Are you looking for a perfect paring knife that will slice tomatoes in thin, even slices without making a mushy mess? If you’re frustrated as I was about finding a paring knife that will cut fruits and vegetables – like oranges, onions, and tomatoes – with equal ease, you’ll love the Victorinox Cutlery 3.25 Inch Wavy Paring Knife.
7 Reasons Why I Love this Paring Knife
The handle is easy to grip
- Indentation along the body of the handle and slight contouring along the bottom side make the handle easy to grip. The contouring of the handle has just the right curve to make the knife easy to hold without causing an uncomfortable grip or added pressure on your hands.
The handle also has a slight texture to it, so it’s easy to grip whether your hands are wet or dry.
It’s easy to control when peeling fruits and vegetables
- The finger guard for your thumb(the part of the handle that juts out over the blade at the top of the handle) allows you to control the knife more easily. This is particularly important when you need to make precise cuts, such as when you’re cutting the rind from an orange or slicing fresh garlic.
For safety reasons, also know that the finger guard does just that; it reduces the chances of cutting your thumb on the blade. This is a good safety feature when your hands are wet or greasy.
The knife is super light
- Because this knife is so light, you can peel large quantities of fruits and vegetables faster and with less strain on your hands and arms. You’ll also love that your arms don’t get tired as easily.
Even though the knife is light, it still feels balanced. In fact, if I position the handle (just below the finger guard) on the tip of my index finger, it’s stays balanced, even if I make small hand movements side-to-side or up and down. Try it yourself.
The serrated blade is ultra-sharp
I bought my first Victorinox paring knife about four years ago. Even after using it several times a week, mostly slicing fruit and peeling tomatoes and potatoes, it’s still sharp. I have never sharpened it, not even once.
It’s good to know that the knife can be sharpened. I’ve just never had the need.
The knife is the perfect size
If you’ve ever tried to peel grapefruit or a cucumber with a knife that’s too long, it’s frustrating because the long blade makes it awkward and difficult to control the knife. It’s also a safety issue because you’re more likely to accidentally cut yourself.
The short blade on this paring knife makes it the perfect size for small items, such as strawberries, and larger items, such as naval oranges and onions.
The price is reasonable
I found mine on Amazon for less than $8.00. To find a knife this sharp and this durable for less than $8.00 is a bargain. It’s one of the reasons I own two.
As I see it, why pay $20.00 or more when this knife works great for less than $8.00? Sometimes more expensive isn’t always better.
It’s dishwasher safe
Some of the more expensive knives recommend handwashing. I’ve put this knife in the dishwasher for years, with no ill effects. If you’re like me, you put as much as you can in the dishwasher; it’s fast; it’s easy, and it’s convenient. The less I have to hand wash, the better.
You’ll also love the convenience of taking this straight from the dishwasher to the utensils drawer.
My One Criticism
I’ve found this knife to be perfect for just about every item I’ve used it on. The only exception is potatoes. When I use the knife to cut potatoes, the slicing feels a little rough–almost a little jerky at times–and the knife seems a little harder to handle on potatoes than other fruits and vegetables.
That said, I will continue using the knife to slice potatoes–it’s just not my favorite. If I find a better option, I will pass that information on.
Why this is My Favorite Paring Knife
The main reason the Victorinox is my favorite paring knife is that it’s the best knife for peeling oranges that I have ever owned. When oranges are in season, I eat them nearly every day, so I need a knife that makes peeling oranges easy. This knife does just that.
Since I prefer oranges without all the pith (the thread-like white stuff between the orange and the peel), I need a really sharp knife. This knife makes it easy to cut the pith off the orange without cutting away much of the fruit.
Because the knife is so sharp, I can peel an orange in no time. In fact, I think I’ll go peel one right now.
