| A good set of knives is the foundation for any | | | | blade, the bread knife will have a serrated edge. A |
| serious kitchen. It is simply not possible to be a | | | | knife with a serrated edge resembles a saw |
| serious cook, to produce superior meals that will | | | | blade, with the blade having a series of u-shaped |
| impress and delight your friends, without a set of | | | | cuts into it. The bread knife is obviously great for |
| kitchen knives that work with you, not against | | | | slicing bread. It is also useful however, for cutting |
| you. If you use ill-suited knives, or just poor | | | | food that would be squashed from the pressure |
| quality knives, you are only making things harder | | | | of a straight blade. |
| for you in the kitchen. If you are an aspiring cook, | | | | After you have established your basic collection, |
| or an accomplished cook who is just simply tired | | | | the possible additions to your collection are |
| of making things more difficult than they need to | | | | endless. You could buy a myriad of larger knives |
| be, this article will help you put together a set of | | | | such as cleavers (large rectangular knives |
| quality kitchen knives. | | | | designed for cutting through bones and joints) or |
| Your First Kitchen Knives: The Basics | | | | smaller knives such as tomato knives, utility |
| The single most important knife in your kitchen, | | | | knives or even grapefruit knives. |
| and the starting point for any collection, is the | | | | Caring For Your Knives |
| Chef's knife, sometimes known as the Cook's | | | | Even if you have purchased only moderately |
| knife. As the name suggests, this is your general | | | | priced knives, you should be interested in learning |
| all-purpose knife, able to do everything from | | | | how to preserve your investment. Knives will |
| mincing to chopping to slicing and to dicing. The | | | | become dull over time as they are used. |
| Chef's knife has a gently slopping blade and is | | | | Fortunately, you can take a number of easy |
| usually around 8 inches long. The next knife you | | | | steps to help prolong the life of your blades. The |
| should invest in is the little brother to the Chef's | | | | most important step is to never put your knives |
| knife, the paring knife. The paring knife is basically | | | | in the dishwasher; you kitchen knives should |
| just a smaller version of the Chef's knife. The | | | | always be washed by hand with a mild detergent |
| paring knife is designed for more detailed or | | | | and then hand dried. The second step is to always |
| intricate jobs than the Chef's knife. A paring knife | | | | use a cutting board; other surfaces can damage |
| usually measures around 4 inches long or shorter. | | | | your knife blade. The third step is to have your |
| The third knife you should purchase to complete | | | | blades sharpened by a professional. And finally, do |
| your basic set of kitchen knives is a bread knife. | | | | not keep your knives in a draw with all your other |
| The bread knife should ideally be about the same | | | | junk - the knives should be keep out of contact |
| size as your Chef's knife, but instead of a straight | | | | with any other metal in a knife block. |