Types of kitchen knives (II): What knife should I buy?

In my last post I told you about the three types of blades that we can find in kitchen knives and the advantages and disadvantages of each: ceramic, carbon steel and stainless steel (the most popular).

Returning to the question we posed at the beginning of the previous post , which knives to buy, and having already talked about ceramic and carbon iron knives, I would like to explain the different types of stainless steel knives that we can find on the market and how to choose the one that best suits our needs.

TYPES OF STAINLESS STEEL

The quality of a kitchen knife is determined mainly by the material used to make the blade. There are many types of steel with different compositions, manufacturing techniques and sharpening methods. A good kitchen knife is expensive but will last for many years in our kitchen and will maintain its sharpness for much longer.

Both the Japanese KAI knives and the German Wüsthof knives use high-quality steel alloys with excellent sharpness to make their knives. Special mention should be made of the KAI Shun and Le Creuset knives made of Damascus steel (different layers of steel are folded to create an extremely hard steel with a unique aesthetic due to the watermarks on the blade).

Kai Shun and Le Creuset Damascus Steel Knives

BASIC KITCHEN KNIVES

On many occasions we are not sure what type of knife to buy for the use we want to give it, or how many knives we should buy for the most common cuts in the kitchen.
In my opinion, the basic knife set should consist of a small knife (8-10cm blade) for cleaning and chopping fruits and vegetables, a narrow-bladed knife (16-18cm) for precise cutting of meat or fish, and a larger-bladed knife (18-20cm) for mainly chopping and dicing vegetables.

If we want to buy these basic kitchen knives, the best option is to buy one of the sets offered by the manufacturers, as they are cheaper than buying them individually. In our store you can find the set of 3 Gourmet knives from Wüsthof with an excellent quality-price ratio, the set of 2 Gourmet knives plus sharpener from Wüsthof and the set of 3 forged Classic Ikon knives from Wusthof , which is already the highest range of this German manufacturer.

It is also worth mentioning a set that I personally love, it is 3 knives and a peeler from the French manufacturer Opinel . At a very reasonable price we find a 7.5cm curved blade knife for fruits and vegetables, a knife with a micro-serrated blade for soft-skinned fruit or meat, a 10cm knife for cutting or slicing meat or fish and a peeler for vegetables. You can see it here .

Wüsthof 3-piece knife set and Opinel basic kitchen knife set

JAPANESE KITCHEN KNIVES

When considering the purchase of quality kitchen knives, it is worth considering Japanese knives. Hundreds of years of knowledge in kitchen knife making have been accumulated in Japan, which is why some of the best knives in the world are produced.

KAI is one of the leading exponents of this knowledge and produces exceptional kitchen knives, such as the Kai Shun Damascus , its most emblematic collection; the Kai Magoroku Vintage , with its traditional knife made of birch wood; or the recently introduced Wasabi Black collection, with an excellent quality-price ratio.

Kai Magoroku Vintage and Wasabi Black Knives

I would also like to clarify that it is not necessary to spend a lot to enjoy a good kitchen knife. Obviously Damascus steel kitchen knives, Wüsthof forged knives or Japanese KAI knives are exceptional knives if we want to buy the best in kitchen knives, but We have alternatives from these same manufacturers or from other manufacturers with a long tradition in cutlery that will also offer us an excellent cut and will last for many years in our kitchen at a much lower cost.

We can start with the already mentioned Wasabi Black knives from KAI , which allow us to enjoy the experience of a quality Japanese knife at a very reasonable price. We should also highlight the Gourmet series from Wusthof , the Spanish manufacturer 3 Claveles with its Forgé collection ( here ) and the Opinel kitchen knives ( here ), with a wooden handle and a blade with the characteristic cut of the popular pocket knives.