Knives You Should Own

• Chef’s knife: An all-purpose knife, great for most chopping, slicing, dicing and mincing jobs. It features a wide blade with an offset handle that leaves plenty of clearance so your knuckles won’t hit the cutting board while you work. Chef’s knives usually are sold in 8" and 10" sizes. The 8" knife is easier for most people to handle, but both sizes may come in handy.
   
  
• Paring knife: A small knife with a 2" to 4" blade that’s good for small, precision jobs like trimming, peeling, and coring. Also useful for slicing and dicing small or odd-shaped items such as shallots and ginger.
   
  
• Bread knife: A long, serrated knife designed to cut cleanly through bread. Bread knives come in many sizes—make sure you get one with a blade long enough to cut through the widest loaf of bread you’ll be slicing. Bread knives are also useful for slicing soft, delicate items such as peaches, plums, and tomatoes.
   
  
• Boning knife: For use in cutting meat off of bones or filleting (removing the bones from) fish.
   
  
• Carving knife: Used to carve or slice meat, such as a Thanksgiving turkey. Also called a Granton slicer.
   
  

Buying Knives