[Sca-cooks] Essential Knives?

[Johnna Holloway]

Search under 'essential kitchen knives' and the articles will suggest 3 or 4 or 5 knives are essential. Ideally, in general, one should match knives to the tasks being performed. If you never carve or bone, maybe you need more paring knives and fewer large knives. If you create Chinese dishes, maybe you need a cleaver, chopping block, and an Asian style chef's knife or maybe  couple of the latter. If all you do is microwave or reheat, buy some decent paring knives or steak knives and resist the impulse to put them in the dishwasher.

This article below is good on the basics for those new to this discussion. If the archives were available or the Florilegium search working, I would suggest reading past conversations on eight and ten inch Dicks courtesy of Master A.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/12/equipment-the-best-chefs-knives-gift-guide.html

I still think it's very individual. I have small hands, so I want a knife that fits my hand well and doesn't weigh a ton. Over the years I have picked up an assortment of paring knives for instance. I have certain ones that I use for certain tasks, like a bird's beak for fruits. I use a heavier one for other tasks. I also have global and then ceramic paring knives too, but those are kept put away and only used for special tasks. (I don't want them being used for art or craft or household tasks by son or husband.) My serrated bread knife has a guide on it for cutting even slices of bread. I like it, but maybe most people wouldn't. Remove the guide, and it's good for slicing angel food cakes. Non stick pans of course need special knives. Pretty soon you have a drawer full.

Just because she has the new gift knives, of course, the sticky question might be will she use them or will they sit in a drawer and be reserved for good? Also does she have decent steak knives? A set of decent steak knives is likely to get used more often than some of the other knives. Oh and good kitchen shears or poultry shears. Also there is a generation out there who really like a good electric  knife for carving thin slices from those holiday and family get together roasts, hams, or turkeys. I know, heresy but there it is.

Johnnae

Sent from my iPad

> On Jul 26, 2015, at 10:58 AM, Daniel And elizabeth phelps <dephelps at embarqmail.com> wrote:
> 
> What four kitchen knives do people think essential?  I'm thinking a chef's knife, a boning knife, a paring knife and a bread knife.  The question comes from the following.  While visiting my mom I saw that her cutlery was junk.  Per her request 
> for good cutlery I'm sending her three high end German knives; an 8" 
> chef's knife, a 6" boning knife and a paring knife.  Bought them for 
> roughly $1 to $2 a piece at estate and garage sales.  Total at Bed Bath and Beyond with tax 
> would ring up roughly  $150, $90, and $40.  Less if any were on 
> sale.  People look but they don't see.
> 
> Do people think that those three plus a bread knife should do?
> 
> Daniel 
>