A kitchen knife is any knife that is intended to be used in food preparation. While much of this work can be accomplished with a few general-purpose knives – notably a large chef's knife, a tough cleaver, and a small paring knife – there are also many specialized knives that are designed for specific tasks. Kitchen knives can be made from several different materials.

Kitchen knives generally either feature a curve near the tip, as in a chef's knife, or are straight for their entire length. The edge itself may be generally smooth (a "straight" or "clean" edge), or may be serrated or scalloped (have "teeth") in some way. Lastly, the point may differ in shape: most common is a sharp, triangular point (not pictured), as in a chef's knife or paring knife, though the French point  (also called "Sheep's foot") is common in santokus, and a round point is sometimes found on long slicing knives.

Various point shapes.

• Serrated blade knives have a wavy, scalloped or saw-like blade. Serrations help when cutting things that are hard on the outside and soft on the inside (such as bread or tomatoes); the saw-like action breaks the surface more easily than anything except the very sharpest smooth blade. They are also particularly good on fibrous foods such as celery or cabbage. Serrated knives cut much better than plain-edge blade knives when dull, so they do not require frequent sharpening (some serrated blades are claimed never to need sharpening), and are sometimes used to make steak knife which do not need frequent sharpening. However, they are not readily sharpened properly by a user, requiring specialized equipment, and may never be resharpened during their useful life. Serrations are often used  to improve the cutting ability of a less-expensive blade not capable of taking and keeping a sharp edge, usually having a thin, polished blade designed to minimise friction. A serrated knife is more practical for a user who is not prepared to sharpen it frequently; a well-maintained and sharpened smooth edge is keener.

Some companies have names for their own serration patterns and apply them to an entire line of knives. Examples are cutco's Double-D edge and Henckel's Eversharp Pro series.

Nomenclature

A

Point:

The very end of the knife, which is used for piercing

B

Tip:

The first third of the blade (approximately), which is used for small or delicate work. Also known as belly or curve when curved, as on a chef's knife.

C

Edge:

The entire cutting surface of the knife, which extends from the point to the heel. The edge may be b or symmetric.

D

Heel:

The rear part of the blade, used for cutting activities that require more force

E

Spine:

The top, thicker portion of the blade, which adds weight and strength

F

Bolster:

The thick metal portion joining the handle and the blade, which adds weight and balance

G

Finger Guard:

The portion of the bolster that keeps the cook's hand from slipping onto the blade

H

Return:

The point where the heel meets the bolster

J

Tang:

The portion of the metal blade that extends into the handle, giving the knife stability and extra weight

K

Scales:

The two portions of handle material (wood, plastic, composite, etc.) that are attached to either side of the tang

L

Rivets:

The metal pins (usually 3) that hold the scales to the tang

M

Handle Guard:

The lip below the butt of the handle, which gives the knife a better grip and prevents slipping

N

Butt:

The terminal end of the handle

Common kitchen knives

Chef's knife

Also known as a cook's knife or French knife even though the knife style originates as the German cook's knife, the chef's knife is an all-purpose knife that is curved to allow the cook to rock the knife on the cutting board for a more precise cut. The broad and heavy blade also serves for chopping bone instead of the cleaver making this knife the all purpose heavy knife for food preparation. Chef's knives are most commonly available between 15 cm and 30 cm (6 and 12 inches), though 20 cm (8 inches) is the most common size.

Paring

 

A paring knife is a small knife with a plain edge blade that is ideal for peeling and other small or intricate work (such as de-veining a shrimp, removing the seeds from a jalapeño, 'skinning' mushrooms or cutting small garnishes). It is designed to be an all-purpose knife, similar to a chef's knife, except smaller. Paring knives are usually between 6 and 10 cm (2½ and 4 inches) long.

Utility

The term "Utility knife" is often used for a non-kitchen cutting tool with a short blade which can be replaced, or with a strip of blades which can be snapped off when worn.

A utility knife is between a chef's knife and paring knife in size, about 10 cm and 18 cm (4 and 7 inches) in length. The utility knife has declined in popularity, and is at times derided as filler for knife sets^.This decline is attributed to the knife being neither fish nor fowl prepared to a chef's knife, it is too short for many food items, has insufficient clearance when used at a cutting board, and is too fragile for heavier cutting tasks, while compared to a paring knife, which is used when cutting between ones hand, (e.g., carving a radish), the added length offers no benefit and indeed makes control harder in these fine  tasks

Bread knife

Serrated knives are able to cut soft bread without crushing it; one was exhibited at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 in Chicago by the Friedrich Dick company (Esslingen, Germany).The most famous design was patented in the United States by Joseph E. Burns of Syracuse, New York. His knife had sections of grooves or serrations, inclined with respect to the axis of the blade, that form individual small cutting edges which were perpendicular to the blade and thus cut without the excessive normal pressure required of a scalloped blade and without the horizontal force required by positive-raked teeth that would dig into the bread like a wood saw. There were also sections of grooves with the opposite direction of inclination, separated by a section of smooth blade, and the knife thus cut cleanly in both directions in both hard and soft bread.

Bread knives are usually between 15 cm and 25 cm (6 and 10 inches). An offset serrated knife uses an offset handle to ensure the cook's knuckles will not touch the cutting surface when the blade has cut all of the way through the food.

Meat knives

Carving

A carving knife is a large knife (between 20 cm and 38 cm (8 and 15 inches)) that is used to slice thin cuts of meat, including poultry, roasts, hams, and other large cooked meats. A carving knife is much thinner than a chef's knife (particularly at the spine), enabling it to carve thinner, more precise slices. They are generally shorter and wider than slicing knives.

Slicing

A slicing knife serves a similar function to a carving knife, although it is generally longer and narrower. Slicers may have plain or serrated edges. Such knives often incorporate blunted or rounded tips, and feature kullenschliff (Swedish/German "hill-sharpened") or Granton edge (scalloped blades) to improve meat separation. Slicers are designed to precisely cut smaller and thinner slices of meat, and are normally more flexible to accomplish this task. As such, many cooks find them better suited to slicing ham, roasts, fish, or barbecued beef and pork and venison

Ham slicer

A ham slicer is a special type of slicer, with a long blade and rounded tip, that is offered by some manufacturers. They are specially tailored to cutting ham, as they are generally thinner and more flexible.

 Cleaver

 

Cleaver is a large, most-often rectangular knife that is used for splitting or "cleaving" meat and bone. A cleaver may be distinguished from a kitchen knife of similar shape by the fact that it has a heavy blade that is thick from the spine to quite near the edge. The edge is sharply-beveled and the bevel is typically convex. The knife is designed to cut with a swift stroke without cracking, splintering or bending the blade. Many cleavers have a hole in the end to allow them to be easily hung on a rack. Cleavers are an essential tool for any restaurant that prepares its own meat. The cleaver most often found in a home knife set is a light-duty cleaver about 6 in (15 cm) long. Heavy cleavers with much thicker blades are often found in the trade.

A "lobster splitter" is a light-duty cleaver used mainly for shellfish and fowl which has the profile of a chef's knife. The Chinese Chef’s knife is sometimes called a "Chinese cleaver", due to the rectangular blade, but it is unsuitable for cleaving, its thin blade instead designed for slicing; actual Chinese cleavers are heavier and similar to Western cleavers.

 Boning

A boning knife is used to remove bones from cuts of meat. It has a thin, flexible blade, usually about 12 cm to 15 cm (5 or 6 inches) long, that allows it to get in to small spaces. A stiff boning knife is good for beef and pork, and a flexible one is preferred for poultry and fish.

Fillet

Fillet knives are like very flexible boning knives that are used to fillet and prepare fish. They have blades about 15 cm to 28 cm (6 to 11 inches) long, allowing them to move easily along the backbone and under the skin of fish.

Cheese knives

 

Cheese is varied and often challenging to cut. Accordingly, various styles of cheese knives and cheese cutting utensils have been developed. A wire, rather than a knife, is often used to cut cheese.

 Soft cheese

Soft cheese knives are specially designed for slicing soft cheese. They generally have holes in the blade to prevent the cheese from sticking. Wire cheese cutters are also used.

Hard cheese

Hard cheese knives are specially designed for slicing hard cheese. They are sharp, so they can cut exact slices, and often have a forked tip, allowing them to be used as a serving utensil as well.Cheese slicers are also used.

 Parmesan cheese

A Parmesan cheese knife, featuring a short, stubby blade.

Parmesan cheese knives are specially designed for portioning very hard cheeses. They have very short, thick blades that are forced into the cheese and then used as a lever to break off smaller portions. (Slicing hard cheese is considered improper by connoisseurs, since the cheese - when broken apart - has more surface area, and thus more air contact, which strengthens the apparent scent and taste of the cheese.)

Small knives

A tourne knife

Peeling or tourné knife

Also known as a Bird's Beak Knife, a peeling knife has a pointed tip that curves downward (sometimes upward) and from side to side (towards the blade). It is often used for many of the same tasks as paring knives. It can be used to cut decorative garnishes (such as rosettes or fluted mushrooms), slice soft fruits, or to remove skins and blemishes. It is also used to make a cut known as a tourné cut in vegetables such as carrots.

Decorating

A decorating knife is any knife with a blade designed to make a decorative cut. The most common pattern is a simple zigzag. Decorating knives are used for making fancy cuts for garnishes and presentation.

Trimming

Usually about 5 cm to 8 cm (2 to 3 inches) long, a trimming knife has a small, curved blade that is shaped somewhat like a boning knife. Trimming knives are ideal for small tasks such as decorating and peeling.

Fluting

Usually about 5 cm to 10 cm (2 to 4 inches) long, a fluting knife has a small blade that is very straight. Fluting knives are ideal for small tasks such as decorating and peeling.

Specialty knives

Certain knives are specialized for a particular food – for example, oyster knives are necessary to shuck oysters – they cannot safely be opened otherwise – but are not used outside of shellfish.

Tomato

A tomato knife is a small knife with a serrated blade. Typically about the size of a utility knife, tomato knives are ideal for cutting through the tough skin and soft flesh of tomatoes.

Oyster

Oyster Knife

An oyster knife (also known as a clam knife) has a short, thick blade that is used to pry open oysters and separate their meat from the shell. Some models have a shield built into the handle that prevents the knife (and hand) from slipping and going too far into the shell.

Deveiner

A deveiner or deveining knife is a small knife used to remove the colon ("vein") from the back of shrimp.

Grapefruit

A grapefruit knife has a long, fat, dull blade that is used to separate the flesh of a grapefruit from the peel and inner membranes. The blade is usually serrated, with a blunt tip. Some knives even have a different blade style on each end of the handle – one for the inner membrane, one for the peel – and some have a double blade an the inner membrane end, to cut on both sides of the membrane.

Chestnut

A chestnut knife is used to score a chestnut with an "X" cut prior to roasting, so that steam does not build up  inside and cause the nut to explode. They have very shallow blades so that they can cut through the shell without cutting through the nut inside.

Other knives

Mincing

Also known as a Mezzaluna (Italian: "half moon") because of the shape, a mincing knife is a semicircular highly-curved blade with a handle that allows the blade to be rocked back and forth repeatedly on a hard surface.This rocking motion is ideal for mincing and chopping. Some mincing knives are supplied with a wooden cutting board with a circular bowl-shaped indentation that matches the curvature of the knife. Some models have two blades that are parallel to each other to increase their mincing power.

Large mezzaluna-like knives with shallow curves are sometimes used to cut pizza, though the rolling pizza cutter is more common for this purpose.

Accessories

Cutting board

A cutting board is kitchen utensil used in conjunction with a knife. It is a flat surface, generally made of either wod or plastic, on which to cut food and which protects counter tops and knives from damage.

Carving fork

 

A carving fork is a long, two-pronged fork used to hold meat steady while it is being carved. Carving forks are often sold together with carving knives or slicers as part of a matched carving set.

Honing steel

Contrary to what many believe, the honing steel, also known as butcher's steel or sharpening steel, is not a sharpener. A honing steel straightens the blade, while a sharpener sharpens the blade. A honing steel is a rod made of steel or ceramic, generally about 30 cm (1 foot) long (although can be longer) and 6 mm to 12 mm (¼ to ½ inch) thick. It is used to hone a knife blade after sharpening in order to restore the edge and improve cutting ability.

Shears

Shears are essentially kitchen scissors, though they can be used for many of the same jobs as knives, such as chopping herbs.

Knife block

A knife block is a common way to store knives safely and close at hand in the kitchen. This is an angled block of wood, steel, or other material, with slots for inserting knife blades, and sometimes other accessories, like kitchen scissors. Many knife blocks, particularly those made of wood, cannot be cleaned on the inside. Magnetic knife bars and in-drawer holders are becoming popular as more sanitary alternatives