What Are the Different Types of Kitchen Knives?

Do you know your utility knife from your boning knife? If not, we have the ultimate guide to the different types of kitchen knives...
18 Nov 2024 · Guides
What Are the Different Types of Kitchen Knives?

No kitchen would be complete without a knife. They are an essential tool for any cook, and are required to prepare meals safely and efficiently.

But how many kitchen knives are there, and what are they used for? If you’re not sure, then worry not – because we’ve compiled a list of the different types of kitchen knife and their uses. Keep reading to learn more…

But first…

Before we get into the specifics of each type of kitchen knife, let’s pause and think about what you need. There are a lot of different knives available, and each has its own qualities that make it well-suited for certain tasks.

So, how many kitchen knives do you need? Well, that answer is going to differ from person to person. As we move through the list, think about your culinary needs, and see which knives best suit your kitchen. 

Chef's knife

Let’s start with the most versatile and essential knife in the kitchen. This all-purpose knife has a sharp, clean blade that usually measures between 6” and 14” inches long, and around 1.5” inches wide. Chef’s knives often feature a gentle curve to the tip, which makes it great for the fast rocking motion of chopping or mincing ingredients. 

The chef knife type typically comes in one of two styles: German and French.

German-style chef knives feature a more continuous curve of the blade than their French counterparts, which is much straighter, and only curves to the tip right at the end of the blade.

The height and width of the chef’s knife means it is often used to slice meat, chop vegetables, as well as to crush and dice ingredients. So if you want a versatile knife that can do it all, look no further than our 8" Chef Knife. Featuring our unique Circulon non-stick blade, and made from high-quality Japanese steel, our chef’s knife offers effortless performance all day, every day.

Great for: any kitchen. Seriously, if you need a knife that can do a bit of everything, the chef’s knife is for you.

A Circulon Chef's Knife on a counter, with a chopped onion and herbs.

Utility knife

The little brother to the chef’s knife, the utility knife is there for when a chef’s knife is too big for the job.

This knife has a blade that measures between 4” and 7” inches, and can come in straight or serrated versions. They are just as versatile as the chef’s knife, and are great for slicing vegetables or fruit, while the serrated versions are brilliant for tougher foods.

If you want a straight edge utility knife, our 6" Utility knife flawlessly chops smaller foods and vegetables. Expertly balanced, with a textured hi-low groove handle, this is a comfortable, versatile addition to your kitchen.

Great for: preparing foods that would be too small for the chef’s knife.

Paring knife

The paring knife is one of the smaller knives in the kitchen, and is a great multi-use utensil.

It features a thin blade approximately 3” to 4”inches long, and a very pointed tip. This design makes it great for paring fruit and vegetables, and is good for those smaller, intricate jobs, like skinning and trimming.

Note: heard the word paring a lot, but not sure what it means? This is an old English word for trimming something from outer edges or removing the skin – which is why it’s typically used in fruit preparation.

The paring knife comes in three styles: spear point, bird’s beak, and sheep’s foot.

Spear point: this style is commonly referred to as the classic design, with a smooth, short and outwardly curved blade. This multipurpose design makes it great for most jobs.

Bird’s beak: this design features a sickle-shaped concave blade which culminates in a very sharp tip. The rounded blade allows for a style of cut designed to reduce waste, and is great for peeling and coring fruits and vegetables.

Sheep’s foot: borrowing from its namesake, this blade is smooth, flat and straight, rounding only at the tip so that only the point of the blade touches the board during the chop. This design allows it to stay sharper for longer, and is perfect for chopping food into long, thin strips.

Looking for a paring knife to add to your collection? Our 3.5" Paring knife is a great example of a multi-use kitchen knife. Made of high precision Japanese steel to provide lasting, effortless performance, and with a hi-low grooved handle for improved grip, feel like a pro with this kitchen knife.

Great for: skinning, peeling and trimming.

Vegetable knife

A vegetable knife is similar to the paring knife, and is designed for precision when slicing, dicing, or chopping vegetables. They feature a straight-edged blade, which makes them ideal for cutting through vegetables without causing large tears.

Vegetable knives come in a variety of different sizes, but they are generally smaller and lighter than chef’s knives, which allows them greater control for delicate tasks like fine chopping or peeling.

Great for: chopping and peeling vegetables.

Bread knife

With its long, serrated blade that can measure up to 10” inches in length, the trusty bread knife takes the hard work out of slicing through loaves of bread.

The serrated edge may vary in size, with smaller serrations designed for a gentle cut, and larger ones for tough crusts. Scalloped edges slice through soft bread with ease, while straight serrations work well on a harder exterior like a baguette.

Looking for a bread knife for your kitchen? Our 8" Bread knife uses our unique Circulon® non-stick blade technology for exceptional food release and balance to cut through fresh breads without crushing them out of shape.

Great for: the clue is in the name. Bread.

A bread knife cutting through a loaf of seeded bread.

Carving knife

The staple of many a Christmas dinner table, carving knives have a long, thin blade, usually measuring between 8” and 15” inches.

They differ from chef’s knives in their slender design, which tapers to a sharp point to offer a greater level of precision when slicing through roasted meat, or manoeuvring around bones and irregular sections.

Great for: carving or slicing roasted meats.

Slicer knife

While both the slicer knife and carving knife are used to cut meat, they have different blade shapes, sizes and uses. Slicer knives have a blade with a uniform width, and a rounded tip. They are typically longer than carving knives, allowing for a cleaner cut. 

They offer greater flexibility over carving knives, which allows for thinner slices and less downward pressure. This heightened versatility also makes them a good choice to use on vegetables and bread.

For example, our 8" Slicer knife is the ultimate tool for carving meats as the long blade produces thin, neat, evenly sized slices. But that’s not all – the shape means this is perfect for slicing cakes, or tackling larger fruits and vegetables.

Great for: thinly slicing through meat, vegetables, and bread.

Butcher knife

The butcher knife itself is designed for heavy-duty cutting tasks. The strong, sturdy design makes it a popular knife in professional kitchens and butcher shops (where disassembling and portioning joints of meat are commonplace). 

The long, curved blade allows for smooth, sweeping cuts through meat, bones and cartilage, making these tasks much easier and requiring less force. Slicing, trimming and portioning large cuts of meat are a common task for this knife. 

Great for: portioning large meat joints, or slicing through thick meat, bones, and cartilage.

Cleaver

The heavy hitter (quite literally) of the kitchen is the cleaver. By far the largest and heaviest knife, the cleaver is used for chopping through meat and bones with ease.

The wide, rectangular blade is quite unlike any other knife type, and is designed to withstand repeated blows directly into thick, dense food. Cleavers are usually made from a softer, tougher steel, and feature a thick blade that won’t fracture or buckle under force.

This design makes it a brilliant choice for not only making quick work of meat, but also cutting through those thicker ingredients like hard vegetables, or for crushing things like cloves of garlic.

Great for: thick, dense meat or vegetables.

Boning knife

Another knife that gets its name from its profession, the boning knife is used to separate meat from bones.

This process can be difficult, so the boning knife is designed to make it as stress-free as possible. The design of the boning knife helps it to trim and peel, with a thin, flexible blade that can work around irregular sections and bones with ease. 

Great for: stripping meat from the bone.

Fillet knife

A similar knife to the boning knife, the fillet knife is also used in the preparation of meat. However, whereas the boning knife is primarily used for thicker meat, the fillet knife is specifically designed for filleting fish. 

Unlike the boning knife, which has a thicker, sturdier, and straighter blade, the fillet knife is more flexible and has a unique slender design which is perfect for removing scales and tiny bones from the fish.

Great for: preparing fish.

Santoku knife

Next up we have the famous Japanese knife, the Santoku. Popularly used across Asia, this is an alternative to the traditional chef’s knife.

The name Santoku translates to “three virtues,” or “three uses,” which refers to the three primary uses of the knife; cutting, mincing, and dicing. Santoku knives are characterised by their lightweight, straight-edged blade with a sheep’s foot tip, and feature holes or engravings along the side of the blade to prevent food sticking to the side.

Our 7" Santoku Knife is created from Japanese steel, and sharpened to an extremely high level, they are well suited for precise, delicate slicing. Shorter than our Chef’s knife, this is a versatile knife that can be used for everything from filleting fish to dicing vegetables.

Great for: fish and meat, or vegetables.

A Santoku knife on a counter, with a tea towel and sliced raw salmon.

Cheese knife

While cheese knives come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, there are two features that separate them from other knife types.

First is their tendency to feature holes in the blade. This unique design allows them to cut through soft cheeses without them sticking to the blade due to the minimal surface area.

The other feature is their forked tip. This is a common addition to standard soft cheese knives, as it allows the user to skewer the cheese, much like a cocktail fork. This makes it easier to move and serve slices of cheese.

Great for: all cheeses, great and small.

Oyster knife

Last of all, we have the oyster knife. As the name suggests, this knife is used in the preparation of oysters. This knife has a short, study blade with a blunt tip. This tip allows it to open, or “shuck” oysters, which would be a complicated and difficult task with other types of knife.

The blade is usually only around two to three inches long, which allows it to contain the relevant strength to pry open oyster shells without breaking them.

Great for: shucking oysters.

Superior slicing with Circulon

We hope you have found this article helpful, and answered the burning question of what kitchen knives you need. Of course, now you know your paring knife from your fillet knife, it’s time to act.

At Circulon, we stock the UK’s best range of kitchen knives, all available at incredible prices. We also offer free delivery to selected locations and are rated excellent on Trustpilot

Better yet, you can spread the cost of your purchase over three, interest-free payments with Klarna, so what are you waiting for?

Note: kitchen knives are an age restricted product. You must be over 18 to purchase these from Circulon.

Shop kitchen knives at Circulon now

For more cookware and bakeware buying guides, information and advice, explore the Circulon blog

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