7 Knives and Supporting Tools Every Amateur Chef Needs
Anyone who’s ever done any serious cooking, would like to do serious
cooking, or has binge-watched cooking shows (and hopefully, been
inspired by them), is aware of the importance of a chef’s knives. Chef knives
are the chef’s toolbox, their primary food-preparation solutions for
before and after every course of a meal is cooked. As such, for cooking
enthusiasts and home chefs alike, a set of quality knives is
indispensable.
With that in mind, here are the knives and supporting tools that every amateur chef needs in the kitchen.
Chef’s Knife
Dependable, high-quality knives can be relatively expensive. But,reliable, quality knives are absolutely a worthy expense. And, if you’re willing to make that investment, the chef’s knife should be the priority. As the name suggests, it’s the chef’s sidekick, go-to blade. The most versatile of the knives, the chef’s knife is used to slice, dice, cube, mince, and otherwise cut up meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, and anything else that doesn’t require more specialized steel.
Prep Knife
A prep knife is a must to have in your kitchen. As the name implies, this knife will be your go-to when you need to prep items. A dependable prep knife is indispensable when it comes to chopping or peeling fruits and vegetables and can also be useful in slicing cheeses and meats in addition to working with poultry or even deveining shrimp.
Boning Knife
The boning knife is smaller than the chef’s knife, with a thinner, more flexible blade. It is used to remove meat from around the bones of beef, pork, fish, and more. While a boning knife is capable of cutting through joints and cartilage, it is not designed to cut through bone.
Paring Knife
The smallest member of premium knife sets, the paring knife is like a scaled-down chef’s knife. Paring knives allow for the preparation of smaller, finer, and more delicate ingredients requiring more precise cuts. Mincing garlic and chopping harder vegetables like raw carrots or parsnips is perfect work for the paring knife.
Serrated Knife
The serrated knife is often thought of and referred to as a “bread knife”—but it’s so much more than that. That’s not to say that a serrated knife isn’t great for cutting through the harder crust of bread without crushing and ruining the softer bread within. But rather to note that they’re also invaluable for cutting fruits and veggies with hard, slippery, or waxy surfaces, such as melons, pineapples, tomatoes, peppers, and citrus fruits.
Kitchen Shears
While not technically a knife, kitchen shears are still a bladed food-preparation instrument essential to any chef’s toolbox. Along with cutting up and de-stemming a variety of herbs, kitchen shears are also great for working with some kinds of meat. Kitchen shears are helpful in cutting up meat, removing fat, butterflying, removing unwanted skin, and even food-peripheral chores like cutting twine to lace whole poultry.
Steel or Ceramic Hone and a Wet Sharpening Stone
Virtually every quality knife block will include a steel hone. A steel hone, often simply referred to as a “steel,” is an excellent tool for re-establishing a fine edge on a knife between uses. (Ceramic hones are also gaining a reputation as an excellent alternative to steel.) However, contrary to popular belief, honing a knife isn’t actually sharpening it, but instead helping to realign the edge between sharpening. The best way to actually sharpen quality knives is to seek out and learn how to use a good wet sharpening stone.
About CHEFS Catalog
Since 1979, CHEFS Catalog has offered top-quality, high-performing kitchen equipment for chefs and cooks of all skills levels to create everyday meals and gourmet feasts. CHEFS Catalog strives to reach everyone from cooking enthusiasts to professional chefs. The company features the best kitchen solution products, including legendary Wusthof knives, as well as recipes and other helpful kitchen tricks and tips. CHEFS Catalog is passionate about cooking and understands your need for reliable and long-lasting kitchenware. The company started as a commercial catalog in 1979 and featured Julia Child on one of the early covers. CHEFS Catalog has evolved over the years and launched a new e-commerce site in 2017.
To learn more and to browse the full line of CHEFS Catalog kitchenware, visit Chefscatalog.com
Chef’s Knife
Dependable, high-quality knives can be relatively expensive. But,reliable, quality knives are absolutely a worthy expense. And, if you’re willing to make that investment, the chef’s knife should be the priority. As the name suggests, it’s the chef’s sidekick, go-to blade. The most versatile of the knives, the chef’s knife is used to slice, dice, cube, mince, and otherwise cut up meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, and anything else that doesn’t require more specialized steel.
Prep Knife
A prep knife is a must to have in your kitchen. As the name implies, this knife will be your go-to when you need to prep items. A dependable prep knife is indispensable when it comes to chopping or peeling fruits and vegetables and can also be useful in slicing cheeses and meats in addition to working with poultry or even deveining shrimp.
Boning Knife
The boning knife is smaller than the chef’s knife, with a thinner, more flexible blade. It is used to remove meat from around the bones of beef, pork, fish, and more. While a boning knife is capable of cutting through joints and cartilage, it is not designed to cut through bone.
Paring Knife
The smallest member of premium knife sets, the paring knife is like a scaled-down chef’s knife. Paring knives allow for the preparation of smaller, finer, and more delicate ingredients requiring more precise cuts. Mincing garlic and chopping harder vegetables like raw carrots or parsnips is perfect work for the paring knife.
Serrated Knife
The serrated knife is often thought of and referred to as a “bread knife”—but it’s so much more than that. That’s not to say that a serrated knife isn’t great for cutting through the harder crust of bread without crushing and ruining the softer bread within. But rather to note that they’re also invaluable for cutting fruits and veggies with hard, slippery, or waxy surfaces, such as melons, pineapples, tomatoes, peppers, and citrus fruits.
Kitchen Shears
While not technically a knife, kitchen shears are still a bladed food-preparation instrument essential to any chef’s toolbox. Along with cutting up and de-stemming a variety of herbs, kitchen shears are also great for working with some kinds of meat. Kitchen shears are helpful in cutting up meat, removing fat, butterflying, removing unwanted skin, and even food-peripheral chores like cutting twine to lace whole poultry.
Steel or Ceramic Hone and a Wet Sharpening Stone
Virtually every quality knife block will include a steel hone. A steel hone, often simply referred to as a “steel,” is an excellent tool for re-establishing a fine edge on a knife between uses. (Ceramic hones are also gaining a reputation as an excellent alternative to steel.) However, contrary to popular belief, honing a knife isn’t actually sharpening it, but instead helping to realign the edge between sharpening. The best way to actually sharpen quality knives is to seek out and learn how to use a good wet sharpening stone.
About CHEFS Catalog
Since 1979, CHEFS Catalog has offered top-quality, high-performing kitchen equipment for chefs and cooks of all skills levels to create everyday meals and gourmet feasts. CHEFS Catalog strives to reach everyone from cooking enthusiasts to professional chefs. The company features the best kitchen solution products, including legendary Wusthof knives, as well as recipes and other helpful kitchen tricks and tips. CHEFS Catalog is passionate about cooking and understands your need for reliable and long-lasting kitchenware. The company started as a commercial catalog in 1979 and featured Julia Child on one of the early covers. CHEFS Catalog has evolved over the years and launched a new e-commerce site in 2017.
To learn more and to browse the full line of CHEFS Catalog kitchenware, visit Chefscatalog.com
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