5 essential knives for every home cook

Say farewell to the 17-piece knife set which contains a dozen knives you’ll never pull out of your drawer. These sets are expensive, bulky and not suited the a home cook (better yet a pro chef!).

As a home cook, there are only 5 knives you need to make any recipe you find on Bon Apetit, NYT or Eater

Why spend $3000 on a pointless set when you can get these 5 essentials for under $300. Let’s take a look at my favorites…

The Splurge - Miyabi Koh 8” - Buy from Amazon: $129

This is the most versatile knife in your collection. Sharp enough to thinly slice tomatoes, but sturdy enough to glide through a sweet potato with ease. This is the knife you will reach for when you have a lot of prep, and little time. It is crucial that this fits your hand well, and are comfortable holding the knife up by the blade.

I like the Miyabi Koh because it is a Japanese style blade with a western, ergonomic handle. this fits my grip well, and give me confidence while chopping

The Workhorse - Victorinox 8” Chef’s Knife - Buy from Amazon: $43

You may be asking - with only 5 essentials, why are you recommending 2 knives that are the same size and shape? That’s a very good question, and there is a simple answer. A knife is only as good it is sharp. A dull knife is going to lead to imperfect cuts and maybe a few injuries. That’s why I have two 8'“ chef’s knives in my rotation: the splurge and the workhorse. I reserve the splurge knife for precise cuts because the metal is thinner and less durable, while I lean on the workhorse for hard root vegetables, bones and shells. The workhorse is cheap and durable, so I don’t worry about it.

The Bread knife - Victorinox 10’ Bread Knife - Buy from Amazon: $35

Another cheap, but ultra sharp option to add to your rotation. The offset bread knife is obviously ideal for it’s namesake, bread, but many other task around the kitchen as well. it’s a forgiving tool for cutting soft tomatoes and it’s length allows you to get through entire loaves with ease. My choice is aggressive than most bread knives you will find, but that makes it sharper and allows you to have more precision

The Shears - Joyce Chen 3” Kitchen Shears - Buy from Amazon: $20

I only recently discovered these shears, and it changed my cooking. From cutting herbs, to deboning a chicken, these shears are a lifesaver. unlike most shears that come in a knife set, these from Joyce Chen are as sharp (if not sharper) than your chef’s knife. They limit mess and give you so much versatility in the kitchen

The Utility Knife - Korin 5” Hammered Damascus Wa Petty Knife - Buy From Korin: $149

The final knife on my list is for precision. Cutting garlic to peeling ginger and other small tasks, this is a great knife. Similar to the splurge knife, it is important for this to feel comfortable in your hand because you will use this knife for precise, up close cuts.