Equipping Your Kitchen With the Best Kitchen Knives: A Kitchen Essentials Round-Up

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May 5, 2022

Aside from being able to reap the benefits of your labor with a tasty meal, one of the most enjoyable aspects of food preparation is having to play with kitchen knives. If you're serious about improving your cooking skills or working in a professional kitchen, your kitchen knife set will be the most-used tools you'll ever own. Over time, they could become your extra hand as your knife skills reach new levels.

Whether you're slicing a piece of bread or onion, the proper knife can greatly affect the output of your food. Knives are made of various metals and come in various shapes and lengths. Several knives could be used for different ingredients, while others specialize in a single task.

Read this article down to the very end to know the best brands available in the market today for all types of kitchen applications. More information on taking care of your kitchen knives are also underway.

Common Types of Knives and the Highly Suggested Brands You Can Find on Amazon

Here are the most common knives you can see in a kitchen, together with the finest brands recommended for each type found on the Amazon marketplace.

Chef's Knife: Wüsthof 8-Inch Classic Chef's Knife

The Chef's knife is a powerful and flexible multi-purpose knife. It has a broad, sharp edge and typically measures 6 to 14 inches. The Chef's knife is often used in cutting meat, dicing vegetables, shaving herbs, and chopping nuts. It must have a good balance and an even weight distribution. You can use it in cutting and carving foods and ingredients.

Wüsthof Classic Chef's Knife

If you only use one knife when preparing a meal, better use a chef's knife. They are capable of slicing, dicing, chopping, deboning, and filleting. The Wüsthof Classic 8-inch Chef's knife is unrivaled in terms of its quality and craftsmanship.

Its main features include:

  • Full-tang, precision-forged knife
  • Contoured handle for maximum comfort
  • Finger guard and full bolster
  • Hand-honed to a razor-sharp edge
  • 580 Rockwell hardness
  • Lifetime limited warranty

Its reported downsides are:

  • Packaging does not justify price

This Chef's knife has an 8" blade, 4.5" handle, and weighs 11.1 ounces. Its ergonomic handle is made of a long-lasting synthetic material resisting fading and stains.

Paring Knife: Mercer Culinary Genesis Paring Knife

A paring knife is a comparatively tiny, short-bladed tool used for precise cutting, peeling, mincing, and dicing. The knife's blades are simple, pointy, and accurate, making them easy to use and less challenging than other knives. Peeling and cutting small pieces of vegetables and fruit and deseeding them are excellent uses of a paring knife. However, larger vegetables are difficult to cut with a paring knife.

Mercer Culinary Genesis Paring Knife

A Mercer Culinary Genesis paring knife is useful for delicately slicing smaller food products or deveining shrimp. You don’t have to buy an expensive paring knife when less is more. This paring knife can perform admirably at an affordable price.

Its key characteristics are:

  • High-carbon German steel for increased durability
  • Ergonomic handle for convenience
  • Non-slip grip, even when the user’s hands are wet
  • Sharp tines that are ideal for piercing food

Its reported downsides are:

  • Handle is quite soft
  • Rust can form so easily without regular maintenance, even with rust-resistant materials

Pair it with any Mercer Culinary carving knives to effortlessly slice and serve meats such as chicken, ham, or turkey. To extend the life and effectiveness of your paring knife, carefully wash it by hand with warm water and soap; rinse and dry.

Santoku Knife: Shun Classic 7″ Hollow-Ground Santoku All-Purpose Kitchen Knife

Santoku can be translated as multi-purpose, an excellent all-purpose chef's knife. It has a smooth edge and a blade that bends in at an angular position. The Santoku knife extends up from 5 to 8 inches. It is capable of slicing animal flesh, fish, and vegetables. This knife is also ideal for slicing, chopping, and dicing. Compared to a standard Western chef’s knife, its hard-steel blade is shorter, slimmer, and more lightweight.

Because the Japanese invented the santoku, it's no surprise that they continue to produce some of the greatest versions of this knife. Santoku knives resemble Chef's knives, but they are shorter and thinner. Its flat edges are perfect for up-and-down cutting movement rather than the pendulum movement of a normal chef's knife.

The main features of Shun Hollow Ground santoku knife are:

  • Shun's VG-MAX steel is a unique and innovative formula offering maximum strength, durability, sharpness, and corrosion resistance.
  • Its ebony PakkaWood handle is ergonomically shaped for comfort and stability.
  • The handle is also resin-infused, making it water-resistant.
  • Damascus blade

Its reported downsides are:

  • You might lose the sharpness of the edge easily
  • Not-so-friendly customer support and manufacturer doesn’t honor warranty
  • Can become brittle within a few months of use

These are ideal for finer mincing, slicing, and dicing with precision. Therefore, this Shun 7-Inch Hollow Ground Santoku is ideal for your cutting needs.

Bread Knife: Henckels Forged Premio Bread Knife

The bread knife is everybody's fave! You've most likely attempted to slice bread without it before. The bread knife's serrated blade is ideal for slicing soft baked goods evenly. It's typically 6 to 10 inches long with an offset grip to assure its users' knuckles don't come into contact with the cutting surface once used.

Henckels Forged Premio Bread Knife

The Forged Premio bread knife from Henckel is 8 inches long with serrated blades to cut through crunchy loaves of bread, fluffy cakes, and softer meats without crushing or ruining them. 

The key features of this bread knife include:

  • Made of top-grade German stainless steel
  • Forged bolster structure that ensures long-lasting durability
  • Curved contemporary triple-rivet design for comfort
  • Safe to use on the dishwasher and microwave
  • Full tang lengthens the knife, adding balance and strength
  • Its satin finish blade allows precise cutting, peeling, and slicing

Its reported downsides are:

  • Rivets are not properly positioned on the handle
  • Needs sharpening after unboxing
  • Blade is quite thick, making it hard to slice through

Boning Knife: Victorinox Fibrox Pro 6-inch Boning Knife

With its pointed end and slimmer blade, a boning knife serves a special purpose. It is typically employed in removing bones from chickens, meat, and fish. A boning knife commonly measures 5 to 6.5 inches long. It also has a straight or slightly curved blade that can be rigid or pliable.

Victorinox Fibrox Pro Boning Knife

The Fibrox Pro boning knife is a best-seller manufactured by Victorinox. It is 6 inches long and made from high-carbon stainless steel, while the handle material is black thermoplastic rubber. With this boning knife, you can bone cuts of meat with accuracy and feel like a professional chef.

Get this boning knife from Victorinox and get these awesome features:

  • Finest and lightweight European steel
  • The handle is designed to reduce wrist and hand fatigue
  • Comes with a perfect "S" shaped and durable blade for a better cutting angle
  • Approved by National Sanitary Foundation (NSF)

Its reported downsides are:

  • Might not be as flexible as advertised
  • Tip can be blunt, making it hard for the user to penetrate
  • Might get dull easily after a series of use

Cleaver: Kiaitre Cleaver Knife Meat Cleaver

A cleaver is made of softer and yet tougher steel. This knife ranges from 6 to 12 inches long and splits meat from the bone. It is also recommended for slicing through thicker and bigger vegetables.

The meat cleaver is a beast of a knife, ideal for cutting through thick meat such as ribs or slender bones like chicken bones. The 7-Inch Kiaitre Cleaver Knife is made of high-carbon German steel.

Its main features are:

  • A cutting prowess like no other
  • Premium HC German stainless steel
  • Comes with a sharp blade with the ultimate performance

Its reported downside is:

  • Very sharp, so the user must be extra careful

The Kiaitre meat cleaver knife comes with an ergonomic Pakkawood grip that offers a non-slip and convenient grip. It also boosts the handheld consoles to make the knife easy to grab so that you won't feel exhausted after long use. Furthermore, the Pakkawood handle has excellent anti-corrosive properties and is durable and easy to clean.

Spyderco kitchen knives are also popular on Amazon. This brand offers a wide plethora of kitchen tools like sharpeners, knives, and hunting accessories. For specific kitchen uses, some knives are sold per piece.

Buy Knives in Sets

One of the best ways to save more money is when you buy products in a set or bundle. Kitchen tools are no different, and you can also buy them in sets like your favorite knives.

Here are the highly-recommended cutlery sets that you can add to your knife collection:

Case Household Cutlery Knives

Case Household Cutlery Knives

These Case kitchen knives come with a Tru-Sharp Stainless flawless cutting experience. The block and the handles are walnut color, giving you uniformity and sophistication. The cutlery set is composed of 9 tools that include:

  • 3" Spear Point Paring Knife
  • 6.5" Tomato Slicer
  • 6" Boning Knife
  • 7" Santoku Knife
  • 8" Chef's Knife and Bread Knife
  • 9" Slicing Knife
  • 10" Sharpening Stick
  • Knife storage block

All the knives in this collection boast razor-sharp blades made from special high-carbon steel. The knives have strong blades that are also corrosion-resistant.

Its reported downsides are:

  • Handle needs sanding because it’s rough
  • Not all knives are sharp as advertised
  • Some knives have uneven tips

Core Perfect Precision 8 Piece Knife Set (4 Knives & 4 Protective Sheaths)

The Core kitchen knives have colorful sheaths that are very attractive to the eyes and act as color coding for the type of knife each one holds. The blades are made from premium-grade carbon stainless steel.

The set has the following knives:

  • 6.75" Nakiri Eastern-style knife is perfect for cutting vegetables and fruits. It is also similar to a cleaver.
  • 6.5" Santoku has a blade with less curve compared to other santoku knives, ideal for straight slices or mincing.
  • 4.5" Utility knife is perfect for trimming and mincing because of its rounded edge.
  • 3.5" Paring knife for fine decorative cuts and plating purposes.

Its reported downside is:

  • Bright colors may not suit most kitchen interiors

Wrapping Up

Kitchen knives are a must in any kitchen—there's absolutely no question about it. You can use them for various tasks, from peeling fruits and vegetables to chopping meat. That's why it's important to have the right set of knives that will make your cooking experience much easier. 

Custom kitchen knives are also popular if you want to give them as a gift. You can add an engraving on the blade or handle. There are also companies or blacksmith shops that can totally create knives following your specifications.

If you are unsure what brand to buy or want to find more informative knife articles like How to Dispose of Kitchen Knives, consult blogs from our website and have a more enjoyable kitchen experience.

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