Traveling Knife Gal
Knife number one
Cutco 9-1/4" French Chef #1725
Every essential list starts with a great chef's knife; the French Chef handles most of your prep on its own.
- 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
Four knives cover most home cooking: a chef's knife or santoku, a paring knife, a utility knife and a bread knife (slicer). Add kitchen shears. After that, add knives for the way you cook: a carving knife for holiday roasts, a boning knife if you break down meat, steak knives for the table, and a cheese knife if you entertain.
The essential four
- Chef's knife or santoku for chopping, slicing and dicing (French Chef, Petite Chef or Santoku).
- Paring knife for peeling and detail work (paring knives).
- Utility knife for tomatoes, sandwiches and trimming (Trimmer).
- Bread knife / slicer for crusty bread, cake and roasts (Slicer).
Plus a good pair of kitchen shears.
What to add next
- Host the holidays? A carving knife and fork.
- Buy whole chickens or big roasts? A boning knife.
- Steak night? Steak knives.
- Cheese boards? A cheese knife.
- Lots of squash and melons? A heavy-duty utility knife.
Set or build your own?
Boxed sets can be good value, but only if you'll use every piece. Faith's Build Your Block lets you pick exactly the knives you want and the block to hold them, and add more over time.
Questions
How many kitchen knives do I need?
Four cover most cooking: a chef's knife or santoku, a paring knife, a utility knife and a bread knife, plus kitchen shears.
Is it better to buy a knife set or individual knives?
Buy a set only if you will use every knife in it; otherwise build your own collection around the knives you need.
What knife should I buy first?
A good chef's knife or santoku.
Keep reading
Sources: Cutco: Types of Knives