September's 9 Essential Culinary Finds

I've long maintained that three knives — a chef's knife, a paring knife, and a bread knife — are all you need, but Zwilling J.A. Henckels Pro Hollow-Ground Nakiri Knife ($120, originally $150), a Japanese-style vegetable cleaver, has me rethinking that. While it's not absolutely essential, it's great to have if you (like me) eat a predominantly plant-based diet. Not only does it glide through dense vegetables like butternut squash, cabbage, and sweet potatoes with ease, but its squared-off blade also works like a mini bench scraper, making vegetable prep breezy.

— NP