Stop Wasting Money On Knife Sets And Follow Anthony Bourdain's Advice Instead

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Knives are arguably the most crucial tools to have at your disposal when cooking at home. However, while some may try to incorrectly convince you that you need a 16-knife set for you to operate your own kitchen, according to the late, great Anthony Bourdain, the real key to victory as a novice cook is to attempt to master the most important knife chefs use daily — the aptly-named chef's knife.

The chef's knife is a pillar of professional cooking, and Bourdain proved as much when he wrote at length about its importance and underrated versatility in "Kitchen Confidential," the chef's New York Times Bestseller published in 2000. In it, Bourdain notes that having too wide a variety of knives to choose from can be actively detrimental to new chefs. "I wish sometimes I could go through the kitchens of amateur cooks everywhere just throwing knives out from their drawers — all those medium-size 'utility' knives, those useless serrated things you see advertised on TV ... not one of the damn things could cut a tomato," Bourdain remarked (via Business Insider). "Please believe me, here's all you will ever need in the knife department: ONE good chef's knife, as large as is comfortable for your hand." Plus, beyond many specialty knives being relatively unnecessary, having too many to choose from can lead to dangerous mistakes if you accidentally use the wrong one at the wrong time.

Now, while Anthony Bourdain did go on to note that other knives, like pairing and boning knives, are also crucial to have as an aspiring chef, he reinforced his belief that a chef's knife was far and away the most important one you can have in your repertoire. The reason for Bourdain's belief came from the fact that a young chef's mastery of the all-important knife results in them having the ability to cut the vast majority of ingredients used in a professional kitchen, thus making them an incredibly useful asset to any given establishment. 

"This should cut just about anything you might work with, from a shallot to a watermelon, an onion to a sirloin strip," Bourdain wrote in "Kitchen Confidential." "You should use the tip of the knife for the small stuff, and the area nearer the heel for the larger. ... "Nothing will set you apart from the herd quicker than the ability to handle a chef's knife properly."

However, even if you aren't looking to become a professional chef in the future, there's no doubt that it's much more economical to simply hold onto one or two reliable chef's knives rather than buying entire sets that include practically useless utensils. For Bourdain in particular, the Global 8-inch Chef's Knife is the best choice for beginners and home cooks, but finding a knife you feel comfortable using is ultimately the most important factor.