Overview of Kitchen Knives

These flashcards help review different types of kitchen knives, their construction, and their specific uses.

Chef Knife

The most used kitchen knife, known as 'the all-purpose knife', with a 8-12 inch triangular blade used for various tasks like peeling, trimming, slicing, chopping, and dicing.

Paring Knife

The second most frequently used knife, with a 2-4 inch blade, mainly used for peeling and trimming fruits and vegetables.

Tournee Knife

A paring knife with a curved blade, also called a bird's beak knife, designed to make cutting round surfaces easier.

Boning Knife

A knife used to separate raw meat from the bone, with a 6 inch long, thinner blade that can be straight or have an upward curve.

Filleting Knife

A knife specially designed for filleting fish, featuring a very flexible blade that bends easily.

Slicer

A knife with a long thin blade and a round or pointed tip, used to make smooth slices, available with serrated or granton edges to reduce sticking.

Cleaver

A knife with a rectangular blade that varies in size, used for many of the same tasks as a chef's knife.

Scimitar

A knife ideal for cutting through large cuts of raw meat, used for making steaks, cutlets, or medallions.

Oyster Knife

A short, rigid knife used to open clam shells; its tip is blunt and only the clam knife has a sharp edge.

Utility Knife

An all-purpose knife used for cutting fruits and vegetables and carving poultry, with a rigid 6 to 8 inch long blade, narrower than a chef’s knife.

Knife Construction

The quality of a knife begins with the metal used, which can be carbon steel, stainless steel, high-carbon stainless steel, or ceramic.

Parts of a Chef's Knife

Includes the tip, spine, bolster, tang, cutting edge, heel, and rivets.