The Knife That Over 40% Of People Use The Most When Cooking At Home
Whether you're a professional chef or cooking novice, chances are you've spent some time contemplating the best kitchen knives for your culinary needs. After all, there are countless things to take into consideration when buying knives, ranging from size and shape, to material and price, to the aesthetic when perched atop your countertop.
So, which variety of kitchen knife is the most dependable investment for those stocking their first home kitchen or investing in a high-quality kitchen tool? To get to the bottom of this conundrum, we polled a group of home cooks, asking: Which specialty knife do you use the most when cooking at home? Respondents were asked to select between six of the most common knives found in kitchens around the world.
Falling to the bottom of the pack, receiving just 9.86% of the total votes, was the Boning knife, a thin, often flexible knife used to remove bones and skin from fish, poultry, and other meats (via Escoffier).
Narrowly beating out the Boning knife was the Serrated Utility knife — a short knife with a serrated blade, ideal for slicing through bagels, baguettes, cured meats, fruits, and vegetables — which received 12.93% of votes (via OXO). Another commonly serrated knife well-known to red meat lovers, the Steak knife, landed in the middle of the pack with 14.29% of the total vote.
This versatile kitchen tool took the top spot in the knife rankings
Coming in second place, with 22.11% of the vote, was the Paring knife. This small but mighty kitchen tool, which is typically under 3 inches in length, allows cooks to cut and peel fruits, veggies, and other ingredients with a high level of precision due to its compact size (via Escoffier).
Taking the top stop, asserting its knife block dominance, was a knife found in just about every household: the Chef's knife. This versatile, multi-purpose knife, which typically measures between 8–10 inches, is used to perform a wide variety of food prep tasks. Investing in a high-quality Chef's knife is the easiest way to immediately up your culinary game.
Unsurprisingly, a whopping 40.82% of respondents selected the Chef's knife as the knife used most often when cooking at home, solidifying this powerful tool's reputation as king of the kitchen. To learn more about picking out the best knife for your culinary needs, check out our guide to choosing the best kitchen knife.