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 one: ceramic, carbon steel and stainless steel (the most popular).

Going back to the question that we posed at the beginning of the previous post , which knives to buy, and having already talked about ceramic and carbon iron, 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 is right for you. It better suits our needs.

STAINLESS STEEL TYPES

The quality of a kitchen knife is given, mainly, by the material used in the manufacture of the blade. There are many types of steel with different composition, manufacturing technique and type of sharpening. A good kitchen knife has a high cost but it will be in our kitchen for many years and will maintain its sharpness for much longer.

Both the Japanese KAI knives and the German Wüsthof use high-quality steel alloys and excellent sharpness to make their knives. The KAI Shun and Le Creuset knives made of Damascus steel deserve special mention (for their manufacture, different layers of steel are folded, achieving an extremely hard steel and a unique aesthetic due to the waters that we observe on the blade).

Damascus steel knives Kai Shun and Le Creuset

BASIC KITCHEN KNIVES

On many occasions we are not clear about 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 set of knives should consist of a small knife (8-10cm blade) for cleaning and dicing fruits and vegetables, a 16-18cm narrow-blade knife for finely cutting meat or fish, and a paring knife. Larger blade from 18 to 20cm to chop and chop vegetables mainly.

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

It is also worth mentioning a set that I personally love, it is about 3 knives and a peeler from the French manufacturer Opinel . With a very affordable 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 laminating meat or fish and a peeler for vegetables. You can see it here .

Set of 3 Wüsthof knives and Opinel basic kitchen knife set

JAPANESE KITCHEN KNIVES

When we consider the purchase of quality kitchen knives, it is worth considering Japanese knives. Hundreds of years of knowledge in the manufacture of kitchen knives are accumulated in Japan, which is why some of the best knives in the world are made.

The KAI company is one of the main exponents of this knowledge and manufactures exceptional kitchen knives, such as the Kai Shun Damascus , its most emblematic collection; the Kai Magoroku Vintage , with its traditional birch wood magician; or the recently incorporated Wasabi Black collection, with excellent value for money.

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, those forged from Wüsthof or the Japanese KAI 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 they will be in our kitchen for many years at a much lower cost.

We can start with the aforementioned KAI Wasabi Black knives that allow us to enjoy the experience of a quality Japanese knife but at a very reasonable price. Also noteworthy is the Wusthof Gourmet series , 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 razors.