Arguably, the first cooking implement created was the knife. Knives were used for hunting and gathering, as well as for food preparation. Skipping forward a few millennia, the knife remains one of the most important tools, if not the most important tool, in the kitchen. As important as the knife is, I am amazed when I visit home kitchens, both in France and America, to find a plethora of poor quality knives. Plus the knives are poorly treated, and their owners often don’t know how to use them properly. And my experience in professional kitchens hasn’t always been much better. Maybe my expectations are too high? After all, most knives aren’t sold with instructions for use. And if they were, who would read them? No one shows us how to use a knife when we are young. Maybe there’s some instruction in a cooking class, but was the instruction correct? (I’ve seen a lot of cooking teachers use knives incorrectly, too!) Maybe it’s all a conspiracy of the “Band-Aid” cartels! One proficiency that is required of French cooking students before they can apprentice in a restaurant is that they have excellent knife skills. Often, they don’t seem to know much else, but I’ve been amazed at their abilities with a knife. On the next few pages is “Knife Basics 101.” I’ll first review some knife anatomy and design. That page is followed by one with a brief discussion of knife materials — which are best and why. Next, there’s my version of how to use knives — the most important part of this article. Finally, there’s some information on caring for, storing, and sharpening knives. This is not meant to be an exhaustive dissertation on knives, but a highly opinionated overview. If you have specific questions, please go to the comments section and send me an email. If you’d like specific information as to how to cut various fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, or fish, check out Knife Skills Illustrated, my “User’s Manual” for knives.