For some people, most knives are identical in appearance and function. After all, they do just one thing when cooking in the kitchen: cut like a knife! But for those who are adept at preparing dishes or professionals that have gone through culinary school, knives are entirely distinct from one another and serve different purposes when cutting.

But today, let us tell you some secrets about knives. If you have had an in-home chef experience, you may have already heard about these secrets. The first one is this: if you cry when you cut onions, you just need to sharpen your knife. Why? A sharper blade slices straight through the onion’s cell walls, causing less damage and releasing less sulfuric acid that irritate the nerves around your eyes that cause you to cry.

Now here’s another secret: you only need four kinds of knives in your kitchen. Yes, you read it right, just four! Read on to find out about the only knives that you will ever need in your kitchen and work with wonders when you cook!

1. Chef’s Knife

First on the list is the chef’s knife. A chef’s knife is basically what chefs use for all of their slicing and dicing tasks in the kitchen. With a length of 8 to 10 inches, this knife is purposely long-bladed to improve cutting efficiency.

2. Carving or Slicing Knife

Next comes the slicing or carving knife. Slicing and carving are two often interchangeable terms when it comes to the type of knife. Just like a chef’s knife, a carving knife is characterized by a blade that is 10 inches long and has a straight edge. 

A carving knife has a round tip and is slightly thinner than a chef’s knife. As its name suggests, a carving knife is used to carve or slice meat and poultry. Its thinner blade produces more delicate cuts, and its long blade is intended to make a sawing motion used in carving.

3. Paring Knife

The third knife that you need is a paring knife. Paring knives are best used as a replacement for a peeler when peeling apples or other fruits. It is also used for precision cutting jobs such as slicing strawberries or devening seafood. Because of their size and ease of control, paring knives are often given to kids who are learning to cook.

4. Serrated Bread Knife

Lastly, we have the serrated bread knife. Bread lovers surely have this type of knife in their utensils cabinet. Its blade is intricately designed to break into bread crust smoothly and quickly.

If you’ve ever used a serrated bread knife to cut tomatoes, you were using the wrong knife. The high acidity of the tomato can damage the blade of a serrated bread knife. So never use it again for tomatoes!

Conclusion

You now know that there are only four kinds of knives that you will ever need when cooking in your kitchen. Don’t be duped into buying more knives than you know about. Cut with more precision and use these knives to prepare as many dishes as you want!

You can learn more about knives and food preparation tricks when you hire a private chef in Charleston. Food Fire Knives has the best chefs who will provide you with sumptuous meals for a fun family dinner. Reach out to us and eat it out!