The 3 essential knives
You must have heard a chef or cook say: "There’s no good cooking without good ingredients". This is very true, of course, but for any amateur or beginner it is equipment that really counts to start with.
What I mean is that you should not skimp on kitchen equipment, good utensils, a food processor or other machines – the right tools are vital if you want to cook well.
What I mean is that you should not skimp on kitchen equipment, good utensils, a food processor or other machines – the right tools are vital if you want to cook well.
21 K 5/5 (14 reviews)
Keywords for this post:KnifeKitchenChefTypesEssentialChoiceLast modified on: May 30th 2018
The 3 essential knives
In other words, your recipes stand a better chance of success, and will be easier and more enjoyable, if you have the right tools to begin with.
And when it comes to tools, the first and foremost, without which you can do nothing, the kitchen’s alpha and omega, is the knife.
It’s what cooks do: we cut, trim, slice, chop, peel, and a whole host of other verbs that describe everything that can be done with a knife. Let’s be clear, without a knife you would be hard pushed to do anything well, apart from a bit of baking. Even then, just for lining a simple tart tin, you would need to trim around the edges.
So you will need a knife, and a good one. No, on second thoughts, you will actually need three. With these, an amateur can do everything (or almost). Here they are in order of importance:
- Top place goes to this small knife with a blade of a similar length to the handle, about 3.5 to 4 inches (8-10 cm). This is very useful for cutting up small any food that is neither too large nor too hard. It’s the all-purpose knife that we reach for very often. The small blade makes it ideal for fine cutting or fancy details. Typical tasks: dicing a shallot.
- In second place is this medium-sized knife, about twice the size of the paring knife. The blade is a little thicker and longer and the handle is wider, which sits snugly in the hand. This is also a general work-horse knife, but not for cutting small, as the blade is too large. Typical tasks: Jointing or cutting up meat.
- In third place is this hefty chef’s knife, used for chopping. It is about three times the size of the small paring knife. The thick blade and solid handle allow cutting that requires an element of force. This is the specialist tool for chopping vegetables, but not only that. Typical tasks: chopping up a celeriac or cutting leeks into large chunks.
With these three you will be able to do everything you need, or almost, I would say. You will also need a vegetable peeler to make life easier and, if possible, a honing (or butcher’s) steel or whetstone to keep your three knives well sharpened. There’s nothing worse than a knife that doesn’t cut because it’s been badly sharpened.
While we’re about it, just a word about quality. As always, you should invest a decent amount, but without going over the top. There is no need to buy really expensive Japanese knives (OK, they’re classy, I know); you would be better off with decent French knives, with stainless blades and handles in something other than wood, as these are not extortionately priced. They will last you for many years. Meryl Streep, the American actress, once said on a TV show that every time she goes to France, she can’t resist buying French chef’s knives for their exceptional quality.
To sum up: To cook well, you will need 3 knives: paring, medium and large chef’s knives. Stainless steel blade, handle not in wood. And good quality – de la qualité!
And when it comes to tools, the first and foremost, without which you can do nothing, the kitchen’s alpha and omega, is the knife.
It’s what cooks do: we cut, trim, slice, chop, peel, and a whole host of other verbs that describe everything that can be done with a knife. Let’s be clear, without a knife you would be hard pushed to do anything well, apart from a bit of baking. Even then, just for lining a simple tart tin, you would need to trim around the edges.
So you will need a knife, and a good one. No, on second thoughts, you will actually need three. With these, an amateur can do everything (or almost). Here they are in order of importance:
Paring knife
- Top place goes to this small knife with a blade of a similar length to the handle, about 3.5 to 4 inches (8-10 cm). This is very useful for cutting up small any food that is neither too large nor too hard. It’s the all-purpose knife that we reach for very often. The small blade makes it ideal for fine cutting or fancy details. Typical tasks: dicing a shallot.
Medium chef’s (or utility) knife
- In second place is this medium-sized knife, about twice the size of the paring knife. The blade is a little thicker and longer and the handle is wider, which sits snugly in the hand. This is also a general work-horse knife, but not for cutting small, as the blade is too large. Typical tasks: Jointing or cutting up meat.
Large chef’s knife
- In third place is this hefty chef’s knife, used for chopping. It is about three times the size of the small paring knife. The thick blade and solid handle allow cutting that requires an element of force. This is the specialist tool for chopping vegetables, but not only that. Typical tasks: chopping up a celeriac or cutting leeks into large chunks.
With these three you will be able to do everything you need, or almost, I would say. You will also need a vegetable peeler to make life easier and, if possible, a honing (or butcher’s) steel or whetstone to keep your three knives well sharpened. There’s nothing worse than a knife that doesn’t cut because it’s been badly sharpened.
While we’re about it, just a word about quality. As always, you should invest a decent amount, but without going over the top. There is no need to buy really expensive Japanese knives (OK, they’re classy, I know); you would be better off with decent French knives, with stainless blades and handles in something other than wood, as these are not extortionately priced. They will last you for many years. Meryl Streep, the American actress, once said on a TV show that every time she goes to France, she can’t resist buying French chef’s knives for their exceptional quality.
To sum up: To cook well, you will need 3 knives: paring, medium and large chef’s knives. Stainless steel blade, handle not in wood. And good quality – de la qualité!
Lasts posts
Travel cakes
You may have come across the term "travel cakes" ("gateaux de voyage" in french) for certain pastries, so let's take a look at what they're all about.January 27th 20252,398
The aromatic power of sugar
In the kitchen, sugar doesn't just sweeten, it also has an exceptional ability to capture flavors. Combined with aromatic ingredients, such as citrus zest, it acts as a veritable sponge for aromas. By taking the time to let the sugar soak up the flavors, you can transform your desserts, making...December 25th 20242,7525
The little trap of thick cream
When you need to add cream to a recipe, you might be wondering: thick (heavy) cream or liquid cream? In most cases, there's no big difference: you can use either. But there is one exception, and that's when the cream needs to be cooked, for a sauce for example, and here the difference between...December 13th 20243,2245
Sauce and salad: When and how to mix them?
When dressing a salad, there's a kind of golden rule: add the dressing very shortly before serving, especially if your salad contains crunchy elements such as croutons or fresh vegetables, which will retain their crunchiness or crispiness. But, as is often the case in the kitchen, there are...November 29th 20243,3585
No need to boil gelatin
Gelatin is a magical ingredient for making light, creamy, structured desserts, yet it's often misused in the kitchen. A common mistake in some recipes is the idea that it needs to be boiled for it to work properly, but this is a mistake indeed: gelatin melts at a much lower temperature, around...November 21th 20243,3195
Other pages you may also like
When should you salt?
In the kitchen, we salt very frequently, almost all the time, and we must be careful because this salt can influence the texture of what you are cooking. I'm not going to talk about the amount of salt here, that's for another time, but rather about : When do you salt?August 13th 201914 K4.5
Choosing a chopping board
It's a no-brainer, surely? If you want a chopping board, just find a piece of wood, and Bob's your uncle! You can happily chop away with a knife and not damage the table or worktop. But in reality, it's a bit more complicated than that. You need to be careful what you are buying, in particular the...May 8th 201247 K4.6
There is vanilla and vanilla
The vanilla is a delicious taste that can be found in many many dessert recipes, creams (the cream and the cream for example), ice creams, but also cakes and entremets. Whenever you need to add this vanilla note, you have several possible choices because vanilla is commercially available in...December 14th 20179,7195
The beautiful story of the croissants
As you may have already noticed, cooking, baking and pastry-making are full of stories or legends, usually very romantic, about this or that product or recipe. This is often the case for named recipes, for example tarte tatin, peach melba, paris-brest and many others, but it also applies to very...October 10th 201815 K5
The first breads of humanity?
I have already told you in a previous article the beautiful story of the croissants, but do you know what it is about the bread, who "invented" it, where and when? Well, you can imagine that recent discoveries, in 2018, have profoundly changed the history of bread.February 16th 201910 K5
Post a comment or question
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.