​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.












Use:
Among the most versatile knives, this is the knife you'll use daily for chopping, slicing, dicing and mincing.












Use:
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. 













Use:
This indispensable knife is handy
for smaller precision tasks
like peeling, trimming and slicing
small fruits and vegetables.












Use:
A serrated bread knife cuts soft, fresh loaves without squashing or tearing. It's also great for cutting tomatoes and citrus. 













 Use:
Combining the features of a cleaver and a chef's knife, this multipurpose knife minces, dices and slices.












 Use:
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.













 Use:
This narrow-bladed knife curves inward to give you precision control when you remove meat and poultry from the bone.












 Use:
Use this heavyweight cleaver to cut through meat and poultry bones with a single downward stroke, or to slice through firm vegetables.













Use:
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.












Use:
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.













 Use:
The triangular blade and pointed tip of this Japanese-style boning knife make it excellent for working around the bones and joints in poultry.












 Use:
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.













Use:
This knife slices tomatoes neatly,
thanks to tiny serrations on the blade
that prevent skins from tearing.

It's also ideal for citrus. 












 Use:
You'll find myriad uses for kitchen
shears, from trimming pastry dough
and snipping herbs to cutting twine
and parchment paper.













Use:
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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