It can be difficult to know which kitchen knives are necessary. The professional chef wants several different knives for specific tasks, but the amateur chef can easily use the same knife for different tasks.
But there are four knives that you should have in your kitchen if you love to cook and want to handle your ingredients in the best way.
Chef’s Knife
A good chef’s knife is the perfect all-around knife. Thanks to a good handle, a wide knife blade, and a sharp tip, the knife can handle all cutting tasks in the kitchen. The chef’s knife is especially good for cutting, slicing, and chopping and perfect for vegetables, meat, and spices.
Universal Knife
A universal knife comes in different sizes. It is smaller than the chef’s knife and larger than the shell knife – this makes it perfect as a universal tool. It is perfect for cutting and chopping with precision. The universal knife is good for everything from soft cheeses to citrus fruits.
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The peeling knife works great as a mini-version of the chef’s knife. What characterizes it is its small size and the short knife blade.
The peeling knife is especially good for cutting, slicing, and trimming and cutting smaller fruits and vegetables. It is excellent for small foods such as berries, herbs, and seafood, as well as for creating creative decorations.
Bread Knife
You recognize the bread knife on the long, narrow knife blade with teeth. A good tool that does not necessarily only need to be used for bread. The serrated knife blade makes it excellent for food with a hard exterior and a soft inside to not mash.
This makes it excellent for cutting watermelons or large tomatoes, for example. There are many other types of knives, but with the above, you are well prepared for your daily needs.
For example, you could consider a sharp pre- cut knife as a preparation knife or a meat cleaver for the extra hard tasks. If fish or chicken are often on the menu, a fillet knife can also complete your collection. Under our category for kitchen knives, you can filter by variety.
Material
Steel
Most knives are made of steel. The hardness of the steel is also often mentioned here. The hardness of the steel varies greatly from brand to brand and knife to knife.
Cheaper knives normally have a hardness of less than 56 HRC, which means that they do not stay sharp for that long. Quality knives with higher hardness, on the other hand, will be able to stay sharp longer.
It is also advantageous if the steel has a high carbon content, such as VG-10. In short, it means that they stay sharp longer. Here the hardness is around 60–62 HRC. Knives are also available with higher hardness, which makes them even better.
The harder the steel, the longer the sharpness lasts – and less maintenance. Be aware, however, that a much harder hardness (from approx. 64 HRC and up) also gives a more fragile knife-edge that chips more easily – therefore, the right balance is important.
Ceramic
Ceramic knives are harder than others and therefore retain their sharpness longer. It is made of special sand and is harder than steel knives. The ceramic surface is smoother, so raw materials do not stick but detach from the blade. Therefore, they can sometimes be perceived as sharper than steel knives.
European Steel
The western and European knives have softer steel than the Japanese knives, but instead, it has a thicker design, which does not make them as fragile. The sharpening angle for European knives is 20-25 degrees.
Japanese Steel
Japanese knives are traditionally made of harder steel than those used in knife manufacturing in Europe. A Japanese knife is sharpened at a steeper slope, 12-15 degrees, than the European ones, making the blade thinner. Most of them are easily sanded – and are only sanding on one side.
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