# What knives a home cook should own.



## thenewguyaround (May 17, 2017)

I recently got a nice 7in Santoku and wondering what everyone thinks every chef should own for there basic home knives, I will be purchasing one more in the near future and wonder if you guys think I should be getting a 135/150mm Petty knife or get a 210/240mm Gyuto to accompany my Santoku.


----------



## kevpenbanc (Jan 18, 2014)

Both the gyuto and petty seem to be the standard response to what knives one needs.
Depends upon your specific needs as to whether to get a gyuto or petty first, seeing as you already have a 7inch santoku.
The gyuto is usually the more versatile knife.


----------



## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

I can use a petty to do all of my fine slicing/dicing, but to do that you have to have the dexterity to use a modified pinch grip to keep knuckles out of the way. Basically you need to curve your fingers so only the tips contact the bottom corner of the handle.

I have an inexpensive 10" Vic I use for the big stuff and rough chopping in general, which I don't do all that much of. I did pull the trigger on a 270 Itonomon on sale, but the seller had already run out of stock. He offered the same deal for the next shipment, but I never followed through, the impulse was gone and I just don't have the great need for it.

A 210 gyuto is my goto knife. Most useful small knife I have after the petty mentioned above is an old, stainless 6" utility with a narrow and stiff blade. It's much like a stiff fillet knife, not too different from those found here by a well known maker of filet knives. http://www.rapala.com/rapala/knives/fillet-knives/

A cheap 3.5" petty comes in real handy for everything from slicing lemon peel to cutting plastic film packaging and the metal foil off the top of a wine bottle.

As Kev indicated I believe you will find a 240 gyuto will pretty much take the place of the santoku. Everyone's needs are different, so it seems to me you need to decide just what it is your santoku doesn't do for you, and how much money it's worth to fill those gaps. Then we can actually point you to specific knives.


----------



## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

I wrote this column over at KnifePlanet to answer precisely this question:

The Best Kitchen Knives: A Complete Guide to Creating Your Perfect Set

(Incidentally, I didn't compose the title.)


----------



## millionsknives (Apr 25, 2014)

Chinese cleaver, heavy cleaver, boning knife, bread knife


----------



## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

Nice article Chris.  Might add though that I never saw need for a bread knife personally.  Also I think a fine slicer like good suji beats the cheap cimitar most anywhere the typical home user would be concerned.  This is my bread knife, and a quick pull will put it through most crusts, something I actually enjoy finessing, though I wouldn't blame anyone for preferring a bread knife here.

Bread knives where a recent topic in another forum, seemed a preferred and inexpensive option is something called a "cake saw."  Very thin, pointy moderate sized serrations, doesn't make crumbs.


----------



## millionsknives (Apr 25, 2014)

I use a tojiro bread knife for bbq brisket


----------



## foody518 (Aug 6, 2015)

Chris, I'm guessing you didn't get to pick most of those knife photos too? 

Gyuto or Chinese cleaver, >90% of the time

Serrated bread knife, <5% of the time. Most bread gets cut with a gyuto anyways

3-6inch paring or petty knife, narrow and pointy profile, <5% of the time.

Aranyik Thai cleaver, whenever there is a coconut

The nakiri and santoku frankly rarely see use.

Rarely cut bone-in meats or portion big cuts of meat, so the slicer tends not to see use either (just end up using a gyuto)


----------



## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

OK, getting more personal, my petty of super wear resistant SRS-15 steel is "differentially" sharpened to be more obtuse at the tip end.  I used this around bone-in meats as it can really take the abuse at the front end, while the heel end remains real sharp for all the fine slicing/dicing.

I use the gyuto for bread too, and just about any other task if it suites me at the moment.

NewGuy (quite the name), you can refine your selections and usage as time goes on.  You kinda left it wide open for us, so hope this all gives you some place to start, and a vision for the future.

Knives are fun, food is fun, it's all about creativity, and making people happy.  Keep that in mind as you contemplate your next purchases.


----------



## thenewguyaround (May 17, 2017)

After reading all the stuff you guys put I think I will go with a Petty for my next knife after really thinking what I cook, i'm between getting a Yoshihiro Blue Steel Petty or Shun VG0016 Petty.


----------



## foody518 (Aug 6, 2015)

What will you use the petty for?


----------



## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

foody518 said:


> Chris, I'm guessing you didn't get to pick most of those knife photos too?


Gee, how'd you guess? 

My kit is pure carbon steel (though the petty is stainless cladded), "wa" rod handles, eclectic mix of Japanese manufacturers. And despite the advice I give in that article, I do waver between my Masamoto KS wa-gyuto (270mm, actually 282) and my Aritsugu-Tsukiji shirogane kamagata usuba (210mm). My wife thinks I'm a nut, but she eats well.


----------



## cws4322 (Dec 2, 2016)

If I only had three, a decent Chef's knife, cleaver, and boning/fillet knife. I use my Chef's knives for most tasks as a home cook, former prep and line cook.


----------



## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

foody518 said:


> Chris, I'm guessing you didn't get to pick most of those knife photos too?





ChrisLehrer said:


> Gee, how'd you guess?


The presence of Kai family relatives for one. ;-)~


----------

