Old-school chefs never “graduate” apprentices to the stove until they have mastered knife skills. And the first step to proficiency, even if earning three stars isn’t on your radar, is having the right equipment.

“Knives are tools and there’s a proper tool for every job,” says Chef Brian Patterson, knife skills instructor at L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, Md. He recommends five essential pieces:

¢ 9- or 10-inch chef’s knife: The “workhorse of the kitchen,” it chops, dices and juliennes fruits, vegetables and herbs.

¢ Serrated slicer: Your basic bread knife. Also to be used on fibrous fruits and vegetables, like pineapples, and delicate items, such as tomatoes.

¢ Paring knife: Peels apples, pears, potatoes and any other fruit or vegetable you care to skin. Use the chef’s knife to cut these, however.

¢ Small filet knife: Breaks down fish and most poultry using a scalpel-like tip. The flexible blade probes bone and muscle.

¢ Carving knife: Shears meat from larger beasts like cow and turkey.

Above, starting from the top, is a chef’s knife, followed by a serrated slicer, filet knife and paring knife.