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    Learn More About Knives

    There are many types of kitchen knives for slicing, dicing, chopping, and spreading. Whether you're looking for a classic vintage knife, a handmade custom knife to gift to a special cook in your life, or knife set for a starter kitchen, Etsy shops sell knives in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and functions. Here are some of the most commonly used knives to add to your kitchen.


    • Chef’s knives: Also known as the cook's knife, this is a go-to kitchen cutter for food prep. This type is marked by its long, broad blade, usually ending in a point. The chef's knife was originally designed to cut through bone joints in meat, but has been adapted over the years to perform a variety of functions, from chopping onions to slicing up chicken breasts for sizzling fajitas.
    • Steak knives: These are quintessential pieces of dining cutlery, used to cut meat into bite-sized morsels. They usually run 7 to 9 inches long, often with serrated, zig-zag edged blades to easily cut through perfectly cooked steaks, pork chops, and roasts.
    • Bread knives: As the name suggests, you use this knife for slicing bread. Usually around 9 to 12 inches long, they’re often the biggest knife in the drawer. Bread knives have serrated blades for evenly cutting through everything from dense multigrain loaves to crusty sourdough and fluffy French bread.
    • Paring knives: Probably the most versatile knife in the block, the classic paring knife is used for everything from peeling the rinds off of fruit to precision slicing. The blade is typically 3 to 4 inches long, with a single smooth edge and ending in a sharp point. There are a few variations of the knife. For instance, the bird’s beak paring knife has a slight sickle-like curve and ends in a very sharp point—a great option for coring fruit and delicate trimming. The sheep’s foot is a bit broader and more rounded toward the tip—a terrific choice for chopping small vegetables.
    • Butter knives: This utensil is the spreader supreme, with a flat, broad blade and a rounded tip, ideal for smoothing pats of buttery goodness and slathering sweet jams and jellies.
    • Cheese knives: There are a wide variety of small knives for serving charcuterie boards, including chisel knives for semi-hard cheeses, triangular parmesan knives, and pronged knives with a forked end to help guests transfer cheese slices to their places.
    • Meat cleavers: With a narrow ax-like blade around 4 to 8 inches long, a cleaver is well-suited for chopping meat or hard veggies.

    When it’s time to tuck your knives away, it's important to store them properly so the blades stay sharp and free of dings and dents. These popular knife storage solutions help ensure your kitchen cutters remain in top-top shape.


    • Knife drawer: If you have drawer space dedicated to your knives, be sure to lay them flat and keep the blades from touching each other with wooden or plastic dividers.
    • Knife block: A knife block sits on your countertop and is a solid stand, often made of wood, with different sized slots designed to fit your various knives, blades-first.
    • Magnetic knife board: Keep your sharp utensils put away, but still easily accessible with a magnetic knife board. Typically a wall-mounted slab with a flat magnetic plate on the front, this storage method is great for compact kitchens. By keeping the blades visible, a magnetic board easily helps you reach for the right knife for the job.