Skip the Knife Block and Buy These Knives Instead

Knife blocks seem like a great idea at first glance. You assume there are a variety of useful knives out there and you get a whole range of steak knives for one low price. You may not eat steak very often and never with seven people, but who can say no to so many identical knives? You, that’s who. This mass-produced set of knives may not suit your unique dining tastes. Skip the block of cheap knives (many of which you won’t touch anyway).

Instead, focus on fewer, higher quality, personalized knives. A high-quality knife (or three) can be versatile enough to meet all your needs without breaking your budget. Use this guide to help you choose a knife based on your specific needs, budget, and available space.

If you can only buy one knife…

You have to start somewhere. Instead of buying four cheap knives, it’s better to invest that money in one good knife that’s versatile enough to make a lot of cuts. Among knives that provide power and maneuverability, and can also cut, slice, chop and carve, two knives stand out: the chef’s knife and the santoku.

Chef’s knife

A chef’s knife has a wide blade with a curved edge that tapers to a point, giving it the functionality of three knives in one. The wide blade with a deep heel is similar to a knife, making it useful for chopping down meats and root vegetables. The curved edge provides a swinging motion, much like a mezza luna blade prized for chopping and slicing. The narrow and sharp tip allows for precise and fine slicing, whether slicing strawberries or separating meat from bones. If you slice meat, chop vegetables, chop herbs, onions and other aromatics, this is probably the knife for you.

Santoku knife

The Santoku is a blade shape that originates from Japan and has similar functionality to a Western chef’s knife. This knife has a wide blade with a less curved edge. The tip is noticeably different from a chef’s knife and has a blunter, downward-pointing shape. The Santoku has a smooth blade or Granton edge (long dimples on the sides) that prevent food from sticking to the knife.

These features make the santoku more knife-like: the Granton edge prevents meat, fruits and vegetables from sticking to the blade, allowing for faster and more efficient chopping. The Santoku can do everything a chef’s knife can, but if you find yourself cutting a lot more than carving or slicing, this may be the knife best suited for your needs. I chop and cook vegetables at almost every meal, so I reach for a santoku far more often than I do a chef’s knife.

The quality and price of knives vary widely. Here are two high-quality mid-range options:

• 8″ Chef’s Knife by Material
• Santoku knife Mercer 7 inches

You will do most of the cooking and finishing of your meal with this knife. Whatever you choose, you want it to be capable of powerful hits. Look for a full tang knife, which will have a heavier handle. Make sure the handle and roller fit comfortably in your hand. Both of these features will give you better control of the blade and add some oomph to your shots. Both the chef’s knife and the santoku come in different sizes, but I think the smaller size allows for greater maneuverability. Use a blade that is six to eight inches long.

If you can only buy three knives…

Three knives will allow you to explore blades with more specific functions. One of the knives should be a workhorse – a chef’s knife or santoku. The other two should be general purpose but focused on more specialized functions. These two blades allow you to cook a wide variety of foods with more precise handling.

Utility knife

A utility knife, sometimes called a “small knife,” is a medium-sized knife with a durable blade ranging from four to six inches in length. The blade has the same taper as a chef’s knife, but is narrower. Because of this, the heel of the knife becomes quite shallow, but overall the knife is versatile and easy to handle thanks to its more compact size. A utility knife is better suited for slicing and precision cutting rather than chopping; The heel of the knife should not fall onto the cutting board before the knuckles do. Utility knives come in serrated or smooth varieties and can do most of the work that paring knives do due to their narrow design. Use this knife to slice, deseed or peel fruits and vegetables, take it with you on a picnic, or cut through a tall turkey ball.

Bread knife

A bread knife may seem like it only cuts one thing, but it can actually break more than just your sourdough starter. A bread knife has a long, thin, narrow blade and a serrated edge with sharp or rounded teeth. It is this feature that makes the bread knife special. Unlike the knives we’ve discussed so far, the blade pierces and saws through food to eliminate resistance, and works horizontally rather than with a downward force. Use a bread knife to cut anything that has a tough outer layer and a softer inner texture, including bread, pies, puff pastries, eggplant or tomatoes. Bread knives come in sizes from six to twelve inches. I suggest an eight-inch bread knife to easily cut a wide range of ingredients.

Purchase one of each knife to complete your three-piece knife collection:

Wüsthof Gourmet utility knife 4.5 inches

Bread knife Zwilling JA Henckels 8 inches

If you have room for five knives…

If you have room for five knives in your life, you might want to have some fun. You already have a chef’s knife or santoku, a utility knife and a bread knife. Think about what you’re cooking with these three knives and what you want to do that’s easier or faster. The utility knife may be too large for cutting fruit. Is taking apart a chicken awkward? You may need a more flexible blade. Do you cook a lot of fish? This requires a thin and long blade. Take a look at the following knives and choose the two that best suit your needs.

Carving knife

A carving knife has a long, thin, narrow blade with a pointed tip. This shape allows the knife to cut thin slices across wide pieces of meat. Instead of trying to get halfway down the sides of a steak or cutting through a Thanksgiving turkey, use a carving knife to make long, clean cuts in one motion.

Paring knife

Most of my life I thought a paring knife was a big deal, but I mostly use mine to snack on cheese. This is the smallest knife option you can choose from this lot, with a short, thin, tapered blade that may or may not be angled. You can’t put a lot of cutting force into a paring knife, but you can get a strong angle with a short blade. Much of its value lies in its agility.

Typically the blade is two and a half to three and a half inches long. You can use this blade for chopping small ingredients that don’t require much effort, such as citrus fruits or berries, peeling potatoes, or chopping onions and garlic. Yes, and I cut cheese for a snack. I have a cheap Victorinox serrated paring knife and honestly, it’s a good size and stays extremely sharp even with frequent use. Follow the link below to see this wonder for $8. ( Editor’s note: I’m a big fan of my expensive Opinel paring knife , which stays sharp for years and is dishwasher safe. – Claire )

Boning knife

This knife has a unique shape and feel compared to the previous knives on the list: it is long and thin, thin and razor sharp, and its feel ranges from durable to downright flexible. Boning knives are designed to slide under the silver skin and around cartilage, separating meat from bones and reaching between bones to separate joints when cutting. If your adult kitchen requires you to take apart a chicken, cut a steak, or fillet a whole fish, this knife will be a good addition to your collection.

Cleaver

Not as thin in size, the knife has an intimidating appearance that might make you think that it is only meant for chopping meat and bones. Not this way. While a cleaver does these tasks well, it is a true multi-tool in the kitchen. This knife has a wide, durable, rectangular blade and more weight, and more weight means more power.

Use this knife to chop large quantities of vegetables or thick, fibrous foods such as butternut squash, or mince an entire piece of boneless meat into mince. The tall, flat blade with a deep heel is suitable for accurately slicing and separating bread dough, cookies or slicing finished pizza. Don’t forget about the wide side of the blade; use this space to crush the garlic, or as if you were using a bench scraper when transferring food from the cutting board to the pan.

Expand your 5-piece knife collection by adding two more knives to suit your eating style:

• Cooking knife Mercer 10 inches
• Victorinox Swiss classic paring knife
• Wüsthof Classic Flexible 6″ Boning Knife
• Precision cleaver Zwilling JA Henckels 6 inches

While these are my basic recommendations, when you start choosing knives, think about what you eat. The purpose of a knife is to make cooking easier, faster and with less labor. A good knife shouldn’t tire you out or cause blisters, and it should work well for a long time (as long as you take care of it). These knives will satisfy most of your needs, but this is just a starting list. If you need two santoku knives of different sizes, buy them. If you often cook one specific item, such as raw oysters, then add an oyster shucker to your shopping list. Just don’t take the knife block. You deserve better.