Knives are an integral part of the kitchen, but there are a plethora of knife types so we have put together a brief document outlining the role of each type of knife.
If you would like to find out about the components of a knife and the blade materials, pleae visit our user guide here.
Chef’s Knife
A much-needed and the most versatile knife is the Chef’s Knife, which should be between 6 to 12” in size (8” ideally). This can be used for chopping, slicing, mincing and dicing, and since it is used the maximum, it has to be comfortable to use.
Paring Knife
Perfect for cutting, peeling, coring and shaping fruits and vegetables, the Paring Knife is between 2 to 4” in size. Like the Chef’s Knife, they are all-purpose knives but meant for smaller tasks.
Utility Knife
If you have both the Chef’s Knife and the Paring Knife, you may not need the Utility Knife, which is medium-sized (4 to 7”), and are more like large Paring Knives, used for a variety of jobs.
Vegetable Knife
The Vegetable Knife, though not a full-fledged category by itself, is used for both fruits and vegetables. Their blade sizes vary anywhere from 2 to 4.5”, with a stub-like handle. This kind of knife usually comes without a bolster and possibly has several varieties.
Serrated Knife
The Serrated Knife is 7 to 10” in size and meant for foodstuff that is hard on the outside but soft inside. Slicing bread in a back and forth movement, the ‘bread knife’ is also good for tomatoes and peaches.
Sandwich Knife
With sizes ranging from 6 to 12”, the Sandwich Knife is similar to the serrated knife. It is sharp yet shorter in length with a shorter blade. However, it does have a serrated blade that’s ideal for bread, soft fruits and vegetables, and foods such as pizza, pies, sandwiches etc.
Cleaver
The Cleaver is a heavy knife with a broad, thick blade meant for cutting meat and chopping bones. Anolon Knives’ hand-crafted cleaver and Zwilling JA Henckels cleaver are worthy of note.
Santoku Knife
Japanese in origin, Santoku is perfect for chopping, dicing and mincing. While the knife ideally is 5 to 7” in size, smaller sizes are also available. These knives have lighter, shorter, harder and thinner blades than the chef’s knives and are the best for sushi and sticky food because of its ‘granton edge’ release pattern blade.
Carving Knife
Typically a large knife of 8 to 15” size, the Carving Knife is meant for carving meats like hams, roasts, poultry and large meats. This knife is thin, especially at the spine, which facilitates thinner and more perfect slices.
Boning Knife
A narrow knife of about 5 to 6” length, the Boning Knife is used to separate meat from the bones. There are two types of Boning Knives- Stiff boning knives for boning beef, and a flexible one for poultry and fish.
Fillett Knife
The 6 to 12” Fillet Knife is great for filleting fish, thanks to their narrow flexible blades.
There are several other specialty knives too. For instance, the Mincing Knife or Mezzaluna, a half-moon shaped knife meant for mincing, of course; the Oyster Knife and Clam Knife to break open the hard shell of an oyster or clam; the Devein Knife to remove the large vein that runs down the length of a shrimp; the Cheese Knife to easily cut through soft and hard textured cheese; the Tourne or Peeling Knife to peel, trim and dice; the Chestnut Knife to score chestnuts ahead of roasting, etc. The options are numerous but you may not need all of these and can replace one for another most of the times. It is always a better idea to gradually enhance your collection as and when the need arises.
A Few Tips
A knife’s quality is determined by the blade, tangs and handle. Once you decide to enhance your knife collection, consider getting a suitable storage component, such as blocks, racks or sheaths. While there are knives you can clean in the dishwasher, it is advisable to hand wash them, since dishwashing exposes knives to harsh detergents and extreme temperatures. It is also important to wipe your knives dry before storing. For a long lasting edge, it is best to go for polyethylene cutting boards for least amount of resistance to the blade’s edge. Finally, if you are going for a set of knives, go for one with sharpening steel as it ensures that the hardness of the blades will be the same as the steel’s. Manufacturer