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Home » Which Knife Should I Use?

Which Knife Should I Use?

By Marybeth Feutz 4 Comments

It’s easy to always reach for the same knife in your kitchen. But not every knife is good for every job! Keep reading to find out which knife to use when.

Which Knife Should I Use? It's easy to always reach for the same knife in your kitchen. But not every knife is good for every job! Keep reading to find out which knife to use when.

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Which Knife Should I Use?

You may have a beautiful knife block filled with 5-15 knives. Or they may all be jumbled in a drawer. You really only need 4-5 knives in your kitchen. Let’s break down which knives you need, and what you should use them for.

Chef’s Knife

Your chef's knife should be the workhorse in your kitchen.

Your chef’s knife should be the workhorse in your kitchen. These knives are typically 8-10 inches long. A chef’s knife should be used for most of your kitchen tasks, including slicing fruits, vegetables, and meats. The weight and length of a chef’s knife makes it ideal for chopping firm vegetables like carrots, onions, and potatoes or for slicing roasts or other large cuts of meat.

Paring Knife

Paring knives are great for chopping small pieces of food, or peeling fruits and vegetables.

Paring knives are around 3-5 inches long. These knives should be used when a chef’s knife is just too big for the job. Mincing garlic, slicing strawberries or other soft fruits, or peeling apples are great tasks for your paring knife.

Utility Knife

You should be using your chef's knife for most jobs, but a utility knife can be used as a smaller version.

While many chef’s wouldn’t even think of using a utility knife, this is the knife that gets the most use in my kitchen. (Although after researching for this article, I’m going to practice with my chef’s knife a lot more!) Utility knives are typically around 5 inches long. Because they are so much smaller than a chef’s knife, this might be a good knife option for someone with smaller hands, or someone who is just learning knife skills in the kitchen.

Serrated Knife

Use a serrated knife for more than just bread. The teeth catch and cut through slippery skins.

Serrated knives are often thought of simply as bread knives. Their serrated edge makes cutting through crusty breads easy. That serrated edge also makes it easy to cut through fruits with slippery or shiny skins, like tomatoes, citrus fruits, and watermelon. The sharp serrations will grip and tear the slippery skins, where a straight blade will slide off or crush the delicate fruit beneath the skin. Also think of your serrated knife when you are cutting pies and pizza – the serrated blade will cut through the crusts without squeezing out the pie fillings.

Boning Knife

Boning knives are thin and flexible. They should only be used for delicate tasks.

Boning knives are thin and flexible, and usually around 4-6 inches long. Because boning knives are so delicate, they aren’t great for everyday use. But they are perfect for cutting meat away from a bone, whether you’re taking the bones out of a large piece of meat before cooking, or you’re carving the meat away from the bone after cooking. Use your boning knife to trim excess fat or skin from meat before cooking. You can also use your boning knife for taking the rind of melons (just don’t use it for cutting into the melon, this knife is too delicate for that.) Do not use boning knives to cut through bones – a cleaver is better suited for that.

You may have a beautiful knife block filled with 5-15 knives. Or they may all be jumbled in a drawer. You really only need 4-5 knives in your kitchen. Let's break down which knives you need, and what you should use them for.

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If you have to use a lot of force or pressure to cut through something, you’re using the wrong knife. If the knife is slipping across the surface of what you are trying to cut, you’re using the wrong knife. If the blade of the knife is bending as you’re cutting, you’re using the wrong knife.

Which knife gets the most used in your kitchen? Do you feel like you have good knife skills, or could you use some practice?

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Hi! I'm Marybeth, the blogger behind My Fearless Kitchen! Jump in, and let me share what I'm learning about food, farming, quick kitchen tips, and easy recipes to chase the fear out of YOUR kitchen! Read more.
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