What’s the best knife for ____ ?

I’m often asked which knife is best for cutting various foods—vegetables, brisket, chicken, fish, and so on. The straightforward answer: a chef’s knife is almost always the best tool for any prep work done on the cutting board. Whether you’re cutting chicken, fish, pork chops, or vegetables, use a chef’s knife. Period. Full stop.

Other knives have specific purposes:

• Paring knives are designed for tasks done while holding the food item, like trimming the crown of a strawberry. They lack the sturdiness for cutting on a board, especially harder items.

• Bread knives have serrated edges meant specifically for slicing bread without crushing it.

• Boning knives have narrower blades ideal for trimming meat off bones and are often used on a cutting board.

• Serrated knives are sometimes mistakenly used where a sharp plain edge would serve better. For example, when slicing tomatoes, serrated knives tend to tear the flesh, resulting in ragged edges. The same goes for onions, where torn cells release irritants that cause eyes to tear up. Serrated knives cut by sawing rather than slicing cleanly.

Many rely on serrated knives because they still cut, albeit poorly, even when dull. A better approach is to keep a sharp plain edge knife. With proper care—which is covered elsewhere here—you can maintain a sharp blade for months, making prep work more efficient and even enjoyable.

In summary: For all cutting board prep, the chef’s knife is your versatile, go-to tool. Use other knives for their intended tasks, but trust the chef’s knife to handle the rest with ease.

A.I. image, and I used A.I. to edit the text…