Essential Kitchen Knives: What Types of Knives Do You Really Need?
Many of us grew up with a knife block on the kitchen counter that contained up to 20 different knives, few of which had ever seen any use. For serious cooks concerned with quality over quantity, when it comes to knives, less is truly more. In this article we’ll cover the importance of having the right knife set in the kitchen, starting with the essential, all purpose knives that can handle a variety of functions, and then we’ll move on to specialty knives that maybe aren’t essential for every single cook, but should be considered based on the fact that they can do some jobs extremely well.
Understanding Kitchen Knives
Japanese knives fall into a few different categories, western-style or hybrid Japanese knives that are based on the shape and function of European (usually french or german) knives, but feature Japanese steel and craftsmanship. These knives are double beveled, meaning they are sharpened on both sides of the blade, usually at 50/50 or 70/30 angles.
There are also traditional, single-edged Japanese knives that are intended to perform one task very well. Examples of traditional knives are the deba, for fish butchery, yanagi for fish slicing and usuba for vegetable cutting. These knives are sharpened on only one side and require a little bit of experience to use properly. Traditional knives are loved for many reasons, but for the purpose of this article we’ll stick to the more popular and widely used western-style Japanese knives.
Types of Kitchen Knives
Japanese kitchen knives and cutlery come in a variety of shapes and sizes that are tied to both the user's preference and the task being performed. In the all purpose category, the knives that most cooks reach for to prepare vegetables or cut meat, poultry and fish are the gyuto or chef’s knife, the santoku and the petty or utility knife.
The Anatomy of a Kitchen Knife
Kitchen knives have basically two main parts, the blade and the handle. The back of the blade, the part that is not sharp, is called the spine. The sharp edge at the back of the knife towards the handle (opposite the tip) is known at the choil.
The handle of the knife can either be traditional western-style, which you may be familiar with that have ergonomic divots for where your fingers grip the under part of the handle. When the metal of the blade extends throughout the handle, this is known as having a full tang. In western style handles you can usually see metal dots known as rivets at up to three points in the handle.
For traditional or wa-handles, the part of the knife that you grip or handle is usually made from a type of wood like magnolia, walnut or rosewood. Popular shapes can be round or oval, D-shaped, or octagonal. Often a small piece of horn is used at the blade end of the handle and is known as a bolster. This can help protect the top of the handle as well as provide a comfortable balance to the weight of the blade.
The Must-Have Kitchen Knives
Here we’ll cover some of the different types of kitchen knives, focussing on the most useful and what we suggest for starting out a knife collection.
Chef's Knife - The Multipurpose Master
The Japanese-style version of a chef’s knife is called a gyuto, meaning ‘beef knife’. Ranging in size from 7-10”, with 8” being the most popular, there is little a gyuto can not accomplish. Gyuto are great for many cuts of meat, and can even work as a carving knife in a pinch. This all around great cook’s knife is not only for meat, it is the perfect choice to prep vegetables. It’s an ideal choice for chopping and larger produce.
Utility Knife - The Small but Mighty Tool
The Japanese paring knife, known as a petty and is usually 5-6” and great for making precision cuts. Think of it as a larger paring knife that can be used for small produce and garnishes, great for dicing vegetables and mincing herbs and garlic, or peeling fruits.
Santoku - The Versatile Option
Santoku, meaning three virtues, for the ability to cut fish, meat and vegetables equally well is slightly smaller than a gyuto, with a slightly higher blade. Extremely popular with home cooks, a santoku knife has a flat blade that is a well suited to straight up and down chopping motions.
Sujihiki - The Ultimate Slicing Knife
The Japanese version of a thin blade slicer or carving knife is called a sujihiki. Razor sharp and longer in length with a narrow blade, sujihiki are great for making thin slices of raw proteins like sashimi or carpaccio or for slicing roasts and cooked meat like steaks. It can be a great replacement for a fillet knife without the flexible blade.
Additional Essential Knives for the Kitchen
The following knives are made for tasks that could probably be completed with a gyuto or petty, but once you try them it’s hard to live without. These specialty knives are exactly what you need for vegetables, butchery and bread.
Nakiri - The Japanese Vegetable Knife
With a heavy spine and a square, straight blade, the nakiri is the ideal knife for making precision cuts for veggies. Like a small vegetable cleaver, the nakiri can make perfect dice, cut thin slices and break apart very hard dense produce like pumpkin, squash and root vegetables.
Honesuki Boning Knife - For Meat Preparation
The Japanese version of a boning knife is called a honesuki. It has a heavy triangular blade with a pointed tip, perfect for deboning birds, cutting through soft joints and cartilage and general butchery and meat preparation.
Bread Knife - The Serrated Edge
Called a pan-kiri in Japanese, a good bread knife with a long serrated blade can cut through baked goods and pastries without crushing their delicate structure. Serrated knives are popular with home cooks, because they are not easy to dull, but can have challenges when it comes to sharpening.
Kitchen shears -
Loved by professional chefs and home cooks alike, a good pair of kitchen shears is a great tool for cutting through the joints and soft bones of a chicken. They are great for snipping herbs and soft vegetables.
How Many Knives Do You Need in the Kitchen?
The answer to this question depends purely on how you cook and tackle various kitchen tasks. Focussing quality of quantity, we recommend having at least two knives to start, a small utility knife and a larger gyuto or santoku will allow you to do most tasks in the kitchen.
To build a versatile yet minimal knife collection, start with two all purpose knives of different sizes and then add to the collection based on what ingredients you work with most often.
Choosing Your Kitchen Knives
When choosing a kitchen knife the main things to consider are weight, steel type, handle preference and cost. As always, get in touch if we can help provide guidance in choosing a knife.
How to choose the Best Type of Kitchen Knives
Steel Type: Stainless steel vs. carbon steel: The first thing you should consider is whether or not you are comfortable with carbon steel. Professional cooks love carbon steel knives because they are easy to sharpen and have the potential to get super sharp, but they require a bit more care and attention than stainless steel knives. Carbon steel needs to be kept very dry and wiped regularly while in use to avoid corrosion. This is especially true when cutting acidic foods. If this is not something you can commit to doing, there are plenty of stainless and semi stainless steels available.
Knife Weight: Some people prefer razor sharp, featherweight knives that glide effortlessly through whatever they are cutting. Others prefer to feel the weight of the knife in their hand and use the weight to their advantage and let gravity help with the cutting.
Handle: Western style vs. Traditional / Wa Handles. Choosing a handle style is really a matter of personal preference and ergonomics. Some cooks appreciate the versatility of a wa style handle, but great knives are made with a variety of styles.
Price Point: From high-end to budget-friendly. The most expensive knife is not necessarily the best knife for any individual. Take the blade material, handle offering and skill of the craftsman in mind when accessing the cost of a knife.
Maintenance and Care for Longevity
Keeping a Sharp Edge: Honing steel, whetstone, and knife sharpeners. Japanese knives should only be sharpened on whetstones. Honing steels can realign an edge when urgently needed, like in the middle of a busy service, but won’t remove steel, which is necessary to restore an edge to a sharp blade. Never use a pull through knife sharpener on a good knife. It removes way more steel than is necessary and can ruin the blade angle.
Hand Wash vs. Dishwasher: Never put a good knife in the dishwasher. The cleaning solution is very abrasive and the hot water can damage handles. Also having a sharp knife loose in the dishwasher can be dangerous.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most commonly used knife in the kitchen? The 8.2” Gyuto is far and away our most popular size.
What knives should every kitchen have? Every cook needs a small utility knife and chef’s knife or gyuto. Other knives may be deemed essential based on what you cook most often like vegetable knives, bread knives and butcher knives.
What’s a good knife to take when travelling? If you only have one knife, a santoku is a good option because it has the benefits of a small chef knife, but with a compact versatile blade.
Conclusion
Well chosen, high-quality knives will last a lifetime. We are strong believers in quality over quantity and encourage cooks to invest in well made knives that will enhance cooking efficiency and enjoyment for a lifetime.
Explore our collection of the best Japanese made knives for professional chefs and home cooks.