Two Knives to Rule Them All: Essential Knives You Actually NEED

Looking for something a little different than a traditional chef's knife or gyuto, that will work well as a primary essential knife? Here are some options to consider:

K-Tip Gyuto: essentially a gyuto with a reverse tanto-style tip. The "K" in K-Tip comes from the next knife.

Kiritsuke: Avoid the traditional single-bevel kiritsuke and opt for the modern double-bevel kiritsuke, which is very similar to a k-tip gyuto. Some even say they are the same knife. Regardless of the description, if it resembles a gyuto with a reverse tanto tip and is at least 8 inches long, you're good to go.

Bunka: usually 6.5-7 inches, which is obviously smaller than the ideal length for a primary, but you can work wonders with one of these blades. It's basically a shorter kiritsuke.

Santoku: The Wusthof version of the Japanese santoku was one of the all-time popular knife styles in the US for about two decades, but is slowly being caught up to by gyutos, bunkas, and anything else k-tip. A santoku makes a great primary, especially if you keep it at that 7-inch mark.

Wait, what about the nakiri? Does it fall into our essential knives list? Nope, sorry, nakiri lovers, this isn't a good primary because it doesn't have a pointed tip. A nakiri is something you add to your collection as a "want", not a "need."

What Can Your Primary Essential Knife Do? 

With proper technique and a sharp edge, your primary all-purpose blade can:

• Break down a whole chicken
• Fillet a fish, even a small trout (yes, really)
• Trim fat and silverskin from large cuts of meat like tenderloins, roasts, and brisket
• Tap, push, rock, and cross chop fruits and vegetables
• Slice anything from tiny cloves of garlic to whole rib roasts and even loaves of bread
• Crush garlic, ginger, and turmeric, and then turn them into a paste
• Scoop ingredients off your board
• Intricate tip work for higher-end dining

This is by far the most essential of any essential knives list. When maintained properly, it handles the vast majority of kitchen tasks. That's why it's the first and most important of your essential knives.

Your secondary blade is where versatility meets precision. A 4.5 to 6-inch prep knife is a nimble, specialist for detailed work and everyday prep. From filleting fish, deboning chicken thighs, thinly slicing garlic, to trimming proteins, prep knives are basically the shorter and lighter versions of your primary.

Prep, utility, and petty are often used to describe knives that are very similar in appearance and performance. Here is how we generally describe them:

Prep Knife: 4.5-6 inch triangular blade with a high enough heel for knuckle clearance

Utility Knife: 5-6 inches with a narrow blade, usually without much of a heel.

Petty Knife: the Japanese version of a paring or utility knife, which can vary from straight and narrow to having a slight triangular shape with a short heel.

However, forget about names and how we describe them for a moment, and focus your attention on shape. The ideal secondary in our very short essential knives list should be 4.5-6 inches long with a heel. Even if the heel isn't high enough for a proper non-knuckle-banging tap chop, you still want a blade that has a more triangular shape.

A prep knife is usually the most common descriptor for these essential knives. In Japanese terms, they are typically referred to as a petty (depending on shape), honesuki, or ko-bunka. Again, set aside names for a moment and consider what all these blades have in common.

Key Features: The critical design element is a pointed tip combined with some heel height. You don't want a completely straight utility blade. Even just half an inch of height gives you the ability to grip the blade a little differently, but be able to tap and push chop, maybe even a shallow rock, without playing the drums with your knuckles. 

When to Use Your Prep Knife: This is your go-to blade for quick tasks. Think of it as the knife you grab when you need to prep for just a few minutes.

Simple Prep:

• Slicing some tomatoes or avocado for breakfast
• Making sandwiches for lunch
• Prepping a quick salad
• Cutting up ingredients for a simple dinner
• Late-night apple slices and peanut butter for the kids

The Secret Prep Knife Versatility: Here's where this second essential knife really shines: it can replace a whole drawer full of specialty knives. Bye-bye knife sets, hello prep knife. Here's what you can do:

• Break down a chicken: That pointed tip and narrow blade profile work perfectly for separating joints, trimming fat, and working around bones. The honesuki is a traditional single-bevel Japanese boning knife, but the modern double-bevel version is the perfect boning and prep knife combo.
• Filleting fish: The shorter blade and maneuverability let you follow the bones and skin with precision. Usually, a knife with a heel won't have much flexibility, but you don't really need a flexible fillet knife, even if you work with whole fish regularly.
• Trimming large proteins: When you need to slide under the silverskin on a whole tenderloin or trim off large chunks of fat where the two muscles meat (see what I did there) on a brisket, you can make magic happen with a prep knife.
• Portioning larger cuts: Once you've trimmed up a whole tenderloin or pork loin, a 5-6 inch blade can easily portion out individual steaks (or grab your primary for that).
• Peeling: A vegetable peeler is usually much easuer to use when peeling apples, butternut squash, or cucumbers, but you can do it with a prep knife if you need to in a pinch
• Off-the-Board-Work: Can you tourne a potato or zucchini with a prep knife? Yes, just choke up on the blade. Need to peel and score button mushrooms? You'll manage just fine! Thumb-slicing strawberries like your grandmother? Yes, but, stop doing that.

The reality is that this 5-6 inch prep knife can do the work of a dedicated boning knife, fillet knife, and can replace smaller primary knives like a santoku or bunka. It's one of the most underrated essential knives ever.

But what about the paring knife? Honestly, it's the least useful knife in the kitchen. A prep knife or even a 5-6" straight blade utility can do everything a paring knife can do, but a paring knife doesn't come close to a prep or utility blade. In some commercial kitchen settings, a smaller blade for specialty prep may be warranted, but for the rest of us, a paring knife is not necessary. 

Now that we've covered the TWO ESSENTIAL KNIVES THAT RULE THEM ALL, let's talk about the next two you may NEED to consider. Okay, no more caps.

Notice the title says "optional." You absolutely don't need a third knife if you have those first two essential kitchen knives we just covered. But if you regularly work with large cuts of meat, and by regularly, I mean a couple of times a week, a slicing knife becomes incredibly useful.

A slicing knife is typically 9 to 12 inches long with a narrow blade profile that excels at cutting through large raw and cooked proteins in smooth strokes, without sawing back and forth, which can tear the fibers and compromise the presentation.

• Slicing beef or St.Louis style ribs for serving
• Portioning whole beef tenderloin into steaks
• Carving a turkey or a large pork loin
• Slicing brisket (one of the biggest cuts of beef)
• Working with whole hams
• Whenever you're dealing with proteins that are 6, 7, or 8 inches deep or wide

Do You Actually Need It? If your primary chef's knife or gyuto is 9 or 10 inches long, you probably don't need a dedicated slicer. A 9 to 10-inch chef's knife can absolutely slice a rib roast or carve a turkey. Yes, a dedicated slicer might be slightly better at those specific tasks because the blade isn't as tall, which reduces friction and aids in better food release, but it's not necessary.

However, if you opt for an 8-inch primary blade (which is perfectly fine for most people), and you regularly work with large cuts of meat, such as whole tenderloins or rib roasts from Costco, or you smoke briskets frequently, or you roast large cuts for family gatherings. A slicer becomes a worthwhile addition to your essential kitchen knives. Still, is it one of our essential knives? No.

The Decision Point: Ask yourself: Do I work with large cuts of meat at least weekly? If yes, consider the slicer. If you're roasting a turkey twice a year and occasionally cooking a small roast, save your money. Your 8-inch chef's knife will handle those infrequent tasks just fine.

The final knife to consider is a serrated or scalloped-edge blade, typically 9 to 10 inches long, designed specifically for bread. However, it has some other applications we'll discuss.

Traditional Serrated Bread Knife: A serrated knife features jagged, pointed teeth along the edge. The serrations allow you to saw through the hard crust without applying excessive downward pressure, which would compress and crush the softer bread. It's particularly useful when you're cutting fresh bread right off the cooling rack. If you regularly bake or buy artisan breads, such as ciabatta, sourdough, or crusty Italian loaves, a serrated bread knife makes slicing much easier.

Do You Need One? Honestly? Most people don't. If you're not regularly cutting whole loaves of crusty bread, you don't need this knife. A sharp chef's knife will absolutely cut through sandwich bread, softer loaves, and even most crusty breads without issue. If you're a DIY home bread maker that has a sourdough starter with a name, you already have a bread knife, so this doesn't apply to you.

If you buy whole loaves regularly, most places have a slicing machine and will slice your loaf for free, so consider that before splurging on a bread knife. However, suppose bread-making is becoming a hobby or you're tired of the mystery ingredients in most store-bought bread, and you want to keep it cleaner at your local bakery. In that case, those serrations do make a big difference!

Let's say you make bread occasionally and also enjoy smoking meats when the weather is nice, maybe a couple times a month, between the two. In that case, you could skip the slicer and serrated bread knife and get a scalloped-edge knife instead. 

Instead of having pointy teeth like a traditional bread knife, a scalloped-edge knife features more rounded teeth with half-circles along its edge. It's still bitey enough to get through super crusty bread, but gentle enough not to tear away at meats, offering a much cleaner slice.

It's the more versatile choice for your third essential kitchen knife if you decide you need one at all.

There aren't many scalloped-edge knives available. For now, the Wusthof Super Slicer, MAC, and Yaxell Ran are your best options. However, depending on when you read this, we may have our new Global Model X Double-Bevel BBQ Bread Knife, which is currently in development at the time of publication.

Let's break down what you really need versus what's nice to have:

The Non-Negotiables: Your Two Essential Knives

1. Primary All-Purpose Blade (8-10" Chef's Knife or Gyuto):
   • At least 8 inches long, ideally 8-10 inches
   • Must have a pointed tip
   • Handles 99% of your daily cooking tasks
   • Can break down chicken, fillet fish, trim meat, and prep produce
2. Secondary Prep Knife (5-6"):
   • Pointed tip with some heel height for knuckle clearance
   • Triangular narrow blade profile for detailed work
   • Replaces boning knife, fillet knife, and utility knife for most tasks
   • Your quick-prep and precision blade

The Optionals: Think NEED not WANT

1. Slicer (9-12"):
   • Only necessary if you regularly work with large cuts of meat
   • Not needed if your primary blade is 9-10 inches
   • Skip it if you're not working with large proteins at least weekly
2. Serrated Bread Knife (9-10"):
   • Only necessary if you're baking or buying crusty artisan bread regularly
3. Scalloped Edge BBQ/Bread Knife (9-10"):
   • The best hybrid knife for slicing crusty breads and barky smoked meats. Keeps your essentials knives to a total of three!

Do knife sets make an impressive display on your countertop? Absolutely. Is it nice to have a variety of blade shapes and sizes ready when you need them? Sure. If you have the budget and want a full set, go for it, enjoy your knives, and have fun.

Here at Cutlery and More, we love selling knife sets, and we have no problem with you buying one if that's what you want. All of us on the team have collections of many knives because we're knife nerds and we genuinely love them.

But need and want are different things.

If you're looking for the most practical use of your budget, if you want the best bang for your buck, if you're trying to build a minimal but highly effective knife collection, these are the essential knives you actually need. 

Two knives to rule them all, and maybe a third or fourth, depending on how much you cook and what types of food you're working with most often.

Keep your knives sharp, learn proper technique, and you'll be amazed at how much you can accomplish with just two well-chosen blades. That's the real secret to knife skills: it's not about having every specialty tool; it's about having the right essential knives and knowing how to use them.