Shopping with a small independent retailer can come with it’s challenges. For example, we may not have the breadth and variety of inventory of a larger company. However, we think that’s a good thing. Yeah, we don’t have it all, but that means we’ve been pretty meticulous and thoughtful about what we do carry. We’ve researched, we’ve vetted, we’ve built relationships and often used the items ourselves. So if you’re not exactly sure what you’re looking for, we can help guide you to the right item.
One of our most popular categories is cutlery. Knives are one of the most used tools in the kitchen, and a good one can make a big difference. We often have customers who know they want to buy a knife, either for themselves or as a gift, but aren’t sure where to begin. So we wanted to put together this guide, so that if you were looking to take advantage of our Annual Knife Month Sale in June, you’d end up with the perfect choice!
So in this post we talk about finding the right type, or style of knife. Once we figure that out, we're ready for part 2, where we’ll talk about the right brand, and model.
The first question is, what’s the objective of the purchase? Some folks don’t like there knives and are looking to begin upgrading what that have. Other people have knives they like, but are looking to add to their collection. This is important in guiding the style of knife you’d like. For example, if it’s the first scenario, we’d guide you towards a chef’s knife. These are designed to be one knife to do everything, and while they can come in various sizes, we find the 6” and the 8” are the most practical. We typically recommend the 8” as there is rarely a job it can’t handle. A 6” Chef’s knife can handle probably 80-90% of the things you’d do in the kitchen, however, larger items like a squash, or potatoes, may prove a little more challenging. The most important thing is what you’re comfortable with! While we’d recommend an 8” Chef’s knife to start, a 6" knife is acceptable if that's something you're more comfortable with!
Do you have a good chef’s knife and are looking to add to your assortment? Great! Then we’d want to know what you have! In terms of style of knife, the next thing we’d recommend would be things vastly different than the chef’s knife. First, we’d recommend something much smaller, like a paring knife (for those moments when an 8” knife feels a little over the top!). After that we’d recommend a bread knife (like our favorite Wusthof Double-Serrated Bread knife!). If you have these knives already, that’s where we can really start to help guide you. What we’d want to know now, is what type of cooking/eating you do most, so we can start recommending the knives you’d get the most use out of. For example, do eat/chop a lot of veggies? We might recommend a Nakiri. Are you more of a carnivore? We may recommend a carving, or a boning knife. If you still aren’t sure, stop by, or reach out to us with your questions, we’d love to help you. It’s what we do best!
Are you shopping for a knife as a gift? That’s very nice of you. The line of questioning would be similar. Are you getting them a good knife cause all their knives are terrible? Great, lets talk chef’s knives! Do they have knives they like and you’re looking to add to them? Let’s try and figure out what they have and what they like about them, and then fill in the gaps from there!
Once we know what type of knife we should be looking for, we can start getting into brands, and even different lines within each brand!
And don't forget, at Kiss the Cook June as KNIFE MONTH where all cutlery is 20% OFF (use promo code Sharp20 at checkout) and you can save up to 50% with some of our Featured Deals! (these deals are already discounted on the site!)
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