The Three Knives You Need in Your Kitchen

THE UPSELL

We've all seen them:  the giant blocks of 24 knives sold as expensive sets.  Most of these sets are:

   (A)  A marketing gimmick to get you to buy way more expensive knives than you need

AND/OR

   (B)  Quantity over quality: a set of a gazillion junk knives for a really cheap price

The reality is that you don't need all those knives.  You can do everything you need to in the kitchen with far less.

THE ESSENTIALS

The prevailing wisdom echoed throughout the food blogging stratosphere these days is that there are really only 3 knives you need in your kitchen.  

1. A Great Chef's Knife:  The chef's knife is the most important tool in the kitchen when preparing a meal.  This workhorse can pretty much do it all when sharpened correctly.  Dicing vegetables, chopping herbs, and slicing meat are all tasks easily tackled by this staple.  
2. A Paring Knife:  When you need to do more detailed work, like peeling fruit or hulling tomatoes, a chef's knife can be a bit unwieldy.  This is where the paring knife excels, and a sharp one is essential in any kitchen
3. A Serrated Bread Knife:  Great for sawing through a loaf of crusty bread.  And while this is commonly referred to as a "bread" knife, this tool is also great for a variety of other kitchen tasks like cutting ripe tomatoes or other multi-textured foods.

Are there other knives in the kitchen that could be useful?  Sure.  We offer a "Deluxe" set that includes 5 knives as opposed the standard 3 because we understand that there are other knives that can be helpful in the kitchen.  That said, we're firmly in the camp that you don't need a dozen knives to cook like a professional.  

On the contrary, focusing your resources on keeping your knives sharp is a much better investment than just having "more" knives.  Dull knives are dangerous, can make cooking frustrating, and can even make for a less appealing meal.  

MORE READING

If you don't want to take our word for it, check out one of the following articles that all say pretty much the same thing: there are 3 essential knives you need for the kitchen.

The Only 3 Knives You Need from Epicurious

Essential Kitchen Knives from the Huffington Post

These Are The Only Knives You Really Need from Bon Appetit

The Three Must-Have Knives from Food Network

The 3 Basic Knives Every Kitchen Needs from The Kitchn

 

WANT TO GET STARTED WITH THE 3 ESSENTIAL KNIVES AND KEEP THEM SHARP FOREVER? 

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