A unique cross between a Japanese vegetable knife and a Chinese cleaver, the Kitchin-to™ will replace your chef’s knife. The knife's overall design borrows elements from our two favorite knives: the Japanese vegetable knife (nakiri) and the Chinese cleaver (cai dao). The 7-inch-long blade is nearly as tall as a cleaver—almost 2.5 inches at the butt—and 1.5 millimeters thick, much thinner than most Western-style knives and sharpened to an acute 15-17 degrees per side. The Kitchin-to™ can mince, chop, slice and push-cut, and it's broad enough to use as a bench scraper for transferring chopped foods from the cutting board. And similar to a Japanese santoku, the gently arced blade design can be used for both Western- and Japanese-style cutting methods. Its blunt tip keeps fingers safe, and the butt of the bolsterless blade is curved inward to make it easy to grip for fine control. A filework pattern machined into the blade near the handle acts as a grippy, tactile point for the thumb and index finger to grasp securely.

The knife’s ergonomic handle is made from micarta, a nearly indestructible composite created from layers of linen tightly compacted in phenolic resin. The material feels smooth and secure in the hand and becomes subtly grippier when wet. The handle is flattened on top to securely fill the palm, then tapers downward toward the butt of the knife to accommodate a secure grip.

Most pepper mills (this model also grinds spices) take forever to grind just one tablespoon. This new design—which we developed with Kuhn Rikon—is easy to use and produces all the spice you can use quickly and easily. Its innovative back-and-forth ratchet action is easier than a twist-style mill, especially for those with hand issues. The precision ceramic grinder is effective and durable, and the front-loading hopper is far easier than top-loading grinders, where half the spices inevitably spill during filling. Perhaps our favorite feature is the removable bottom container, which makes it easy to measure and transport spices to a stovetop pot or mixing bowl.

Our Serrated Pocket Peeler will easily help you remove smooth or fuzzy skins from tomatoes, peaches and more that would usually require blanching to loosen the skins. We think it’s a necessary tool for making fresh tomato sauces in which the thick skins would otherwise mar a silky texture or a peach cobbler where all we want are chunks of perfectly tender peach.

Slotted spoons are valuable for straining small items and all sorts of stirring—in fact, we use slotted spoons more often than solid spoons for our cooking. Our smartly designed version is sturdy stainless steel and will easily last a lifetime. The 14-inch long, stay-cool handle is suitable for the deepest pot.

This utility-size companion to our Kitchin-to, the Kitchin-tan strikes the perfect balance between a paring and chef’s knife, it will be your new go-to. The easy-to-maneuver 5.5-inch blade is 1.5 millimeters thick, much thinner than most Western-style knives and sharpened to an acute 15-17 degrees per side. Made from German 1.4116 Steel, it'll hold an edge for ages without any maintenance, plus its blunt tip keeps fingers safe, and the butt of the bolsterless blade is curved inward to make it easy to grip for fine control. A filework pattern machined into the blade near the handle acts as a grippy, tactile point for the thumb and index finger to grasp securely.

The knife’s ergonomic handle is made from black polymer. The handle is flattened on top to securely fill the palm, then tapers downward toward the butt of the knife to accommodate a secure grip.

Meet the Serrated Kitchin-tan, an all-purpose knife that takes the proven shape and functionality of the Kitchin-tan and adds a maintenance-free serrated edge. We thoughtfully designed our 5.5-inch long, 1.4116 German steel Kitchin-tan knife to fill the gap between a chef’s knife and paring knife. It’s long enough for big tasks, and the grippy teeth slice though anything: fibrous asparagus stalks, thick-skinned squash, rubbery citrus peels or a gooey wedge of Brie. And those razor-sharp teeth also work for detail work, like slicing chicken breasts, butterflying shrimp or chopping soft fruit. It’ll cut through a bagel or crusty baguette with ease, without crushing the delicate inner crumb, and the knife’s rounded tip makes spreading butter or cream cheese on top an easy feat. The midsized, ergonomic polymer handle is designed to comfortably adapt to a variety of cutting styles; it tapers toward the blade for a secure grip. The German 1.4116 steel blade is cut with fine, razor-sharp serrations that hold an edge for ages without any maintenance.

These are the only two knives you’ll need in your kitchen. The utility-sized Serrated Kitchin-tan strikes the perfect balance between a paring knife and a chef’s knife. We were inspired by Japanese petty knives, which are commonly used as the go-to knife for smaller tasks around the kitchen, but we added many signature design touches as well, including a file pattern on the blade for a better grip and a safe rounded-tip knife blade of German 1.4116 Steel. Using this knife feels like cutting through butter—it makes cooking fun! It even makes a great sandwich knife.

And the Kitchin-to combines the thin blade of a Japanese vegetable knife and the satisfying heft of a Chinese cleaver. The goal was to design a knife that feels good in the hand, gives you total control of the blade from heel to tip—whether slicing garlic, chopping parsley or cutting through butternut squash like it were butter. We traveled to knife shows, scoured kitchen shops around the country, quizzed home cooks and studied how our cooking school students slice, dice, chop and mince. We then worked with knife-makers and an industrial designer to realize our design. We went through numerous iterations of blade shapes, thicknesses, grinds, weights and handles before reaching what we believe is the perfect knife for all-around kitchen use.