Whether you are a chef extraordinaire or a kitchen novice, your kitchen needs knives. When you are first getting a place of your own, and a new kitchen to stock, knives are one of those things that tend to fall on the need side of the needs and wants list.

If you don't spend much time in the kitchen, you may have some questions when it comes to your knives. How many do I need? Which ones do I need? How do I clean them? Do I need to sharpen them? How do I store them? I'm sure that list could go on and on. Just to get started though, we'll focus on a few important ones.

How many knives do you need, and which ones?

If you're not a whiz in the kitchen, there are only three knives that you'll need to get by.

1. Chef's Knife- this is a big sturdy knife that you can use on meats, fruits, and veggies. It has a smooth edge and should have about an 8" blade.

2. Paring Knife - this is a smaller version of your chef's knife and is perfect for smaller tasks and items that your chef's knife is too large for.

3. Bread Knife- The long serrated one. Ideal for cutting, you guessed it, bread, the serrated tip is also perfect for tomatoes! 

All three of these knives can be found in our knife set, check it out here. 

How should you clean your knives?

This may depend on the quality of your knives and how long you want them to last, but we recommend hand washing your knives to extend their lives. Unfortunately as convenient as the dishwasher is the cycle can dull and damage your knives. Bummer. 

Do you need to sharpen your knives?

Chances are after a bit of use your knives are going to start to dull. If you'd like to keep them around for a while, you'll want to sharpen them! Sharp knives are easier to work with and produce cleaner cuts. Try to sharpen them a couple of times a year for average use, and more often with frequent use.

How should you store your knives?

Avoid storing your knives in drawers! This method may be tempting, as it's all too easy just to toss your knives in a drawer with other utensils; however, all the banging around can chip and dull the blades. Not to mention you can cut your hand digging through that drawer. Save yourself the hassle and safely store your knives in a knife block. Knife blocks can be kept on counters or in cabinets or closets if you are short on counter space. Note that some traditional knife blocks can dull your blades prematurely; check out our full line of slotless knife blocks here.