If you could only have 3 kitchen knives....what length would they be?

[thombrogan]

great discussion...let's keep it going...:thumbup:



focus more on lengths/styles and less on brands/makers.

Sorry. Had to be done.

I really like 10"-10.5" chef knives and if they have barely any curve, that's great. And if they have a lot of curve, that's great, too. If they're a fine-grained steel at very high hardness and a ridiculuously thin edge that no general-purpose knife should ever have, that's a ton of fun. If they're a coarse-grained steel at similar hardness and need a slightly thicker edge, but repay that favor by holding a razor edge for a ludicrous amount of time (i.e. SG-2), that's another ton of fun. If they're a fine-grained steel and "only" RC58, I'm still doing the hamster dance. If they're a coarse-grained steel and only RC58, I'll whine unless its a reduced-purity homage to 19C27. Go MBS-26!

Whether it's that forward/down sheercut that makes julienning and dicing a quiet, rhythmical, form of ecstatic hypnosis or a series of nearly perpendicular thwaps straight down into the cutting board, I'm hooked (the first way for the smoothness and silence; the second for its quickness and that it's less damaging to edges than the first method oddly enough).

When a knife has just enough mass to power a thin edge (or a lot of mass and a thinner edge), it's a freaking headtrip to rest the handle on top of two fingers and guide the edge through its cuts.

I'm starting to find enjoyment in chef knives with bevels so assymetrical, they appear to be single-bevelled. While cutting straight down, it makes cutting more fun.

 

[gcgcgc]

I actually only have two kitchen knives, and they do everything I ask of them.

3 inch paring, 5 inch chef's. I'd like a bigger oner to add to that, but it's in no way essential....unless you're doing another production run

 

[cybrok]

3-4" paring
9-10" chef

the third is the dificult choice: either a slicer (5-6") or a carver.

The bread knife is whole different thing, since you can get a decent one for under 10$, and don't sharpen it for a LONG time.

Or you can get a chinese cleaver, or a Santoku instead of the Chef. When I was in internship, far from home, I only had a cleaver, a paring knife and a bread knife.

 

[Jeff Clark]

It's funny how the numbers are biased towards shorter blades. I think this might relate to the size of the cutting boards that people own. I used to have a stack of 10-inch by 14-inch soft plastic cafeteria trays that I used as cutting boards. These nested compactly and worked great with longer knives. Recently I have been using smaller Cuisinart Prep Board trays which work better with a 7 inch or shorter blade. Partly this is because these trays have a minor lip around the edge that can interfere with a long knife.

I think I'll look for some of those Mario Bataglia prep boards: http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=670137

 

[looker]

I could probably get by with a 8" chef, 6" serrated utility, and a 4” pairing knife.

As an advid cook, I’ve tried different brands including Mac, Global, Henckel, Sabatier, etc. and have read nice things about Misono and Shun. The ergonomics and balance of the Wusthof – grand prix series felt better to me and account for the bulk of my knives. Some knives get used a lot, while others get used less frequently for specific tasks, or not at all.

Chef knife – my 8" classic French style gets used more than any other knife – combined. I don’t like the 6” and my 10" is too unwieldy for every day use. I don’t use it for anything other than large things like a watermelon.

Utility knife –I suggested a 6”serrated edge for cutting bread and the 3 knives limitation, but prefer a plain edge & inexpensive 10+” serrated bread knife.

Pairing knife – is good for delicate tasks and could be used as boning knife in a pinch. I never use mine; prefer an inexpensive potato peeler and a 6” semi-rigid boning knife.

Butcher knives - I like 2 sizes; a medium weight to chop through chicken bones and a smaller, lighter Asian style with a wide-narrow blade for vegatables. It's easier to chop & pick up vegetables with the wider blade, and does every better, for a lot less money than my Santoku.

I have a bunch of special purpose knives like a 10” slicer for carving turkey, a 10” flexible filet knife for skinning fish, and 10” Japanese style chisel grind for sushi.

It’s interesting that so many picked a 3” or shorter blade length for kitchen duties. My 4” pairing along with my 10”chef, and 7” santoku are rarely used and after finding better, cheaper alternatives regret purchasing them.