A knife is among the essential kitchen tools, but not all knives are alike. There are various types of knifes that are designed for specific tasks. Knowing the differences between these blades can help you choose the right knife for your work and make the most of your cutting experiences.

Type Of Knife In The Kitchen

Chef Knife

A chef knife, or a cook’s knife, is a versatile cutting tool in professional and home kitchens. A chef knife is 8-12 inches long, with a broad, curved blade that tapers to a sharp point.
The most popular size of a chef knife is 8 inches in length. However, people with smaller hands or needing more delicate tasks use a 6-inch-long chef’s knife.
The blade’s curvature allows for a rocking motion, making it easier to chop ingredients quickly and efficiently.
You can use chef’s knives for various tasks, including slicing meat, chopping vegetables, mincing garlic and herbs, and crushing spices.

Utility Knife

Utility knives combine the design of paring knives and chef’s knives with a length of 5-9 inches. The blade of it is narrower than the chef knife and longer than the paring knife.
Utility knives have a pointed tip allowing intricate cuts, such as trimming and scoring.
They also have a serrated or straight edge that enables clean and precise cuts. You can cut fruits and vegetables, slice bread and meats.
The compact size makes the utility knives easy to handle and maneuver, giving you greater control over your cuts.

Cleaver

A cleaver is a large, heavy knife with a wide blade and a straight edge that extends downward from the spine to the cutting edge. The length of a cleaver knife ranges from 4-10 inches.
There are meat and vegetable cleavers:
- Meat cleavers are thicker and more durable. You can use this cleaver to cut through rigid materials, such as cartilage and bone, and to break down large meat pieces into smaller portions.
- Vegetable cleavers have thinner blades, ideal for slicing, dicing, and chopping vegetables. You can also use vegetable cleavers to cut fruit or soft meats such as chicken and fish.

Paring Knife

A paring knife is a small, versatile knife with a 2 – 5 inches-long blade.
The small size of a paring knife, and its narrow, pointed blade, allow for intricate and delicate cuts, such as peeling, trimming, and shaping fruits and vegetables.
You can also use paring knives to devein shrimp and remove blemishes from foods.
There are 3 common types of paring knives: spear-point, bird’s beak, and sheep’s foot paring knife. Every paring knife has a unique blade shape that suits it well-suited for specific cutting tasks.

Butcher Knife

A butcher knife is a large, heavy-duty knife used for cutting meat. It has a long blade that is 5 to 12 inches in length.
The butcher blade is wider at the base and tapers to a point, making cutting through meat and bones easier.
Butcher knives are versatile and can be used for various tasks, including trimming fat, cutting, and sectioning meat or skin.
You can use it for carving roasts or cutting significant cuts of meat and carcasses.

Bread Knife

A bread knife is a serrated knife with a long blade (5-14 inches). Bread knives can cut through bread without squishing the soft or crushing the crust.
The serrated edge allows the blade to grip and saw through the crust without compressing the bread, resulting in clean, even slices.
Some bread knives have handles that are offset from the knife’s blade. The offset handle design helps the user to maintain a more comfortable grip and keep their knuckles clear of the cutting surface.
You can also slice meat, tomatoes, and sandwiches with a bread knife.

Boning Knife

Boning knives are kitchen knives that help remove bones from meat, poultry, and fish. The blade is thin, narrow, and flexible, maneuvering around the bones and joints to separate the meat from the bone.
Boning knives typically range in length from 3 to 12 inches. The length of the blade’s knife will depend on the size of the animal or fish being deboned.
You can use boning knives to filet fish, trim fat and cut cartilage.

Oyster Knife

An oyster knife is a specialized tool to shuck oysters (opening the shell and removing the oyster meat inside). Oyster knives have short, narrow, and sturdy blades that help you pry open the oyster shell and separate the meat of the cover.
The blade of an oyster knife is around 2.5 to 4 inches long, with a slightly curved or pointed tip designed to fit into the hinge of the oyster shell.
The handle of an oyster knife is hourglass-shaped and made of wood, plastic, or rubber, providing a comfortable and secure grip.

Carving Knife

Carving knives are long, thin, and sharp knives used for slicing cooked meat, poultry, fish, and even cakes into thin and even slices.
The blade of a carving knife ranges from 8 to 14 inches in length and is narrower than a chef’s knife.
A carving knife’s long and thin blade can create smooth and precise slicing, serving significant cuts of meat like roast beef, turkey, or ham.
Carving knives may also have a pointed tip, which can be used for piercing and separating meat from bones.

Cheese Knife

A cheese knife is a small knife that helps you cut and serve cheese. Cheese knives come in various shapes and sizes but usually have a narrow blade that tapers to a point or rounded end with a sharp or serrated edge.
The design of a cheese knife may also feature holes or slits in the blade, which help to prevent soft cheeses from sticking to the knife while cutting.
A smaller cheese knife is around 3-5 inches long, while a larger knife is about 8-10 inches long. You can use cheese knives to cut all types of cheese, from soft and crumbly to hard and dense.

Santoku Knife

A Santoku knife is a Japanese knife with a short, broad blade.
The length of a Santoku knife can vary, but it usually ranges from 5 to 9 inches.
The blade is usually made from high-carbon stainless steel, which makes it durable, sharp, and resistant to rust and staining.
You can use Santoku knives to slice meats, vegetables, and fruits, mince garlic and herbs, or chop nuts.

Nakiri Knife

The Nakiri knife is also a Japanese knife with a rectangular-shaped blade with a straight edge and a flat cutting edge profile.
“Nakiri” means “leaf cutter” in Japanese, which refers to its ability to cut through vegetables easily.
The blade is usually thin, with a double bevel edge. This design allows for a clean, straight cut through vegetables and makes it easy to perform repetitive chopping motions.
The Nakiri knives are 5-7 inches long. You can use it to chop herbs and mince garlic or onion.

Tourne Knife

A Tourne knife, a bird’s beak knife, or a turning knife, is a small, curved knife primarily used for peeling and shaping vegetables (potatoes, carrots) and fruits (apples, pears).
The Tourne knife has a short, pointed blade that curves downward, resembling a bird’s beak.
The blade is between 2 and 3 inches long and is slightly curved to allow for a rocking motion when peeling round fruits.
The handle of a Tourne knife is often long, providing the user with excellent control and precision.
Tourne knives can also peel onions, garlic, or core tomatoes.

Breaking Knife

A narrow and thin knife is preeminent for breaking down significant cuts of meat (beef, pork, and lamb).
The blade of the breaking knife is narrow, thin, and curved, typically between 7 and 10 inches long.
You can use the breaking knife to cut the meat into various pieces, such as steaks, roasts, and chops. It’s also used for cutting through bones and skin.

Cimeter Knife

A cimeter knife is a type of butcher’s knife commonly used to break down significant cuts of meat, particularly beef.
The cimeter knife is sometimes called a scimitar knife or a scimitar steak knife due to its curved blade resembling a scimitar sword.
The cimeter knife typically has a length of between 10 and 14 inches. The blade is curved upwards towards the tip and tapering down towards the edge.
The blade tip is often used to separate meat from the bone or trim fat and gristle.

FAQ

What Are The Five Most Popular Knife Types?

The five most popular knife types include:

Chef’s knife: ideal for chopping, slicing, and dicing.
Utility knife: used for cutting sandwiches, slicing meat, and trimming vegetables.
Paring knife: great for peeling, trimming, and slicing small fruits and vegetables.
Bread knife: perfect for cutting through crusty bread without squishing it.
Carving Knife: best for cutting meat, poultry, and fish.

What Knives Does Gordon Ramsay Use?

Wüsthof Classic Ikon 8-Inch Chef’s Knife: a versatile kitchen knife for slicing, dicing, and mincing vegetables, fruits, meats, and herbs. Wüsthof 8-inch is a high-quality, German-made knife with a full tang and a durable blade of high-carbon stainless steel.
Henckels knife: Gordon Ramsay also uses Henckels knife to slice, dice, chop, and mince vegetables, fruits, and herbs. You can use Henckels to carve and cut meats or poultry.

What Not To Use A Chef’s Knife For?

Cutting through hard materials: Chef’s knives are designed for soft foods and may not be suitable for cutting through hard materials like bones, frozen foods, or hard cheese.
Carving or slicing large roasts or poultry: A chef’s knife may not be the best choice for large roasts or poultry. You may need longer, thinner blades like a carving knife for optimal precision and control.
Trimming small fruits or vegetables: Chef’s knives have more prominent edges, making them unwieldy for decorating small fruits. A smaller paring knife or utility knife may be better for these tasks.
Cutting on wood or plastic: using a chef’s knife to engrave on wood or plastic can damage the blade.

What Are Knives Recommended By Chefs?

Most chefs believe that you should have the following types of knives in your kitchen:

Chef’s Knife/Santoku Knife: slice, dice, and chop foods.
Paring knife: peel, trim, and core fruits and vegetables.
Serrated knife: slice bread, tomatoes, and other soft foods with tough exteriors.
Boning Knife: remove bones from meat or fish.
Cleaver: chop and cut through tough meats and bones.

Conclusion

In conclusion, several types of knives are available for various kitchen tasks. From the versatile chef’s knife to the precision paring knife, each has a specific purpose and design that suits it well-suited for certain charges.

Choosing the right knife for the task is crucial for achieving the best results and maintaining longevity.

Types Of Knifes: How Many?