Knife Types

Paring Knife- Used widely in the kitchen, there are four common styles. Both the curved and sharp pointed versions are good for fine slicing of small foods and garnishes. The spear point knives are used for general utility paring, such as with fruits and vegetables. A clip pointed knife is used for removing the eyes of potatoes, pitting fruit, and peeling.
Cook's Knife or Chef's Knife- Available in a variety of sizes, these are used for the widest variety of jobs in the kitchen. Although the handle end is wide, the knife tapers to a point. Designed for dicing and mincing hard vegetables, roots, parsley, and garlic. The blade is curved to facilitate rocking, keeping the point on the cutting board while lifting the handle. This blade is also sometimes used instead of a butcher knife to dice and cut meat. Sometimes these are used in substitution of a meat carver to slice roasts, as well.
Boning Knife- They vary in length from 4 to 8 inches, and can be narrow and flexible or wider and stiffer. The narrow and flexible knives are used for boning roasts, veal, lamb, and for filleting fish. The wider and stiffer blades are used for cutting and trimming raw meat when a larger knife is not neccessary.
Butchers Knife, and Meat Cleaver- Used for all sorts of dicing and cubing of meats. Used for chopping and when more weight is required, for opening lobster, cutting poultry, and cutting through joints of meat.
Utility Knife- Used for slicing fruits and vegetables with delicate skins. Also preferred for small melons, squash, lettuce, cabbage, and citrus. For citrus and other acidic fruits, a stainless steel blade is recommended.
Meat Slicers and Carvers- These come in wide, stiff blades and narrower, more flexible blades. The wide blades are used for hot meats, such as pot roast, roast beef, broiled meats, and rib roast. The narrower, more flexible blades are used for cold meats and roasts. Often, these feature a serrated or textured edge.
Specialty Knives- There are many specialty knives, but the most common are the clam knife, oyster knife, and the fish fillet knife. The clam knife is a small knife with a narrow, but stiff blade designed specifically for clams. The oyster knife is a small, double-sided knife with a thick and stiff blade that has rounded sharp edges. They are stiff and rugged enough to pry open oysters, with a small enough edge to start the process. Fish fillet knives are very similar to some boning knives, but they tend to be thinner and more flexible as well as razor sharp.