{"id":3354,"date":"2015-05-19T12:53:04","date_gmt":"2015-05-19T19:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/?p=3354"},"modified":"2015-05-19T12:53:04","modified_gmt":"2015-05-19T19:53:04","slug":"how-to-stock-your-kitchen-the-only-knife-you-really-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/2015\/05\/19\/how-to-stock-your-kitchen-the-only-knife-you-really-need\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Stock Your Kitchen&#8211;The Only Knife You Really Need"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3361\" src=\"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-18-21.25.43-e1432065015831.jpg\" alt=\"Knife and Accessories\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Stocking your kitchen with equipment is far easier than you think.<\/p>\n<p>You already have most of what you already need, and the rest can be bought for cheaper than you may realize.<\/p>\n<p>We talked about <a href=\"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/2015\/05\/03\/how-to-stock-your-kitchen-the-three-essential-cookware-pieces\/\" target=\"_blank\">the only three pieces of cookware you need<\/a> in the last article. In this one, we&#8217;ll look at kitchen knives and see that you only really need one (as well as a couple of simple accessories).<\/p>\n<h2>Knives (and Knife Accessories)<\/h2>\n<p>Unless you\u2019re buying everything cut up already, you\u2019ll need to harness your inner samurai and use some knife skills.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/cooking.stackexchange.com\/questions\/184\/what-knives-are-required-for-a-serious-home-kitchen\">Most people will tell you that you need three knives<\/a>. They are wrong.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You need <em>one<\/em> kitchen knife.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Just one. And a couple of accessories. Save the other two knives for when you\u2019re more advanced, Yojimbo.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/z8ByAzPe38Y?rel=0\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>A Kitchen Knife<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3362\" src=\"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-18-21.27.35-e1432065068728.jpg\" alt=\"Chef's Knife\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" \/><\/p>\n<p>You have three options when it comes to a kitchen knife:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>A chef\u2019s knife<\/strong>\u2013These are the most common western-knife, and feature a long, slightly-curved blade.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A santoku knife<\/strong>\u2013These are the Japanese equivalent of a chef\u2019s knife, but they have a flatter blade and \u201cdivots\u201d along the side.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A Chinese chef\u2019s knife<\/strong>\u2013Very uncommon in western countries, but this is an underrated knife. Looks like a small meat cleaver.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Honestly, it doesn\u2019t matter which of these you buy. You will use a slightly different technique for either one, but they are all built to get done all your basic cutting tasks in the kitchen.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Since chef\u2019s knives are by far the most common in western countries, it\u2019s probably the one you\u2019ll use.<\/strong> But don\u2019t discount the Chinese cleaver. Since they aren\u2019t very well-known you can get a good one for pretty cheap.<\/p>\n<p>Santokus are pretty trendy right now, and the prices reflect that, with cheaper ones hard to find.<\/p>\n<p>Also, there are more knives on the market than anything else on this list, and it\u2019s therefore impossible for me to test every one. What\u2019s important is that a knife is two things:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Sharp<\/li>\n<li>Comfortable<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>This will allow you to keep control of the knife more easily. The last thing you want to do is chop a finger off.<\/p>\n<p>Here are my suggestions for chef\u2019s knives, FWIW:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Top of the Line<\/strong>\u2013The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Wusthof-Classic-8-Inch-Cooks-Knife\/dp\/B00009ZK08\/?tag=thgucaco-20\">Wusthof Classic 8-Inch Cook\u2019s Knife<\/a>. German knives are considered by most to be the best. They\u2019re also more expensive. This one\u2019s a classic, and loved by many.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Best Value<\/strong>\u2013The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Global-G-2-inch-Chefs-Knife\/dp\/B00005OL44\/?tag=thgucaco-20\">Global G\u20132<\/a> is a Japanese knife that Anthony Bourdain sang the praise of in his classic book <em>Kitchen Confidential<\/em>. It\u2019s lightweight and nimble, but gets the heavy work done. It\u2019s what I usually use.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Good Enough<\/strong>\u2013The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Victorinox-Fibrox-8-Inch-47520-5-2063-20\/dp\/B000638D32\/?tag=thgucaco-20\">Victorinox Fibrox<\/a> gets high praise for a cheap knife.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>A Honer<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3359\" src=\"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2014-06-21-22.54.31-e1432065091520.jpg\" alt=\"Knife Honer\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>A dull knife is a dangerous knife.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I really can\u2019t stress this enough. You really, really, <em>really<\/em> need your knife to be as sharp as possible. A dull knife is hard to control, and more likely to hurt you.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m sure you\u2019re familiar with the stereotype\u2013big French chef breaks out a big honing rod to sharpen his kitchen knife before going to town on a big pile of onions.<\/p>\n<p>Well, you should be doing the same thing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Honing your knife before every use ensures that the knife is as sharp as possible for every use, and is highly recommended.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Basic sharpening rods are cheap and available everywhere. Not the sort of thing I\u2019d imagine there\u2019s a lot of variability in, so just get whatever you can.<\/p>\n<p>The model I use is the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Winco-K-12S-WINCO-Sharpening-12-Inch\/dp\/B001N0ULJG\/?tag=thgucaco-20\">12-inch Winco Sharpening Steel<\/a>, and it does the trick just fine.<\/p>\n<h3>A Peeler<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3360\" src=\"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2014-06-21-22.55.08-e1432065122536.jpg\" alt=\"Peeler\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Yeah, I know. A peeler\u2019s not technically a knife, but it does a similar job. So it\u2019s here.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A lot of people will tell you that you need to have a paring knife. These people are wrong.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re starting out, the only knife task you need to know that you can\u2019t carry out with a big chef\u2019s knife is peeling, and a dedicated peeler is the way to go.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, peelers are one of those rare categories where <a href=\"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/2013\/01\/18\/good-things-come-in-cheap-packages-the-best-thrifty-kitchen-equipment\/\" target=\"_blank\">the best product on the market is also one of the cheapest<\/a>, so don\u2019t hesitate to pick up my favorite, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Kuhn-Rikon-Original-Peeler-Yellow\/dp\/B001BCFTWU\/?tag=thgucaco-20\">Kuhn-Rikon peeler<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>A Cutting Board<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3358\" src=\"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2014-06-21-22.52.43-e1432065152850.jpg\" alt=\"Cutting Board\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>A dedicated cutting board is essential.<\/strong> There\u2019s no better way to dull your knife than cutting on a surface that isn\u2019t designed for it.<\/p>\n<p>First off, check if you have a wooded cutting board built into your kitchen. Everywhere I\u2019ve ever lived has had one, so, score.<\/p>\n<p>If not, <strong>you\u2019ll want to pick up a wooden or plastic cutting board<\/strong>. Plastic is cheaper and can go in the dishwasher, though it can slip around more easily and won\u2019t last forever.<\/p>\n<p><em>Never<\/em> go for glass, as it will dull your knife.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve always used the built-in cutting board in my kitchen, but if you don\u2019t have one, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Totally-Bamboo-20-7930-3-Piece-Cutting\/dp\/B002M782UO\/?tag=thgucaco-20\">this one gets solid reviews<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Just like you don&#8217;t need to buy big sets of pots and pans, you also don&#8217;t need to buy huge knife sets.<\/p>\n<p>Best to put that money towards one good knife and chopping board (if you need it), as well as a cheap peeler and honer.<\/p>\n<p>In the next article we&#8217;ll look at the six kitchen utensils you need to have (and ignore all the rest).<\/p>\n<span id=\"pty_trigger\"><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stocking your kitchen with equipment is far easier than you think. You already have most of what you already need, and the rest can be bought for cheaper than you may realize. We talked about the only three pieces of cookware you need in the last article. In this one, we&#8217;ll look at kitchen knives [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[257],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gear"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3354"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3363,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3354\/revisions\/3363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/theguycancook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}