So You Wanna Buy a Knife, Huh? Part 1

You have decided that it is time to get serious, time to show the world that you have arrived and are ready to cook. You have decided to buy some decent kitchen knives. Buying a good knife or two can be a little like buying your first car. It can be intimidating and expensive. There are a lot of people with very strong opinions about what you want, need, and desire. What no one ever tells you is what not to buy. So let's take a look at some of the common mistakes that people make when they purchase kitchen knives.

Don't Be a Blockhead
You see them in the store. They are beautiful, with their sexy handles all lined up just so. You glance around and then surreptitiously fondle them, damning the safety device that keeps you from sliding the gleaming blade from the block. The salesman sidles up and in a throaty whisper says, "It comes with the sharpening steel and the mango slicer." You swoon. A mango slicer? Who knew there was such a thing? This must be a great set of knives.

Thus, you are seduced. And like all victims of seduction, you know that not all is as it seems, but you don't care. You buy the big block of knives. It's a steal! You got nine knives, some kitchen shears, and a sharpening steel for the same price as just two knives down at the high-rent end of the store display. Thus begins a cycle of frustration and recrimination that will still leave you using just three knives. Three mediocre knives. Three knives that you don't like and that will sit forlornly in the block with their unused siblings when you can't take it anymore and upgrade to better knives. That block of knives looks great to the uninitiated, but it doesn't do anything to address what you--and you alone--really want or need as a cook.

So, what do you really need? With a good chef's knife and a paring knife you can do anything and everything you ever need to do in a kitchen. Throw in a big serrated bread knife and you'll own the world. Anything else is a convenience rather than a necessity. So don't be a blockhead. Don't buy knives you don't need. Buy fewer higher-quality knives and build slowly. Mix and match to suit your tastes and cooking styles. You'll be happier. Get the best you can afford and start slow. Mismatched handles in the knife block or kitchen drawer are a sign of a comfortable and self-assured cook.

The Chef's Knife
The chef's knife is the first knife you pick up in the kitchen and the last one you put down. You can do 90 percent of everything you ever need to do in the kitchen with just a chef's knife. You can do 100 percent if you really have to. This is the Big Kahuna. It is not just the most important knife in your kitchen, it is the most important tool in your kitchen. Buy accordingly. Even if you are brand-new to cooking, very soon you won't be able to imagine trying to prepare a meal without your chef's knife. It is your paintbrush, your means of self expression--and more importantly, your means of getting dinner on the table. Expect to pay somewhere between $85 to $150 for a good one. Some chef's knives go for more than $250 for a standard 8-inch knife, but there are bargains out there too.

The Paring Knife
The next player in the kitchen triumvirate is the paring knife. This is the microsurgery version of the chef's knife. Paring knives are used for all those delicate little tasks--scoring oranges peels, cutting the cores out of apple quarters, removing eyes from potatoes, hulling strawberries. The paring knife is perfect for those chores where a chef's knife would be unwieldy. The blade usually ranges from 2 inches to about 4 inches in length and comes in a variety of shapes.

Slicer or Bread Knife
The greyhounds of the kitchen, slicers are long and lean. Slicers start at 9 inches and are available up to 18 inches. The length of the blade allows you to make a clean slice in a single stroke. This is especially important when carving roasted meats or slicing fish. Excessive sawing back and forth leaves ridges and a rough texture that is unattractive. The narrowness of the blade helps keep moist foods from sticking. A standard bread knife has a serrated edge, which is fine for most breads but absolutely lousy at slicing a roast. A better choice is a scalloped edge. A scalloped edge slicer can do double duty as a good slicing knife and a good bread knife. Scalloped edges are more gentle than serrated edges and generally leave a cleaner cut.

Sounds like heresy, doesn't it? All of your friends have big fancy blocks of knives, so that's what you want too. Relax, you'll get there. But by starting with The Big Three, you'll build a set of knives that suits your cooking style and your budget, knives that you will still be using when your friends dump their big blocks of knives and go looking for new ones.

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Chad Ward is the author of An Edge in the Kitchen, available in June from Morrow Cookbooks. He has been a writer and (sometimes professional) cook for more than 20 years. His work has appeared in publications ranging from Best Food Writing to Aviation International News. He lives in North Carolina.