5 Common Types of Kitchen Knives: What You Need to Know

While knives may all look similar, there is a slew of different types of knives. It’s in your best interest to be informed about them so that you can make use of the different types of knives in the right way. Now, we understand if this may seem overwhelming. This is why we thought it would be useful to put together a brief article on this subject. If this is something that you’re interested in learning more about, read on as we discuss five common types of kitchen knives that you need to know about. 

Chef’s Knife

This is the standard kitchen knife that everyone needs. They come in different lengths, from 8 inches all the way up to 12 inches. If you're just starting out, a 10-inch knife should be enough. But some people argue that it's better to get a 12-inch chef's knife and use an 8- or 10-inch santoku knife as your primary knife. (We'll talk about that more in a bit.)

A chef's knife has a long, triangular blade with a slight curve. This allows you to "rock" the knife back and forth when chopping herbs, and also gives you more leverage when cutting through tough ingredients. Even if you don't use it every day, a 12-inch blade is what you'll need for slicing open a butternut squash or carving a turkey.

Santoku Knife

Santoku knives are versatile tools that are good for slicing, chopping, and mincing. They are available in sizes ranging from 5 to 8 inches and have a thinner edge than a chef's knife, which makes them ideal for precision work. If you get an 8-inch santoku knife, you will be able to use it for 90 per cent of your kitchen tasks, such as chopping vegetables, slicing cooked meats, and even taking apart a chicken. Make sure to get a knife that fits your hand comfortably. Santoku knives lack a bolster (the heavy knob of steel at the base of the blade of a chef's knife) and their uncurved cutting edge doesn't lend itself to the "rocking" motion of a French knife. However, since chopping herbs is not a common task in the kitchen, you may want to buy two santoku knives—one with a standard edge and one with scalloped Granton edges that helps prevent sliced foods from sticking to the blade.

Serrated Bread Knife

A serrated knife is perfect for slicing bread, but it can also be used to slice holiday roasts, carve a turkey or slice tough-skinned fruits and vegetables like tomatoes. The longer the blade, the more versatile the knife, so choose one that's at least 14 inches long. Serrated knives are also great for levelling and splitting cakes.

Paring Knife

A paring knife may not be a necessity, as it can't do anything your santoku knife can't. But for very precise peeling or for cutting small citrus wedges for drinks, a paring knife will come in useful, and they're cheap enough to be worth it. There are also serrated and scalloped versions of this knife, as well as different tips.

Boning Knife

A boning knife has a thin, flexible blade designed for separating meat from bones. It's usually on the equipment list for culinary students, but unless you're planning to do a lot of boning, there's no need to get one. Even if you're planning just once to bone out a leg of lamb, there's still no reason to get a boning knife since you won't learn how to use it properly in one try and it won't matter what knife you use.

Conclusion

We hope this article proves to be useful when it comes to furthering your understanding of the many different types of knives. As you can see, there is a slew of different knives that serve different purposes. Be sure to keep everything you’ve learned here in mind so that you can make better use of the knives in your kitchen.

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