Essential Kitchen Knives for Solo Living: What You Really Need

Spring in Japan often signals a fresh start—new jobs, new cities, and, for many, the first time cooking in their own kitchen. If that sounds like you, chances are you’re wondering:

• “Which knife should I buy if I’m living by myself?”

• “How many knives do I really need?”
  

• “Can I get away with a cheap knife, or will I regret it?”
  

Scroll through YouTube comparisons, Quora threads, or the ever-popular “Buying my first knife, need recommendations” post on Reddit, and you’ll see the same debate play out worldwide. The answer, however, doesn’t have to be complicated.

For more than 120 years, JIKKO Cutlery of Sakai, Osaka, has hand-forged knives that balance razor-edge performance with everyday durability. In this guide, our craftsmen explain why a single high-quality multipurpose knife—typically a Santoku or Gyuto—covers 90 percent of daily prep, how to size that knife to your cutting board, and why investing in solid steel now saves frustration (and money) later.

Whether you’re slicing vegetables for quick weeknight meals or breaking down larger cuts of meat for budget-friendly batch cooking, the right knife makes solo life safer, faster, and a lot more enjoyable. Read on to discover which blade will serve you best—and how to keep it sharp for years to come.

Guide for Choosing a Knife Perfect for Your New Lifestyle 

Important points of choosing a knife when living alone are quality, size, ease of maintenance, and safety when handling. 

There probably are many out there that are inexperienced, or haven’t cooked until now, but will need to start cooking for themselves, when starting a new life, away from home. If you are not used to using a knife, it is best to simply use a knife that is easy to use. So, it is important to choose your knife wisely when buying your first knife.

From here on, we’ll explain in detail about how you should choose your knife, and our recommendations when buying.

The Knife to Buy for Your New Life: Type, and How-To-Use 

First of all, one must-have knife when buying your first knife is a Santoku knife. Santoku, is a term in Japanese created from two Kanji - “San (Three)” and “Toku (Goodness)” - to mean that it could cut three goods (meat, fish, vegetables), with one knife. To put it simply, it’s a knife that can cut most anything, so Santoku knife is a great starter to have. Rather than buying every kind of knife, we recommend getting one high-quality knife when you just start living by yourself, to ease your cooking experiences.

The Characteristics of Santoku Knives 

How to Take Care of the Knife to Enjoy Cooking for Yourself  

Whether it is cheap or expensive, knife is a tool that needs frequent sharpening and maintenance. If you are not caring for it in the right way, damages build up, and the sharpness of the knife will be degraded. But, if you can properly care for it, the knife can last for 30 to 40 years, and keep sharp for a long time.

Usually, you need a whetstone to sharpen the knife. But, if you are not too sure of using the whetstone, we suggest you take your knife to a knife shop every year or two to have it sharpened for you. The knives would be refurbished to its maximum potential, and cooking would be even more exciting by doing so.

How to Maintain the Knife After Use

High-Quality Knife Series at JIKKO CUTLERY That is Suitable for Single Life 

This is our main store in Sakai, Osaka—just a short trip from Kansai Airport. If you're visiting Japan, be sure to stop by and find your perfect knife!

A knife recommended for those living alone, is something that is easy to use and maintain. A smaller kitchen has less space to store, so it’s best not to have  numerous knives. Instead, having just one good knife would  make your cooking experiences more comfortable for most. So when choosing the knife, it’s best not to choose just by the price; we suggest you choose a knife that cuts well, and that the sharpness lasts for a long time. To sum it up, choosing a knife made with high quality steel is important. From here, we introduce to you JIKKO’s knives that are perfect to have.

Knives at JIKKO That is Perfect for Your New Life 

For most, you probably have a budget when starting a new life. So, many aim for knives that are high-quality but cost effective at the same time. 

At JIKKO, we don’t want to provide a knife that is cheap but is low-quality that the sharpness drops so quickly. The knives we want to provide and suggest, are high-quality knives that will last for decades to come. For example, VG10 stainless steel knives are resistant to rust, but easy to take care of, and can keep the budget lower. 

We recommend VG10 knives for those who like to cook for themselves, or just like to cook, and want to cook for those you care for, like friends and family.

Boco VG10 Santoku Knife 

This stainless steel Santoku knife is a Japanese style double-edged knife. It’s a light and easy-to-use knife even for beginners, and since the hammered patterns on the blade make food not stick as much, it is also safe to use. The black handle is made of oak,and the thickness of the handle makes it easy for everyone to use.

Mille-Feuille Santoku Knife 

The “tsuchime (hammered)” round patterns and the wavy Damascus patterns gives this knife fancy and cool looks to it. The classical brown handle is made from mahogany wood. Because of the color, stains don't stand out even after use, and since there’s a metallic bolster between the blade and the handle, you can wash the knife easily and keep it clean.

Knives that is perfect for those who are working away from home 

Even if you don’t have much experience cooking, if you are living by yourself, away from home, it’s better to cook for yourself; it also is good for your health, if you can eat and cook a lot. So, for those working away from home, we suggest you choose a knife with high quality stainless steel, that the sharpness lasts long, even if you can’t do all the maintenance that often. And SG2, or Powdered High-speed steel is a great stainless steel to choose for the blade of the knife, since sharpness lasts for a long time.

You shouldn’t think “I don’t cook often so I don’t need a good knife”. The sharpness of a high quality knife lasts long; and if the sharpness lasts for a while, you don’t have to sharpen the knife as often, so you can save time and effort when caring for it. Good quality knife is something that can be used for quite a long while. Even if you haven’t cooked that much until now, we suggest you buy a good knife from the start.

Loco Damascus SG2 Knives

Loco Damascus SG2 Zenkiri Knife

Loco Damascus SG2 Petty Knife

The Loco Damascus SG2 knives have beautiful layered patterns which makes it have a noble atmosphere to it. Since you can choose the size depending on the size of what you are cutting, you can also choose a Petty knife if you just cut smaller chunks of food. If you are just using the knife to pack a small lunch, it may be better to have the smaller Petty knives.

JACK (Hiho Series) 

The HIHO series has a unique shape that's only available at JIKKO CUTLERY. It has a pointy tip, and is made light which makes cutting and separating the food easier. This one of a kind shape just catches the attention of many, and will stand out when used in the kitchen.

Tips to Avoid Choosing Wrong Knives  

There are many out there that choose their knives by price when choosing their first knife. But, it’s best to avoid choosing the knife by the cost; the cost shouldn’t be used to judge the quality of the knife as well. And even though there are knives that are cheap but look pretty, the quality, durability, and ease when using cannot be judged by the price. 

If you can find a knife that best suits you, that knife is like your partner when cooking, and could support you for years to come. But to find that perfect knife for you, keep the below points in your mind when choosing your knife.

Don’t Choose a Knife Just by “Quality” or “Price” 

When choosing a knife, focusing on just one factor, like the cost, or the quality, often leads to unsatisfying choices. There are many inexpensive knives, and you may even buy a knife at a dollar shop; but when compared to wood quality knives sold at genuine knife shops, the quality of the steel, and the whole knife itself will be unfavorable in the end. 

Oftentimes, cheap knife’s edge retention is low, and some even lose sharpness after a few tries. This is because the quality of the steel is limited, and even if you try to sharpen it back to the original state, the sharpness tends to be duller. On the other hand, if good quality steel were used for the knife, edge retention is excellent, and with proper care, you can keep on using the same knife with the same sharpness. 

Our company suggests SG2 (powered high speed steel) as the steel material for the knife. When this steel is used for the blade of the knife, the edge retention is great, and the blade is less likely to chip. For those of you that have a budget, we also suggest VG10 steel blade knives.

Know What You Can Do to Maintain the Knife 

All knives will lose their sharpness after a while, but by sharpening your knife, the knife’s sharpness can be restored back. But, there are people out there that are unconfident, sharpening the knife back by themselves.

That is why JIKKO provides resharpening services to our customers; we will sharpen and restore your knife so that it could be used again. Customers can request sharpening services from our website, and send us your knife, so we can have it refurbished for you.

Request Knife Sharpening at JIKKO

Use a sharpener for daily maintenance

Take a look at simple sharpeners

If using a whetstone is difficult for you, simple sharpeners are easy to use. You can use this simple tool when your knife feels slightly dull from before. You can use these sharpeners for your daily care, and take your knife to a knife shop for maintenance every year or two so professional craftsmen can restore your knife to its full potential, and keep on using the knife in good condition.

Choose a Knife Shop That You Can Go To for Decades 

For knives that are used for a long period of time, maintenance and repairs are needed at some point. Because of that, choosing a reliable knife shop is really important. At JIKKO, we help our customers from start to the end; from helping you choose and buy the knife that best suits you, to the support that you may need after purchasing, like re-sharpening and exchanging the handle of the knife. We have many services available to help at your service!

About JIKKO

Q&A Frequently Asked Questions about Knives for Single Life 

From here, we’ll answer some of the frequently asked questions about knives needed for single life.

Question: How many knives do you need if you’re living by yourself?

Answer: One knife that you must have when living alone, is a multipurpose knife. Since often available space is limited when living alone, most probably won’t have space to store so many knives. So, it is best to choose a multipurpose knife like Gyuto, Santoku, or Petty knife, that can cut almost anything. Be sure to choose a knife by size that can cut food that you eat often by ease. For instance, if you cut big chunks of meat and vegetables, Gyuto probably would best suit you. Meanwhile, if you tend to cut smaller vegetables and pack a smaller lunch, Petty knife might be enough for you. If you don’t know what you might be cutting, or tend to cut a wide variety of food, Santoku knife is the almighty knife to have.

Question: How long can you keep using the same knife?

Answer: Any knife could be used as long as the blade lasts. Even if you sharpen the knives, home-use knives can last for 20 to 30 years. Some knives last so long that some families pass down their knives from one generation to the next, and still could be used. But to keep the sharpness of the knife to last long, you do need to maintain the knife in the right way. Sharpen the knife at appropriate timing, and when needed, go to a knife shop to get it fixed; by doing so, you can keep on using the knife with great sharpness for a long time.

Question: What size knife is easy to use?

Answer: For home use, they say that knives with blade length around 165mm to 180mm (6.5 to 7 inches) are a good size to use, and typical Santoku knives are around that size. When considering the size of the kitchen or cutting board, knives that are too big may be inconvenient, so be careful when choosing the size. If you want a larger size knife, we suggest knives up to 240 mm (9.5 inches), but nothing beyond that. When choosing knives like Sashimi knife, or Sujihiki/Gyuto knives to cut larger chunks of meat, we recommend getting size around 240 mm. On the other hand, smaller knives are useful when doing delicate work. If you want a knife for peeling vegetable skin that requires more precise movement are needed, Petty knives are good size to perform those tasks. The size of a common Petty knife is around 120mm to 150mm (4.7 to 5.9 inches).

Question: Which knife can be used to cut anything?

Answer: Knives that you can cut a wide range of food are called "Multipurpose Knives”. Multipurpose knife is a categorical name; depending on the size of the knives, each type of knife is called differently. For example, “Gyuto”, “Santoku Knife”, and “Petty Knife” are all categorized as Multipurpose knives, but are different in size. And at JIKKO, multipurpose knives are called “ZENKIRI”. Usually, when cooking Japanese cuisine, chefs change the knife to use depending on what they are cutting. So, if you’re cutting everything with just one knife, the knife is usually western style (double-edged) knife. A multipurpose knife that is suited for home-use is “Santoku Knife”.

Question: What knives should I buy when I have none at all?

Answer: Start with a multipurpose knife—either a Santoku or a Gyuto. Both are all-rounders that tackle meat, fish, and vegetables with a single blade, making them the knives you’ll reach for most often. If you regularly break down larger cuts of meat or big root vegetables, a Gyuto’s longer blade gives you the leverage you need. For everyday chopping, slicing, and dicing of mixed ingredients, a Santoku’s compact profile keeps prep quick and controlled. Because this knife will see daily use, choose by quality rather than price: invest in good steel, solid balance, and a comfortable handle so it performs well—and safely—meal after meal.

A Good Cooking Life for Yourself Starts From Choosing the Knife 

When choosing a knife for yourself when living alone, cooking experiences will be more exciting if you can choose a knife that is safe to use, and with high quality. Let this article be your guide when choosing your knife, so you can find the best knife for you, and bring excitement and joy to your new lifestyle and cooking experiences to come.

Knives are not just some cooking tool; it supports your daily cooking, and some can be used for a long time, and supports your life to the end. By learning how to maintain it, and knowing the knife shop that you can go to, is a great investment for your life. Choose your knife well for yourself, so you can earn safe cooking experiences that lead to fulfilling days in your life. 

And trustworthy knife shops play a supportive role in your life as well. When the sharpness is degraded, and when you need to refurbish the knife, JIKKO CUTLERY is ready to help you restore your knife. So, if we could, it would be our pleasure to be the knife shop that can support your knife, and your life.

See JIKKO’s Multi-Purpose Knives