Chef’s Knife

Think of prepping chicken: these knives are prefect for separating the bones, slicing around the joints, and they’re also great for pulling off any skin. Filleting knives are generally a flexible kind of boning knife. That’s so they can adjust to the shape of a fish while slicing along the spine, to fillet, or to skin.

Rack of lamb does not need to be frenched to make a great presentation.

What kind of knives are in the kitchen of Gordon Ramsay

• Chef’s knife for chopping — Henckels Zwilling Pro Chef’s Knife.
• Carving knife — Henckels Zwilling Pro Carving Knife.
• Microplane Gourmet Series Fine Blade Grater.
• Paring knife — Henckels Zwilling Pro Paring Knife.

A chef’s knife should be used for most of your kitchen tasks, including slicing fruits, vegetables, and meats. The weight and length of a chef’s knife makes it ideal for chopping firm vegetables like carrots, onions, and potatoes or for slicing roasts or other large cuts of meat.

serrated knife

For a multitasking, versatile knife, choose a utility knife for all those small slicing tasks like mincing shallots, slicing herbs and cleaning and cutting your veggies. The slightly longer blade is convenient, when you don’t need the heft of a chef’s knife, but a paring knife is just too small to be comfortable.

The paring knife is great for peeling fruits and vegetables; slicing a single garlic clove or shallot; controlled, detailed cutting, such as cutting shapes or vents into dough; and scoring designs and patterns on surfaces of food.13

Chef’s knives are used for cutting meat, dicing vegetables, disjointing some cuts, slicing herbs, and chopping nuts, but there are a number of different varieties for separate purposes, including carving, slicing and bread knives for specific ingredients.23

The paring knife has a short blade, typically between 2 ½ and 4 inches long, and an edge that looks like a smaller, plainer version of a chef’s knife. Its simple, straightforward and sharp blade is ideal for intricate work such as peeling fruit or vegetables, deveining shrimp, or creating delicate garnishes.10

What is the most common way to hold a paring​ knife? Grip the handle with four fingers and place the thumb on the front of the handle. To prevent​ dulling, store knives in a knife drawer to protect them from other tools.

Use a sharp knife A dull blade is actually more dangerous to use than one that is sharp. Here’s why: A dull blade requires more pressure to cut, increasing the chance that the knife will slip with great force behind it. A sharp knife “bites” the surface more readily.

A chef’s knife (also called a French knife) has a broad, tapered shape and a fine sharp edge. Its blade ranges in length from 6 to 12 inches and measures at least 1-1/2 inches at the widest point. It is designed so it rocks on a cutting board as it cuts food.

Santoku knives or to give them their full name Santoku bocho knives, which translates as ‘three uses’, are ideal for mincing, dicing and slicing, as they feature a straight edge with a narrow sheep’s foot blade. These knives have evolved from the traditional Japanese vegetable knife which has a rectangular blade.17

Best Chef Knives — Six Recommendations

• Henckels Pro S Chef Knife.
• Wusthof Classic Ikon Santoku.
• Messermeister Meridian Elite Stealth Chef Knife.
• Global Santoku (G-48)
• MAC MTH-80 – Professional Series Chef Knife with Dimples.
• Shun Classic Chef Knife.

Although both are considered multipurpose tools for slicing, dicing, and mincing fruits, vegetables and herbs, when it comes to the meats, the chef’s knife is more commonly used for cutting through thick cuts of meat and even bones, while the Santoku is the go-to for fish.21

The shape of the blade of the santoku is, unlike a chef’s knife, practically the same alongside the entire length of the blade and only has a slight curve a couple centimeters from the tip towards the spine. In addition, the Santoku is lighter and shorter than its European brother which makes the Santoku very popular.

It is not a surprise to us that the always effervescent chef Jamie Oliver has a draw full of I.O. Shen knives. These knives are constructed of the hardest stainless steel and cut through food with the greatest of ease with their razor sharp blade.

IDEAL BLADE SIZE A larger 5.5″ (14cm) santoku knife is considered the standard size blade in Japan. Although larger blades can sometimes be found they are not ideal as the compactness and width of the blade is what brings out its special qualities.9

The Nakiri knife looks a little like a meat cleaver. Since it has a straight blade, it gives you a lot of strength required for cutting on the chopping board. The Santoku knife comes with a bit thinner blade and is suitable for better slicing. You can also use it for dicing and mincing.20

The 8 Best Santoku Knives of 2021

• Best Overall: HENCKELS Signature Hollow Edge Santoku Knife at Amazon.
• Best High-End: Zelite Infinity Santoku Knife at Amazon.
• Best NSF Certified: Mercer Culinary Genesis Forged Santoku Knife at Amazon.
• Best Budget:
• Best Self-Sharpening:
• Best Hybrid:
• Best Mid-Sized Santoku:
• Best Mini Santoku:

It has a flat blade that comes in full contact with the cutting board when in use, giving you a full cut and less chance of the vegetables sticking together by a thread. Nakiri is a safer choice for slicing fruits, vegetables, and greens in the kitchen. You need to have at least one knife without a tip in your kitchen.28

The flatness of the Nakiri’s blade means you can cut all the way through to the cutting board, without the rocking motion. The Nakiri also has a thinner blade, so it should not be used for tougher cuts, like butchering meat or cutting through thick vegetables.8

A Granton blade has a row of identical dimples (or scallops) on both sides of the blade. Unlike a serrated edge, which is scalloped along the edge itself, a Granton blade is scalloped only along the sides and has a straight edge, much like a standard knife.27

Best Nakiri Knife of 2021

• Best Overall Nakiri Knife. Shun Premier 5.5-Inch.
• Best Bang for the Buck. TUO Osprey Series Nakiri.
• Best Stamped Blade. Yoshihiro 46 Hammered Damascus Usuba.
• Most Comfortable to Hold. Shun Classic 6 1/2-Inch.
• Excellent Western-Style Handle.
• Best Option for Small Hands.
• A Fine Budget Option.
• A Heavy Knife With Some Precision.

The name of the top 10 Japanese knife brands for a kitchen is given below.

• Yoshihiro cutlery.
• Yaxell.
• Shun Cutlery.
• Miyabi.
• Masamoto Sohonten.
• Tojiro.
• Global.
• MAC.

Sashimi knives

A nakiri is definitely not indispensable, particularly if you’re already used to using a gyuto for most things. A nakiri is a substitute when you are prepping small veggies & tofu products.22