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The number of kitchen knives that a great
cook will accumulate over the course of the years will undoubtedly include
a number of special knives. There are, for example, several special
kitchen knives and cutting tools
found exclusively in the bakeshop; still others are required for
butchering meats and fabricating fish. The below is intended as a guide to
the knives that may be found in nearly any well-outfitted knife kit.
Chef's Knife or French Knife
This all-purpose knife is used for a variety
of chopping, slicing, and mincing chores. The blade is normally 8 to 14
inches long.
Utility Knife
This smaller, lighter chef's knife is used
for light cutting chores. The blade is generally 5 to 7 inches long.
Paring knife
This short knife used for paring and
trimming vegetables and fruits, has a 2 to 4 inches long blade.
Boning Knife
A boning knife is used to separate raw meat
from the bone. The blade, which is thinner and shorter than the blade of a
chef's knife,
is about 6 inches long, and is usually rigid.
Filleting Knife
Used for filleting fish, this knife is
similar in shape and size to a boning knife, but has a flexible blade.
Slicer
This knife is used for slicing cooked meat.
It has a long blade with a round or pointed tip. The blade may be flexible
or rigid and may be taper ground or have a fluted edge that consists of
hollow ground ovals.
Cleaver
Used for chopping, the cleaver is often
heavy enough to cut through bones. It has a rectangular blade and varies
in size according to its use.
Tourne Knife
This small knife, similar to a paring knife,
has a curved blade to make cutting the curved surfaces of tourneed
vegetables easier.
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