Do You Need More Than One Japanese Knife?
Sep 27, 2026
No. You do not need several Japanese knives to start cooking well. One good santoku or gyuto can cover most vegetables, herbs, fruit, boneless meat and fish.
Start with the knife you will use most
Your first knife should solve your everyday board work. For many cooks that means a santoku or gyuto rather than a large matching set.
When does a second knife become useful?
Add another knife when you repeatedly encounter a task that the first knife handles awkwardly. Common examples are peeling in the hand, crusty bread, long slicing or specialist fish preparation.
A petty is a useful second knife
A petty adds precision for garlic, shallots, citrus, trimming, garnishes and small ingredients. It complements a larger knife rather than duplicating it.
A bread knife solves a different job
Serrations are useful on hard crusts and delicate interiors. This is one of the clearest cases where different edge geometry provides a practical advantage.
What about a full knife set?
A large set can include shapes you rarely use. Building slowly around your actual cooking usually produces a smaller and more useful collection.
Simple progression
Begin with one all-purpose knife. Add a petty if you do frequent detail work, a bread knife if you cut crusty loaves, and specialist knives only when the task becomes regular.
Read Japanese Kitchen Knives: A Practical Guide and Can One Japanese Knife Do Everything?.
