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Love cooking? Now, that is an amazing skill set that very few possess! No cooking experience can be complete without cutting, chopping and slicing! For that, do you use individual knives, or go for a knife set? Knife Sets and blocks seem to be highly effective, right? Well (and hell!), no!

The knives in the knife block are most often the most inefficient knives. On top of that, the knife blocks can burn a hole right through your finances because they are quite expensive!  All you get, are knives that look shiny but are of no (effective) use in cutting and chopping.

The knives readily provided in blocks are sometimes made of low-quality material. This means that the knives are not only less effective but also lose their sharpness fast! So, whatever you do, never invest in a kitchen knife set! The knife sets are horrible because they have redundant knives that become more of a hazard than a helpful aid!

For example, even if you do have a serrated knife, it will most often be too short and will not offer a proper grip for heavier jobs! Do you really want such knives in your collection? Definitely not! You need knives that do their job with finesse and great smoothness.

The sellers shall try to lure you with knife sets claiming that the sets will have many attractive products like honing steel, and also a block for safe storage of the knives! Sounds like a good deal, right? Well, that is where they play the trick! So, don’t fall for that trap!

To cut the long story short, a knife set or knife block is not worthy of your resources! Instead, you can invest in Damascus steel kitchen knives, and you will be able to see the difference yourself. So, go ahead and find individual knives that are of better quality and better sharpness.

What are the kinds of Knives that are absolute necessities in the kitchen?

Remember, a knife set will be made of knives that are common. Your cooking needs are more unique, so the generic knife block may not have even one knife to help you out! You need to choose the knife according to your needs.

Choose wisely! There are various types of knives, so don’t feel embarrassed in case you seem to be confused! Now, we are here to help you! There are basically three types of knives that are an absolute must for your kitchen chores.

Here they are:

  1. Chef’s Knife:
  •    Your kitchen space is an important factor when you are choosing the size of this kind of knife. You can either go for a 20cm knife or a 25cm knife, but this knife is a must in your kitchen.

 

  •    There are basically two types of chef’s knives, French and German.

 

  •    The German-style Chef’s knife is more deeply curved continuously along the cutting edge.

 

  •    The French chef’s knife has an edge that is straight and curves up to the tip!

 

  •    It is basically a multipurpose knife that can be used for a variety of tasks like chopping and cutting. The knife can also be used for slicing meat and disjointing larger cuts.

 

  •    The grip is important, like any other knife! A “pinch grip” is the preferred style of handling the knife. In this grip you need to use your thumbs and index finger to grasp the blade (just above the handle). The rest of the fingers go around the handle to form a stable grip.

If you want a unique chef knife, you can consider looking for options outside the mainstream collection.

Damascus Knife
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  1. Long Serrated Bread Knife:

o   You might be thinking that you can cut bread with any kind of long sharp knife. Well, you are truly dreaming if you think like this. Or, maybe you have not discovered the magic of the serrated bread knives.

 

o   A bread knife has the power to slice through the loaf with precision. Have you seen anybody killing bread with a knife?  If you did, then it was with a different kind of knife. When you use the serrated kind of bread knife, you will not see bits and pieces of bread flying around everywhere.

 

o   To top this perk, the serrated bread knives can also be used to create a sandwich! How, you ask?! Well, using the serrated knife, you will be able to cut fatty meat, tomatoes, onions and much more. Just add them to the fresh slices of bread (you just cut) and enjoy a wholesome sandwich.

 

o   The best size for a serrated bread knife is 25cm. Just make sure that the blade has some flexibility and should not be stiff!

o   There are many options in this type of knife, so you have the liberty to choose a high end serrated knife or pick a budget knife!

Bread Knife
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  1. Paring Knife:

o   Whether you want to peel veggies or perform some other lightweight task, a paring knife can help with the task. For every small job, you do not need to pull out a chef’s knife! Instead, use this kind of knife to complete the job.

o   If you are new to cutting and chopping, then this knife is perfect for gaining experience. Once you have gained the ultimate knowledge, you can handle all the big (and dangerous!) knives.

o   Many people may argue that a peeler is good enough, so why invest in a paring knife? Well, for those, let me tell you that it is always a good idea to gain some extra skills. Peeling with a knife is one such skill!

o   Remember that the blade size should be 3 to 3 ½ inches.

o   The blade should be sharp and agile, to handle all kinds of tough curves that you encounter while peeling a veggie or fruit.

o   The blade should have a certain degree of flexibility so that you can easily maneuver the tight areas with ease.

o   The tasks of a paring knife include coring tomatoes, cutting out citrus segments and even deveining shrimps.

 

 

Paring Knife
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Do you need to invest in top-grade stores for such amazing knives?

Whoa, who knew that such (seemingly!) simple and humble knives could be so useful! Well, you will only get to enjoy the perks if you invest in a high-grade store! Otherwise, you can forget about finding sharp and useful knives.

There are many top-grade stores awaiting your arrival! So, why waste time?! Find one and start shopping! Why that doubtful look? Do not commit the mistake of shopping at the next knife store that you find! Here are a few reasons why:

Æ  You can never trust a store that you haven’t researched about! Chances are that such stores will hand you low-quality knives. If you are not a knife expert or a chef, it is better to stick with stores that have high references and testimonials.

Æ  Research will also tell you about what price to expect. If you walk in blindly to the next store, you will be scammed and may end up spending a great deal of money for knives that are completely useless. A reputed store has its reputation at stake, so they will take extra care and offer the best knives at fair prices.

Do you need to keep track of so many aspects for cutting veggies, fruits and meat? Well, yes you need to know! Whether you are a professional or a home cook, it is always better to master your skills (No one has respect for Jack of All Trades, But Master of None!) To cut with style, ease and skill, and smoothen your culinary journey, it is imperative that you invest in the right kind of knives!

 

 

Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_knife

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