There is likely no kitchen tool purchase as important as your cooking knives. And it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the variety of styles, prices, sizes and materials.
But while the category of knives is one you may want to explore for the rest of your cooking days, picking a couple of all-purpose kitchen knives can be simple.
Many professionals will tell you that you can perform virtually any kitchen task skillfully with either a chef’s knife or a paring knife, and that while adding other knives to your arsenal is appealing and can be useful, it’s not strictly necessary.
Unless, maybe, it’s a serrated knife, something every cook really should have too.
Serrated knives are primarily used for slicing bread; the serrated edge allows you to saw back and forth without compressing the loaf. It can also be used for other foods, like tomatoes.
When buying knives, go for individual ones you like rather than a boxed set, which might leave you with ones you don’t enjoy using.
PARING KNIFE
Simply a small knife for tasks requiring more dexterity and precision than a larger knife provides.
The blade is usually about 3 inches long. Use a paring knife to peel fruits and vegetables, say, or devein shrimp. I think a straight rather than curved blade makes slicing tasks easier.
CHEF’S KNIFE
Buying one requires a bit more thought. Most chef’s knives are either 8 or 10 inches long, from the bolster (where the blade meets the handle) to the tip of the blade. Many professional chefs like a longer, 10-inch knife, but as with everything regarding knives, it’s about your own preference and comfort level. If you are more comfortable handling a shorter, 8-inch knife, then that’s the size you should go for. The longer the blade, the more you can chop at one time.
Use your chef’s knife for most kitchen work, from chopping onions and garlic to slicing carrots to slicing a roast to deboning a chicken.
Again, if you are a knife fan and want to lay in a supply of 4-, 6-, 8- and 10-inch knives, then you can choose the optimal knife for any task. But know that with one good chef’s knife, plus your paring knife and a serrated knife, you really don’t need anything else.
HONSX
This July 2022 image shows a variety of kitchen knives. Many professionals will say you can perform virtually any kitchen task skillfully with either a chef’s knife or a paring knife. Adding other knives to your arsenal is appealing and can be useful but isn't strictly necessary. (Katie Workman via AP)
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
When buying a knife, especially one you’re going to spend some real cash on, you absolutely need to hold it in your hand. Pretend you are using it, and literally make slicing motions to test how it feels in your hand. It should have some heft.
Make sure there are no cracks near the rivets or handle, anywhere that could feel rough and allow residue to collect.
There are three main types of metal used to make knives: carbon steel, stainless steel and high-carbon stainless steel. Carbon steel is generally the hardest, stainless steel the softest. The harder the metal, the easier it is to keep sharp. However, harder metal also requires more care.
Carbon steel rusts easily, so those knives have to be consistently washed and dried to avoid discoloration. Many professional chefs find this a fine tradeoff, but home cooks might prefer something requiring less maintenance.
Many good-quality commercial knives designed for home cooks are high-carbon stainless steel, which is easier to care for than straight carbon steel, and keeps a sharp edge longer than stainless.
VARIATIONS
Chef’s knives are often divided into two main types: Japanese and German, or Western-style. Japanese knives are usually thinner and sharper, many made of higher-maintenance carbon steel. German-style knives are more durable, though they might not get as sharp. Japanese knives are often hand-honed, and have a straighter blade for more precise slicing. Both are great options.
If you want to delve deeper, you can find Swedish steel knives, French steel knives and more, plus lots of knives made in the U.S.A. Some companies making high-quality kitchen knives in the U.S. are Steelport, Schmidt Brothers and Faneema Cutlery.
The blade of a chef’s knife is both long and wide. Different types have different curvatures on the bottom of the blade, from straight to gently curved. Many American and German knives have a pronounced curve, while French and Japanese knives tend to have straighter blades. A Santoku knife is a Japanese chef’s knife with small indentations along the straight blade, in the style of a Chinese slicing cleaver.
Ceramic knives are also popular. These are made from hardy ceramics, but are still fairly fragile (don’t drop one!). They hold a sharp edge pretty well, but their lightness isn’t as satisfying to use for most real kitchen chopping.
It is good practice to wash, dry and store knives immediately after using them. This will help them stay sharp and in the best condition overall (and prevent accidents!). Never put cooking knives in a dishwasher, as it can dull the blade.
Whatever knife you choose, buy a honing rod, sharpening steel or whetstone. Learn how to use it properly to keep your knives sharp, and see how much it ups your chopping game.
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One-third of food produced in the US goes to waste. Here’s how that impacts the environment
Polarpx // Shutterstock
There are 900 million acres of farmland in the United States, broken into more than 2 million farms. This accounts for approximately 40% of all acreage in the U.S.
Much of this farmland is used to raise livestock and grow corn and soybeans. But not all of it is used to produce foodstuffs for direct human consumption—a lot of it is used to produce food for livestock. This makes livestock and other animal production farms and facilities ancillary beneficiaries of U.S. farming. Agriculture, food production, and related industries (such as food manufacturing and retailing) were responsible for $1.055 trillion of the United States' gross domestic product in 2020—5% of the overall GDP.
To look at the environmental impact of domestic food waste, OhmConnect cited data from the EPA publication From Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste, released in November 2021.
One-third of all food produced annually is unconsumed and simply becomes waste. This also means that the resources used to produce that food in the supply chain—water, pesticides, gas or diesel used for freight and delivery, and energy for refrigeration—are also wasted.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concluded that the U.S. wastes between 161 and 335 billion pounds of food per year, equal to anywhere from 492 to 1,032 pounds per person annually. To translate this figure into something most people are aware of and many actively keep track of, this equates to as much as 1,520 calories per person per day wasted, or enough food to feed 150 million people.
Food loss and waste per person increased over the last decade and tripled since 1960.  Fruits and vegetables are among the foods that go to waste most often, and the consumption stage—typically at home or in restaurants—is responsible for approximately half of that waste.
Polarpx // Shutterstock
There are 900 million acres of farmland in the United States, broken into more than 2 million farms. This accounts for approximately 40% of all acreage in the U.S.
Much of this farmland is used to raise livestock and grow corn and soybeans. But not all of it is used to produce foodstuffs for direct human consumption—a lot of it is used to produce food for livestock. This makes livestock and other animal production farms and facilities ancillary beneficiaries of U.S. farming. Agriculture, food production, and related industries (such as food manufacturing and retailing) were responsible for $1.055 trillion of the United States' gross domestic product in 2020—5% of the overall GDP.
To look at the environmental impact of domestic food waste, OhmConnect cited data from the EPA publication From Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste, released in November 2021.
One-third of all food produced annually is unconsumed and simply becomes waste. This also means that the resources used to produce that food in the supply chain—water, pesticides, gas or diesel used for freight and delivery, and energy for refrigeration—are also wasted.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concluded that the U.S. wastes between 161 and 335 billion pounds of food per year, equal to anywhere from 492 to 1,032 pounds per person annually. To translate this figure into something most people are aware of and many actively keep track of, this equates to as much as 1,520 calories per person per day wasted, or enough food to feed 150 million people.
Food loss and waste per person increased over the last decade and tripled since 1960.  Fruits and vegetables are among the foods that go to waste most often, and the consumption stage—typically at home or in restaurants—is responsible for approximately half of that waste.
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One-third of food produced in the US goes to waste. Here’s how that impacts the environment
OhmConnect
Every type of food is wasted most during the consumption stage, which occurs in homes, restaurants, and other food service establishments. A 2020 study projecting the environmental benefits of cutting the U.S.'s food loss and waste in half found that addressing households, restaurants, and food processing would have the biggest effect on the environment, whereas addressing institutional food service or retail would have a minimal environmental impact.
According to Brian Roe, professor and faculty lead at the Ohio State Food Waste Collaborative, the average American family can put thousands of dollars of food in the trash each year.
An American Journal of Agricultural Economics study published in 2020 found the loss to be $240 billion in total in homes nationally, breaking down to $1,866 per household—though based on the most current U.S. Census' findings of the total number of U.S. households, that figure is closer to $1,961 per household.
OhmConnect
Every type of food is wasted most during the consumption stage, which occurs in homes, restaurants, and other food service establishments. A 2020 study projecting the environmental benefits of cutting the U.S.'s food loss and waste in half found that addressing households, restaurants, and food processing would have the biggest effect on the environment, whereas addressing institutional food service or retail would have a minimal environmental impact.
According to Brian Roe, professor and faculty lead at the Ohio State Food Waste Collaborative, the average American family can put thousands of dollars of food in the trash each year.
An American Journal of Agricultural Economics study published in 2020 found the loss to be $240 billion in total in homes nationally, breaking down to $1,866 per household—though based on the most current U.S. Census' findings of the total number of U.S. households, that figure is closer to $1,961 per household.
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One-third of food produced in the US goes to waste. Here’s how that impacts the environment
Aleksandr Rybalko // Shutterstock
- Agricultural land wasted: 19,000 square feet
- Water: 19,000 gallons
- Pesticides: 2.5 pounds
- Fertilizer: 44.5 pounds
- Energy: 2,140 kilowatt-hours
- Greenhouse gas emissions: 1,190 pounds CO2
The issue with food loss and waste isn't just about what ends up in the trash can. It's about the loss and waste of everything that went into that potato, or banana, or onion—the water, the land, the pesticides, the fertilizer, and the energy add up to a greater, compounded loss.
To determine the environmental impact of food loss and waste, researchers consider how much food is lost or wasted, the type of food it is, and where in the supply chain it was wasted. The further along the supply chain food is wasted, the greater the impact on the environment because impacts are cumulative.
All told, the greenhouse gas emissions from one person's wasted food annually are equivalent to those from the average passenger car driving 1,336 miles. And the estimated water wasted is roughly what an average American household uses over the course of 63 days.
Aleksandr Rybalko // Shutterstock
- Agricultural land wasted: 19,000 square feet
- Water: 19,000 gallons
- Pesticides: 2.5 pounds
- Fertilizer: 44.5 pounds
- Energy: 2,140 kilowatt-hours
- Greenhouse gas emissions: 1,190 pounds CO2
The issue with food loss and waste isn't just about what ends up in the trash can. It's about the loss and waste of everything that went into that potato, or banana, or onion—the water, the land, the pesticides, the fertilizer, and the energy add up to a greater, compounded loss.
To determine the environmental impact of food loss and waste, researchers consider how much food is lost or wasted, the type of food it is, and where in the supply chain it was wasted. The further along the supply chain food is wasted, the greater the impact on the environment because impacts are cumulative.
All told, the greenhouse gas emissions from one person's wasted food annually are equivalent to those from the average passenger car driving 1,336 miles. And the estimated water wasted is roughly what an average American household uses over the course of 63 days.
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One-third of food produced in the US goes to waste. Here’s how that impacts the environment
vchal // Shutterstock
Ninety percent of food wasted in the supply chain is edible, with inedible things like bones and shells making up the other 10%. Studies put the number of wasted calories per day between 1,100 and 1,520, a sizable portion of the recommended daily caloric intake.
This waste ends up in a landfill. According to the EPA, food waste is the nation's most commonly found material burned at landfills—it accounts for 24% and 22% of landfilled and combusted municipal solid waste, respectively.
vchal // Shutterstock
Ninety percent of food wasted in the supply chain is edible, with inedible things like bones and shells making up the other 10%. Studies put the number of wasted calories per day between 1,100 and 1,520, a sizable portion of the recommended daily caloric intake.
This waste ends up in a landfill. According to the EPA, food waste is the nation's most commonly found material burned at landfills—it accounts for 24% and 22% of landfilled and combusted municipal solid waste, respectively.
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One-third of food produced in the US goes to waste. Here’s how that impacts the environment
OhmConnect
North Americans waste more than three times what people waste in the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and more than 10 times what people in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa waste.
When looking at food waste and loss by regional wealth, people in the U.S. waste 503 grams per person per day—196 grams more than those in other high-income countries. Food loss decreases as regional wealth decreases: People in low-income countries waste just 43 grams per person per day.
Country by country, the U.S. is surpassed by only two in the generation of food waste (China and India) and two in food waste per person (New Zealand and Ireland).
OhmConnect
North Americans waste more than three times what people waste in the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and more than 10 times what people in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa waste.
When looking at food waste and loss by regional wealth, people in the U.S. waste 503 grams per person per day—196 grams more than those in other high-income countries. Food loss decreases as regional wealth decreases: People in low-income countries waste just 43 grams per person per day.
Country by country, the U.S. is surpassed by only two in the generation of food waste (China and India) and two in food waste per person (New Zealand and Ireland).
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One-third of food produced in the US goes to waste. Here’s how that impacts the environment
OhmConnect
Fruits and vegetables make up 80% of all food loss and waste in sub-Saharan Africa and 64% of all food loss and waste in industrialized Asia. In North America and Oceania, they make up about half of all wasted food. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, up to 60% of all fruits and vegetables find their way into landfills.Â
Some of the food waste is attributed to the financial, technical, and managerial constraints of producing food in countries with a less developed infrastructure, as well as underdeveloped food distribution networks and poor harvest and handling technology and techniques. These together result in billions of dollars in losses yearly. Much of the waste is also attributable to the demand for "perfect" fruits and vegetables.
Cutting the nation's food loss and waste in half could meaningfully conserve resources and reduce the environmental impacts of the food system, according to the EPA. By halving the food loss and waste across the country, the U.S. could lessen the environmental footprint by 3.2 trillion gallons of water as well as 262 billion kWh of energy—that's enough to power 21.5 million U.S. homes for a year.
This story originally appeared on OhmConnect and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
OhmConnect
Fruits and vegetables make up 80% of all food loss and waste in sub-Saharan Africa and 64% of all food loss and waste in industrialized Asia. In North America and Oceania, they make up about half of all wasted food. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, up to 60% of all fruits and vegetables find their way into landfills.Â
Some of the food waste is attributed to the financial, technical, and managerial constraints of producing food in countries with a less developed infrastructure, as well as underdeveloped food distribution networks and poor harvest and handling technology and techniques. These together result in billions of dollars in losses yearly. Much of the waste is also attributable to the demand for "perfect" fruits and vegetables.
Cutting the nation's food loss and waste in half could meaningfully conserve resources and reduce the environmental impacts of the food system, according to the EPA. By halving the food loss and waste across the country, the U.S. could lessen the environmental footprint by 3.2 trillion gallons of water as well as 262 billion kWh of energy—that's enough to power 21.5 million U.S. homes for a year.
This story originally appeared on OhmConnect and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
