Types of Knives

Chef’s Knife–The chef’s knife is the primary general-utility knife for most western cooks.  A chef’s knife generally has a blade 6 to 14-inches  in length. There are two common types of blade shape in western chef’s knives, French and German. German-style knives are more deeply and continuously curved along the whole cutting edge; the French style has an edge that is straighter until the end and then curves up to the tip. A Japanese chef’s knife is known as a gyuto, literally meaning ‘beef knife’. Its blade resembles a flatter version of a French chef’s knife.

Boning Knife–A boning knife is a type of kitchen knife with a sharp point and narrow blade. It is used in food preparation for removing the bones of poultry, meat, and fish. Generally 5 to 6 ½-inches in length, it features a very narrow blade. Boning knives are not as “thick” as some of other popular kitchen/butcher knives, as this makes precision boning, especially in deep cuts and holes, much less difficult. A stiff boning knife is good for boning beef and pork, while a very flexible boning knife is preferred for poultry and fish.

Paring Knife–A paring knife is a small knife with a plain edge blade that is used for peeling and other small or intricate work. It is designed to be an all-purpose knife, similar to a chef’s knife, except smaller. Paring knives are usually between 2½ and 4-inches long.

Cleaver–There are two types of cleavers.  Chinese cleavers are light in weight and used for cutting vegetables. A meat cleaver is larger and heavier and used for splitting or “cleaving” meat and bone.  The knife is designed to cut with a swift stroke without cracking, splintering or bending the blade.

Slicing Knife–A slicing knife serves a similar function to a carving knife, although it is generally longer and narrower. Slicers may have plain or serrated edges. Such knives often incorporate blunted or rounded tips, and feature a Granton edge (scalloped blades) to improve meat separation. Slicers are designed to precisely cut smaller and thinner slices of meat, and are normally more flexible to accomplish this task.

Bread Knife–

Serrated knives are able to cut soft bread without crushing it.
Bread knives are usually between 6 and 10-inches.