Does this story sound familiar? When I go to big box stores or department stores and see the kitchen aisles, I always see loads of kitchen knives. Some of those are $10-20 and some of them are $200+. How do I know which ones to get? Aren’t they all the same? What is considered a good value?

These questions are very common and the answers depend on you. I’ll go over the differences and what you need in your kitchen.

The first thing I’ll tell you is that the average person doesn’t need a knife set. You know the blocks with 12-20 knives on them? Let’s cover the purposes served by the types of knives. The Chef Knife is a good general slicer, chopper, all-purpose knife. The Paring Knife is great for small tasks. If you find yourself carving turkeys, hams, roasts, briskets often, you can look into getting a Slicer Knife and a Carving Fork to go with it. If you like to buy whole chickens, and carve them into parts, looks at a Boning Knife. If you’re making homemade breads, get a Bread Knife — aside from steak knives, THIS should be the only serrated blade in your set. While each knife does serve a purpose, you can get away with only investing in a Chef Knife (8-12″) and a Paring Knife. You can do almost anything with these two. I have a block full of knives and I’ve found that I prefer the chef + paring combination so much that I have 3 Chef Knives and 4 Paring Knives along with the other neglected knives in the block.

Are more expensive knives better? Typically yes, but for the average Joe/Jane you can get away with spending $20 on a knife. I’m supposed to tell you to get a full tang knife made of high carbon steel. A full tang knife is definitely preferred, but if you’re absolutely on a budget and you just need a good quality knife that will sharpen and do a job well, check out a commercial grade knife like those from Dexter — they range between $15-35 per knife.

There will be a lot of options in the mid-range knives. Chances are if you’ve heard of the brand, it is probably good enough quality to invest in. When you start shopping in the $40-100 range and above, make sure the knives have a full tang (see picture above) and are made of high carbon steel. This particular steel is harder and holds its edge longer between sharpening. I have some Cuisinart knives in this middle range.

High end knives should be an investment. You’ll spend hundreds of dollars are a good set and you want to make sure the knife feels good in your hand. It should be like an extension of your arm. Take pride in this investment. Other foodies will notice and know you mean business. Some brands you’ll probably recognize in this category are: Henckels, Wüstof, Messermeister, Shun

The bottom line is that you can get a decent knife with any budget. I got a fairly cheap set from our wedding gifts via gift cards and the set is still going strong 10 years later. The longevity of the knife will increase as your budget increases.

Some Do’s and Don’ts:

• Do NOT smash your knife into your cutting board
• Do NOT stab your knife into your cutting board
• Do NOT try to catch your knife as it falls — just get your feet clear
• Do find a knife that feels comfortable in your hand
• Do keep your knives sharp — a dull knife will slip and still be sharp enough to open up your hand