Ever wondered which knife is the best knife for the job? Here's a mini cheat sheet:

Chef's Knife (also called a Cook's Knife): 

• General, all-purpose work horse
• Comfortable handle, designed for rocking and a wide blade
• Best for chopping, julienning, slicing, dicing and mincing

Messermeister Oliva Elite Stealth Chef's Knife

Paring Knife: 

• The mini version of your Chef's knife but more precise
• Usually between 2.5" and 4" inches
• Best for dicing small things, peeling, trimming & slicing

Wusthof Classic 3" Serrated Paring Knife

Carving Knife: 

• Can have a pointed or rounded tip
• Thinner, razor-sharp bade
• Best for slicing meats, fish and poultry

Zwilling J.A. Henckels 2-Piece Carving Set

Bread Knife: 

• A long, narrow, serrated blade make for slicing through crust without crushing the goodies inside
• Also good for citrus and tomatoes

Victorinox Bread Knife

Santoku Knife: 

• Japanese (means three virtues) style knife with a sharp, fine point for precision but a wider blade for bigger work
• As someone with smaller hands, a 7" Santoku is my favorite go-to!
• Precise mincing, dicing and chopping
• Also known for having dimples along the blade, called a Granton Edge

Made-In Santoku Knife

Meat Cleaver: 

• Heavy with a sturdy sharp blade
• Designed for easily getting through meat, bones and tendons

Global Heavy Cleaver

Nakiri Knife:

• Traditional Japanese vegetable knife
• Hard steel and fine, sharp edge
• Perfect for chopping, slicing and mincing any type of veggie

Kramer Damascus Nakiri Knife

Utility Knife: 

• The "Baby Bear" knife. Perfect when a Chef's knife is too large but a paring knife is too small. 
• Precise cuts for chopping and slicing
• Can be serrated or not
• Good for tomatoes, bread, soft cheese and citrus

Shun Classic Utility Knife 

Until next time,

Knifey Wifey