Knife Basics: The Only Three You Need

Three knives cover nearly everything: a chef knife, a paring knife and a serrated knife. The rest is marketing.

Knife	Use it for
Chef knife (8″)	Chopping, slicing, dicing — 90% of all work
Paring knife (3–4″)	Peeling, trimming, small detail work
Serrated knife	Bread, tomatoes, anything with a skin that slips under a straight blade

Grip: pinch the blade just above the handle between thumb and index finger, wrap the other fingers around the handle. Guide food with the "claw" — fingertips tucked, knuckles guiding the blade.

Honing vs. sharpening: honing (the steel rod) realigns the edge — do it often. Sharpening (whetstone or professional service) removes metal and rebuilds the edge — a few times a year for home cooks.

Storage: a block, a magnetic strip or blade guards. Never loose in a drawer: it dulls the edge and finds fingers.

More guides on the RecipeDelish home page.