Traveling Knife Gal
Start here: the one knife every kitchen needs
Cutco 9-1/4" French Chef #1725
If you buy one great knife, make it a chef's knife. The French Chef handles most of the chopping, slicing and dicing you'll ever do.
- Blade
- 9-1/4 inches
- Edge
- Straight edge, 15° per side
- Steel
- 440A high-carbon stainless
- Build
- Full tang, 3 nickel-silver rivets
- Made in
- Olean, New York
- Guarantee
- Forever Guarantee with free sharpening
Most kitchens need a chef's knife or santoku for chopping, a paring knife for small work, a utility knife for in-between jobs, a long bread or slicing knife, and kitchen shears. Add a carving knife for roasts, a boning knife for meat and fish, a cheese knife, and steak knives as your cooking grows.
The core five
| Knife | What it's for | Learn more |
|---|---|---|
| Chef's knife | Chopping, slicing, dicing and mincing; the workhorse. A curved edge rocks through herbs and onions. | French Chef, Petite Chef |
| Santoku | Japanese-style all-purpose knife with a flatter edge and low tip for straight-down chopping and thin slices. | Cutco Santoku |
| Paring knife | Peeling, coring, trimming and garnishes; precise work in the hand. | Paring knives |
| Utility knife | The in-between knife: tomatoes, sandwiches, trimming steaks. | Cutco Trimmer |
| Bread knife / slicer | Crusty bread, cake, tomatoes and boneless roasts in long strokes. | Cutco Slicer |
Knives for meat and fish
- Carving knife: long blade with a point for turkey, roasts and ham. Carving knives.
- Boning knife: thin, flexible blade that follows the bone. Boning knife.
- Butcher knife: big blade for large cuts and big produce. Butcher knife.
- Fillet / salmon knife: thin and flexible for fish. Salmon knife.
- Meat cleaver: chops through bone and frozen food.
- Steak knives: at the table. Steak knives.
Specialty knives
- Bird's beak (tourné): curved blade for round fruit and garnishes. Bird's beak.
- Cheese knife: holes that stop sticking. Cheese knives.
- Vegetable cleaver: tall blade for piles of produce. Vegetable knife.
- Heavy-duty utility: squash, melons, hard salami. Hardy Slicer.
- Kitchen shears: herbs, poultry, packaging. Super Shears.
- Spatula spreader: spread, scoop and slice. Spatula Spreader.
Where to start
Buy fewer, better knives you'll actually use: a chef's knife or santoku, a paring knife, a utility knife and a bread knife cover most cooking. See what kitchen knives you really need, or build exactly the set you want in Build Your Block.
Questions
What are the main types of kitchen knives?
Chef's knife, santoku, paring knife, utility knife, bread knife, carving knife, boning knife, cleaver and kitchen shears.
What is the most important kitchen knife?
A chef's knife (or santoku). It handles most chopping, slicing and dicing.
What knife is used for cutting meat?
A chef's knife for raw boneless meat, a boning knife for removing bones, a carving knife or slicer for cooked roasts, and a cleaver for bone.
Keep reading
Sources: Cutco: Types of Knives · Cutco: Anatomy of a Kitchen Knife