Kitchen Knives

Let's take a trip down a "sharp" memory lane. We, humans, were a crafty bunch. Living in caves, hunting, and gathering, getting a good fire together, and settling down to repeat it all the next day. This was life many moons ago. To accomplish all this and later create a just society, we needed the help of something sharp. Stones were first employed, filed down to create crude cutting edges. Metallurgy then changed the game once iron came into play. In fact, medieval Europe was a big metallurgy proponent, crafting daggers, swords, spears, and axes.

The knife as a tool was highly valued. Wealthy folks, however, quickly realized knives could easily double as an eating utensil. They began to use their knives for both (hunting and cooking), but once hygiene kicked in, this led to segmentation – some knives to kill deer (or your neighbor), and others to eat a fine steak or cut bread. Now, the problem with iron knives is they would rust easily. As a result, other elements were combined in the fabrication process that eventually led to stainless steel. Resistant to corrosion, rusting, and staining, to this day, stainless steel knives are the cat's pajamas.

Before running out, however, and grabbing the first sharp stainless steel blade you see, selecting an appropriate blade depends a lot on your cooking habits. If you're a serious home cook, buying that typical woodblock knife set is not going to cut it. Many home cooks prefer to build out their own knife set. This entails the purchase of knives for chopping, trimming, slicing, and carving. A world of its own, we're not going to deep dive into this wormhole. Instead, the intent here is to present you the loyal reader with some great, all-around knives and leave the specialized information for another post.

The Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife comes with the sweet insignia we have all grown to trust – Victorinox. The Swiss have a thing for quality, and at just $30, it is tough to find a better slice for your buck. A feature that gets talked about with the Fibrox is its "ergonomic" handle. Apparently, if you are ambidextrous or live with someone who does not share the same primary hand, the grip on this knife is superb for either hand. For all you lefties out there that whine about living in a "right-handed" world, we don't want to hear it. Victorinox, for one, has your back.

Next up is the Tojiro DP Gyuto. We always enjoy a solid name, and the Gyuto checks all the boxes with this one. Straight out of Japan, this is some of the finest cutlery on the planet. In Japan, Tojiro is a well-respected brand, right up there with Honda and Sony. The Gyuto blade is only 2mm wide, something quite common in Japanese blades as compared to Western ones. Apparently, a skinny blade is all the rage in the Orient, while the Western world prefers something a bit thicker. Regardless, this thing apparently runs right through just about any piece of meat, vegetable, fruit, what have you. It also retails under $100, which is good news for all.

Lastly, we're going to look at the Zwilling Pro 8-Inch Chef's Knife. As opposed to the Tojiro, this is a Western-style knife, thick and ready for business. A large, stainless steel knife, the Zwilling measures in at 8-inches, and online reviewers proudly comment that chipping is quite rare with this model. Now, it is more expensive than the previous two ($125), but nothing astronomical. At the end of the day, any of these three will do the trick. But that's where we stop, the chopping (not your neighbor) and cooking is now on you.