knifeopedia
Western Blades
(ranked in order of popularity)
Chef’s knife
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The Chef’s knife is the most commonly used blade and the true workhorse in a Western kitchen. Its broad blade curves upward toward the tip, making it ideal for rocking back and forth when mincing or chopping. Chef’s knives come in various lengths, ranging from 16 cm (6”) to 30 cm (12”). The most popular size for home cooks size is 20 cm / 8”, with professionals often preferring 9” or 10” blades. A Chef’s knife is best suited for tasks that involve rock chopping or cutting with a slicing motion.
Paring knife
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The paring knife is an essential tool for cutting, peeling, and cleaning small fruits and vegetables, as well as performing detailed work where precision is key. This versatile knife comes in sizes ranging from 5 cm (2”) to 13 cm (5”), with 10 cm (4”) being the most popular size. There are several blade shapes available, each suited to different tasks:
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spear point with a curved and pointed blade, ideal for tasks that require the use of a sharp tip for precision cutting
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sheep’s foot with a straight blade and rounded tip, making it preferable for tasks where the straight edge provides better contact with the food or cutting board
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bird’s beak with an inverted curve of the blade, mimicking the shape of a bird’s beak, making it perfect for peeling and working around curved surfaces.
Utility knife
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The utility knife bridges the gap between a Chef’s knife and a spear point paring knife, featuring a curved blade with a pointed tip. It’s the go-to choice when a Chef’s knife feels too large and a paring knife too small. This versatile knife is ideal for cutting mid-sized fruits and vegetables, as well as slicing meats, cheeses, tomatoes, and even sandwiches or bagels.
Some utility knives come with a serrated edge featuring narrow, pointed teeth. These teeth are less aggressive than those on a bread knife but are still sharp enough to cut through skins or crusts smoothly.
Recently, compact versions of the utility knife, called compact Chef’s knives or prep knives, have become popular. These are smaller versions of a Chef’s knife, typically in the 13-16 cm (5-6”) range, offering enough knuckle clearance for comfortable work on a cutting board. They are perfect for users who may feel intimidated by larger knives.
Bread knife
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As the name suggests, the bread knife is specifically designed to slice through bread, featuring a serrated edge that easily tears through the crust. The blade is typically long, narrow, and straight, with a rounded tip. Bread knives come in various types of serrations, aggressive ones with sharp tips for hard crusted breads, or softer serrations with inverted scallops for cutting cakes or other objects in a sawing motion, without squishing the food. The length varies from 20 cm / 8” to 30 cm / 12”, with the shorter 20 cm / 8” version being the most popular choice.
Steak knife
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The steak knife is designed for use at the dinner table and is typically the only sharp knife found in a modern table setting. It features a curved blade and a pointed tip, with sizes ranging from 12 to 14 cm (4.5-5.5”), similar to a utility knife, meaning it can also serve as a kitchen tool for smaller cutting tasks.
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Steak knives come in both serrated and non-serrated varieties, with each having its advocates:
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Non-Serrated: Provides clean, smooth cuts, but quickly dulls when used on dinner plates and requires frequent sharpening.
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Serrated: Retains its sharpness longer because it doesn't require direct contact with the plate as often. However, serrated edges tend to tear through meat, which can alter its texture and taste.
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With the rise of high-end meat and steakhouse dining, steak knives have seen a surge in popularity. Despite this, they are still primarily classified as table knives rather than kitchen knives.
Carving/slicing knife
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The carving knife and slicing knife both feature long, narrow and usually flexible blades with a thin cross-section. They are designed for cutting through larger pieces of meat (or fish) with precision.
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The slicing knife has straighter blade with rounded tip, often often equipped with divots (also known as grantons) ground into the blade to reduce friction, preventing boneless meats from sticking to the blade, whereas the carving knife has a sharp tip, designed specifically for working with meat on bones.
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The slicing knife usually comes in sizes from 26 cm / 10” to 36 cm / 14”, whereas carving knife typically ranges from 20 cm / 8” to 30 cm / 12”.
Boning knife
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As the name suggests, the boning knife is designed specifically for deboning meat. Its thin, curved, and flexible bladeallows for precise slicing around bones, following their shape to minimize meat waste. A wider edge angle provides durability, preventing chipping when working around bones, cutting through joints, or breaking away cartilage. And the narrow is perfect for trimming fat. Boning knives are typically available in sizes ranging from 14-18 cm (5.5-7”).
Filleting knife
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The filleting knife bears a close resemblance to the boning knife, but there are important distinctions. It is primarily designed for filleting and cleaning fish, requiring a thinner, sharper, and more flexible blade than the boning knife. Filleting knives typically range in length from 15 to 28 cm (6-11”).
