We’ve all owned one. Lurking in the depths of our cutlery drawer: that paper-thin, worryingly flexible blade, set into a disintegrating plastic handle that imparts a crummy residue on its user’s hand whenever it’s unwillingly picked up. Chucked in the dishwasher with cruel dereliction and mishandled by housemates to tighten loose screws or perform other kitchen knife appropriate tasks like opening parcels. For many, a terrible kitchen knife is an all too familiar image or a memory not yet distant enough.
Perhaps you’ve moved out of that house now. Your life is changing, you’re maturing. Perhaps you’ve moved in with a partner, or upgraded your housemates, and you’re now ready for your first proper kitchen knife.
What are the benefits of having a well-made knife?
You’ve opened yourself up to an array of benefits and, quite frankly, a finer quality of life. Firstly – and most importantly – is safety. The idea that a razor sharp blade is safer than a dull one is admittedly counterintuitive, but the importance lies in its predictability. In short: a blunt knife requires more pressure when chopping, which increases the chances of slipping, and therefore the likelihood of a trip to A&E.
Secondly, well-made knives are composed of quality materials, which means they’ll outlive your other haggard, half-handled cutters ten to one, and stay sharper for much, much longer.
Finally, it’s nice to have nice things. Beautifully crafted tools make ostensibly mundane activities, like peeling and dicing onions, immeasurably more enjoyable.
But what do you go for? The answer to the question of how to choose a kitchen knife, or what the best kitchen knives for beginners are, is simplicity. Rather than agonising over the specific weight x handle x blade ratio or poring over the various types of kitchen knife, we recommend picking versatility above all else for your starter blades. The most versatile kitchen knives include the Chef’s Knife or Santoku, a Utility Knife, and a paring knife – the two former being larger and the two latter being smaller knives.
Large kitchen knives
A Santoku has a short and wide blade with a straighter cutting edge that facilitates an up-and-down chopping motion. Meanwhile, a Chef’s Knife is longer and thinner, with a more curved cutting edge, enabling a rocking cutting motion.
Both are kitchen all-rounders and can make light work of slicing, dicing, and mincing vegetables, fruits, and herbs. The Santoku’s shorter blade, however, makes it more suitable for precise tasks like preparing fish. Furthermore, its width gives the added capability of scooping. The longer Chef’s Knife is heavier, more powerful, and therefore better suited to going through thicker slabs of meat or tough root veg.
Small kitchen knives
Lightweight, slim, and easy to use, smaller blades excel at intricate tasks like coring, peeling, and finely dicing or mincing. A Utility Knife is a longer option, making it more suitable for a broader range of kitchen tasks – trimming meat, for example. Although the shorter paring knife is less versatile, it comes into its own when dealing with extremely precise tasks, like removing an eye from a potato without taking away too much extra flesh.
For us, the Champagne and oyster duo of starter knives is the Chef’s Knife and Utility Knife. The combination of power and precision will allow you to breeze through your cooking with delight, no matter whether you’re the head, sous, or commis chef in your home kitchen. And as an extra bit of advice, don’t condemn your shiny new blades to the confines of your cutlery draw. Store them on a Knife Rack, or, if you must keep them in a drawer, use a Scabbard to keep them sharper for longer.
For more advice on starter knives, or how to pick the right knife for you, just get in touch with us at hello@katto.shop.