However, a common misconception that people make is that every knife is the same. While all knives are expected to have the same sharp blades and can cut through most things, different types of knives still have distinct uses. This means that a knife meant for cutting vegetables might not prove as effective when slicing ingredients other than veggies.
To have a more well-rounded kitchen that is ready for all your vegan or vegetarian meals, you need to know the best kitchen knives you need to have. Read below to find out the five most essential knives for your kitchen:
Let's get into some of the finer points about each.
1. Santoku Knife
The basic knife you need to have if you’re a vegetarian or vegan is the Santoku knife since it can slice through different vegetables. It’s the jack-of-all-trades of kitchen knives because the Santoku knife can easily help you make fine or thick slices of your ingredients. While this knife originated in Japan, it quickly became popular in other countries since it’s easier to use compared to vegetable cleavers that have huge and clunky blades.
Santoku knives are lighter in weight with thinner blades, allowing you to slice as thin as possible. Moreover, the bevel of this knife, which you can see as the angle at bottom of the point, can vary. This is not the case for common knives that only have a double-bevel with an angle between 20 to 30 degrees.
Traditional Santoku knives only have a single bevel with an angle between 12 to 15 degrees, making it easier to cut through things. On the other hand, modern Santoku knives are double beveled at an angle between 13 to 18 degrees, slightly higher compared to traditional ones but provides you with the same smooth precision. Modern or traditional, make sure you get your Santoku knife now for all your kitchen needs!
Koi Knives Santoku Chef's Knife, $265 ➡️
2. Nakiri Knife
While there are a number of knives out there meant to cut your favorite vegetables, the original veggie chopper that started it all is the Nakiri knife. Similar to the Santoku knife, it originated in Japan and its name alone means that its purpose is to cut vegetables. Unlike other knives with round blades and sharp angles, the Nakiri knife is famous for its flat profile that has a long and straight blade, making it easier to chop up ingredients within seconds.
Generally, the length of the blade of a Nakiri knife is 16 cm with a blunt edge. This makes it the perfect knife to use when you want to slice ingredients using the push-pull cutting technique or even the vertical chop technique. Moreover, the handle of the Nakiri knife is thick, easy to hold, and generally fits in your hand to make slicing more convenient. While a Nakiri knife is a tad heavier compared to other knives, it’s the perfect knife for your vegetable needs so make sure to grab yours.
Koi Knives Nakiri Vegetable Chopper, $245 ➡️
3. Paring Knife
When you want to make intricate or decorative slices of your ingredients, you can’t just use any knife for it since the most likely scenario is that you won’t get the results you want. In this case, the Paring knife is the right one for you! This is a small essential knife for your kitchen utensils since it’s perfect for all your detailed slicing and peeling needs. Generally, the blade of a Paring knife is between 7.6cm to 10cm with a longer handle so it’s easy to manoeuvre the knife to do what you want.
There are a number of Paring knives out there with varying blades but they all have one thing in common: they’re versatile. Whether you want to use it in your hands to skin mushrooms or use a chopping board with it, and more that requires precision, the Paring knife is your partner in crime so make sure you buy it now.
Big Red Knives Paring Knife, $225 ➡️
4. Petty Knife
If you’re looking for a small knife that you can use for most of anything, then the Petty knife is what you need to get! While the distinction between this and a utility knife can get blurred since they typically can be used for the same purposes, a Petty knife has shorter blades that are triangular and ranges in between 8cm to 15cm. Additionally, it has a straight edge compared to the utility knife that has a longer blade with a subtle curve to its edge.
Petty knives are the ideal tool you need to use when you’re cutting fruit like strawberries but you can also use it to cut fish, vegetables, and other ingredients that aren’t large in size. Make your life more convenient when you’re preparing your meals now by getting a Petty knife that is as versatile as small knives can be!
Koi Knives Petty Knife, $195 ➡️
5. Serrated Knife
A definite must-have for your kitchen is a Serrated knife since it’s the perfect knife for all those ingredients that have tough surfaces or are simply difficult to cut through, even if you have a sharp knife. Generally, a serrated knife is used to cut through bread because its jagged edges can slice through even the toughest of breads, which is why this knife is also known as a “bread knife”.
Due to the toothlike edges of a Serrated knife, the ideal cutting technique you need to use here is to move it in a sawing motion. The usual cut and dice technique cannot be done using this knife since the edges tear through the inside of the ingredient, making it impossible to have a clean slice. Besides using a Serrated knife for bread, it’s also the perfect knife to use for cucumbers, watermelons, and pineapples due to their hard surfaces. Besides the other benefits, the best thing about this knife is that even if its edges and gullets are no longer sharp, they’ll still cut through perfectly to any ingredient!
Big Red Knives Serrated Knife, $285 ➡️
