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Knife School

Everything about kitchen knives

Plain-English guides to choosing, using, sharpening and caring for kitchen knives, from Faith Perkins, your Cutco Gal.

Cutco Knives

Cutco Knives

The Cutco French Chef Knife

What the 9-1/4" French Chef is for, how to chop, slice and mince with it, how it compares to a santoku, and how to keep it sharp for life.

Cutco Knives

The Cutco Petite Chef Knife

All the chopping, slicing and mincing power of a chef's knife in a lighter, more nimble 7-5/8 inch blade.

Cutco Knives

The Cutco Santoku

Flatter blade, low tip, thin slices: when a santoku beats a chef's knife, and which Cutco size to choose.

Cutco Knives

The Cutco Trimmer

Why Cutco owners call it their most-used knife: slicing tomatoes, trimming steaks and every small job in between.

Cutco Knives

The Cutco Hardy Slicer and Gourmet Prep Knife

The thick, weighty blades for squash, melons, hard salami and the jobs that make thinner knives struggle.

Cutco Knives

Cutco Paring Knives

Small blade, big control: peeling, garnishes and detail work, and how Cutco's paring knives differ.

Cutco Knives

The Cutco Bird's Beak Paring Knife

The curved little blade that makes peeling round fruit and fluting mushrooms surprisingly easy.

Cutco Knives

The Cutco Boning Knife

A thin, flexible blade that follows the bone, for breaking down chicken, butterflying chops and trimming roasts.

Cutco Knives

The Cutco Slicer: Cutco's Bread Knife

Crusty bread, ham, layer cake and tomatoes in one continuous stroke: the long Double-D blade that does it all.

Cutco Knives

Cutco Carving Knives

For turkey, roasts, ham and big fruit: Cutco's three carvers compared, with how to carve like a pro.

Cutco Knives

The Cutco Butcher Knife

The big blade for segmenting roasts, disjointing chicken and opening watermelons and winter squash.

Cutco Knives

Cutco Cheese Knives

Four cheese knives, one clever edge: the holes that stop sticking and the Micro Double-D that handles hard and soft cheese.

Cutco Knives

The Cutco Spatula Spreader

Spread, scoop, slice and serve with one tool: why Cutco fans keep reaching for the Spatula Spreader.

Cutco Knives

Cutco Super Shears

Herbs, chicken, packaging and the garden: the heavy-duty kitchen shears that come apart for cleaning.

Cutco Knives

The Cutco Salmon Knife

A long, thin, flexible blade for clean fillets, skin-off salmon and sushi-thin slices.

Cutco Knives

The Cutco Vegetable Knife

A tall, wide vegetable cleaver for soups, stews and platters, in three sizes.

Cutco Knives

Cutco Steak Knives and Table Knives

Bigger and bolder for thick steaks, or an everyday knife for every meal: Cutco's two dinner knives compared.

How to cut it

Technique

How to Carve a Turkey

Juicy, even slices with skin on every piece: the simple order that works on any size bird, plus which knife makes it easy.

Technique

How to Slice Brisket

Tender slices every time: find the grain, separate the flat from the point, and slice each the right way.

Technique

How to Dice an Onion

The classic chef's method: three cuts and you have an even dice, with tips to keep the tears down.

Technique

How to Cut a Pineapple

Top, tail, skin, core: the fastest way to turn a whole pineapple into spears, rings or chunks with nothing wasted.

Technique

How to Cut a Mango

Work around the flat pit, then score and scoop: neat cubes or slices with almost no mess.

Technique

How to Cut a Watermelon

Safely open a big, round, slippery melon and turn it into cubes, sticks or classic triangles.

Technique

How to Cut Butternut Squash

A hard, round squash is no match for the right knife and a stable cut: peel, halve, seed and cube safely.

Technique

How to Cut an Avocado

The safe way to halve, pit and slice an avocado, without the infamous "avocado hand" cut.

Technique

How to Mince Garlic and Herbs

The rocking chop that turns garlic into a fine mince and herbs into bright, unbruised confetti.

Technique

How to Slice Bread Without Crushing It

Even slices of crusty sourdough, soft sandwich bread and fresh bakery loaves, without squashing them flat.

Technique

How to Cut Up a Whole Chicken

Save money and get better pieces: break down a whole chicken into eight pieces in about five minutes.

Technique

How to Fillet and Skin Salmon

Remove pin bones, take the skin off cleanly, and portion even fillets that cook evenly.

Technique

How to Slice Steak Against the Grain

Turn a chewy flank or skirt steak into tender slices: find the grain, rest it, and cut across.

Technique

How to Cut Cheese for a Cheese Board

Wedges, wheels, blocks and logs: how to cut each kind of cheese so it looks great and everyone gets a bit of rind.

Knife Guides

Knife Guides

Types of Kitchen Knives and What They're For

Chef's knife, santoku, paring, utility, bread, carving, boning and more: what each kitchen knife does best.

Knife Guides

What Kitchen Knives Do You Really Need?

Skip the 20-piece block of knives you'll never touch. Here's the short list that covers almost all home cooking.

Knife Guides

Knife Steel Types Explained

Stainless, high-carbon stainless, Japanese and carbon steel: what the numbers mean and what actually matters in the kitchen.

Knife Guides

Forged vs Stamped Knives

Does a forged knife always beat a stamped one? What the two methods mean, and what actually decides a knife's quality.

Knife Guides

Serrated vs Straight Edge Knives

Why bread knives are serrated and chef's knives aren't, which stays sharp longer, and where Cutco's Double-D fits in.

Knife Guides

The Cutco Double-D Edge, Explained

Three recessed cutting edges, introduced in 1960: how the Double-D works, which Cutco knives have it, and how it's sharpened.

Knife Guides

Honing vs Sharpening

A honing rod doesn't sharpen, and a sharpener isn't for every day. What each does and how often to use them.

Knife Guides

How to Sharpen Kitchen Knives

How to tell when a knife is dull, the three ways to sharpen at home, and when to let a pro (or Cutco, for free) do it.

Knife Guides

How to Get Cutco Knives Sharpened (Free)

Cutco sharpens its knives free for life. Here are the easy ways to get yours done, including Faith's in-person events.

Knife Guides

The Cutco Forever Guarantee, Explained

Free sharpening, performance, half-price replacement and the 15-day refund: exactly what Cutco's guarantee covers.

Knife Guides

Are Cutco Knives Worth It?

What you're paying for, the honest trade-offs, and who Cutco is (and isn't) right for.

Knife Guides

Can Knives Go in the Dishwasher?

What a dishwasher does to an edge, which knives can survive it, and the 30-second hand-wash routine that keeps them sharp.

Knife Guides

How to Store Kitchen Knives

Knives tossed in a drawer go dull fast and cut fingers. The four safe ways to store them, compared.

Knife Guides

The Best Cutting Board for Your Knives

Your board decides how long your edge lasts. Wood, plastic, bamboo and the boards that ruin knives.

Knife Guides

Engraved Cutco Closing Gifts

Why agents and lenders give engraved Cutco at closing, what to give, and how Faith makes it easy.