Try making the vegetable soup, because it requires you to chop a variety of vegetables. You may even like it. A good knife is the one kitchen essential you should have. A knife, a pot and a fire source are all you really need to cook. But that knife needs to be sharp.
Sharp knives are safer because less pressure is required to cut through food.
A chef's knife can be used for cutting and chopping almost everything. You'll use a paring knife for all else except maybe bread, which needs to be cut with a serrated knife. Look for one that feels comfortable to you. If you have small hands, you may want a smaller chef's knife, an 8-inch one instead of the normal 10 to 12 inches, advises chef Terry Barkley of the Art Institute of Phoenix culinary arts program. Here's the news about sharpening knives.