Knowing Knives

A good set of knives will really get you far in the kitchen. It can make food prepping simple, it can reduce the risk of injury, and it can save you a whole lot of time.

In this article we are going to have a look at the different types of knives and their purposes.

Chef’s Knife

The Chef’s Knife is probably the most versatile of kitchen knives as it’s designed to perform well at many tasks rather than excel at just one. It can be used for dicing, slicing and chopping vegetables, chopping nuts, slicing meat and disjointing large cuts of meat. While the Chef’s Knife is truly versatile, it is not for slicing bread, carving dense meat and small tasks such as peeling and mincing.

Paring Knife

The Pairing Knife is a small short-bladed knife. The size makes it ideal for tasks that require control and precision, such as cutting small fruits and vegetables and deseeding fruits. Tasks not suited for the Paring Knife include slicing meat, slicing bread and cutting tougher vegetables such as pumpkins.

Slicing and Carving Knives

Slicing Knives and Carving Knives both come with long thin blades and are for slicing long, thin and even cuts of meat. They are not for precision tasks like peeling though, and you can’t use them for cleaving meat bones. 

Cleaver

The Cleaver, also known as the ‘butcher’s knife’ is a large, thick and heavy set knife designed for cutting through bones and cartilage and firm fruits and vegetables such as melons. The knife is not for delicate tasks such as dicing veggies.

Boning Knife

Boning knives have thin, sharp and flexible blades. The special curve of the blade allows users to cut meat away from bones and joints. The flexibility allows for precise thin cuts.

Bread/Serrated Knife

The Bread Knife or the Serrated Knife has a tooth like edge, making it ideal for cutting through foods that have hard exteriors and soft interiors such as bread, lemons and tomatoes.