Whether you're slicing an apple or boning a chicken, the right knife for the task at hand makes life easier (and safer) in the kitchen. I recommend that a complete knife collection include the following items.
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Among the most versatile knives, this is the knife you'll use daily for chopping, slicing, dicing and mincing.
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Smaller than a chef's knife but larger than a paring knife, this versatile knife excels at everyday tasks, from cutting sandwiches to slicing meat.
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This indispensable knife is handy
for smaller precision tasks
like peeling, trimming and slicing
small fruits and vegetables.
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A serrated bread knife cuts soft, fresh loaves without squashing or tearing. It's also great for cutting tomatoes and citrus.
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Combining the features of a cleaver and a chef's knife, this multipurpose knife minces, dices and slices.
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Use this knife to slice cooked meats, poultry and fish. Its long, thin blade ensures you can cut large pieces of meat into neat, even, thin slices.
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This narrow-bladed knife curves inward to give you precision control when you remove meat and poultry from the bone.
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Use this heavyweight cleaver to cut through meat and poultry bones with a single downward stroke, or to slice through firm vegetables.
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With a finer blade than that of a meat cleaver, the vegetable cleaver efficiently chops and slices produce, then aids in transferring it to the pot or bowl.
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With a shape reminiscent of
a slender cleaver, this Japanese
vegetable knife has a straight cutting
edge that excels at slicing when
used in an up-and-down motion.
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The triangular blade and pointed tip of this Japanese-style boning knife make it excellent for working around the bones and joints in poultry.
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Serrated or straight-edge, steak knives, to be used with steak or other heartier meats, are the only sharp cutlery that are part of a place setting.
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This knife slices tomatoes neatly,
thanks to tiny serrations on the blade
that prevent skins from tearing.
It's also ideal for citrus.
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You'll find myriad uses for kitchen
shears, from trimming pastry dough
and snipping herbs to cutting twine
and parchment paper.
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Essential for honing your knives so they stay sharp longer between sharpenings. The steel smoothes and realigns the worn carbon steel on the blade's edge.
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