How is mail-order meat shipped?

Our meat suppliers vacuum seal each cut and ship it frozen in insulated boxes with dry ice, with tracking. Put it straight in the freezer, and thaw in the refrigerator overnight before cooking.

Can wine be shipped to my state?

Most states allow it, but not all, and an adult 21 or older must sign for the delivery. Wine Express shows which states it ships to at checkout.

What knife should I buy first?

An 8-inch chef's knife. It handles most chopping, slicing and dicing; add a paring knife and a serrated bread knife and you can cook nearly anything.

Is a santoku better than a chef's knife?

Neither is better; they feel different. A santoku is shorter and flatter, good for straight-down slicing of vegetables and fish; a chef's knife has a curved edge for rocking cuts. Try both if you can.

Can kitchen knives go in the dishwasher?

No. The heat, detergent and knocking dull the edge and can damage handles. Wash by hand, dry right away, and store in a block, on a magnetic strip or in a guard.

How often should I sharpen a knife?

Hone it on a steel every few uses to straighten the edge, and sharpen it on a stone or sharpener when honing no longer brings it back, usually a few times a year for home cooks.

Kitchen Shop

When the market does not have what a recipe needs, these are the places we buy from: steaks and meat, lobster and shrimp, wine for the table, good knives and kitchen tools, plus aprons and mugs from our own shop. Each one is here because we use it.

Steak and meat

Florida Premium Beef

Our main supplier of beef, and the first place we look when we cannot find a good cut at the market. The cuts are outstanding: thick, well-trimmed grass-fed steaks, roasts and ground beef, plus pasture-raised chicken. It is not the cheapest way to buy beef, but the quality shows on the plate, and the most popular items, ground grass-fed lamb among them, sometimes sell out, so order ahead for a holiday or a cookout.

Florida Premium BeefGrass-fed steaks and beef, pasture-raised chicken and lamb, shipped frozen.

Shop Florida Premium Beef

Meatzy

Premium U.S. meat delivered to your door, with no added hormones or antibiotics, humanely raised, and always with free shipping. Meatzy beef comes from trusted producers in the U.S. Midwest and is USDA inspected. The ribeyes and filets are grass-fed and grass-finished; every other cut is grass-fed for most of the animal's life, then grain-finished for marbling and tenderness, and graded USDA Choice or Prime. Everything is raised and processed in the U.S.

Order once or subscribe at a discount. Curated boxes come with chef-selected cuts, you can add extras from any product page, or use Build Your Box to choose exactly what you want; subscriptions can be skipped, changed or canceled anytime. Each cut is vacuum sealed and shipped frozen in an insulated box with dry ice. Orders ship Mondays and Wednesdays by two-day cold-chain delivery and arrive within 7 days, with tracking.

MeatzyGrass-fed ribeyes and filets, Choice and Prime beef, curated boxes or build your own, always free shipping.

Shop Meatzy

Lobster and seafood: Lobster Anywhere

Not everyone lives near a good fish market. For our lobster, shrimp and scallop recipes we buy from Lobster Anywhere, which has been shipping fresh Maine lobster since 1999: live lobsters for steaming and clambakes, lobster tails for broiling and surf and turf, and super colossal shrimp, all packed cold and shipped to your door.

Lobster AnywhereLive Maine lobsters, lobster tails and giant shrimp, shipped fresh since 1999.

Shop live lobsters Shop lobster tails

Wine: Wine Express

Wine Express is the online wine shop partnered with Wine Enthusiast. It carries hundreds of wines from around the world, including bottlings you will not find in most stores, plus mixed samplers, gift sets and wine clubs that send a new selection on a schedule. It is an easy way to have the right bottle on hand for a steak dinner or a lobster night; our wine pairing guide says what to pour with what.

Wine is shipped only to adults 21 or older, who must sign for it, and only to states that allow wine delivery.

Wine ExpressHundreds of wines, samplers, gift sets and wine clubs, delivered.

Shop Wine Express

Thermometers, mixers and kitchen appliances: BrandSmart USA

The tool that matters most for steak and seafood is an instant-read thermometer: it takes the guessing out of every temperature on this site. BrandSmart USA has good prices on thermometers, stand mixers for bread and baking, air fryers, slow cookers and other kitchen appliances. Our kitchen equipment guide explains what to look for before you buy.

BrandSmart USAThermometers, stand mixers and kitchen appliances at good prices.

Shop BrandSmart USA

We may make money from the links on this page, but it doesn't affect what you pay.

Kitchen knives: which one does what

You do not need a drawer full of knives. Most home cooks get by with three: a chef's knife, a paring knife and a serrated bread knife. Add the others as your cooking calls for them.

Knife	Size	Best for	Try it on
Chef's knife	6 to 10 inches, most often 8	The workhorse: chopping onions, slicing meat, mincing garlic and herbs. The curved edge rocks for fast chopping. A 6-inch version suits smaller hands and smaller kitchens.	Beef and Broccoli, Guacamole
Santoku	5 to 7 inches	A Japanese knife whose name means “three virtues”: meat, fish and vegetables. Its flatter edge and blunt tip suit straight-down slicing and thin, even cuts.	Japchae, Pressgurka
Paring knife	3 to 4 inches	Small, controlled jobs in the hand or on the board: peeling and coring apples, deveining shrimp, hulling strawberries, trimming.	Classic Apple Pie, Shrimp Scampi
Utility knife	4 to 6 inches	The in-between knife for sandwiches, slicing cheese and sausage, and small cuts of meat when a chef's knife feels too big.	Bistek Tagalog
Carving knife	8 to 12 inches	Long and narrow for clean, even slices of roasts, turkey, ham and brisket, with fewer saw strokes.	Prime Rib Roast, Herb-Roasted Turkey, Smoked Brisket
Bread knife	8 to 10 inches, serrated	Saws through crusty loaves and soft rolls without crushing them; also the best knife for ripe tomatoes.	Limpa, Soft Dinner Rolls
Cleaver	6 to 7 inches, heavy	A thick, heavy blade for chopping through chicken bones, splitting a bird and cutting ribs apart.	Lemon Herb Roast Chicken, Smoked Baby Back Ribs
Fillet knife	6 to 9 inches, flexible	A thin, flexible blade that bends along the bones to fillet and skin fish.	Gravlax

Where to buy kitchen knives: The Custom Chef

The Custom Chef sells the Cuisine::pro knife ranges: chef's knives in 5, 6 and 8 inches, santoku, paring, utility, carving, bread, cleaver and fillet knives, 3-piece sets and full knife blocks. Every range uses ice-hardened Japanese 420J2 stainless steel; what changes is the look, the weight and the handle.

Damashiro

A Damascus-style patterned blade with a very fine edge, made for everyday prep from julienned vegetables to carving a roast. The usual starting point for home cooks.

Damashiro EMPEROR

A hammered (tsuchime) finish that helps food fall away from the blade, with a hidden tang for balance and stability.

iD3

Each knife is made from a single piece of stainless steel, blade and handle together, so it is very light. The hollow handle is weighted for balance, and raised dots on the grip help keep it from slipping.

iD3 BLACK SAMURAI

The iD3 design in black: thin, light and quick for fast slicing and chopping.

KIYOSHI

Damascus-style blades with a dragon motif, a full tang and triple-riveted G10 fiberglass handles, which stand up to heat and water. Sold with a lifetime guarantee, including 7-piece knife blocks.

Not sure which to choose? Several ranges offer a 5-inch “Try Me” santoku, a small, inexpensive way to see how a range feels in your hand before buying a set.

About the steel: 420J2 is a stainless steel that resists rust and stains and is easy to bring back to sharp at home. It is softer than the high-carbon steels in the most expensive knives, so it needs honing more often to keep its edge; a few strokes on a honing steel every few uses keeps it cutting cleanly.

Shop kitchen knivesChef's knives, santoku, carving and bread knives, cleavers, sets and knife blocks from The Custom Chef.

Shop The Custom Chef

We may make money from the links on this page, but it doesn't affect what you pay.

Keeping knives sharp

Wash by hand with warm soapy water and dry right away; never put good knives in the dishwasher or leave them soaking in the sink.
Hone often. A honing steel straightens the edge and keeps a knife feeling sharp between sharpenings.
Sharpen when honing no longer helps, usually a few times a year, with a whetstone or a good pull-through sharpener.
Cut on wood or plastic boards. Glass, stone and ceramic boards dull an edge fast.
Store knives in a block, on a magnetic strip or in blade guards, not loose in a drawer.
A sharp knife is safer than a dull one: it goes where you aim it instead of slipping.

More on what to buy first: our kitchen equipment guide and your first steak.

Aprons, mugs and gifts from our shop

These come from Shortsleeve.com, our own print shop, and appear on the recipes that inspired them.

See everything at Shortsleeve.com

Frequently asked questions

How is mail-order meat shipped?: Our meat suppliers vacuum seal each cut and ship it frozen in insulated boxes with dry ice, with tracking. Put it straight in the freezer, and thaw in the refrigerator overnight before cooking.
Can wine be shipped to my state?: Most states allow it, but not all, and an adult 21 or older must sign for the delivery. Wine Express shows which states it ships to at checkout.
What knife should I buy first?: An 8-inch chef's knife. It handles most chopping, slicing and dicing; add a paring knife and a serrated bread knife and you can cook nearly anything.
Is a santoku better than a chef's knife?: Neither is better; they feel different. A santoku is shorter and flatter, good for straight-down slicing of vegetables and fish; a chef's knife has a curved edge for rocking cuts. Try both if you can.
Can kitchen knives go in the dishwasher?: No. The heat, detergent and knocking dull the edge and can damage handles. Wash by hand, dry right away, and store in a block, on a magnetic strip or in a guard.
How often should I sharpen a knife?: Hone it on a steel every few uses to straighten the edge, and sharpen it on a stone or sharpener when honing no longer brings it back, usually a few times a year for home cooks.

Cooking Guide: Kitchen equipment | Wine pairing | Where to buy meat | Where to buy seafood | Baking supplies