A Knife for Every Task

Chef's Knife

This is the most versatile knife in the kitchen and thus the most used blade style by professional chefs. The blade is shaped so that it can peel, trim, slice, dice, chop, mince, vegetables, fillet fish, and cut meat. Each part of the knife is designed to perform a different task. The tip is used for fine work such as paring, coring, trimming and peeling. The middle cutting edge is used for slicing, dicing, chopping and other precision cuts. The heel area is needed when a task requires force and the wedge shape to split dense material. The spine can be used to crack shells and the flat side of the blade can crush garlic. It is the flagship of cutlery.

kitchen essentials

Paring Knife Features: Paring knives are 3-4” in length with blades that taper to a point. Usage: This size blade is used primarily for paring and trimming vegetables and fruits. It is considered to be the 2nd most often used knife in the kitchen and many home chefs have 3-4 in the drawer. There are many grips depending on the task and they usually involve holding the item by hand when making the cut.
Utility Knife Features: The length can be 4 ½” to 7.” This term can apply to many shapes, sizes and blade styles. It can also have a fine edge or a scalloped edge. Usage: The fine edge thin bladed 6” knife is the most common and is used for cutting and slicing smaller items.
Bread Knife Features: The length of blade is 8-12” and the edge is scalloped with a gentle camber. Usage: The bread knife is a wider and longer bladed version of a tomato knife. It is generally 8-10” and the scalloped edge bites the crust, allowing a smooth slicing action without exerting pressure which can compress the slice.