For the great cook, the knife comes first, whether dicing an onion, chopping herbs - or expertly filleting a fish. The simple act of cutting bread needs exactly the right knife, as does chopping a tomato or a pear. The difficult choice is which type of knife to buy - and which maker to choose? Veark are the Danish knife specialists whose Copenhagen studios are dedicated to the principles of the Bauhaus and the form-follows-function traditions of Scandinavian design. Each forged Veark knife is individually crafted in the German knife-making town of Solingen, to last your lifetime and more. Here are five must-have kitchen knives - and one secret essential - from Veark. You'll wonder how your kitchen existed without them.
Must-have kitchen knives
Chef's knife
A chef's knife is the workhorse of the kitchen. In the hands of Veark that workhorse is a honed thoroughbred, ready to slice and dice everything from fruit and vegetables to all types of meat. Veark's design comes from observing how professional chefs hold their knives. Your thumb will slide onto the blade, finding the balance point naturally, allowing for firm and stable grip. Every chef's knife should become almost a part of the chef. Veark's CK20 Forged Chef's Knife is a 7.9" drop forged precision instrument that you'll instantly be at home with. Like all forged Veark knives, it's suitable for left as well as right-handers. The essential essential.
Paring knife
The chef knife's smaller - and just as essential - sibling. As soon as it’s ready and waiting in your kitchen, you'll find yourself reaching for your paring knife for the smaller, more intricate tasks such as hulling strawberries, peeling vegetables or coring tomatoes. The right paring knife transforms these tricky tasks into an everyday pleasure, precisely because it's exactly the correct tool for the job. Veark's PRK10 Forged Paring Knife is drop forged from a single piece of steel by the expert knife-makers of Solingen. A small functional work of art that no cook can do without.
Bread knife
Ah, the humble bread knife. How many guiltless loaves have been brutalised by the wrong sort of bread knife? What's needed is exactly the same balance and commitment to craft that all other kitchen knives require. That's where Veark come in, with their frankly beautiful BK22 Bread Knife. Here, the stainless steel blade is laser cut and equipped with 6mm teeth for the perfect cut. Handle is natural beechwood, designed to acquire the patina of your hands and your kitchen over time, making this a bespoke instrument for everyday use.
Serrated knife
Veark call the serrated knife the "ultimate small all-rounder" and we're more than inclined to agree. Whether you need the perfect sliced pears or just-so sliced tomatoes, indeed just about anything that's harder on the outside than within, then the serrated knife is what you'll be reaching for. A potentially messy task is made elegant and easy with Veark's take, the SRK10 Forged Serrated Knife, which has a 3.9" blade and is drop-forged from a single piece of steel, like all knives in the Veark forged collection. How did you manage without it?
Santoku knife
The Japanese version of the chef's knife and - we'd suggest - if you have thoughts of serious cooking, you really do need both. Santoku translates from the Japanese as "three uses" or "three virtues", traditionally thought to be cutting, crushing and scooping. The Santoku knife really is that versatile. Key difference to the chef's knife is the distinctive deeper shape of the blade, as you'll see with Veark's SK15 Forged Santoku Knife, with a 5.9" blade, formed from a single piece of steel in the long-established workshops of knife makers in Solingen, Germany.
Knife sharpener
Here's our secret essential. No knife is - frankly - of any longterm use without regular and meticulous sharpening. It's a way to learn about your knife, to honour it and above all to keep it in the shape its expert makers intended it to be, ready for the next demanding task. That's where Veark's Diamond Steel Sharpening Rod comes in. Crafted in Germany, the sharpening rod is made of oval steel, and covered with invisible-to-the-eye microcrystalline diamonds. Every chef's secret weapon.
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