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You are here: Home / Cutlery & Kitchen Knife / A Complete Guide To Different Types of Kitchen Knives and Their Usage

A Complete Guide To Different Types of Kitchen Knives and Their Usage

May 9, 2016 by Editor

Are you the typical kitchen junkie? If so, a kitchen knife will always remain your best buddy as far as preparing those dishes go.

By being able to facilitate knives with the right skills, you can definitely have avoidance from the possibilities of getting injured and be able to maximize your whole time working in the kitchen. Kitchen knives come in different types – each having its own unique function.

Table of Contents

  • Different Types of Kitchen Knives and Their Functions
    • Chef’s Knife
    • Paring Knives
    • Boning Knives
    • Serrated or Bread Knife
    • Utility Knives
    • Cleaver knife
  • Specialized Kitchen Knives Types
    • Fillet Knife
    • Frozen Food Knife
    • Mincing Knife
  • Final Thoughts

Different Types of Kitchen Knives and Their Functions

Chef’s Knife

In the long list of knives in the kitchen, a chef’s knife will always be the most essential one with its main design being for cooking.

The basic features of a kitchen knife would be a rather wide blade that goes from 6 to 10 inches long. 6 inched kitchen knives are popularly known as the mini chef’s knives – on the contrary, the lengthier knives are called the traditional chef’s knives.

You need to consider the right feel and balance for your hands in choosing a chef’s knife. A full tang would be a necessity because this would mean the blade can go throughout the handle with comfort and firmness in handling.

The best thing about any chef’s knife is that they complete a wide variety of tasks such as chopping, mincing, slicing and virtually any cutting task with utmost performance without the need for a high precision level.

It’s cutting edge comes with a curve that allows you to roll it whilst cutting through ingredients that definitely make your tasks easy to complete with little downtime.

Paring Knives

paring knife


On a general note, paring knives come in 2-1/2-4 inches as far as length goes and it is definitely one of the most used knives in every set.

It makes a great choice for coring and peeling your favorite veggies and fruits, slicing, cutting little objects even outside the kitchen context as well as other handful jobs.

Also, paring knives work great when it comes to mincing, particularly with garlic and small peppers.

Boning Knives

boning knife

The thin and short bladed knife in the set that ideally goes around 5 to 6 inches in length. Just like other knives in the kitchen, boning knives are very self-definitive – they are designed to remove bones away from different meats such as poultry and fish.

With optimum flexibility, it has the ability to incise within the tight spaces flanked by bones. Always keep this kind of knife sharp for pure cutting accuracy.

Serrated or Bread Knife

serrated knife

In most cases, bread knives are serrated. The serration is always a two thumbs up by the experts as it can provide easier control whilst protruding true knife longevity. Serrated knives usually run from about 5 to inches in length.

It can cut through the hardest crusting without having to deform the loaf. Basically, using a serrated knife is done with sawing motion.

Utility Knives

utility knife

A utility knives can either be with a serrated or straight-edge blade. This kind of knife is shorter than a chef’s knife, but longer than the typical serrated knife or should I say 5 to 7 inches in length.

A utility knife is also known as a sandwich knife because it works just fine on slicing blocked cheese and meat variants.

It can cut through virtually any item on the list the a paring knife covers. For instance would be large apples, small squashes, cucumbers and so on. Additionally, this knife can be of great use in cutting shallots, garlic and herbs within your garden.

Cleaver knife

cleaver knife

Cleaver knife comes with a wide blade with a distinguishable rigidity. Its length runs from about 6 to 7 inches, tapering with a cutting edge with fine sharpness. Being that it roots from the verb “cleave,” it functions in a hack and slash manner.

Once held, you will recognize the extra weight it possesses compared to other knives.

The rectangular blade allows you to cut not only meat, but also the bones with heavily stiff strokes. The best thing about this knife is that it requires very little maintenance. You can sharpen it quick for long term use.

Specialized Kitchen Knives Types

Now that you are knowledgeable of the basic knives in the set, it’s time we go over types of cooking knives with specializations. Here are the following:

Fillet Knife

fillet knife

Fillet knives comes in a 6 to 11 inch length perfect for filleting your favorite fish class.

It has a narrowly protruding blade that can move out the backbones without messing up with the fish’s form. From the adjacent to the skin bones, you can definitely remove them all with no hassle at all.

Frozen Food Knife

frozen food knife

Sometimes when we are in a hurry, it is just very frustrating to have to wait for the meat to be fully thawed after taking it out of the fridge. But no need for that anymore – a frozen food knife is always there for you.

With its coarse or saw-toothed blade, it can cut through even the hardest of all frozen items – from meat to breads and legumes to fruits and veggies.

Mincing Knife

mincing knife

From the word itself, you should know that it’s for mincing. Yes, it can mince different varieties of foods into tiny bits that work great for soups, seasoning sauces, salad dressings and so on.

You can choose for a doubled bladed over a single bladed mincing knife. Additionally, it is referred to as the Mezzaluna chopping knife.

Related Read:
Best Butcher Knives Reviews
Best Sashimi Knives On The Market
5 top poultry shears reviews

Final Thoughts

After getting details about types of knives help to choose the right knives for your kitchen, isn’t it? Well, if you really consider to buy knives; we highly recommend to read our kitchen knives reviews to get the right one.

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  • Where Can I Buy Knives Online? 5 Best Online Stores
  • What’s the Best Knife for Cutting Charcuterie? The 5 Best Choice
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