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A Guide to Kitchen Knives

September 16th, 2011 Tools

A well-stocked kitchen is helpful when you're planning to cook most of your meals at home. Along with pots, pans and other appliances, a set of reliable knives for a variety of jobs will make preparation much easier. Here's a list of a few common kitchen knives you may find useful.

1. Boning knife. If you're a meat person, this model is handy for removing the bone from ham, steak or roast beef. Look for a thin blade that's pretty rigid so you don't have any accidents.

2. Paring knife. These are good for delicate work like skinning apples and mincing herbs. It's also good at cutting fruit because it doesn't crush the flesh.

3. Lettuce knife. These plastic serrated knives prevent the tips of the lettuce from getting brown, which can happen with a metal blade.

4. Cleaver. This is useful for chopping, pounding or crushing ingredients. It's good at cutting through tough vegetables and bone and you'll feel like a real chef using one.

5. Deli knife. If your go-to lunch menu usually consists of sandwiches, a deli knife will help you slice them in half easily without pulling out the ingredients.

6. Filet knife. If you like fishing or just enjoy filleting your own fish, a filet knife is essential for slicing along the backbone and removing the skin.

7. Serrated knife. These are great for cutting through tough loaves of bread or even frozen foods, and they make the task easy.

8. Mincing knife. A mincing knife is great if you make a lot of salads, soups or anything else that requires small pieces. It has a handle and a rounded blade which make it super easy to use.

9. Oyster knife. If you like shucking your own clams, consider investing in one of these. It makes prying open the shells much easier and protects you from cutting yourself with a shielded blade.