Ina Garten's Favorite Knife For Buttery Smooth Cuts

Every chef needs a good chef's knife. It's one of the most important kitchen tools in their entire arsenal, used more often and in more ways than any other item (except maybe the cutting board they use beneath it). Slicing, dicing, chopping, mincing, julienning — whatever the task at hand, and no matter how big or how small the ingredient, a good knife will stand up to it all.

It's safe to say that Ina Garten, who's been a celeb chef and home cook for decades, knows a good chef's knife when she wraps her fingers around one. So what's Barefoot Contessa's favorite type of knife for the myriad amount of meals she cooks up, and what exactly makes a good knife a good knife?

Garten's go-to: the Wüsthof Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife. Hailing all the way from Germany, this is a classic chef's knife that's made with precision, sharpness, and ultimate durability — a long-lasting contender for anything Ina Garten finds herself cutting into in the kitchen.

This German-made knife is pretty much everything a chef needs, thanks to its versatility and functionality. It's an all-purpose knife that the brand boasts is great for cutting anything from cabbage and fruit to meat, vegetables, and herbs. Plus, its contoured handle is designed for comfortable gripping, making it easy for anyone to hold the knife, and it even comes in fun colors, like "coral peach" and "tasty yam."

The knife is made using Precision Edge Technology that guarantees an extra-sharp blade, which is forged (aka, individually hammered) from high-carbon steel — making it not only resistant to stains but also to any rust or damage to the metal itself. What seals the deal: the knife is full tang, which means it's one long, unbroken piece of steel. This offers more control, more stability, and more balance, all of which translates to greater durability and a longer lifespan.

And that's exactly why, at $170 a pop, these knives are worth the steep investment for Ina Garten. A knife like this Wüsthof Classic Chef's Knife is not cheap, but as long as you take care of it, it can last pretty much forever.

If you're not super familiar with the world of kitchen knives and forged steel, "tang" might be a foreign concept. Tang doesn't refer to that sharp flavor descriptor or the powdered mixed drink brand — when it comes to knives, tang refers to the metal blade within the handle that you don't always see.

For most knives, you'll either see that they're either "partial tang" or "full tang." So what makes full tang the better choice? In a partial tang knife, the blade is one piece and the handle is another, but in a full tang knife, the blade is one continuous piece of steel that runs throughout the length of the entire knife.

Because there are no weak spots and no risk of breaking apart, full tang knives stand up better to any cutting, chopping, or general wear and tear. And thanks to the single piece of steel running throughout the knife, it's evenly weighted, more balanced, and safer to use.