Tools, What's the Chosen One?

You really don't need a lot of tools. You just need the right one.

Most of my recipes can be prepared even if you just have one knife (and cutting board), and one pot.

You may wonder if that works. Let me tell you, I use my go-to knife (mine is an utility knife) 99% of the time and the 1% time when I have to use another knife is when I am cutting raw meat.

It goes without saying that having multiple sizes of each tool and multiple tools for each purpose is more convenient, especially when you are preparing food for a family or a group of people. I have listed my suggestions as well.

Let me say this first, for different people, the right ones can vary. Tools of your own has to fit you, just like your food.

The most essential and important tool in the kitchen is the knife so let's start from there.

One Knife: Chef's Knife or Utility Knife

My utility knives

You want a knife that feels good and wieldy in your hand. Make sure you are comfortable with its weight and your knuckles won't hit or touch the cutting board when you cut ingredients.

There are many types of knives (My Knife Page). If I could only choose one with me, I'd opt for my utility knife (also called tomato knife or sandwich knife).

Ok, I do have two but they are about the same. The one on the left comes with a sheath which makes the storing and traveling easier. The one on the right, with a white blade is a ceramic knife that I use to cut tomatoes or for other delicate work. I put a graph paper with the inch lines to show you that the blades are about 5 inches long. Their length and weight are perfect for me.

As you can see, the space between the lowest point of the blade and the bottom of handle is not that much. For me, that is not a problem since I have skinny fingers. For people who need more finger space, a chef's knife (also called French knife) would work better. It's a general purpose knife with a blade that usually comes in 6 to 8 inches and would probably be most people's first choice.

My paring knives

I do have a chef's knife but I rarely use it. Also my chef's knife is closer to Japanese style (Western vs Japanese Styles).

Two Knives: Adding Paring Knife

When you consider to have another knife, I would suggest a paring knife.

I have two paring knives and their blades are around 3 1/2 inches as you can see in the picture. The one on the right is a Japanese Santoku paring knife.

More cutlery? 
I suggest to add more knives in the following order.

• Vegetable peeler.
• Chef's knife or utility knife if you don't have one yet.
• Serrated knife
• Boning knife

One Pot: a Four-Qt Stainless Pot
It is a great choice because you can use it to boil, braise, stew, fry or cook pasta for one to three people. You can also use it to pan fry or stir fry.

The second one to add would be a 10-inch non-stick frying pan, preferably with a tight fitting lid. (Sauteuse versus Sautoir)

More pots and pans?
I suggest to add the followings:

• A three-quart pot
• A non-stick 8 inch sauteuse just for cooking eggs
• Stock pot 

Note:

Santoku knife versus Western chef's knife illustrated: