People often tend to ask for a knife from friends or relatives. Although it is not something wrong, an aspiring professional chef must have his own culinary tools for his kitchen. Choosing your first knife as a chef can be a daunting task. There are many brands and knives to choose from that vary depending on the purpose and design. But as a beginner chef, you must have at least 1 set of the standard knives to make the prep done quickly.
But before revealing the list, let’s discuss the things that a beginner chef must have.
~BEGINNER CHEF MUST-HAVEs~
It would help if you had certain things in your kitchen as a beginner chef. These tools will help you achieve the best possible results when it comes to cooking!
👨🍳 Flexible cutting board
A flexible cutting board is the best kind of cutting board because it’s easy to clean and store. They’re also adjustable, so you can create any size surface you need. If you’re using a knife, you’ll be able to cut directly on the flexible surface without damaging your countertops.
If you’re a beginner chef and have never used a flexible cutting board before, we recommend trying one out! You won’t regret it!
👨🍳 Herb scissor
An herb scissor is a must-have for any beginner chef. It’s very useful for cutting herbs and is extremely easy to use and clean. Plus, you can find them anywhere!
An herb scissor is one of those items that you should definitely have in your kitchen when cooking. Herb scissors are great because they make the process of chopping up herbs much easier while still being safe and sanitary (no dirty hands). This makes cooking with fresh herbs even easier than before. Especially if all you need is just a little bit of something green to add flavor and color to your dish!
👨🍳 Kitchen scale
A kitchen scale is one of the most important tools to have in your cook’s arsenal. And they are available in all shapes, dimensions, and styles. A good kitchen scale will be easy to clean after use and can measure both metric and imperial units.
What should you look for? Well, firstly, how much money do you have to spend on this thing? We recommend getting one that won’t break the bank but also does what it needs to do: weigh stuff. Look for a small platform with 0.01g accuracy at least. This is because anything more than that is just overkill! The best part about using a new kitchen scale is learning how different ingredients react differently depending on their weight (like flour). This means there are so many recipes out there waiting for you to explore them!
👨🍳 Quality cookware set
A quality cookware set can make cooking easier and more fun. It’s worth the asset because it will last you a long time and make your life more comfortable when you want to whip up a quick meal or even entertain guests.
You don’t need to break the bank on this purchase. But we recommend buying something sturdy and durable that will hold up over time. If you purchase cheap cookware and don’t take care of it properly, it will easily get scratched and dented. Which could affect how well food cooks in these pans.
👨🍳 A top-of-the-line knife
You’ll want to be careful with this because it can be dangerous. But if you’re an experienced chef or even a beginner chef who’s been cooking for a while, a top-of-the-line knife is going to be one of the best investments you make in your kitchen. A nice set of knives is expensive (they’re like $15 each), but they’ll last forever and will make chopping and cutting so much easier.
Keep reading the next section to give you a snippet of the best knives.
~BEST KNIVES FOR BEGINNER CHEF~
There are a lot of aspects to know about cooking. But one of the most important is how to choose the right knife. It might appear like you don’t need to stress about it until you’re a skilled chef. However, if you’re just learning how to cook and want your first kitchen knives, it’s worth investing in some great ones right from the start. Here are the top picks for beginner chefs:
🧑🍳 Boning knife
A boning knife is a kitchen knife that helps you to trim, cut, and remove the bones from meat. The blade of a boning knife is designed to be flexible so it can easily follow the contours of your cuts without breaking or bending. These knives also have a thinner blade than other types of chef’s knives. This makes them ideal for slicing fish or poultry into smaller pieces and deboning meat.
Boning knives are also known as fillet knives because they’re used to fillet or clean out fish (specifically those with soft flesh). They often feature pointed tips rather than rounded ones like most other chef’s knives do so that you don’t tear through any small bones in your fish while working on it!
🧑🍳 Chef’s knife
The chef’s knife is the most utilized knife in a kitchen. It’s a multipurpose knife that can chop, slice, and dice. You can use it to cut meat, fish, and vegetables. You also use it to cut herbs and lettuce if you’re making an herb salad or if you’re preparing a salad with lettuce as one of its ingredients.
Chef’s knives are usually 8″ to 12″ long with blades around 2 inches wide at their widest point (where your fingers would hold it). They may have several different types of blades: smooth edge blades or serrated edges (or both), convexed blades or flat ones, long handles, or short ones. But all will perform equally well when they’re adequately sharpened. You can do this by using only water stones instead of steel rods. Which will dull your edge more quickly than regular maintenance with just water stones which is all that needs to be done every other day after cooking time passes. Hence, as not waste any time sharpening them before using them again tomorrow morning.
(Click here to know the best Chinese chef’s knives!)
🧑🍳 Paring knife
Paring knives are smaller than chef’s knives. They usually range from 3 to 6 inches, but some come close to 8 inches. They are used for cutting and slicing smaller food items like fruits, vegetables, herbs, and cheese.
Paring knives can be used for peeling and coring, trimming vegetables and fruit before slicing them into pieces, or chopping them up further into cubes or julienne-style cuttings. Paring knives also work well on small jobs like slicing thin slices of lemon or lime to add to your water or tea!
🧑🍳 Vegetable cleaver
A vegetable cleaver or Asian chef’s knife is a large straight-edged knife with a heavy blade that can be used for chopping through bones and thick skin.
These knives have been in use for centuries, especially in China and Japan, where they were traditionally hand forged using high-quality steel. The figure of the blade lets you to chop food with ease because it has a long stroke distance between your hands, unlike other kitchen knives, which require more effort when chopping through thick items like beef ribs or chicken bones. You can also use these knives to cut vegetables into small pieces or slice them thinly as well as mince garlic cloves with ease!
Since they’re so versatile, they’re often referred to as general-purpose kitchen knives because they perform all tasks well without being specific (like paring knife) or having any special features (like Santoku). They are perfect for beginner chefs who don’t know what kind of workload their cooking habits will throw at them but still want something durable enough for everyday use over time rather than buying something cheap from stores like Walmart, which won’t last very long at all!
🧑🍳 Utility knife
A utility knife is a suitable tool for most of your daily kitchen tasks. It’s a good all-around knife, meaning it can handle some slicing and dicing while also doing a solid job at chopping up ingredients. Used in conjunction with a paring knife, this is an essential set of blades for any home cook to have on hand.
The utility knife is similar to what you might find in a commercial kitchen. In fact, it’s often referred to as a “chef’s knife,” which explains why so many people end up with one of these utensils when they first start cooking at home or go out on their own to open their own restaurant or catering business!
~IMPORTANCE OF CHOOSING THE BEST KNIFE~
The knife is one of the most significant tools in any kitchen. From peeling and cutting fruits and veggies to mincing herbs, slicing meat, and everything else in between. The knife is used for nearly everything! However, there are distinct types of knives out there in the market that can help you get through these tasks more efficiently than others. If you’re not certain how to choose the best knife for your cooking needs, then keep reading!
👨🍳 Importance of knife
The knife is the most useful tool in the kitchen. It’s used to cut, slice, chop, dice, mince, and prep just about every ingredient and food available.
Think about it: How would you enjoy a meal without being able to cut up your meat? Or prepare some vegetables for your salad? The answer is simple. You wouldn’t be able to enjoy those meals properly if you did not have a good cutting board or knife set at your disposal.
The best knives are built with high-quality steel that holds its edge for several uses before needing sharpening again. They also feature handles that don’t slip out of your hand when wet with water or cooking oil. And they lock into place so they won’t slide around while being used!
👨🍳 Never pick the first knife that you see
Having the right knife is important. You have to be able to use it with ease and comfort. Otherwise, you will not get the best results. If a knife is too heavy or poorly balanced, you might have trouble using it properly. There are many extra types of knives available these days, so knowing what kind would work best for your needs can be challenging at first.
The size of a person’s hand is going to determine which size knife works best for them in most cases. However, there are other aspects that need to be assessed when choosing one as well. For example: if someone has small hands, then they may want something smaller than if they were larger. Also, how often do they plan on using it? What type of material will most often come into contact with while cutting? These questions should all be answered prior to making any final decisions about which item should go home with you today!
👨🍳 Understanding the steel
The blade should be easy to sharpen when dulled. This means understanding the steel used in the blade and what is required for sharpening it.
For example, a carbon steel knife has a high content of carbon which makes it very hard and strong but also brittle. So, you will find that these knives require special care during use and storage to prevent damage. It would help if you stored them away from moisture, heat, or other factors that may cause rusting or corrosion.
High-carbon stainless steel blades are harder than regular stainless steel, but they’re not as tough as higher grades of carbon steel. However, they hold an edge longer and can still be sharpened with a regular sharpening tool like those made specifically for kitchen knives.
👨🍳 High-quality chef’s knives
While there are many knives to choose from, you will find that a high-quality chef’s knife is all that you need for preparing most meals.
It is important to know that not all knives are created equal. When choosing your first knife, make sure it is comfortable in your hand and sharp enough for the task at hand. You should also make sure it has been properly balanced before purchasing one because if the balance isn’t right, chances are good you will struggle with it every time you use it.
👨🍳 Prep time
It would help if you also calculated how much time you spend prepping and cooking when deciding on a knife. If you’re someone who is constantly chopping, dicing, and slicing in the kitchen, then it’s probably best to invest in a high-quality chef’s knife that will last longer than one with less quality steel.
If you’re only going to use your knives once or twice a week for small jobs here and there, then it may be worth going for something cheaper as they won’t get as much wear-and-tear as the more expensive options would.
👨🍳 Cost of knife
The cost of a good-quality knife can vary quite a bit. Although a higher price doesn’t always mean you will have a better product, sometimes it does indicate that better care has been taken into crafting this specific tool. For example, if you are looking to purchase a $10 steak knife, you may be getting something that has been cheaply made and won’t last very long in your kitchen.
👨🍳 Sharpness
The sharpness and cleanliness of your knife are important in keeping it in good condition. Maintaining the sharpness of your knife will make cutting easier, safer, and more efficient. You can do this by using a honing or sharpening steel or stone to sharpen the blade between uses. To keep the blade clean, you should use steel after each use to remove any bits of food that may still be lingering on its surface before storing it away for later use.
~TIPS TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL CHEF~
Becoming a professional chef takes time. It takes years of training, years of experience, and years of practice. It takes commitment, dedication, sacrifice, and hard work. However, it is also a very rewarding career path that will bring you many rewards and enjoyments for the rest of your life. The route to becoming a skilled chef is long and burdensome, but it’s possible. Here are some tips that can help you on your journey:
🧑🍳 Training
Training is critical. There are a lot of methods to acquire training, but you need to be careful about where you do it. It’s not enough just to work in a good kitchen. You also have to learn from the chefs there.
The best way is through an apprenticeship or internship program, which will teach you what it means to be a chef and show you how all the tools and techniques are used. It’s hard work, but if you stick with your goal long enough (and put up with all the yelling), eventually, they’ll trust you enough to let them teach you more than just chopping onions and boiling pasta. This kind of training doesn’t happen overnight. Usually, it takes at least two years. And some apprenticeships run as long as five years!
🧑🍳 One step at a time
One of the best things about cooking is that it’s something you can do anywhere, whether you’re an experienced chef or just somebody who likes to putter around in the kitchen. You don’t need expensive equipment or fancy tools. All you need are your skillful hands and some ingredients!
In order to become a better cook, however, it helps to have a few basic skills under your belt. And taking it slowly and one step at a time is usually key when learning something new. Don’t rush things. Go slow and steady so that everything comes together nicely without feeling overwhelmed by all the information coming in at once (or even worse: giving up before getting started).
One thing that often trips people up when they’re first learning how to cook is trying too hard. They forget about their own limitations and end up feeling like failures because nothing turns out well enough for them (or worse yet: they compare themselves with other people who seem naturally gifted). But cooking isn’t about perfectionism; it’s about having fun! And if something doesn’t turn out right the first time around? Try again until it does work out perfectly every time afterward (which might take some patience).
🧑🍳 Build confidence
The most important step you can do to improve your cooking skills is practice. You need to be patient and humble but confident in your abilities.
Practice makes perfect! If you don’t have enough timeframe or resources to work at a restaurant, try making simple meals at home and getting feedback from friends, family members, or colleagues.
Make sure that before you start cooking anything new, you read through all of the recipes carefully and obey them precisely as written and with no substitutions! Once you are comfortable with these steps in each recipe (and this will take some time), then it’s time to start trying out variations on those basic methods by making small changes here and there. For example: if a recipe calls for butter as an ingredient, but vegetable oil would be less expensive while still being equally tasty, use vegetable oil instead!
🧑🍳 Maintain a good work ethic
Maintaining a good work ethic is one of the most important things you can do as a chef. You’ll need to work and perform hard with lots of dedication, both to your craft and to ensure that everyone else on the group has what they need to do their jobs well.
It’s also important that you have a passion for food and cooking so that you’re always ready to learn something new or try out a new technique or ingredient. It’s easy to forget this when you’re trying something new. You may be so focused on getting it right that it takes longer than expected, but if there’s no joy in what you’re doing, then neither will your customers! And if people aren’t having fun eating at your restaurants, then they won’t come back again!
Being passionate about food doesn’t mean just having fun while eating; it means being excited about creating dishes that appeal not only through sight but also through taste buds (and maybe even smell). If someone orders an ice cream sundae topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce, what happens next? How does it make them feel? Do they want more ice cream, or would fruit be better? What kind of fruit would go best with chocolate sauce?
🧑🍳 Embrace diversity and competition
To become a professional chef, you must be willing to embrace diversity and competition. You will learn more from other chefs than you ever could by yourself. Whether it’s learning new techniques or simply observing the way others run their kitchens, when surrounded by talented people who have different styles from yours, the best thing you can do is pay attention and soak up their knowledge like a sponge.
Once you’ve worked for some time as an apprentice in various restaurants, consider going abroad to study cooking at one of Europe’s famed culinary schools (culinary means relating to food). Many of these schools offer scholarships that cover tuition fees and living expenses with no strings attached.
Meaning, that if they want someone who has no money whatsoever but has shown great potential as a cook through previous work experience at another restaurant or culinary school in France (or any other country), then they’ll give him or her full funding without demanding anything back after graduation! This makes studying abroad an excellent option for anyone looking to get ahead financially while working toward his or her dream of being a master chef someday.
~BOTTOM LINE~
No matter what type of cooking you’re doing, it’s important to choose the best knife and other utensils that are just right to help you get the job done. These knives will make your cooking tasks easier and more efficient. With a simple, quick search, you can see market analysis of the different types of knives and what’s important to consider when choosing your own. And as a beginner chef, it’s important that you purchase the best knife for cooking when you get started.