From our article, you will learn what types of kitchen knives are, whether there are differences between them, and what to look for when choosing a set.

Any hostess knows that the perfect dish begins with a high-quality knife. But using one knife for everything is inconvenient, while the right set of kitchen knives will give you endless possibilities in cooking, and turn the routine into a pleasant experience. In addition, it will speed up the cooking process and diversify the menu with new interesting dishes.

Types of kitchen leather

Experienced chefs have in their arsenal more than a dozen different knives that help bring the most daring culinary ideas to life. For high-quality cutting, slicing, shredding, grinding, and cleaning products, there is a tool that is distinguished by a special shape and size.

The chef knife is used for cutting meat, poultry, vegetables, and chopping garlic and herbs. Due to the wide blade 18–20 cm long, which tapers closer to the point, it is used for cutting large pieces of meat. The chef’s knife, otherwise called a chef’s or French knife, is the most versatile kitchen tool with which you can perform up to 80% of all work.

A utility knife

A utility knife is a little helper of a chef’s knife that fully justifies its name. The blade is 13-17 cm long and has a straight or pointed shape, which allows you to cut or chop almost any product, from vegetables, fruits, and herbs to the pulp of meat or boiled vegetables for salad.

A  paring knife

A  paring knife is another basic knife that you can’t do without in the kitchen. It has a short blade 8–10 cm long, which is a miniature replica of a chef’s knife.

The curved peeler makes it easy to peel fruits and vegetables with a short, rounded, sharp blade 7-9 cm long.

Slicing knife

Slicing knife – slicer, got its name from the English word “slice” (slice). Its narrow 16-20 cm blade will help you cut sausages, ham, fruits, vegetables, etc. into thin, neat slices.

A cheese knife 

A cheese knife differs from a slicing knife in that it has air pockets or through holes and a slightly curved blade shape. Notches and holes prevent the cheese from sticking to the knife, while the curved shape helps cut the piece in one motion so it doesn’t deform. The length of the blade of a cheese knife varies from 10 to 25 cm.

A bread knife

A bread knife 20-30 cm long perfectly cuts the crispy crust without crushing the airy core. It will help to avoid a large number of crumbs when cutting, and a sharp edge with serrated sharpening will ensure a smooth and accurate cut. In addition to cutting bakery products, a bread knife is also used to cut large vegetables and fruits with thick and hard skin – pumpkin, watermelon, melon, etc.

The santoku knife

The santoku knife is also called the “Damascus chef knife ”, it has a wide and elongated blade (15–20 cm), which expands closer to the handle. This is one of the few Damascus knives with a wide specialization, it is suitable for cutting into even slices and cubes, fine shredding, butchering meat and fish. Since the santoku is shorter and lighter than the classic chef’s knife, the fair sex loves to use it.

An oblong-shaped boning knife

An oblong-shaped boning knife is needed for cutting meat and poultry. With it, you can easily separate the fillet from bones, fat, and cartilage. A feature of this knife is a flexible thin blade that tapers towards the tip. The length of the blade is from 15 to 30 cm. The boning knife is suitable for cutting and filleting fish, although there is a special, more flexible knife for this purpose – a fillet knife.

Read More: How to choose Damascus kitchen knives