Chances are, if you’re following the South Beach Diet lifestyle you’re likely to be cooking more at home. That’s reason alone to make sure you have knives that are as effective as they are easy to manage. If your kitchen isn’t already equipped with good knives, you may want to purchase a few. Fortunately, you really need only the following three knives to perform most kitchen tasks:

• Chef's knife (also called a French knife or cook's knife). This is the most widely used and versatile knife in the kitchen. Select a very sharp knife with a blade between eight and ten inches long. Before buying a chef’s knife, hold a few different models in your hand to feel the weight and balance. Since you will be using this knife a lot, choosing one that feels good in your hand is important. Buy the best one you can afford.

• Utility knife.
This knife is slightly longer than a paring knife (roughly four to six inches) and can be used for small trimming and slicing jobs.
• Bread knife with a serrated edge.
Use this to easily cut through loaves of whole-grain bread. You want a blade with enough length to handle round loaves. You can’t sharpen a serrated knife, so buy one that’s sharp and inexpensive — since you will have to replace it eventually.

Keep in mind that a sharper knife is safer than a dull one (since you don’t need to use as much force with a sharp knife). There are many good sharpeners available to keep your chef’s knife and utility knife at their best. It’s also a good idea to store your knives in a wooden block. This will keep you safe as you reach for a knife and is also a good way to keep your knives from becoming dull.

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