"The truth is, the only three knives you really need are..."

[HumbleHomeCook]

So the title statement so often ends with something very close to, "...an eight inch chef's knife/gyuto, a bread knife, and a pairing knife."

Okay, yeah, fair enough. Hard to really argue too hard against that trio providing good service across a broad spectrum but it is surely not absolute truth.

So, in the spirit of a bit of fun, but also still having a bent of legitimacy, how would you change that up and feel that the average home user will still get a ton of regular/routine use out of the trio you recommend? For example, I rarely use my bread knife. I mean, maybe a few times a year. Does that really need to be in my trio of knives I really need? Sure, when I do need it, I really need it, but it sees so little use it's difficult for me to imagine it replacing something else that I use all the time.

I think a case could be made for the trio to be:

1. A 240mm+ sujihiki
2. A nakiri
3. A 120mm+ petty

1. In full disclosure, I don't currently own a sujihiki, but I do have a thin western slicer and get the concept of use. People cook lots of roasts, boneless chicken, etc. The sujihiki covers your general slicing, especially for larger cuts. And a good, sharp, thin edge can cut a lot of hard crust!

2. The nakiri fills the predominant general purpose role. The bulk of my prep work is veggies, herbs and fruit. I don't need a gyuto for that. I love the tall blade and push-cutting suits me right down to the ground. No trouble with steaks, chicken breasts, etc. either and the nakiri cops have never come a'knockin' when I use one for such things.

3. In this recommendation, the petty selection becomes pretty important. As much as, if not more than the chef knife/gyuto in the "traditional" recommendation. Because the petty now has to pretty adaptable. Long enough to handle some bigger tasks but still nimble enough for more classic pairing knife work. Maybe in a steel that allows some poultry break down and such.

Whatchya think? What do you think of my recommendations? How would you change up the "Truth Is Trio"? Are there specific models you think would fit your trio? Why?

 

[adam92]

300mm yanagiba
180-195mm deba
Gyuto 240?

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

300mm yanagiba
180-195mm deba
Gyuto 240?

You're a mad man!



In all seriousness, is this what you would personally use or would you recommend this to others? If you would recommend it, why?

 

[coxhaus]

An 8-inch chef's knife does nothing for me. I own one. But I like at least a 9-inch and my preferred is a 10-inch chef's knife. I would rather have an 8-inch slicing knife more than a bread knife. I do use a bread knife as I own a couple of them. Then add a paring knife.

I just can't live with 3 knives. That is why I own around 30 kitchen knives.

 

[M1k3]

For use at home...

1. 240mm Gyuto
2. 240mm Gyuto
3. Mercer or Wusthof chef knife, because sinks, countertops and ceramic plates....

For my use at work....

1. 240mm Gyuto
2. 240mm Gyuto
3. 240mm Gyuto/Deba hybrid chonky beast

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

For use at home...

1. 240mm Gyuto
2. 240mm Gyuto
3. Mercer or Wusthof chef knife, because sinks, countertops and ceramic plates....

For my use at work....

1. 240mm Gyuto
2. 240mm Gyuto
3. 240mm Gyuto/Deba hybrid chonky beast

I get this. I mean, variety is the spice of life!

 

[Nemo]

... gyutos

 

[spaceconvoy]

220mm thin slicing cleaver
220mm medium chopping cleaver
220mm heavy bone cleaver

 

[Hz_zzzzzz]

1. 240 mm gyuto
2. 250 mm gyuto
3. 230 mm gyuto

 

[daveb]

Suji
Gyuto
Another Gyuto

 

[dafox]

240 sujihiki
210 gyuto
150 petty
But then I want a yanagiba, theres no substitute
And a cleaver
And...

 

[GorillaGrunt]

Depends on what you cook … yanagi, deba, usuba (or Nakiri) would do well for someone who eats primarily fish and veg. Importance of a bread knife depends on how much bread you eat. Three Chinese cleavers, or two and a butcher knife, would serve someone who cooks mainly in that style.

for me i could get by with a 240 gyuto or suji (probably leaning narrow on the gyuto and wide on the sujI), a 150-165 petty, and a butcher type knife, honesuki, butakiri, ryo-deba, Mune butcher, etc.

But that would be a lot less fun.

 

[Jovidah]

Like Mike I'm similarly in the camp where I think that in the first 5 knives should be an 'abusable' chef's knife, for all the crap you might not want to use a good knife for (chopping nuts, chocolate, frozen crap).

So... a nice gyuto, something midlength (for butchering stuff mostly), a beater chef knife a bread knife and a paring knife.. that's five technically, but the last 3 can be cheap (like Victorinox stuff).

Stuff like sujihikis and specialist knives are nice to have but it's not like you can't cook without them. I guess if you wanted to you could have a 240 suji stand in for a gyuto. Most of all for me a paring knife really should be a paring knife; trying to core strawberries with a 120 or 150 is just annoying.

 

[adam92]

You're a mad man!



In all seriousness, is this what you would personally use or would you recommend this to others? If you would recommend it, why?

I mainly work in sushi section at work. This is what I personally use it all the time.

 

[Koop]

Suji, gyuto, petty...ummm, I can't do it.

 

[aszma]

240 gyuto for almost everything
180 petty for butchery and small tasks
210 stainless gyuto for taks that abuse your knife

Ive gotten away with just three knives my whole career

 

[Matus]

As a home cook the 3 Knives I use most are ...

(1) 210 (give or take) gyuto (I use most my 195 Raquin followed by 240 Hinoura when I need a longer blade)
(2) 150 petit-gyuto (from BloodrootBlades) as serving knife for cheese / salami. I am yet to get a micro-chip in that 64 hrc 52100 blade.
(3) 150 semi-stainless petty (Yoshikane SLD) for small stuff

On top of that I would miss not having: bread knife, boning knife, paring knife, filet knife and of course a nakiri

 

[daniel_il]

1. 240\270 gyuto - almost everything and replacing suji rule if needed
2. Chinese cleaver - herbs, crushing garlic&ginger...beating knife
3. 150 petty - cleaning, boning, fruits and hand work

 

[demcav]

Gyuto - 270
Gyuto - 210
Chinese chef's knife

 

[Carl Kotte]

Paring knife
Bread knife
Gyuto

 

[Michi]

I think a case could be made for the trio to be:

1. A 240mm+ sujihiki
2. A nakiri
3. A 120mm+ petty

And *** are you going to cut your bread with?

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

And *** are you going to cut your bread with?

I honestly only run into issues with hard crusted, but soft interior breads. More rolls I guess. Most bread-like items I can tackle with a sharp plain edge.

Now, if I was an accomplished baker such as yourself, my priorities would no doubt be different!

 

[Ochazuke]

300mm yanagiba
180-195mm deba
Gyuto 240?

For professional use I would make the same choice.

For home use I would take:
150mm petty
165mm santoku
tawashi - it's not a knife, but it's indispensable to me and I would take it any day over a 3rd knife at home.

 

[Michi]

Now, if I was an accomplished baker such as yourself, my priorities would no doubt be different!

Whoa!!!

Thank you, but please don't put that crown on me. The first time I ever baked anything was on 19 January 2020 (really), which was when I baked my first sourdough bread. Prior to that, I'd baked a "just add water" cake mix from the supermarket maybe once or twice.

I really have little idea of what I'm doing. I look at what other people recommend, make a judgement as to how competent they seem to be, and note when something goes wrong, so I can try it differently next time.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Whoa!!!

Thank you, but please don't put that crown on me. The first time I ever baked anything was on 19 January 2020 (really), which was when I baked my first sourdough bread. Prior to that, I'd baked a "just add water" cake mix from the supermarket maybe once or twice.

I really have little idea of what I'm doing. I look at what other people recommend, make a judgement as to how competent they seem to be, and note when something goes wrong, so I can try it differently next time.

Sorry man, too late. At this point, the "...Making something fancy..." thread regulars are disappointed to learn you didn't spin the plates holding the food you post.

 

[Michi]

Sorry man, too late. At this point, the "...Making something fancy..." thread regulars are disappointed to learn you didn't spin the plates holding the food you post.

I am humbled. Thank you, and I appreciate your reply!

 

[esoo]

I'm going to quote myself from another thread.

I could be happy with my last three buys
View attachment 88587

Small Paring - cheese, salami, packaging
Medium Gyuto (190-225mm) - this is the general day to day knife. I'd likely go to the shorter end of the range due to the fact of having to use smaller boards in a bunch of places.
Heavy Gyuto (~250) - the ocasional heavy use beater.

With this I can get by and do everything I do in my normal home cooking.

 

[Michi]

Small Paring - cheese, salami, packaging
Medium Gyuto (190-225mm) - this is the general day to day knife. I'd likely go to the shorter end of the range due to the fact of having to use smaller boards in a bunch of places.
Heavy Gyuto (~250) - the ocasional heavy use beater.

With this I can get by and do everything I do in my normal home cooking.

And what about the bread?!

 

[esoo]

And what about the bread?!

My knives are sharp enough that I can cut any bread I deal with.

 

[Michi]

My knives are sharp enough that I can cut any bread I deal with.

Touché!

I take it that you don't deal with breads with very hard crusts, or very soft and spongy texture then?

Jokes aside, I do think that one of the three knives should be serrated, preferably with a really long (270+ mm) blade. Such a knife won't just cut bread, it'll also skin pineapple, cut up a watermelon, cleanly split a cake base into layers, double up to serve cake slices in lieu of an offset spatula, slice croissants without squishing them, and take clean slices off a white sandwich loaf.

To me, the three knives are a big one (gyuto) that works for almost everything, a petty, which works for everything that the gyuto is too big for, and a serrated knife that kicks in when neither the gyuto nor the petty will do the job.