All About Knives

Hello, Wednesday! 🤩

Have you ever found yourself sitting in front of your TV, begging the person on the show to just grab the lime already, it pairs well with cilantro, you are literally running out of time!!!

…only to realize that they can’t actually hear you? 🙋‍♀️

It’s no secret that I (Kim) love the Food Network.

Baking shows & cooking competitions are the perfect low stakes television that helps me shut my brain off after spending a long day problem solving at work, and there are plenty of new flavor combinations and recipes to be found when it’s time to mix up the ol’ dinner routine. 

But there’s one thing we need before we can cook our new meals, and that’s a quality knife. 

From housewives to masters of the culinary arts, they all agree that a good knife will set you up for success in the kitchen.

But how do we decide what knives we need, and what constitutes a quality knife?

Read on to find out! 

🔪 Types of Knives 🔪

Find all our favorites in each category at our shop!**

• The Chef’s knife is the backbone of meal prep & the MVP of your kitchen. It can do everything from deboning a chicken to mincing herbs. When it comes to a chef’s knife, there are two different styles to choose from - the German knife & the Japanese knife. German knives are larger, more versatile, and durable. Japanese knives are hand-finished, made for slicing over chopping, and are generally more ergonomic. 

• The Serrated (or bread) knife tackles the tasks that chef’s knives aren’t meant for - slicing through hard exteriors such as pineapple or a loaf of baked bread. These blades typically are 7-10 inches long, and culinary experts agree that the longer the knife = the less cutting effort. Ergonomic win? I think so.

• Paring knives are for controlled, precise movements in the kitchen. Think: cutting strawberries, peeling fruit, and prepping a clove of garlic. These knives average 3.5 inches and are meant for a steady hand. 

🔍 What to Look For in a Good Knife 🔍

In the age of keyboards & texting, I chose to focus on ergonomics and longevity while writing this list.

Remember, we’re in our era of choosing ✨ affordable quality over cheap quantity. ✨

We’re looking to invest in knives that will last & that will save our wrists. 

• Our first recommendation is to look for knives that have center and rear swells vs. a straight handle. The center & rear swells curve to the palm, preventing pressure points and allowing for more control. 

• Metal composition is an important consideration when buying a knife, because it affects its durability and resistance to rust. The three different types of metals most commonly used in knives are carbon, steel & a blend of both. 

  • Carbon knives are durable and can be sharpened regularly, but are prone to rusting.

  • Stainless steel knives are rust-resistant but aren’t as durable as carbon knives.

  • High-carbon stainless steel is a blend of carbon & stainless steel that is resistant to rust & outlasts other knives, but chipping is likely. 

• Price comes in at #3 on our list. Knives can cost anywhere between $10-$100+, but good knives like the ones we recommend here don’t have to break the bank! These are great options that are available at traditional retailers like Amazon that keep us planted 🌱 in the radical middle.

✨ BONUS TIP ✨

It seems these days that life is busier than ever! Summer is around the corner, the kids will be out of school soon, and your favorite knife just broke. Feeling overwhelmed? Don’t worry, Cook Smarts has your back.

Say goodbye to “what should I make for dinner?” and hello to a fully customizable app that delivers meal plans weekly & automatically generates a shopping list attached to the plan. Decision fatigue? Out the window. 💯 **

Later, besties!
Kim

⭐️⭐️ P.S. Want to share all this goodness with your friends AND earn cool Frugal Friends merch?

**Means this is a sponsored or affiliate section. We may earn a small fee or commission when you choose to try one of our sponsor or affiliate partners. But opinions are still 1000% our own.