Knife safety is essential to me as someone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen! There are many different types of knives, and each has a specific use optimal for your safety and maintaining the quality of the ingredients you’re cooking.

Plain vs. serrated knives

Plain knives have smooth blades, and serrated knives have bumpy edges. There’s a vast difference between what they’re used to cutting. I think an easy to remember is smooth knives are typically used for raw ingredients like veggies and raw meat, and serrated knives are used for cooked food like cooked meat and bread. You should never use a serrated blade on raw ingredients because it doesn’t create a smooth cut.

Plain knives

Pairing knife: this knife is for detailed work such as deboning a fish or peeling fruits and veggies. Candidly, I think this size is also acceptable for cutting smaller veggies!

6-inch knife: this knife is used for a wide variety of cutting and is the one I recommend most for the average person cooking at home. It’s great for chopping veggies, raw meat, and cheese.

8-inch knife: This knife is used mainly for the same purposes as a 6-inch but is quite large and one that I wouldn’t recommend to someone with limited knife skills. If you want an 8-inch knife, though, I recommend this one!