Not if you want thin, attractive slices. A chef's knife is designed to chop, not slice. There is a notable difference — for reasons of function — between the cross-sectional blade of the slicing knife and the chef's knife. Because the slicing knife blade is relatively thin, friction and food crushing is minimized as the knife slides through the food. Just as important, the thinner design allows the carver to cut narrower and more uniform slices because the blade stays reasonably parallel to the face of the cut.

What about doing the opposite, chopping firm food with a slicing knife? The chef's knife does a much better job because its wedge shape is broader on the top of its cross-section than the slicing knife. That extra weight gives the blade extra momentum and therefore more power to help the cook chop through firm foods like garlic and carrots.

Certainly not intermingled in a drawer with other knives and utensils. Every time you open and close the drawer, knives jostle about, damaging their cutting edges. One of the best storage solutions is a wood knife block (which also makes knives very accessible). Buy one with horizontal slots. With vertical slots, you drag a knife's cutting edge along the wood each time you insert and remove the utensil.