The Starter Set

Kevin the Big Red (chef's) · Wayne the Wallaby (utility) · Chris the Croc (serrated) Ask any cook which three knives they'd keep if they had to give the rest away and you'll get the same answer, near enough every time. A big one. A small one. A toothy one. That's this set. It isn't a compromise or a cut-down version of something better — it's the actual working core of a kitchen, and it's the set that will do somewhere north of ninety percent of everything you'll ever do at a BBQ. Everything beyond it is a specialist, and specialists are worth owning once you know what you need them for. What's in it Kevin the Big Red — the chef's knife. The workhorse. Reach, weight and belly enough to break down whole cuts, rock through a board of onions, and portion a rested shoulder. Already out when the coals go on. Wayne the Wallaby — the utility knife. The one you'll actually reach for. Halving snags, slicing lemon, trimming a fat cap, cutting cheese for the board. Too big a job for a paring knife, too small to bother the chef's. Chris the Croc — the serrated. The only knife here that can bite before it cuts. Crusty loaves, rolls for the sliders, ripe tomatoes, and anything else a straight edge slides straight off. Why these three Because they don't overlap. Each one does something the other two physically cannot, which is the only sensible reason to own more than one knife. Big, in-between, and toothy — the three problems every BBQ throws at you. Start here. Add the specialists when you meet the job that needs them. The Specifications [To come]