Next to your hands, the kitchen knife is the most important tool in a cook’s kitchen. Every cook should equip their kitchens with at least the basic set of knives.[1] These knifes should be respect and kept in good conditions. A good set of basic kitchen knives should be forged blades that are evenly balanced and tapered at the cutting edge. A cook should keep their knives in a butcher block or knife block. A good block will protected the knives while giving the cook easy access. Don’t store knifes in a drawer. Doing so will damage the cutting edge.
Bread knife
A bread knife is a long serrated blade that cuts through bread or soft food with a tough skin or crust. Don’t use serrated blades for cutting meat or dense fleshed fruit or vegetables.
Cook’s knife
A cook’s knife is the workhorse of the kitchen. It has a wide blade with a curve along the entire length the cutting edge. It is used for chopping and dicing. The Cook’s knife variety in length 8 to 10 inch blade is a home use cook’s knife.
Utility knife
A utility knife is a knife for a variety of jobs; such as slicing, peeling, paring, and in some cases carving. The blade is narrow and less curved than the cook’s knife. The utility has a 5 to 7 inch blade.
Tomato or sandwich knife
This knife is a lesser known or used knife. It is invaluable for tasks that are too small for the bread knife. It has a serrated edge for slicing food with a tough exterior and a soft center.
Paring knife
This knife is a miniature version of the cook’s knife. The knife is used to peel, scrap, or slice fruits and vegetables. The blade is short, about 3 to 4 inches.
Vegetable knife
Another lesser known or used knife. The vegetable knife has a slightly upturned tip and short, curved blade. The knife is handy for peeling small round vegetables and removing the eyes and bad spots from potatoes.
[1]Christine McFadden, “The Essential Kitchen: Basic tools, recipes, and tips for a complete kitchen”,2000