How Many Kitchen Knives Do You Really Need? (Less Than You Think!)

The kitchen really is the heart of the home. The main reason for this is because it’s where the food is prepared, and we all know that good food is a direct route to the heart. However, a kitchen doesn’t just come fully equipped. You have to build it up over time to suit your family and your needs and everyone’s will be slightly different.

One of the core items you will need in your kitchen in a good high quality sharp knife. However, most people would agree that one knife just isn’t enough and for a small kitchen a chef knife set is just too much. But, if one isn’t enough how many do you actually need?

3 Kitchen Knives Every Homes Needs

This question will be answered according the needs of an average home kitchen catering for around 4-5 people daily. In the average kitchen, you can probably accomplish all food preparation with only 3 knives. Each of these knives are different and are built to handle different tasks, therefore you should be able to cover every base.

The reason for this, is that most people will buy food requiring fiddly knife work pre-prepared such as filleted fish and deboned meat. If this isn’t the case with you then you may need some extra knives on top of the basic 3. However, if you are just beginning to kit out your kitchen then these 3 knives are the perfect place to start.

1. The Paring Knife

It is highly possible that you have used a paring knife many times in your life but were actually unaware of what it’s called and what it is meant to be used for. A paring knife looks and feels extremely similar to a general chef’s knife and it is extremely versatile. The best paring knife will be able to tackle tasks that a traditional chef’s knife cannot.

For example, you can use this knife as a peeler, to peel fruit such as apples and vegetables such as carrots. Because of the sturdy nature of the knife, you do not need to cut on a flat surface and can actually hold the ingredient in your hand. You can even use a paring knife to cut open packaging without the fear of damaging the blade. No kitchen can be complete without one of these.

2. The Chef’s Knife

The chef’s knife is the daddy of all kitchen utensils, and handles the big tasks that all other tools just aren’t quite capable of. This will likely be the first knife you look for when kitting out you kitchen, and for good reason. This knife will be the one that you use 90% of the time. Using it to prepare your meat and vegetables, whether this preparation includes slicing, dicing, chopping or mincing.

Luckily for you, there are a numerous amount of choices when it comes to finding a good quality chef knife, you should be able to pick up a high quality one relatively easily. It’s important that you choose one of high quality because of how often it will be used. It needs to be durable enough to handle constant use. In order to make sure that you knife stands the test of time you should consider investing in a honing steel, to keep the blade clean and sharp.

3. A Serrated Knife or Bread Knife

Who doesn’t love a great big slab of freshly baked crusty bread? To get this tasty slice, you are going to need to cut the loaf, and that’s where the bread knife comes in. You probably won’t be using this particular knife very often, but it’s still an essential tool that you should keep in your kitchen. The best bread knife is different from the other kinds of knives because it has a serrated edge. This makes it a hugely versatile tool that can prepare more than just sandwiches.

A knife with a serrated edge can actually be extremely useful for cutting and preparing fruit. When you choose your bread knife, you are going to want to look for a model that is a substantial size and weight. The serrated edge will be harder to look after, as it’s not as simple as running a honing steel along it. Therefore, you need to make sure that any bread knife you purchase has a high quality strong blade.

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Andy Nash

Andy Nash is a highly experienced chef with over 15 years of experience in kitchens around the world. He has developed a passion for kitchen knives and their importance in the kitchen. Through his blog, Andy shares his expertise on everything related to kitchen knives, from the various types available to the best way to care for and sharpen them. With his extensive knowledge and years of experience, Andy is dedicated to helping others improve their culinary skills and elevate their cooking game.

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