Knives Out

by RogerAugust 9, 2022

Knives are the workhorses of the home kitchen. No matter what you plan to cook, chances are a knife will be involved in the preparation of your meal. While a knife won’t directly impact how your food tastes, a good sharp knife can make your time in the kitchen safer and much more enjoyable. In this episode we’ll take a look at different types of knives and materials, caring for knives and even ideas for when it comes time to sharpen your knife.

Mentioned in this Episode

Every home kitchen should have at least one good quality knife. For me, a good chef’s knife will take care of 95% of your cutting tasks with ease. For a second knife I would recommend a paring knife or utility knife. After that I’d say a serrated bread knife would be the way to go. If you want a good overview of different types of knives, check out this blog post from Alliance Online (a hospitality industry blog) which has a ton of good knife info.

It’s helpful to see and hold a knife before you buy it. You want a knife that fits your hand nicely, feels comfortable and has a good weight to it. More important than the brand or price is how you like the knife. Is it something you will feel comfortable using daily in your kitchen? Does it feel and look as though it is solid and put together well?

As with everything in the world today, knife prices have gone up. My favorite Wusthof knife has gone up quite a bit since the last time I checked, so I can’t really recommend it as an inexpensive knife. Keep an eye out for good sales before you buy. That said, here are some of my favorite knives (along with some Amazon affiliate links for each):

This 8-inch Zwilling J.A. Henckels Chef Knife is just over $100 but remains a great knife for the price.

Victorinox makes a great line of pro/am knives with non-slip plastic handles. High quality stainless steel and clocking in at under $50, this 8-inch Fibrox Pro Chef Knife is an excellent option for a knife that will last you years.

Paring knives make a good companion to a chef’s knife. You can often find them in a set, but this Henckels 4-inch paring knife is a pretty good deal at around $40.

Victorinox offers a 3-piece paring set for less than one knife from Henckels or Wusthof.

Check out this Cuisinart high carbon stainless serrated bread knife. If you don’t already have one, this is an excellent deal at around $15.

Check out this video from Brian Lagerstom. He makes a pretty good case for three essential knives that you can get all for around $75 (at least at the time of this video)!

When it comes to sharpening knives there are several ways to go. You can send your knives to a professional, which is a viable option but will cost you in both time and money. Or you can take a shot at a few DIY options. The easiest, in my opinion, would be to get a two-stage handheld sharpener, like this model from Wusthof. The folks at Chef’s Choice make some pretty good electric sharpeners if that is more your style.

No matter how you choose to sharpen your knives, you should get yourself a honing steel to keep them in good cutting shape between sharpenings.

Don’t know what a honing steel is, or how to use one? This video has you covered.