to cut small fruits, vegetables, and sometimes meats—foods you’re not comfortable cutting with a chef’s knife. These knives are 3–4 inches, and since it’s not a knife you’ll likely use a lot, the quality doesn’t need to be as high for this knife as it should be for a chef’s knife.
Bread/Serrated Knife
The bread/serrated knife is important to have if you prepare breads and cakes, so they aren’t smushed when you cut through them. You can also use this knife to cut vegetables and fruits with waxy or tough skins but soft interiors.
Tips
Typically, the wider the blade of the knife, the more it’s designed for cutting vegetables and fruit and less for tasks like paring. But with the chef’s knife, you’re granted the versatility of cutting up different foods like meats, fish, vegetables, and poultry without issue.
Hopefully, this guide has helped you determine the type of knife you should purchase. They definitely all have their purpose in the kitchen, but considering your primary use for the knife is beneficial to narrowing it down. Good luck!
