Knife Knowledge

I read this article in the paper today about the proper knife for different jobs. Chief Brian Patterson, knife skills instructor at L'Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, Md. recommends five essentials. The 9-or 10-inch chef's knife: This knife chops, dices and juliennes fruits, vegetables and herbs. This is I would think the main knife of the kitchen. The serrated slices: It is used on fruits and vegetables, like pineapples, and delicate vegetables like tomatoes. It is known as the basic knife. The paring knife: This knife peels potatoes, pears, apples, and other fruit and vegetables that you might need to peel. The small filet knife: This knife is used to break down fish and most poultry using a scalpel-like tip. The flexible blade is good to use.
The carving knife: This knife is good to shear meat from cows and turkey. The article mentioned that most home cooks can get by with the first three mentioned. When we shop for a knife it suggested that we get good quality knives. Two things to watch for are good balance in our hand and a tang (the metal blade) that extends fully into the handle. I am not one to have all the knowledge about knives so this information that I read in this article was helpful and I wanted to share it with others.