Kitchen Knife Guide

Kitchen Knife Guide includes how to pick the correct knife for the job, take proper care to ensure longevity and practice knife safety. #kitchenknifeguide www.savoryexperiments.com


 

Kitchen Knife Guide includes how to pick the correct knife for the job, take proper care to ensure longevity and practice knife safety.

Any great chef will tell you that their knives are an extension of their arm and even travel with their own set.

Home chefs should also own a good set of knives, but past that know which knife to use for each job. A mechanic wouldn’t try to fix a car with a paint brush, would he?

Here is a quick guide to your knife block that will help you pick the best tool for the job! (Scroll ALL the way to the bottom!)

Sliced cucumbers displaying how to pick your knife

Why are good knives so important?

1. It makes expert cutting easy, ensuring clean cuts when butchering meats or chopping vegetables.

2. Gives you the ability to hammer through tendons and bones.

3. A good grip and sharp blades will prevent injuries.

4. Choosing the correct knife will give you prettier food without mangled edges.

Knife Maintenance:

1. Never scrape your food off the cutting board with the blade of your knife, it dulls the blade. Turn it over and use the blunt side.

2. Sharpen your knives regularly.

3. Always hand-wash knives, the heat and dishwasher soap will ruin the metal.

4. Store in a safe, non-humid place.

If you want to read more about basic knife skills, how to clean your knives and the most common ways to sharpen your knives, hop on over to my BASIC KNIFE SKILLS post!

Image showing different kitchen knives and their best uses
Jessica Formicola in her ktichen

About the Author

Jessica Formicola

Jessica the mom, wife and food lover behind Savory Experiments. She is obsessed with butter, salt and bacon and spends all her time in the kitchen and behind a camera. Jessica is a contributor to PopKitchen by Parade, Better Homes & Gardens, The Daily Meal Food + Travel and more!

Read More About Jessica

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Questions and Reviews

  1. Thanks for the information, Jessica. I originally came here looking for information about bowls for mixing and keeping acidic salads e.g. kidney bean, tomato, onion and vinegar. I found what I was looking for, Thank you.
    I noticed your Kitchen Knife Guide at the bottom of the page and clicked in. I’ve discovered a few things about knives over the years by making mistakes, so I was interested to see what you had to say. Good stuff.
    Knives that are sharp enough for home cooking do not have to be expensive. If you’re doing food prep in a professional kitchen, then you’ll need a knife that’s extra sharp and which can keep its edge for a long time. I bought a paring knife in a supermarket for about $10 while on a road trip about 4 years ago. (The apartment we rented only had blunt knives.) It’s still sharp enough for slicing tomatoes. I’ve looked after it and haven’t abused it.
    The main thing is not to abuse the knives: wash them carefully and dry them by hand. Keep them in a safe knife block or in an individual sheaf. Do not toss them into a drawer. Don’t use a knife-sharpening tool or a diamond encrusted “steel”. Just tickle-up the edge with a ceramic “steel”.
    Sharpening is a skill. If it’s not your thing, you can get it done professionally. It might be cheaper to buy a new knife.
    If you want to spend more money on a knife, don’t automatically go to popular brands and stores. Do some research about the sharpest, sexiest knives on the planet that cost well over $1,000. After you’ve done some dreaming, check out what the apprentice chefs use. They don’t have a lot of money, but they need sharp knives.

  2. When anyone asks me about their must-haves for the kitchen, my first comment is always good knives. Definitely agree with all of these things!

  3. This is such great info! I definitely did not know all of that, and have not been using my knives correctly! We got a fancy knife from a friend last year and it is so amazing compared to the ones we got for our wedding. This makes me want to get new knives!

  4. I totally need this! I have a bunch of knives that I just kind of pretend I know how to use. Thanks so much!

  5. This is awesome! I sort of know what I’m doing when it comes to my knives, but this has really helped me figure them out a little more. Thanks!

  6. We just bought all new knives and I am so in love. I can’t believe we used the crappy ones for so long.

  7. This is so true! I never realized the difference when I was a poor college student, but as soon as I got a new set of knives, I couldn’t believe the difference. This is a really beautiful set too. Makes cooking so much more fun!

  8. This is an excellent reference and great reminder that I’m terribly lazy about knives! I know I should be better about replacing them and maintenance but I’m somehow always behind on it!

  9. This is excellent, Jessica! I thought I knew it all when it came to knives…but I really learned a lot from this post! Thank you bunches for sharing!