The Different Types of Kitchen Knives and Their Uses

A decent chef's knife can handle almost every cutting job in the kitchen. A blade designed specifically for a task, on the other hand, will make the cut easier and more precise. With the right knives, you'll be able to cook food with confidence and imagination, as you won't have to think about how to handle a cut.

The aim of this article is to introduce the most common types of kitchen knives as well as the tasks they're equipped to perform in the kitchen. You'll discover what to add and remove from your knife kit.

Types of Kitchen Knives

There are possibly more than a dozen different types of kitchen knives, some of which are multipurpose and others which are dedicated to a single purpose.

The knives on this list are the most commonly used knives for everyday cooking and food service. They are the essential components of both skilled and home cook knife collections.

The Must-Have Blades in Your Kitchen

1. Chef’s Knife

This is the most valuable blade in your kitchen, also known as a cook's knife.

A wide blade tapers upward to a point on a chef's knife, allowing it to rock back and forth for easy mincing. It can be anywhere between 6 and 12 inches long, and the size is mostly determined by the size of the cook's hands.

While the best kitchen knives are normally cast, a chef's knife may be stamped. Since it will be used often, it will typically have a complete tang, which means the lower portion of the blade spans the entire length and width of the knife handle. A full tang is more stable and durable than a partial tang.

From cutting chicken to slicing vegetables, the chef's knife can be used for almost every cutting job in the kitchen. That is why it is an absolute must-have in every kitchen knife box.

The chef's knife, as the king of the kitchen, also dictates which sharpening system you can use. Your sharpener should ideally be compatible with all of your knives; but, if the knives are from different sets, the sharpener should at least be compatible with the chef's knives' content, grind, and edge angle. Learn how to select the right knife sharpener in 2021 by reading our purchasing guide and reviews.

2. Santoku Knife

The Santoku knife is a Japanese variant of the chef's knife used in Western cuisine. Some cooks, particularly those who prefer a smaller, lighter blade, use it in place of the chef's knife because it's slightly shorter and thinner.

Santoku refers to the three virtues of slicing, dicing, and mincing. This knife is a multi-tasker that can handle almost all of the functions of a traditional chef's knife.

It does not rock on the cutting board because of the flat blade. This makes it less suitable for chopping herbs, but more suitable for thinly sliced vegetables.

A hollow edge is also used on the Santoku. The blade's dimples allow it to cut through meat, fish, and other soft and tough materials without the food sticking to it, slowing down the cutting process and reducing precision.

3. Utility Knife

The utility knife, which measures between 4 and 7 inches in length, is typically used to cut food that is too small for a chef's knife.

Although it isn't ideal for chopping or slicing large objects, the narrow blade and small tip allow it to perform tasks like thinner slicing, trimming, and filleting better than a chef's knife.

4. Kitchen Shears

Shears can be used in lieu of knives, despite the fact that they are not actually knives. Kitchen shears are a pair of scissors with thick, sturdy blades that can be used to cut through a variety of food materials. They can be used to snip herbs, segment chicken, cook shrimp and octopus, and perform a number of other cutting tasks. They're a go-to for many home cooks when it comes to slicing pizza.

Some shears with several blades are made especially for cutting green onions or other herbs quickly. The blades on those shears, on the other hand, are typically thin and weak. They often take longer to sharpen than standard shears, which are often picky about which knife sharpeners can work on them.

The Nice-to-haves

These kitchen knives are single-purpose tools with a limited range of applications.

5. Boning Knife

The boning knife is used to separate meat from the bone, filet fish, and cut up meat, as its name implies. For peeling and trimming vegetables, smaller boning knives may be used instead of a paring knife.

Boning knives range in length from 3 to 8 inches, with blade widths that differ slightly. Blades can be flexi, semi-flexi, or rigid, with stiff blades being the most common among home cooks due to their increased precision.

6. Bread Knife

Bread knives are typically used to cut bread, cakes, and sometimes beef, poultry, and seafood. They're made in such a way that you can cut through the bread without crushing or pressing it down.

The bread knife, which is designed to cut large pieces of food, is part of the larger range of kitchen knives. It can range in length from 7 to 10 inches. Its blade is narrow and straight (i.e., no belly) and often serrated, with large "teeth" running the length of it.

7. Cleaver Knife

In most kitchens, the cleaver is the bulkiest and heaviest weapon.

A traditional cleaver features a full tang, a thick spine, and a blade that is very wide with little to no belly. In a slicing motion, this design allows it to cut through bones, meat, and hard and dense materials like squash or pumpkin.

The cleaver's large and heavy blade makes it suitable for pounding and pulverizing meat, poultry, and fish, as well as crushing garlic.

8. Paring Knife

The paring knife is a must-have if you enjoy making garnishes for your food and drinks.

A paring knife has a thin blade that is 3–4 inches long and has a pointed tip. It can be used to precisely cut and peel fruits and vegetables, as well as trim excess fat.

The spear point, sheep's foot, and bird's beak are the most popular paring knife types, each named after the shape of the blade.

9. Steak Knife

Steak knives, also known as table knives, are small knives that are used at the table to cut cooked food.

They're fantastic with beef, ham, or fish.

Serrated, semi-serrated, and non-serrated edges are available on steak knives. Without honing or sharpening, serrated steak knives remain sharp for a longer period of time. Knives with no serrations dull more quickly, but they're also easier to sharpen.

10. Nakiri Bocho

The Nakiri bocho is a Japanese-style knife that is mainly used for chopping vegetables. The blade is thin and thick, with squared-off tips.

The knife has a long straight blade that is designed for slicing vegetables. This enables it to easily cut long vegetables (such as eggplants or carrots) in half. When cutting cucumber, bitter gourd, or tomatoes into thin slices, this is the knife to use.

11. Fillet Knife

This knife resembles the boning knife in appearance. However, there are some slight variations between the two.

A boning knife is thicker and has greater force endurance because it is built to cut meat from the bone. Fillet knives, on the other hand, are designed to cut thin fish slices and are usually smaller, wider, and more versatile.

Since the differences are so minor, the two knives can usually be used interchangeably. Knifemakers often combine the two, which is how the boning fillet knife came to be. You'd better note the variations if you're an expert in sashimi or chicken boning. Aside from that, either of the two should suffice for daily cooking at home.

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