My Favorite Kitchen Knives
I previously wrote about my collection of Chef’s Knives and how a proper chef’s knife is the essential tool of the kitchen. However, once you have your chef knife picked out, it’s time to diversify. A good paring knife, cleaver, bread knife, boning knife, and some others make the cut when talking about building up my collection! Here are some of my favorite knives to use when I’m cooking at home.
Disclaimer: links contain influencer marketing codes, none of which impacted their placement on this list. For my full list of knives and other kitchen essentials, check out my Amazon Storefront.
Top Paring Knife - MISEN
I received the Misen chef’s knife and paring knife together in a combo, and I might actually use the paring knife more. It has a great feel in my hand despite being a small knife, and it’s perfect for a lot of everyday tasks or more delicate knife work where a chef’s knife is too bulky. It goes for around $35.
Favorite Utility Knife - ZWILLING
Zwilling’s knifes are usually pretty awesome, and I’ve got a few, but this 5” serrated utility knife probably gets the most use. It functions as a perfect bread knife for smaller rolls or baguettes, and it handles plenty of other random tasks. This is one the knives that I’m constantly reaching for in my knife drawer. You can usually find it around $75-80.
Flexible Boning Knife - HENCKELS
This is my #1 brisket trimming knife. When trimming the fat off of raw brisket, this is the knife I reach for. The flexible steel helps me find the curves of the meat and take off only the fat layer that I’m trying to trim. This knife has many other uses, like filleting fish, breaking down or deboning a chicken, or Frenching a rack of lamb or venison. If you take care of it right, it’ll also last a lifetime. But, it will set you back around $120.
Rigid Boning Knife - VICTORINOX
The Swiss blade is back (I also featured Victorinox as an affordable Chef’s Knife) with a boning knife. The curved and stiff blade on this boning knife makes it awesome for working closer to bones on racks of ribs and chops, or though bones and cartilage on chicken and turkey carcasses. This knife is lightweight and feels good in your hand, and there’s a reason most professional kitchens use this style of handle and blade. It is cost effective, durable, and functional without the pizzazz. You can get this knife closer to $30.
Super Slicer Knife - GUNTER WILHELM
This is a fun knife for me, although I’ll admit it gets limited use. It’s one of my favorite carving knives when I’m slicing a whole roast. Hams, turkey breasts, prime ribs, or even my briskets after they’ve come off the pit can be sliced beautifully with this guy! I’ve also used it to slice up watermelon and other things like that. At $75, it’s a nice knife to add to your collection.
Utility Scalloped Slicer - DEXTER
This scalloped slicer can also function as a bread knife for large loaves. If you’ve really got some rustic breads to cut up, this guy can do the trick. I actually purchased it so I’d have a serrated option for slicing my briskets. Since they’re cooked to melt-in-your-mouth tender, sometimes you need that serrated blade to slice through the brisket without pulling it all apart. You can pick this knife up for under $50.
Heavy Duty Cleaver - DEXTER
I received this cleaver as a gift and it has served me well! It is a heavy duty beast of a cleaver. One things is for sure, you can let gravity do most of the work! I use this cleaver to chop brisket, break bones, and otherwise destroy things. It can be quite therapeutic. This cleaver also goes for around $50.
