Professional chef’s always praised the idea of having a good collection of just a few knives that will do all the cutting work and will last you a long time. And they are not wrong there. It is better t have a couple of good quality essential kitchen knives than to have dozens of cheap breakable knives. Yes, we are going to talk about essential kitchen knives today but that doesn’t mean they can’t be unique. 

Let’s break the essentials down and see what they look like:

1. Chef’s knife 

When it comes to chef's knives it really doesn’t matter if you are a chef or not, these knives are essential for everyone. 

A chef’s knife is a knife that you reach for the most and it has the most versatile blade, which can be used to cut most of your ingredients. This is a knife that needs to be very high quality to serve you longer as it is the most important one for any kitchen and any cook. 

The style of the chef’s knives is mainly sophisticated and goes with any kitchen style. The blades of the chef’s knives range from six to 12 inches, but eight inches is the most common length.

 

     2. Utility Knife

This is a smaller knife that is as important as the chef’s knife and having it in your kitchen will make cooking much easier, especially, cooking meat.  

It is meant for removing bones as well as skin and it is suitable for poultry and fish. It is a small knife but being strong is crucial for it as you are going to use it for removing bones of beef and pork. So make sure to get a strong and sturdy boning knife that will last you a long time because essential knives are the ones we use the most making them lose their freshness too soon. 

A boning knife has a thin blade that is usually 5 or 6 inches long and it has an extra-sharp point, which is crucial for any type of knife, but especially the ones that work with meat and bones. 

 

3. Cleaver knife 

Another essential that comes to mind is the Cleaver knife, which is on a larger side of the spectrum. 

This is a knife that any meat-loving kitchen has to have. It is meant for heavy-duty cutting, more like, butchering. They might sound intimidating but when operated carefully, these knives will be your favorite when it comes to chopping meat and other hard ingredients. 

Cleaver knives have wide blades and strong handles to balance out the heaviness of the blade. They are extremely sharp and they should be durable to last longer throughout their hard job in the kitchen. 

Go get a good Cleaver knife to make the hard task of chopping boney meat a breeze. 

4. Slicing and Carving knife 

 This is a knife that is very similar to a chef’s knives but it is much thinner and is mainly used for carving and slicing meats and poultry. 

These knives have long blades with a straight edge allowing you to slice very thin slices of meat. It can be rounded at the tip or pointy and sharp. 

The thinner blade allows for thinner cuts, and the length of the blade encourages a sawing motion used in carving. These knives are used to cut even and thin slices of meat and anything else you want. 

5. Paring knife 

These are even smaller knives, which you can use to cut small vegetables, mince garlic, hull strawberries, or peel fruits. 

The blade of a paring knife can be from 7 to 10 inch long, which is enough for cutting small veggies and fruits. But remember to never cut too hard vegetables. These small knives don't carry enough weight to easily slice through the foods, which may prompt you to increase the pressure or tighten your grip as you're cutting. But these are the type of knives that you end up using the most since they are small and handy. You will also be able to take them outdoors with you since they are small and easy to carry for small cutting tasks while you camp. 

 

In conclusion: Now that you know the types of knives that are essential for your kitchen, Its time to start the hunt for the best ones. But remember that getting essentials doesn’t mean you have to have the same knives that everyone has. You can go for unique special knives that will suit you and your kitchen the best.