Paring Knife The petty knife is the Japanese version of a paring or utility knife that is perfect for smaller tasks where precision is very important. These knives range from 4-6” and are one of the most used pieces of cutlery among a chef's kitchen knives.
Chef's Knife. A chef's knife is one of the most frequently used tools in the kitchen. One of the most frequently used and versatile tools in the kitchen, the chef's knife is typically between eight and ten inches, although it can be as short as six inches and as long as 14 inches.
Ramsay likes Henckels knives. This is a German brand known for their toughness and bulky blades. The Shun Classic Western Chef's Knife, handcrafted in Japan, is Bobby Flay's recommendation for the best chef's knife. He's talked about the Shun brand many times, and says he uses this particular knife for most everything.
Chef Knife
Also called a cook's knife, a chef knife has a long, wide blade that tapers to a sharp point. This design allows it to rock back and forth quickly for fast mincing and chopping. They typically feature a straight edge to cut through foods smoothly in a few easy strokes.
Best Bang for your Buck: Victorinox Fibrox 8” Chef's Knife
Rarely is the most affordable of the bunch a top contender. However, the Victorinox Fibrox, which costs just over $40 on Amazon, earns high marks for anyone with a small budget to spend.
For most cooks, the trio of serrated, chef's, and paring knife will tackle pretty much any cutting task. Depending on what you prep frequently, though, you might want to add these other knives to your collection. Boning knife: Useful for cutting up, butterflying, or fileting meat, fish, or poultry.
Our longtime favorite is the Victorinox Swiss Army Fibrox Pro 8” Chef's Knife. It's lightweight and has a superkeen blade; testers of all hand sizes loved its grippy (but not restrictive) handle. If you'd like a slightly heavier option, we also like the Mercer Culinary Renaissance 8-Inch Forged Chef's Knife.
Mostly, a bread knife has what's called a serrated blade. The edge you cut with has a series of sharpened teeth separated by sharp, scalloped recesses. The teeth are designed to split into the bread's crust, while the scalloped areas between the teeth slice softer areas like the crumb.
The Best Celeb Chef's Knife: Shun Classic Western Chef's Knife. The knife that topped our testing is Bobby Flay's favorite, the Shun Classic Western Chef's Knife. The heft and comfort of the handle, sharpness of the blade, and overall balanced proportions made it stand out against the others.
That's how I landed on this golden oldie on Reddit: Anthony Bourdain talking about and using his favorite knife, the Global G-2 Chef's Knife.
Henckels typically get a score of 56-57 on the scale and Wüsthof gets a 58, so technically Wüsthof is a slightly harder steel. This is good because it means Wüsthof knives vs. Henckels will hold their sharpened edge better. On the flip side, a softer Rockwell score means a knife is easier to sharpen.
Most professional chefs, as well as this handy knife guide, will advise that you use one of the best chef's knives to chop, dice or slice an onion. Size can vary according to your own preferences and grip, but typically an ideal knife will be around 8 to 10 inches and made out of stainless steel.
If you're like my family, you need a good set that'll last a long time, and one of the best brands you can buy is Henckels. My family has owned an older version of this set from the brand for just shy of 10 years, and they're still going strong.
Given the quality of the knife, we can't argue with the cost. But what really makes this knife a bargain is that if it ever gets damaged beyond repair, Cutco will replace it.
One of our longtime favorite Western-style chef's knives is the Wüsthof 8-Inch Classic Chef's Knife, which is super-sharp and easy to handle. Invest in it and it will serve you well for years to come. For an editor-favorite, Japanese chef's knife, we recommend the Misono UX10.
serrated bread/cake knife
To be perfect for pastry it should be 10” or longer with smaller, more compact teeth that are great for cutting cake and soft bread. A bread knife with larger teeth that are more spread out is better for hard crust breads and might tear up a delicate cake.
cleaver, heavy, axlike knife used for about the past one million years to cut through animal bone and meat; in modern times the cleaver, generally made of iron or carbon steel, remains a requisite tool of the butcher and a common kitchen implement.
Gordon Ramsay is known to have a deep love for Japanese steel knives. These lightweight knives are well known for their sharp edges and ability to cut through vegetables, meats, and herbs easily. They can handle any chopping, slicing, or mincing tasks with ease.
They are: The Chef's Knife - Often boasting a standard blade anywhere from 6-12 inches long, this knife is often used for everything from slicing and dicing, to julienning vegetables. Shorter ones give you more control while longer ones work well for larger ingredients and chopping.
The most popular length of a chef knife is 6-8'' (15-20 cm) long, which is perfect for 99% of your knife duties and is easier to maneuver and control. Professional chefs prefer 10-12'' (25-30cm) because they can handle more food prep at a time but they are heavier and harder to use for the untrained user.
These Bobby Flays knives are awesome. They cut like butter and are extremely sharp. The handles are comfortable to hold while cutting. Extremely durable and can be used on everything from meats to vegetables to fruit or bread.
There are three primary knives that every home cook should have in their kitchen: a chef's knife, a serrated knife (also called a bread knife), and a paring knife.