Best Knives for Your Home Kitchen

For any busy commercial or home kitchen, having the best kitchen knives and chef's knife set is a key part of maximizing efficiency, and doing your culinary work in the very best way possible. But what types of kitchen knives are best for a home chef? If you've been asking yourself: “what are the best kitchen knives for my home kitchen?” Here are some of the overall contenders for the best knife sets around, to help you slice and dice with ease.

Overall Best Kitchen Knives

First, it's critical to distinguish between two fundamental types of high-quality kitchen knives – heavier designs including a variety of European-made or traditional blades, and lighter, harder steel knives, many of which are Japanese models. Choosing one or the other will help fit your kitchen knives to their intended uses. Many professional experts rate the Wusthof 8 inch knife as the best overall chef’s knife, and something like a Dexter 8 inch knife as the best multipurpose knife. In general, brands like Wusthof and Mercer compete with other newer brands on the market, each with its own build and unique value in the kitchen.

Best Kitchen Knives for Beginners

When starting out as a beginner, you might consider a lighter stainless steel option, and perhaps a smaller knife, to get you used to the practice of using one of these beauties in the kitchen. Each chef has their own personal preference when it comes to the best knives. We suggest a Mercer knife or Victorinox 8 inch chef knife as something that would be good for a beginner's toolkit. Also look for knives with specially designed handles to make the job safer. Using materials like polypropylene and polyoxymethylene allows makers to craft knives that are stable and smooth with grip surfaces that help to prevent injury.

Ergonomic Knives

A long line of makers contend for the best ergonomic knife. Here are some of the models that reviewers have found to be excellent for ergonomic value:

• Victorinox Rosewood
• Mercer M22707 Millennia Santoku Knife, 7"
• Genesis M21077 Chef's Knife, Granton Edge, 8"
• Global G-2 Chefs Knife, 8"
• Shun DM0707 Classic Chef's Knife, 10"

Any of these or other specialty chefs knives can help you to be safer and more productive in your kitchen.

Sharpest Knives

Knives like the Damascus high carbon line and the Shun Classic Chef's Knife, 10" design have been selected by some reviewers for their sharpness. But whatever knife you choose, keeping it properly sharpened is a must. Here at Chefs’ Toys, we can sharpen your knives for you as part of our dedication to supporting our chefs every step of the way. Best Kitchen Knives: Safety Tips Pay attention to these key safety tips when learning to use your desired chef’s knife in the kitchen:

• The right knife – having the right shape and size of knife is important. You may want to take a few knives for trial runs to get this fit for your culinary work.
• Clean knives – knives work best when they're clean, and cleaning them also gets rid of some harmful bacteria that could be a problem if you do happen to get a little nick.
• Cutting board – always use an appropriate cutting board surface to cut food. This can cut down on the chance of injury – no pun intended!
  
• Hand positioning – one of the most fundamental tips, to avoid cuts, is to keep your second hand out of the way when your first hand is doing the cutting. If you are holding food in place to keep it stable, be aware of that, too.
• Pay attention - distracted cutting is dangerous cutting. Just as you would pay attention to the road when driving, you have to have that level of concentration on your cutting board or block while you're cutting.

For more, turn to Chefs’ Toys for excellent support for home cooking or a restaurant kitchen. We are “for chefs, by chefs” and our knowledge, and our catalog, can’t be beat!